Why Vegetarian?...

Last year my husband and I were invited to a vegetarian/vegan potluck get together in our community. A small group of people that have been gathering for the past 15 years to share a monthly meal together.



We have been enjoying going to this monthly dinner and getting to know some of the members and learning about why vegetarian or vegan is their chosen way of eating food.

I have personally been gravitating towards eating more of a plant based diet over the past 15 years. I knew that animal products are high in saturated fats and so I did not want to consume these high fats on a regular basis. This was my personal choice to eat this way and it was a treat to meet like minded people to get together with to share recipes and discuss different topics.

Most of the people in the group practice vegan eating. They share how they have cultivated a more mindful way of looking at what types of foods they are eating beyond just what they liked or wanted. I could relate to this way of thinking and I wanted to learn more about this lifestyle. So I began reading some books on the subject and I felt like I understood why I had been choosing the diet that I had been for all these years.

A book I would highly recommend to any one wanting to learn more about a healthier diet in a simple read is a book by Alicia Silverstone, "The Kind Diet." Alicia absolutely inspired me with such good information on the subject as she shared in such a compassionate way that I started trying new recipes every day and found them to be tasty as well as nourishing to my body.

Another good book called "the World Peace Diet" by William Tuttle, PhD is loaded with tons of research from well known organizations and medical people that make a case for why vegetarian or vegan lifestyles are so appealing to people.

In one chapter, Dr. Tuttle talks about the human saliva that is the dominant enzyme ptyalin which is used by the body to break down the complex carbohydrates in plant foods into glucose for energy. These carbohydrates are the fuel our bodies were designed to use; animal products do not contain them. 1

In Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" he shares his research of the animal feed that is mainly corn. It is quite interesting that this is one of the main ingredients fed to most animals which is not a natural diet for them.

We can't overlook the facts of the horrendous pollution to our environment that comes with the animal industry. Tests show that the antibiotics and drugs used in feedlot animals leaches into the soils and end up in our rivers and oceans. The fact that the methane's from the animals is going into our atmosphere every day and is comparable to the car emissions which are adding to the greenhouse effect.

Michael Pollan really nails it in stating that we may not be able to sustain our planet and our species at the rate of trying to supply the huge demand for meat and dairy. He makes a simple quote, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

When we take a look at the top diseases in our culture today, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer is there a connection to our diets? Ultimately our lifestyle choices add into the equation each and every day. The things that we have control are: lowering stress, exercise, get some sunshine, quality relationships, and improve our diets.

When we have so many choices available in a plant based diet that are very nutritious in proteins, enzymes, fibers and low fat nutrients, we can begin to understand why vegetarian and vegan diets may be a good choice.

It is always advisable to consult with a healthcare practitioner when making dietary changes. You may want to check your levels periodically for Vitamin D, B12, B-complex and protein to make sure that you are getting enough of these in your diet.

References:1 - The World Peace Diet by William Tuttle PhD, 2005, p68

Additional articles about Plant-Based Diets

- Article on List of Proteins
- Article on Eating Vegan
- Article on Plant Based Diet
Article on My 2011 Vegan Thanksgiving
- Article on Food Revolution

So how did you arrive
at your way of eating?

Why do we eat what we eat? It is a very interesting subject of how we have chosen the particular diets that we eat on a regular basis.

It seems that everyone tries a new or different diet from time to time to lose some extra weight. But diets only work temporarily because the bottom line of why we gain weight is overeating, poor food choices and lack of exercise. There are certainly other health dynamics that come into play however, for this topic we will stay with our diet choices.

Where do our individual diets come from?

More than likely most of our mainstay diets stem from our first 18 years to what our parents fed to us. Our families cuisine is where we learn most of our food habits in our formative years. We branch out as children are often exposed to more junk foods in the early school years outside of the home. School cafeterias and fast foods are easy places to have a cheap meal and before long we develop a taste for these high fat and highly processed foods that are so prevalent today.

It can take years to cultivate our adult food choices, the good and the bad habits that become our way of life. You begin to notice that the topic of food comes up at gatherings with friends and family as we discuss our discuss the latest recipes and books that we are reading. At some point we may make the connection to what we are eating and drinking may be linked to our health issues.

We really do have to take a look at our lifestyles to see how we are really feeling inside our bodies. Food becomes many things to many people. It can become a crutch to feed what is missing in our lives. Just as a quick example, if we are missing sweetness in our lives, perhaps we crave sweets and goodies more often.

It seems to me that we have lost the sense of real food in the last 50 years as our world has offered so much excess of everything from animal foods to fast and processed fake foods. It is my hope that we can each begin to see the connection of what we are eating to how we are feeling has so much to do with what is going on in our world today. There is a lot of stress, disconnection in ourselves and in relationships, isolation, abuse and violence, addictions and the list could go on for miles.

For years I have chosen to eat mostly a vegetarian diet with perhaps some wild fish, free range eggs and cheese. I thought this was a healthy and conscious way of eating.


I think it is really important to listen to your body and find what works best for you. The main reason for this site is that I hope we can learn and share with one another healthier options that are available to all of us.

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