The goal of this blog is not to convince you to be a vegan, but to have an open, transparent discussion about the journey of health.  With that said, I wanted to share some of the wins of eating a plant based diet.

Plant-based eating is a healthier version of vegan eating.  Vegan-ism is simply not eating any animal products (honey optional).  Plant based eating is plants only (grains and legumes included) and low to no oil.  For example – Oreos (the epitome of genetically engineered food) are vegan, we call this “accidental vegan food”, however they are not considered plant based, because, well they are created in a lab.  Sorry if any of you thought they were growing on trees. 🙂

My goal is to eat plant-based, but I will occasionally cheat with vegan junk food.  If you are wondering if I have ever eaten anything in last 13 months that was not vegan, the answer is no.  My splurges are always vegan, just not always the healthiest choice.

You already know why I started eating this way, so I’ll share with you some of the benefits I have experienced over the last year.

Weight Loss:  Be honest, this is what you are most interested in, right?  Well, it has been an intentionally slow journey, however I have lost 12 pounds since I started eating this way.  I could definitely have sped this process up through more exercise and tracking calories in/out.  I lost this 12 lbs simply through eating anything and everything I wanted to under the vegan umbrella.  A dedicated whole food plant based (WFPB) diet will yield faster results.  The perk to eating vegan (even vegan junk food) seems to be that it is very hard to gain weight.  I love that part!  If you are interested in a WFPB weight loss meal plan, please go see my friend at http://www.happyherbivore.com.  She has an awesome program!

Less Sick Days:  Cancer aside, I used to take anywhere from 12 to 15 sick days a year before I changed my eating habits.  Getting into retail saved me because I could take a sick day and make it up later in the week.  Prior to eating vegan, I had a stomach ache every day.  EVERY DAY!  Sometimes they were manageable, sometimes not.  I went through days and sleepless nights of nausea and pain.  Again, this is outside of the cancer journey.  Giving up dairy changed my life.

Energy:  It brings tears to my eyes to think about how I used to manage my social calendar.  I knew that if I worked a full day, at my best, I could do something for an hour or two after work and then I was done.  The next day I would pay for emptying my energy bank and could only just work.  It was rare for me to ever have plans two days in a row as I just could not manage.  Now, I do not even think about putting limits on what I can accomplish (note: knowing yourself and establishing boundaries is always a good thing, but if there is a solution that is even better!)

Appreciating my body:  (It’s a Journey disclaimer – still in progress)  God tells us that we are wonderfully made (Ps 139:14), but full disclosure, most days I felt like my body was betraying me.  It was a fight between what my mind wanted to accomplish and what my body would allow.  Fear and sickness won out daily.  Today, I am grateful for every bit of me, the scars, the story, the background and that I can overcome the obstacles.  I can do all those things I said I could not do before.  Before marrying better food choices with spiritual healing I did not have the strength; I believe I do now!

No More Meds, Please:  While the thought of having energy makes me tear up, this topic can get me into a full blown ugly cry.  I used to live on a very broken cycle of infections, antibiotics and side effects.  Getting sicker from the very things that were expected to make me well.  In the last year I have gotten off all prescription meds and manage any small health crises through food and naturopathic options first.  I will admit that I occasionally partake in a random claritin or zyrtec due to some seasonal allergies that I am still working on clearing up through food.  Healing through food does take patience.  An avocado is not as quick as tylenol.  After a lifetime of throat, ear, bladder and intestinal infections, I have only had one sinus infection in the last 13 months.

When I finished treatment in February of 2013, I was taking at least 5 prescriptions a day, mostly to manage the intense pain and anxiety that accompanies the cancer journey.  Today I take zero.  That feels like freedom to me!

The Data:  A perk of seeing an oncologist regularly is that I get to keep close tabs on how my body is functioning. The lab work results fill me with joy.  Better blood counts than I ever had (Yes, I even have perfect iron levels – plants have protein!), vitamin/nutrient levels that confirm my eating choices.  I do have an ongoing electrolyte issue due to kidney damage from chemo, but I am diligent about treating it holistically.

Food Choices!:    I grew up loving processed foods and could never imagine a day without Mac n Cheese the color of electric orange, but I now find myself craving things I was scared to try:  eggplant, quinoa, brussel sprouts, kale…  I never ate a grape until a couple years ago and now I am convinced they are God’s version of skittles.  I was really missing out on a variety of food.

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As we all strive to live our best lives, I hope this post motivates you to think about something you would like to accomplish and start working on a plan to get there.  Let’s get healthy!