I went on a bit of an information binge the other way. We were stuck inside during what was supposed to be a previously unseen snowstorm that caused our Governor to order the transit system to close. I was working from home, but becoming a little starved for new information. So I started watching a few of the documentaries that I had in my Netflix queue. First I watched Food Inc, then Forks Over Knives and then Vegucated. I had unknowingly picked an almost perfect sequence of documentaries.
Food Inc. showed the horror of the animal product industry in the United States, how it is shockingly unregulated and how America is run by the meat and dairy lobbies who are funded by corporations. This caused me to think huh – maybe I should be looking into grass fed beef and free range chicken. Then I watched Forks Over Knives which shows multiple studies that say that our American diet is killing us and that the amount of animal products and processed food we eat is directly related to the rampant cancer and heart disease deaths in this country and others that are adopting our eating habits.
The film claims the answer to this problem is adopting our original diet and the diet of the healthiest countries on our planet: a whole-foods plant based diet, which is kind of vegan and than some (no oil, few processed foods and limited nuts and dried fruit). The documentary expanded on this idea and also explained the two other aspects of animal products that Food Inc touched on: in addition to killing us, they are killing the planet while killing and torturing the animals involved. I realized that I knew generally about the horrible practices used in killing animals and that this system generally wasn’t good for the planet since it uses a lot of resources, but I had no idea of the extent — that animal food pollutes the Earth more than all transportation on this planet. And I had absolutely no idea that the causes of my grandparent’s death (cancer and stroke) could be prevented, stopped and even reversed based on diet. It was shocking.
Lastly I watched Vegucated because I was more interested in learning about this way of life. It showed a more typical vegan diet, but also a few things I didn’t realize: There are vegan alternatives to basically all kinds of food: even cheese and burgers. I understand that this is not part of the whole-foods plant based diet, but it quickly silenced my first concerns (mainly that one of my favorite foods is mac and cheese). This film used less actual science and studies to prove its points, but did show that the people who tried a vegan diet were much healthier after a few weeks. Fascinating.
All of this information led me to start thinking and I realized something else shocking: I eat almost no animal products already. I drink almond milk instead of actual milk because I prefer the taste (and originally the lower caloric value), I do not buy meat when shopping for myself and the only animal product I actually buy are egg whites. I don’t actually like eggs – just thought I needed the protein. The only times I eat meat or dairy is when eating out or when my partners cooks for us. All of his recipes from his mother include animal products. It’s what their 11 healthy children have been eating all their lives. Occasionally I do borrow some shredded cheese, cream cheese or a bit of butter to liven up a dish, but my consumption is minimal at best. So an experiment when I cut these things out completely wouldn’t be that large of a change.
The first issue that gave me pause however was the social implication of only eating plants, which is silly but that’s the first place my mind went. I didn’t want friends to have to consider my dietary needs when choosing a restaurant or a trip. It’s a low level annoyance for others I’m sure, but it still worried me. I didn’t want to be a guest in someone’s house and have to say that I can’t eat a steak they lovingly prepared for me. I didn’t want to be labeled. I now realize that this is almost totally ridiculous.
First, I am already not normal. I am seeking to retire 30 years earlier than most people expect. I have already slightly changed my life to spend less money on things or experiences that don’t return as much happiness as the money used implies. And that does change what I do with others. That does change what I engage in. Editing my diet would be similar, but also my seriously decreased visits to restaurants mean very few incidents of what I fear. And if someone is a friend they will respect my choices if they are cooking for me and hopefully not be annoyed by it.
So I dove in. After watching Forks Over Knives I watched it again. And then I read the novel that accompanied the documentary. I’m now reading and watching scientific studies about the connections between animal products and what we call Western diseases. I’ve made a list of my current ailments, which include an inability to fall asleep and sleep through the night. And I think I want to try this lifestyle, despite the social implications.
UPDATE: I did more research and dug into these studies and they’re nonsense. Life is about learning so here I go 🙂 .