In January 2019 I changed to a plant based eating lifestyle. Focusing on what was going into my body was the main reason I changed what I ate. Spirit started sending me messages to remove meat, dairy, and eggs from my menu. I was led to watch documentaries and read books by holistic doctors discussing the body and the effects of the food we put in our bodies. Listening to what my inner voice was saying became more important than how I’d ate and thought in the past.
Changing what I ate was easier than I thought it would be. I made sure everything I changed worked with my current lifestyle and eating palette. In the beginning I ate mostly beans, veggie patties, nuts, fruit, smoothies, meatless chili, oats, and vegetables. Most of the foods I ate came from me cooking at home. The veggie patties came from the frozen section in the grocery store. Reading the ingredients before I bought food became a priority. It was a good way for me to save money since I wasn’t eating out as much. Actually, I rarely ate out. Most restaurants have additives in their foods that aren’t good for the body. I also cut out condiments, soda, sugar, and sweets.
Eating plant based meals comes with many pros and cons. I’m sure you’ve heard of a lot of these but I guarantee there are some things you’ve never considered.
Some pro’s include:
Knowing exactly what’s in your food. Sometimes when eating out you don’t know if your food is cooked with butter, oil, sugar, flour or the type that is being used. Oftentimes it’s hard to tell everything that’s used to cook your food when you are not in the kitchen. Cooking at home gives you a peace of mind knowing everything you are eating.
Your mind, body and spirit become elevated. You unconsciously become more calm and peaceful. Honestly, you won’t recognize it until weeks or months later. You’re not as tired as often as you were in the past. Your desire to take naps lessen and you are put in a state of being more intentional.
You Save Money. Eating the foundational plant foods can be really inexpensive. A bag of beans plus fresh fruit and vegetables are more affordable than buying steaks, chicken, eggs, milk and pork. It can become more expensive when you start buying organic products or processed plant food.
Your body starts to crave healthy fruit and vegetables instead of sugary foods. Instead of eating ice cream or a cookie you might crave a banana, an orange, or some berries. Your taste buds will change as you change.
You get to experiment with new recipes. You can try more complex recipes or short quick recipes.
Not to mention that your body easily gets all the vitamins and nutrients it needs.
Here are a few cons:
In the beginning you have to plan ahead. It’s best to know what your next meal will be before you get hungry. That reduces the chance that you’ll end up at a fast food restaurant or eating something not good for you.
At most parties or get togethers you won’t be able to eat what is being served. Most parties are based around sugary desserts, processed foods and some type of meat. A variety of veggies and fruits isn’t as common to have at parties.
Initially, it may take some time to find your perfect snack food. There are many resources and options available. It may take a while to train your mind and taste buds to not crave unhealthy food.
Sometimes your close friends won’t want to hang out if you no longer want to eat at buffalo wild wings or some type of burger spot.
Next, your new eating lifestyle can intimidate some people. People will start explaining their meat eating choices out of nowhere. Changing what you eat can sometimes make people realize they could be doing better and they feel the need to explain.
As I said earlier, some plant based foods are expensive.
Lastly, processed plant food can be more convenient but oftentimes it doesn’t have good ingredients.
Decide if going plant based is something you really want to do. The overall benefits are worth the effort.
I will be sending out a post that include some of my favorite receipes.
Flowing With My Spirit 