I WENT VEGETARIAN FOR 9 WEEKS, HERE'S WHAT I THOUGHT

You might remember at the beginning of January I posted a blog post about starting a plant based diet. After 9 weeks, I'm here to share my thoughts about it- the good, bad, gassy ugly. 

Going into this I wasn’t sure how I would like it or if I could even make it six weeks which was originally my goal. 

Week one was a little rocky... Most vegetables are extremely high is fiber which is amazing considering most Americans don't get enough fiber in their diet. 

Being one of those Americans, and making a sudden change to a plant based diet I had a lot of gas and bloating. After researching, I learned this is very normal especially if you make a sudden change or if you're eating foods you didn't typically eat which was semi- my case.

After that first week of adjusting, the bloating went away and throughout the rest of the weeks I've felt so much lighter, my digestion system has improved significantly and I've grown a new respect for eating.

Figuring out what to eat really wasn't too hard for me. I made foods that I wanted and recreated foods that are classics in my kitchen. I'll share what my favorite plant based recipes are in THIS blog post. 

Here’s where I'm going from here. 

I’m going to continue with a plant based diet. To this point, I haven’t truly wanted or craved a piece of steak, chicken, pork or any other land animal. However, I have wanted sushi & fish. So I want to keep an 80/20 mindset. If I want sushi on the weekends I’ll get it but as far as eating land animals- who knows when I'll eat one. 

The main point I want to make is I'm not doing this for any other reason but to 

1. Challenge myself to learn a new way of eating

2. Invest in organic, non-processed, high quality food

Because here's the thing. Every single thing you buy at the store has outcomes. When you buy junk you are ultimately supporting the companies who produce junk. When you buy organic, Non GMO, etc you're telling the businesses that's what you want and when you buy meat you’re VOTING for how that animal or fish was fed, caught, slaughtered and packaged. 

That is ultimately what I stand behind. Not being a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, paleo, or KETO but being mindful about what you’re eating and what you’re “voting” for.