Confessions of a Former Vegetarian

A few years back, I decided to try a vegetarian diet for a week. One week turned into six months of a primarily vegan diet (no meat, no fish, no milk products.) Then I followed that up with a year as a pescatarian (a vegetarian diet that allows for fish and milk products.) Why did I experiment with these diets? I was introduced to a vegetarian lifestyle diet by a dietician I had worked with, and I was also inspired by several books I had read on the topic.

The diets I learned about clearly made health and medical sense, with the added benefit of scientific studies backing them up. Multiple medical and community studies (*please see below for a partial list of studies supporting these statements) have reported that people who consume primarily fruits and vegetables live longer, have less heart disease, and lower cancer rates. There are also reports of people feeling better when they cut out simple carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, and cookies) and meat. These people report less arthritic pain, aches, and fatigue. In addition, vegetarians who consume high amounts of greens and vegetables consume countless vitamins and minerals that make us feel good and healthy. Why take a multivitamin when you eat like this? Another benefit…have you heard of anyone gaining weight on carrots, apples, and tomatoes? After learning about these types of diets, I started recommending them to some patients. Since I was recommending these diets, I thought I better try to follow them – at least for a finite amount of time.

Only one week into my vegan diet, I noticed my post-lunch fatigue (which usually lasted about 1-2 hours) had disappeared entirely. I also had an impressive increase in my energy level and felt better. I was awake and sharp early in the morning, and this feeling lasted all day. While I previously lived on chicken, turkey, and tuna, I finally learned to appreciate salads, nuts, greens, and fruits, greatly expanding my diet choices. I realized I could have large quantities of these healthy natural foods without eating meat. You are mistaken if you are worried that you will not have enough protein in your diet without meat. That notion is a fallacy. Dark greens such as spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce have large amounts of protein. Nuts, beans, lentils, and seeds also have large amounts of protein. I realized that before going on these diets, I had been an extremely picky eater, only having 2-3 varieties of foods for 90% of my meals. After six months, I learned to make meals out of at least 20 other healthy combinations without the chicken!