Yes, you've probably heard that a vegan diet is both healthy and hard to do. So why should you make the switch to a healthier lifestyle? Here are my top five reasons:
1. Eating meat doesn't make you healthier.
There is no proof that a person must eat meat to be healthy. In fact, eating red meats can cause more health issues than not.
2. Eating a plant-based diet makes you feel great.
It only takes 21 days to form a new habit. Before I became a vegan, I had no idea how out of shape, unhealthy, and tired I was. Eating only what your body needs gives you more energy.
3. We can feed more people with the plants we feed to animals to produce meat.
We could feed approximately 1.3 billion people with the grain we use to feed livestock each year. Think about all those people in third-world countries we could be feeding instead.
4. A vegan diet is an easy way to lose weight.
Though not all vegans eat all healthy food, it is likely that your metabolism will get faster, and you will lose all the extra weight you have gotten use to.
5. You'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.
We don't know what we've been missing until we discover it for ourselves. Being a vegan has allowed me to lose seven pounds without trying, become more energetic, get better sleep, become inspired to workout daily, and encourage others to educate themselves about leading a healthier lifestyle.
CW
VegFit
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Hello!
As you may know from my last blog post, I decided to become a vegan on September 1, 2014. This week, I would like to explain how becoming vegan is not as hard as you may think. All you have to do is give up eating meat, eggs, and all dairy, including milk. Sounds easy, right? Definitely not! I know it may sound difficult at first, but trust me, anyone can do it!
The first secret to becoming a vegan, or follow any diet or healthy lifestyle for that matter, is to "get out of your mind." This is something I've had to remind myself to do in the past couple of weeks. What do I mean by this exactly? Well, I too have thoughts while roaming the grocery store isles that are something like, "Mmm, chocolate," or "A big plate of fettuccine Alfredo would be amazing right now!" The secret is to let the thoughts of greasy pepperoni pizza and chocolate peanut butter pie come, just don't act on them. Say to yourself out loud what it is that you want, and the thoughts will pass. By resisting them, you are only going to obsess over them. "Getting out of your mind" is simply saying what it is you want to eat out loud, letting the thoughts pass, and remembering that your new healthy lifestyle is so much more than a ten-minute craving.
Now that you know my trick to successfully starting out my vegan lifestyle, I have even better news. I have already told you I believe you can become vegan too. The good news is that for every non-vegan food, there is a vegan substitute. These substitutes are often times much tastier and always healthier too!
Instead of milk from cows, I drink Simple Truth or Blue Diamond Almond Milk. Instead of dairy ice cream, I eat So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream, and I eat a different flavored Morning Star veggie patty almost every day, dished up in any way regular meat can be prepared. I make homemade veggie pizzas, and fruit smoothies with soy yogurt. Tofu, when seasoned and prepared, tastes like eggs. This past week I discovered the Sweet Earth Natural Foods Big Sur breakfast burrito and I am obsessed! Vegan chocolate chips, cookies, and brownie mixes are also sold in your local grocery store, like Meijer. And as for my fettuccine Alfredo cravings, I have found a recipe that looks great and is made from cauliflower.
My point is, anyone can become a vegan. The only thing we fear is the unknown. So whether you want to save animals' lives, lead a healthier lifestyle, or drop a few pounds, all it takes is very little will power and a lot of substitutions!
By the way, just by eating the same amount of food I normally eat but following a vegan diet, I have lost 4 pounds in the past 2 weeks without even trying!
CW
The first secret to becoming a vegan, or follow any diet or healthy lifestyle for that matter, is to "get out of your mind." This is something I've had to remind myself to do in the past couple of weeks. What do I mean by this exactly? Well, I too have thoughts while roaming the grocery store isles that are something like, "Mmm, chocolate," or "A big plate of fettuccine Alfredo would be amazing right now!" The secret is to let the thoughts of greasy pepperoni pizza and chocolate peanut butter pie come, just don't act on them. Say to yourself out loud what it is that you want, and the thoughts will pass. By resisting them, you are only going to obsess over them. "Getting out of your mind" is simply saying what it is you want to eat out loud, letting the thoughts pass, and remembering that your new healthy lifestyle is so much more than a ten-minute craving.
Now that you know my trick to successfully starting out my vegan lifestyle, I have even better news. I have already told you I believe you can become vegan too. The good news is that for every non-vegan food, there is a vegan substitute. These substitutes are often times much tastier and always healthier too!
Instead of milk from cows, I drink Simple Truth or Blue Diamond Almond Milk. Instead of dairy ice cream, I eat So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream, and I eat a different flavored Morning Star veggie patty almost every day, dished up in any way regular meat can be prepared. I make homemade veggie pizzas, and fruit smoothies with soy yogurt. Tofu, when seasoned and prepared, tastes like eggs. This past week I discovered the Sweet Earth Natural Foods Big Sur breakfast burrito and I am obsessed! Vegan chocolate chips, cookies, and brownie mixes are also sold in your local grocery store, like Meijer. And as for my fettuccine Alfredo cravings, I have found a recipe that looks great and is made from cauliflower.
My point is, anyone can become a vegan. The only thing we fear is the unknown. So whether you want to save animals' lives, lead a healthier lifestyle, or drop a few pounds, all it takes is very little will power and a lot of substitutions!
By the way, just by eating the same amount of food I normally eat but following a vegan diet, I have lost 4 pounds in the past 2 weeks without even trying!
CW
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Hello!
Welcome to the VegFit blog!
Almost one year ago on October 1, 2013, I watched a YouTube video that changed my outlook on life. I was assigned to present an informational speech in my college communications class. I had no idea what my speech was going to be about, but I was currently on a health-kick and was always curious why a person would be motivated to become a vegetarian. So, I searched YouTube and it took me about ten seconds to find hundreds of videos that clearly illustrated why.
The first video I found was filmed in Somalia, on a cattle farm. There was a run-down shack, where two older women could be seen cooking. A pig ran into the frame, skidding on the dirt earth, followed by two young men. One of the young men grabbed hold of the pig forcefully, while the other grabbed a long metal rod. A young girl could be hear laughing from behind the camera as the pig was held down, and the rod was placed carefully over it's neck. I watched in horror as one man stood on one end of the rod, the other man on the other end. The pig's windpipe was broken, but it's body still wiggling. A bucket of water was then placed in the shot, and the pig was held under water until slowly, it stopped moving altogether.
I was personally effected by the video and shocked that anyone could laugh and film something so arguably inhumane. From that moment on, I have not been able to look at lunch meat or a hamburger the same way. To me, murder is murder.
Even though I have adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, I have made it a personal goal never to judge someone for eating meat, and I never force my beliefs on anyone. After all, I was dipping shrimp into cocktail sauce and ordering double cheeseburgers at McDonald's less than a year ago. All I want to do is show people the facts, and be a voice of encouragement for those who are interested in the vegetarian community. I am also excited to announce that only two weeks ago, I committed to a vegan lifestyle!
I am thrilled to be able to share my new journey as a vegan with you, as well as tell you about my experiences as a vegetarian for the past year, encourage you to lead a healthy lifestyle, show you delicious vegan recipes I plan to try, and show you videos that just may change your life as well. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and enjoy the VegFit blog!
CW
CW
WARNING!:
Below are a couple videos that I hope will allow you to understand why vegans choose to lead a life free of animal cruelty.
The first video is a project that was conducted in a public shop window in England to illustrate what animal testing looks like, using a human artist to convey the experiments. It is not very graphic, but it is a clever way to raise awareness on the matter. It starts out a little questionable, but give it a chance! You will not forget the visuals of this experiment.
The second video is narrated by Olivia Munn, an American actress and vegetarian for PETA. This video shows animal cruelty that includes video footage of animals in piles that closely resembles the Holocaust. If you have a weak stomach, do not watch this video. Unless you want it to change your life.
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