Intruiged by Scott Jurek (ultra marathon runner) and his adventure into a vegan, plant based diet; inspired by Brendon Brazier (multiple Ironman Triathlete) and generally curious, I've been continuing my tentative steps into the world of vegan foods and plant based diets.
If you're anything like me then the negatives of why not to eat meat might not interest you. They didn't me. At all. I could still rationalise that I'd evolved to eat meat, it was OK if it was well kept/had a happy life/organic/free range and whilst I knew things weren't all that great it was sort of easy to switch off to the images and points of view.
What I found more difficult, even impossible it would seem, to ignore were the health benefits. Scott (Jurek as mentioned above) talks in his great book 'Eat and Run' about how he recovers better, trains better and feels more well than he ever has before. Brendon Brazier. Ironman. Not sure what else is needed to say there! The phenomenal distances involved and amazing feats in completing just one of the three parts of the Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run) are inspiring in themselves. And then to discover he feels fantastic, and discovered eating a plant based diet whilst working out what suited him best for training. And still follows it. Good enough for great athletes, surely it makes sense for the everyday person such as myself?
It's been much easier than I thought although am still making the transition and do have some products I'm using up such as pesto that are not entirely plant based (or go out for dinner and don't stick with it yet or sneak a bit of baking for school that I've been using butter in) but generally would have to say that I'm largely following my heart, moving closer towards 100% plant based eating. I am feeling good, looking OK (although my daughter tells me I look like a circus performer with my braided hair) and have lots of energy to be a mum, study, work and play at training for my first triathlon. Happy days!
