By Mac Curtis
The switch to a vegan diet might seem like a daunting task. The key is consistency; take steps, not leaps, unless you are the type of person that can change overnight. Don’t be discouraged if you fall off the wagon a few times; many people do. Each and every plant-based meal makes a difference for your health, the animals, and the planet.
Beef & Pork
Beef and pork are the two meats to eliminate to start you on the path to vegetarianism. Mac took about a year to ween himself off both meats. Research shows that our bodies cannot properly process red meat. The average American has about 15 –20 lbs. of waste (undigested proteins) in his/her gut. So, by cutting down the frequency that you eat meat or by substituting Turkey or plant-based selections: Plant-based bacon, sausages, or ground turkey might make the process smoother. Once completely off beef and pork, start to cleanse the body of all remnants of them. If the body cannot rid these undigested proteins from the digestive tract, they end up getting stored in the fatty tissue of the body. Therefore, cleansing is necessary it helps to clean out the waste and toxins from the body.
Cleansing
The holistic approach is to cleanse every time the season changes. A mild yet effective program is our CleanStart or Liquid Cleanse. You can find them on our site: Macsherbshop.com
Being addicted to these meat products is almost like a drug addict that has flash backs from traces of the drugs in his/her body that caused their addiction. You have to cleanse the meat out to prevent your body from becoming over acidic and not able to assimilate and metabolize the new good foods that you are starting to eat. Simply put nutrients cannot pass through a toxic landfill. You want to clean out the old to prepare a good foundation on which the new can build upon. Also, many Americans swallow before their food is properly chewed. Chewing one mouthful about 30-35 times before swallowing helps for better digestion and ease on the digestive system. The same can be said for plant-based foods especially raw vegan dishes.
Supplements & water
Hydration has a lot to do with living healthy. Drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily can help to emulsify fat, and assist the kidneys, as well as the liver, to rid the body of waste. Supplements like B-vitamins help to regulate your mood, chemical reactions and any imbalances that occur during the transition period. According to research, foods you eat can have a dramatic impact on your sympathetic and parasympathetic (SNS/ PNS) nervous system. Therefore, as a preventive measure one can use B-complex, which has a synergistic effect on feeding the entire nervous system.
Food Prep
The way you cook your foods must change too. Heat destroys enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Therefore, the best nutrient dense foods are not cooked. Fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes that are prepared in meals need little to no heat. Eliminate deep frying, or frying as much as possible. Only use peanut oil if you have to fry. It has a high heat point and does not turn rancid in the body like other oils. Stir frying is acceptable when using olive oil made specifically for stir frying. My Nu Wave Oven/ Air Fryer has helped me prepare foods without the need of oils (warm air only) for healthier cooking. It’s safer than a microwave and faster than an oven. Eliminate using microwaves; because, they are known to change the chemical structure of food into indigestible matter. You might want to buy healthy junk (snacks) for times when you are away from home or can’t eat vegan dishes to ward off cravings or tide you over the hump. Healthy snacks such as: nuts, popcorn, chips, or fruits might come in handy during these times. The healthier vegan foods you eat allow cravings for meat and nutritional imbalances to subside.
Social Activity
Make it fun by learning how to make your favorite dishes Vegan or find recipes to learn new dishes. Take vegan food prep classes with Chefs or others that know how to make any dish tasty while meeting new vegan friends.
Join social media groups online for vegans, vegetarians/ Pescatarians. Enjoy the journey and the fact that you are making a lifestyle change for a loved-one, spouse, significant other or your children.
Mac Curtis is an advocate for holistic health based in San Diego, California. For more information he can be reached at [email protected].