Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

The one common thing everyone who's plant based or vegan will hear is "do you even eat fish (or eggs, or chicken, or whatever other animal product people perceive as harmless)".

Why is it so hard for people to accept that plant based means no animal products?

Despite all the evidence showing that animal products can lead to heart disease and other diseases, most people act like we are depriving our bodies of some valuable nutrient. The idea of not even incorporating certain foods shows how misunderstood this diet can be.

I often read a lot of misinformation about plant based eating. Many studies come out that are biased and often paint a picture that may not be accurate for those who are plant based. Then there's chatter at gyms from members who suddenly act like nutrition experts when they hear you are plant based. I'd like to go over some of these myths and how they are not true, based on my experience and from what I've researched.

Myth #10. Plant based people have more depression. If that's true, how come the number of antidepressants prescribed total more than the amount of vegans in the country? The majority of depressed people in fact are those that eat SAD (standard American diet). There is a large amount of vitamin C in fruits and veggies, and vitamin C has been shown to decrease depression. If anything, plant based eating can help cure depression.

It's exactly one year since I went completely plant based (well to be precise, September 6th). After losing 150 pounds almost 5 years ago, I didn't need to lose more weight. I had what many considered to be a healthy diet. I was eating poultry, eggs and dairy a few times a week and did get my blood pressure down and avoid medication. But I had other goals...

It's always been about health, back when I first lost weight. I ate lots of fruits and vegetables based on different articles I've read and from reading books by Dr. Fuhrman and others. I was getting more information on how animal products were not healthy. But this wasn't enough to convert me to a plant based diet. I tried vegan diets a week or two on and off for a couple years but always went back to animal products.

You ever notice the amount of TV ads these days that market protein rich foods? It's almost as common as the ads for prescription drugs. You would think that protein is the most important thing your body needs and that the more you have of protein the better.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txx8sgiOdvc"]

When I started my plant based journey nearly 9 months ago, I was about 192-195 pounds. I was trying to gain muscle but my diet was not as good as it could be.

Then I discovered the many vegan bodybuilders online and I began to read Robert Cheeke's book "Shred It!". That changed my whole way of eating and the way I trained. Bodybuilders like Robert Cheese and many others are eating only plant based foods and are definitely getting results.