Now that the semester is over, things are calming down a bit (at least that is what I keep telling myself). This is allowing me a little more time to read non-school related books. I’ve been working on “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell. Even though I’m not all the way through it, there are a lot of compelling arguments about eating a plant-based, whole foods, low fat diet. There appear (I use the word appear because it can be hard to draw correlations/causations between observational studies and outcomes) between a meat-based, high animal source fat diet and all sorts of diseases including cancer. I’ve considered going vegetarian many times before, but am allergic to both dairy (from cows) and soy which really limits my protein options and has kept me from trying it in the past. However, I’m tinkering with it again.

What does “vegetarian” mean? It depends who you ask. Some adhere to the strict vegan meaning which means no animal products at all (no meat, no fish, no eggs, no dairy, etc.). There’s also lacto-ovo vegetarian who does not eat meat or fish but does eat dairy and eggs. Honestly, I don’t care about the terminology. I care about eating the way that will keep me the healthiest possible for the longest time. This means lots of energy, lots of food and at a healthy weight.

So, I’m trying to eat plant-based, whole foods and low fat as much possible. This morning I tried quinoa for breakfast. Added a little vanilla unsweetened Almond Breeze, Smart Balance, brown sugar and Splenda. Quite tasty! I also had 1 – 2 cups watermelon. YUM! I’ll probably have a gemma (pea) or hemp protein shake mid-morning to up the protein.

The biggest challenge so far – eating out. John and I eat out a lot. Finding meatless options can be a huge challenge. So, I’ll probably include a couple of servings of chicken and fish a week.

My goal: minimize animal protein and fat while still being able to lead a normal life. We’ll see how all this goes. I’ll keep you posted!

Have a great, healthy day!