| MVE: The Conclusion - Part 4: My Experience |
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| Wednesday, 15 July 2009 19:01 | |||
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About 17 years ago I gave up meat for about 2 to 3 years. I had read an article about the processes that chickens, pigs and cows go through to produce our chicken, pork and beef. I also remember reading another article giving reasons why humans were not meant to eat meat. It made sense so I stopped eating meat. My wife did the same, so meal planning and prep was easy. We were eating eggs and dairy, so our options were still plentiful. Not to mention the many meat alternatives that were already available back then.This time, restricting myself to a very limited menu, and being the only one in the household doing so did add some challenges, but not much. The thirty days were probably harder for my wife, tasked with preparing dinner for three kids, picky in their different ways, with little input from me. I usually do about half of the cooking for the family, depending on my wife's and my work schedules. I did always offer to share what I was having, but beyond the fruit at breakfast and the mandatory vegetables at dinner, there were very few takers. There was the one occasion when a container of macadamia nuts didn't make it past 3 hours in the house. Those that knew I was going vegan for the month would always ask with curiosity how it was going. Most knew that I had a big appetite and enjoy good food. Plus I'm a decent cook. Having a fast metabolism due to being a fit, exercise participant for 72% of my life since birth has allowed me to enjoy things others would avoid in fear of it being permanently spackled onto their belly and thighs. So going thirty days eating just for sustenance seemed out of character for me. A good friend that I have a monthly breakfast with told me he'd call about three weeks into the month to see how cranky I would be. Fortunately, for my clients and family, I did not develop an attitude or short fuse. This is because I was not trying to restrict calories. If I was hungry I ate. And I ate healthy, nutritious food. The few times we went out during the month I planned ahead so I would not have the problem of being caught hungry with nothing suitable to eat. Use that as a tip all of you trying to eat healthy- Plan ahead, don't wing it! A big help was the fact that so many good foods were in season- the melons, cherries, mangos, nectarines, asparagus. Trying this in winter knowing I would be limited to apples, bananas, maybe pears and mostly frozen and canned vegetables doesn't sound appealing. But now I know it is still not hard for me to go one month without any animal products. It was boring but not hard. And it was only boring because of my proscribed limitations. It is harder for me to get enough calories and protein, but not impossible. Again, only because of the strict rules I applied. Overall, the experience was... enlightening. Would I do it again? Not by choice. I eat a healthy diet that includes animal products because it is possible to do and I work hard to allow myself the option.
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