My dad and step mom came to visit this past week. I had expected ted them to criticize the way I eat, as they did not understand it last year. In fact, my step mom called the diet "borderline anorexic", which made no sense at all.
But this year, aside from the few comments that they could never eat the way I do, there was no criticism. They instead commented on how healthy I looked. I think the 20 pounds of muscle helped too, from the last time they saw me.
There's a term I've heard for a few years now, that being orthorexia nervosa. The term is not actually recognized by the American Psychiatric Association and I don't think it should be. I think the term is misleading and causing undue tension for someone who just may be following instructions of a diet they follow.
I think a lot of vegans and whole food plant based eaters are unfairly targeted with the orthorexia label. I noticed in some plant based groups on Facebook, a few people have concerns because their family mentioned they might have the "disease".
This past weekend, I attended the Vegetarian Vision Expo in New York City. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Robert Ostfeld and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn were all giving lectures, among others. I decided it would be worth it to buy tickets for both days as all of the speakers were great.
I had been eager to hear Dr. Fuhrman in person as I interviewed him over the phone last year, but never met him in person. I first learned of Dr. Fuhrman on the Dr. Oz Show over 5 years ago. I purchased many of his books since then, "The End of Dieting",, "The End of Diabetes" and most recently "The End of Heart Disease". He offers science behind what he says, and he is the first doctor to make me aware of the dangers of eating too many animal products. I learned what foods lower blood pressure from him, what foods would help me lose weight. I credit his work for giving me the information I needed to begin my health journey. He wasn't the only one I read during that time, but he had one of the biggest impacts on my nutrition.
Many people who decide to give up animal products in their diet will often call themselves vegan. They figure that the word vegan applies to some kind of diet and they might not be familiar with the terms "Whole Food Plant Based" or "Plant Based". Meanwhile, true ethical vegans get irritated because they believe being vegan is more than just not eating meat, but a complete avoidance of using any animal products beyond food... which means they will not wear fur, leather or use any products that were tested on animals.
Almost 11 months ago, I went plant based, just as a challenge. The last time I ate poultry was September 6th. I never imagined that I would stay with this eating plan but discovered how awesome it felt to eat this way. I have a lot of energy and my muscle continues to grow. I can't think of the last time I had a cold either.
Growing up, I never went a day without eating something from an animal, whether it be dairy, meat or eggs. Every day I would consume either eggs, cheese, steak, chicken or any combination of these foods. I ate very few vegetables and not enough fruit.
