Eating Plant Based Versus Eating Meat, Have We Been Doing It, Backwards?
Eating plant based versus eating meat…I am going to challenge your beliefs, along with mine. Are you ready? I bet half of you will not be able to handle this challenge!
What the Health!
If you have Netflix, watch this documentary. For those that don’t have Netflix, do the trial period just to watch this eye-opening film.
Shortly after moving to Austin, Texas, I went about one-month eating a plant based diet, plus fish. I felt amazing! I never thought eating more of a plant-based diet would change the way I felt. I thought I felt fine already; I ate clean, didn’t drink alcohol, and exercised like crazy. But, during that binge on plants and expensive-fresh-caught-fish…I was kicking butt.
Then, I started going back to eating bulk-frozen meats (turkey, bison, and chicken), along with fish thrown in, and little veggies. Why? It was easy! Have you tried eating plant based versus eating meat, it gets tough to change up your meals = boring!
Thanks, Bud!
Then, one of my best-friends suggested I watch, What the Health! “Eating plant based is much healthier than eating meat”, he says! So, a week or so after the recommendation, I started watching the movie. Holy crap…what was I hearing? Crazy! Then, I stopped the documentary half way through. Hey, it was 11:30 PM, and went to bed.
The next night, guess what? I was finished the entire film…with my mouth on the floor and eyes bugging out of my head.
Have what I have been doing, and thought, not to mentioned, preached…could it be, could it be backwards?
My answer…let’s prove what may happen if we eat a plant-based diet, entirely, for ONE month!
Challenge Time!
Do you think you are ready for the challenge? It is tough, I will not kid you. It sucks! Why? Because, it is freaking hard.
Have you ever overcome a challenge? Maybe it was a physical challenge? Some of you may have overcome a relationship challenge, job challenge, or emotional challenge. Once you overcame that challenge, how did you feel? Are you ready to feel it again?
I think I need a challenge right now. I am willing to eat a plant-based diet, for one month. Are you?
Let’s Do It!
This is what you may need to do: get some online cook books for eating a plant based diet. You will need some ideas on how to cook that way. I don’t have enough ideas myself. Don’t ask me…yet!
The Challenge…
Eat, entirely, a plant-based diet, for a complete month!!! Do your best not to cheat. It is hard. I am almost one full week into it, and all I want is BACON! But, I haven’t given in.
The day before I Natasha and I started the challenge, we went to Costco and bought all of our organic beef, turkey, and bison. Now, we have a ton of meat sitting in the freezer.
To make things even tougher, we bought a TON of our special, EXPENSIVE, bacon. It was already in the refrigerator, so Natasha made an enormous cobb salad for her mom and used up all the bacon so it wouldn’t go to waste. Hey…someone must eat it.
B Vitamins and Good Fats
If you decide to take me up on this challenge, which I hope you do, you will want to add in a VERY good quality B-complex. Costco, Walmart, Walgreens…they do NOT have good quality products. If you have a question about a specific brand, let me know, and I can share what I am taking.
Also, you will want to add in a good quality essential fatty acid. Again, if you have questions on a specific brand, email me, drking@askdrking.com.
I can tell you, some of the sickest patients I have seen over the years have been vegans/vegetarians. Not because eating that way is wrong, but because they were not getting the “good” stuff that we do obtain from meats.
Protein…How Do You Get It?
I am using an organic, pea protein powder (2x per day). Some brands are the following:
- Sunwarrior – Warrior Blend (Whole Foods, Sprout’s, and Mother’s Market)
- Vega – this does have rice protein and we are staying away from grains (Whole Foods, Sprout’s, and Mother’s Market)
- Biotics Research Pea Protein (this is what we are using)
- Apex Energetics – I carry this one as well, and some of my patients are using this. This pea protein is chalkier in texture compared to Biotics Pea Protein
Beans are an option!
This flies in the face of what I have been taught, studied, and preached…but, I am eating beans to see how I feel.
For a lot of us, they cause gas and bloating (inflammation). We have been soaking the beans for two days before eating. So far, not too bad. If we don’t soak them = gas!!! Gas is simply inflammation = no Bueno!
Are You Up For the Challenge?
If so, shoot me an email, drking@askdrking.com, and let me know. That way, we can check to see each other is doing, compare notes (recipes) and see how each other is feeling.
Keep it fun and be creative!
Enjoy!
