Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I started my plant based journey for health reasons. Of course, since then, I became vegan too, as my compassion for animals and concern for the environment grew. But today, I had my yearly physical and had a reminder about why I am plant based... a clean bill of health.

I never liked going to the doctors. I had such phobias when I was a kid, and it was part of the reason why I avoided going as an adult. It wasn't until 2012 when I had my first physical that I really started getting over my anxiety (although, admittedly, it's still there!). When I found out I was pre-hypertensive and that my cholesterol was elevated, it was a huge wakeup call.

Many people are struggling with their weight, as I once was. I recently did a video to help Million Dollar Vegan with their recent campaign. A few comments I've read on some of the videos were about moderation. Nothing drives me more crazy than this idea that someone can eat something unhealthy part of the time without sacrificing health. Here's why I don’t like the everything in moderation talk.

Would You Want To Be Moderately Healthy?

When I finally lost the weight and it stuck, it was because I did it for my health. All other attempts to lose weight before this failed because it was only about the numbers on the scale. When I put the health first, the weight came off.

I lost weight and a lot of people know about it. But what is more significant in my eyes is my transition to 100 percent plant based eating. I could have done my yo-yo dieting that I did in the past but that would have been only a temporary fix. What I wanted was something that would improve my blood pressure without needing medication and avoid diabetes. After a lot of research, I realized that plant based eating was the way to go.

So what did being plant based do for me? Take a look at some of these significant items:

I've been inspired by Eric Adams work for a few years now. He successfully reversed his diabetes, helped his mother reverse her diabetes, both with a plant based diet. He transformed the New York City public schools to include Meatless Mondays and recently helped to eliminate processed meats from the school menu.

I heard Eric speak at a few events in New York. He is so awesome to hear in person. His story is quite impressive and will hopefully inspire those that are diabetic or sick with other diet related illnesses to change.

I know many of my vegan friends can related when I say that I wished I went vegan years ago. That being said, it is now my anniversary of being 100 percent plant based, as my last day of consuming animal products was on Sept. 6th, 2016.

I had been mostly plant based since 2012, but still relied on turkey, eggs and yogurt, along with all the fruits and veggies I was consuming. I cut out all the processed foods I was eating prior to 2012 and was feeling great. I was working out hard and getting results. I had lost the first 120 of my 150 pound weight loss within the first year.