Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to the Audio Blog Post OR Right-Click Here to Download the mp3

Subscribe

Photo Courtesy of PETA.org

Six months ago I didn’t know anything about food.  I did not have any real knowledge about how food was grown, raised, processed, treated, tested, evaluated, studied, scrutinized, labeled, packaged, distributed, or consumed.  I lacked a fundamental understanding of what I put in my mouth every day.  From birth to age twenty five I had trained myself to shovel food into my stomach as quickly as possible and in the highest quantity I could withstand.  I knew how to eat fast and I knew how to eat a lot.  It didn’t matter what was on my plate or how big the plate was, I could and would consume it, regardless of the consequences.  When it came to eating you could say that I was a meat-head of sorts.  I exercised a little, which was enough justification in my head to eat what I wanted.  I made mental trade-offs every day.  I thought that if I exercised enough it would balance out any bad food that I might have consumed throughout the week.

When I went to the grocery store I would buy the same foods I always bought with little to no consideration of potential health benefits or risks.  I was on autopilot every week.  I ate the same foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for each of my many snack breaks.  For the most part, I ate crappy food.  I felt crappy.  I looked crappy.  Yet, I did not make the connection between what I ate and how I felt.  I assumed that I didn’t feel great because my metabolism was slowing as I was getting older.  I also thought that my sedentary lifestyle of commuting and sitting on my butt all day was a big factor.  I thought that the weather, my allergies, and my lack of consistent marathon training were causing my body to feel wilted, tired, and worthless.  I was missing the point.  The whole time that I was creating mental excuses for why I was feeling crappy I was dodging the real cause.  I did not have a healthy relationship with my most intimate connection with nature, my food.

First Exposure

Six months ago I was heavily invested in the blog of Steve Pavlina.  I would read a new post from his site every day.  His writing style was different, intelligent, and a breath of fresh air.  Many of his posts mentioned his vegan lifestyle.  He discussed in detail how he prepared his meals, switched over to a completely raw vegan diet, and experienced wonderful benefits all the time.  Clearly, he had found something that increased the quality of his life and I became quite curious.

A few weeks later on a Friday night I was bored and looking for entertainment.  I decided to seek out a documentary and I browsed through the current list of Oscar nominations to find the best films.  I read the reviews of Food, Inc. and it seemed to be a good choice.  I watched the film in complete disbelief.  I had no idea what I was seeing because every scene depicted a slice of life I had never been exposed to before.  I learned how large multi-national food corporations cornered farmers into piling up massive debt, while only limiting their income to just above the poverty line.  I learned how the Monsanto corporation had patented the soy bean and was filing lawsuits on every farmer they could find in order to control the market and life itself.  I learned how the government allows food packaging to mislead consumers to the extent that you really don’t know what you’re buying, even if you read the fine print on the label.  I was also exposed to slaughter houses, chicken coops, and the real story of how animals are treated from birth to death.  Needless to say, I made a quick and decisive choice: I would seriously consider becoming a vegetarian.  I wasn’t fully convinced, yet.  I needed more information.

Real Food

A few days later I posted a new status update on Facebook.  I mentioned that I was considering becoming a vegetarian and I was looking for a recommendation of a good book.  I received more comments on that one post than on any other status update ever.  I noticed that many people, especially current vegetarians and vegans, were insanely passionate about food.  It blew me away.  I was also surprised at the number of people who were completely opposed to going veggie.  There seemed to be a dividing line between vegetarians and omnivores.  I was now more curious than ever.  I read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food and learned more about what Food, Inc. had mentioned: real food is hard to find.  In fact, much of what I ate was a product of food science, not Mother Nature.  Most of the food I ate had a list of ingredients that was so long and hard to pronounce that I didn’t even know if you could call it food.  In short, I became an organic food junky.  I was convinced that whether I went veggie or not I would make it my mission to eat real food.

FYI, don’t forget to check out my other blog posts, Losing My Vegetarian Virginity and How and Why to Eat Organic.

Vegetables & Smoothies

During my research into vegetarian foods I stumbled upon Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs).  These programs are designed to support local farmers and the community in which you live.  My wife and I joined a CSA at an organic farm that is just two miles from our home in Nashville.  The farm provides us with a basket full of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables every other week for a low cost, considering the vast amount of food we receive.  The basket of veggies was a step in the right direction because I was consuming real, organic food, supporting my local economy, and increasing my new plant-based diet.

It didn’t take long before I discovered green smoothies.  These smoothies have made a larger, positive impact on my physical health than any other food I have consumed since I began my vegan conversion.  Let’s just say that green smoothies are the ultimate multi-vitamin.  I tossed out nearly every supplement I owned as soon as I began eating green smoothies.  A green smoothie is a traditional fruit smoothie except that you add in a substantial amount of green vegetables to help increase your daily consumption of foods you wouldn’t normally eat.  I now eat about one 16-ounce green smoothie, 5-6 days a week.  My green smoothies typically include any combination of the following: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, black berries, bananas, cinnamon, vegan protein powder, spinach, kale, red chard, dandelion greens, bok choy, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, and any other fruits, vegetables, spices, or natural supplements I can find.

Within two weeks of consuming green smoothies I had lost nearly ten pounds.  As of today, I am twenty pounds lighter than I was when this process began six months ago.  My weight continues to drop and my health continues to improve.  The effects really are phenomenal!  Despite my results, don’t take this advice as a quick weight loss plan.  During my health revolution I also cut out meat, sugar, and refined grains.  I also exercised more often than before.  However, if the only thing you do for your health is eat one green smoothie each day, you will be startled by the improvement.

Be warned: green smoothies have a strong laxative effect.  Be careful when you first begin eating them because your body will be quite surprised with the massive increase in healthy, fiber-rich food. You will also have to experiment with different combinations, recipes, and quantities to achieve maximum effect for your body, taste buds, and lifestyle.

Check out my blog post, 7 Intoxicating Reasons to Eat Green Smoothies.

Half-Way Veggie

I didn’t become a vegetarian immediately.  I experimented with it.  I took small steps here and there.  I found little things I could do that would bring me one step closer to my goal.  Eliminating meat from my diet was no easy task.  Much of what I consumed for years was heavily fortified with animal products and I didn’t realize the full extent of it until I opened my eyes to vegetarianism.  My first step was to find a veggie alternative to foods I already ate on a daily basis.  I began this process with my switch to organic food.  For example, I used to eat whey protein bars after working out and now I use mostly soy products.  (FYI, soy gets a bad reputation in some food circles so do your homework first).  I also now eat veggie burgers instead of hamburgers, almond milk instead of dairy milk, and Veggie Patty subs at Subway instead of my usual Chicken Bacon Ranch.  The goal is to find an alternative vegetarian food that you can actually enjoy eating instead of the meat-based food you eat today.  Don’t make it too hard on yourself.  My transition took months.  In fact, I’m still making the switch in a number of areas simply because it costs quite a bit of money to throw out everything you own and buy all new stuff.  Don’t go overboard or stress out if you can’t make the leap all at once.  You will actually learn more if you do this one step at a time.  Use each step as a learning process about that food item.

If this blog post is inspiring you, just click on the links to the left or at the bottom of the post and share it with someone who you think would find it valuable as well. I’d appreciate it and I think he or she would as well.

Making the Switch

I watched Earthlings, the documentary.  That was it.  Overnight I became a fully-committed vegan.  It was just three months after my organic vegetarian lifestyle had begun and I had just been exposed to a truth I couldn’t believe.  The video footage in Earthlings is nothing short of breathtaking, horrifying, disgusting, and depressing.  Yet, there is hope.  Veganism, by definition, is the exclusion of animal products in your food, clothing, or other parts of your life.  However, going vegan is much more than just removing animals from the equation; it’s the inclusion of love.  Veganism is the acceptance of responsibility for and ethical treatment of your own life, the lives of the living creatures around you, and the life of the earth itself.  Veganism is love.  That might sound too mushy, girly, or seem like an emotional turnoff.  I know.  That’s exactly what I felt when an emotionally-charged activist would attempt to explain their seemingly radical perspective to me.  Hang with me for a second.

The emotionally-jacked person inside me that reacted so strongly to watching Earthlings inspired me to seek out the real life implications of going vegan.  I wanted to be more knowledgeable.  I wanted to be able to explain my position to another person with confidence and convincing evidence.  Then I read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD.  Bingo!  I had what I was looking for, scientific studies that provided very convincing evidence in support of a whole foods, plant-based, vegan diet.  This book fascinated me because the author grew up on a dairy farm milking cows, eating meat, and eventually going to graduate school to prove how animal protein helps human health.  Ironically, his background and education backfired as his research pointed to the fact that plant protein was actually considerably healthier.  Not only that, he had strong evidence that eating animal protein lead to the formation of many cancers, diseases, and heart problems that so many people experience in the western world.  This book is a real eye-opener and, if anything, it is just the beginning of my journey to form an entirely new food philosophy.

The Vegan Identity

Strangely enough, as soon as I decided to pursue veganism whole-heartedly I found myself thinking and acting differently.  I saw that I was identifying with people, groups, and activities that I otherwise would have ignored completely.  I now view and describe myself as a vegan.  With that label comes an entirely new set of standards for the way I live.  I now treat the earth with more respect.  I don’t kill as many bugs in my apartment.  I pick up trash while running around my neighborhood.  I educate others on the food they are consuming, but only if they are willing.  I have joined vegan-friendly organizations, including PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).  I exercise more often and embrace the reality that other people expect vegans to look and actually be healthier.  In other words, I talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk.  I live my life with an identity that I fully-embrace and support.  I am vegan.

Vegan Athletes

Let me clear up a common misconception.  Yes, it is possible.  You CAN be an athlete without eating meat.  You CAN cut out all animal products, animal protein, dairy, eggs, and even the Outback Steakhouse, all while maintaining an incredibly strong physique.  Don’t believe me?  Talk to Dave Scott, six-time Ironman champion; Bryan Danielson, professional wrestler; Robert Cheeke, professional bodybuilder; Brendan Brazier, professional triathlete; or even Mike Tyson, the infamous boxer.  All of these famous athletes are vegan.  All of them stopped eating animal products at one point and managed to become all-star athletes while eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Vegans are not all skinny hippies living in the forest munching on spinach leaves for breakfast.  However, vegans, for the most part, are a growing group of very passionate, healthy, and athletic people.

Where’s the protein?  This was one my first questions and easily the first question that pops out of others’ mouths when I reveal my new vegan lifestyle.  Where is the protein in a vegan diet?  Is there any?  Is there enough?  Can you still exercise, build muscle, or maintain your manliness?  Yes, yes and yes. In fact, like I mentioned earlier with The China Study, protein from plant sources is actually considerably healthier for you now and over the course of your entire life.  I will say that I’m not a certified nutritionist, scientist, or medical doctor.  However, I have been training for a marathon on a vegetarian/vegan diet for months and my strength has increased, not decreased.  My endurance has increased.  My energy has improved dramatically.  I no longer get my protein from beef, chicken or pork, but I do consume healthy protein from plant sources like peanut butter, tofu, and many types of beans.

Feeling Alive

Have you ever been high?  Let me rephrase.  Have you ever experienced true mental clarity?  The healthiest from of mental clarity doesn’t come from taking peyote or doing mushrooms.  Authentic and amazing mental clarity comes from detoxing your body.  My first few weeks of green smoothies removed an amazing amount of chemicals, pesticides, pollutants, and drugs from my bloodstream.  Afterwards, I felt refreshed, reenergized, and awake.  The combination of removing fatty, greasy meats while ingesting pure, raw foods cleared my mind more than I thought was possible.  It was like those Claritin commercials when the foggy cloud escapes your allergy-infested head. I was experiencing authentic clarity for the first time and it was amazing.  Going vegan has cleaned up my life.  My body and mind feel truly alive for the first time in years.  I have energy, stamina, and joy.

Veganism is not a religion but my conversion experience has been nothing short of transformational.  I am a new, better person.  I am a vegan and I’m not looking back.

- – -
Don’t forget to check out my new revolutionary eBook for conquering life after college!

The Clueless Graduate,

Jeff & Tessa Sanders

Jeff Sanders


Similar Posts: