HOW 1 YEAR BEING VEGAN CHANGED MY STANDARDS

Trying new recipes has become one of my favorite things to do!

HOW 1 YEAR BEING VEGAN CHANGED MY STANDARDS

…and what I thought I knew about nutrition

Okay ya’ll, so it’s been a year since I decided on the spur of the moment to go plant-based vegan and I tell ya: it’s been a heck of a ride! (To find out why I actually decided to go plant-based and to find out why I actually continued and to find out why I can’t go back to a meat-eating diet, kindly follow these links- thanks! )

So what have I learned in the past year? A LOT. I thought i knew a lot about nutrition but i was just as lost and confused and ignorant as the next person. I’ve come to learn so much more about the way food works in our bodies- so much more than what the nutrition courses taught me. Let’s start with the dozens and dozens of diet variations that are out there for folks to ‘try and see if it works’ for them.

Not all are safe; not all are healthy. Some of the variations derive from a certain group of a certain people that thrived in a certain part of the world at a certain time in history. Some diets take lots of thought and preparation. Others take no thought and are simply based on what’s available at the local supermarket. This diet culture in which we live is an absolute shame,

We are in the midst of a crisis y’all (sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but it’s true!) A year ago, I didn’t know what healthy was! Heck, sometimes I feel like I still don’t really know! But, I know this now: we, as a society are far from it- super far. And it’s super scary!

So here we are- privileged Americans (let’s face it, we are) trying to see what we can adapt to our personal lifestyle while the SAD (Standard American Diet) lifestyle flaunts all of its foods in our restaurants, our supermarket shelves, in our bodegas, on our TV screens, our billboards and in our faces!

I’m in awe and terrified of, excited  and frustrated by, enlightened and disgusted with  what I’ve learned about food, the food industry and nutrition in general.

Have you ever tried to tell someone anything at all about something you knew nothing about? You can’t! Well, folks, that’s why your doctors aren’t telling you what to eat. THEY DON’T FRIGGIN’ KNOW. Unfortunately, the doctors we trust cannot tell us about nutrition- most were not taught it.

It’s no wonder we’re so confused! It’s not our fault that we’re struggling with food; that we always seem to go back to the foods that are no good for us; that we crave the sweet and even the salty; that we cannot live up to the expectations of the many fad diets that pop up into our space promising a slimmer waist and tight abs.

The human body is so complex. Although it’s impossible to tell what happens specifically in your body (often times genetic and pre-existing ish changes how our bodies react to certain foods), it’s not impossible to learn the basics of what’s healthy and what’s not- no matter how difficult the government and the food industry make it. THEY DON’T WANT US TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR FOOD. It’s all about the almighty dollar and not at all about our health. I’m still shocked by what this past year has shown me but it’s what inspires to to learn more.

But I’m having a ball and I’m enjoying some the benefits this lifestyle brings me. These fabulous benefits include:

1. Mindful awareness of what I eat
2. No more emphasis on my caloric intake- after more than a decade of calorie counting
3. ENERGY!
4. Super noticeable hair growth
5. Stronger and longer nails
6. Sugar Cravings- gone!  (not completely but) GREATLY REDUCED!
7. The ability to share what I’ve learned with you

Friends, I’m in awe and terrified of, excited  and frustrated by, enlightened and disgusted with what I’ve learned about food, the food industry and nutrition in general. One year being plant-based vegan has taught me to be snobbish y’all. I’m now real snobbish about what goes in my body… and I’m unapologetic about it. So, enough about me… What about you? How much will you have learned by this time next year? How much do you want to learn about your health? How snobbish will you become?

Truth: The produce section EXCITES me!

Now, if I’ve kept your interest and you’re still reading, I know you’re probably wondering some thangs. Maybe you’re wondering if you can do it too; or if you could stick with it; if you’d even enjoy adding so many vegetables to your plate! So are you wanting to try it but you don’t know how or where to start?

Well, my friend, this is your lucky day!! It just so happens that I’m rolling out my new program in September! This is your chance to get some of your basic questions about The POWER OF THE PLANTS answered! This is NOT a program to get you to become vegan or vegetarian! I promise! It’s a program to teach you how to get more plants on your plate and why it’s so important. Although don’t be surprised if you do end up going vegan!

Since this is not an ad, I’ll leave you with my link (click here) to learn more!

Meanwhile, go over to my IG and YouTube to check out some pics and videos illustrating my plant-based journey! Don’t forget to subscribe, like, comment, follow, save and share- all the things!!

And until next time, go have something green!

-Carmelle Jean-Francois