I realized that it was exactly one year ago today that I began my experiment to shift our family's meat centered diet to a meatless one. I suppose it's time to record how the year went.
After reading the China Study referred to in last year's blog, I decided to conduct my own experiment. I have a family history of heart disease and my own cholestoral was high, so I wanted to see how eating no animal proteins would affect me. My doctor agreed to check my cholesterol on my regular meat eating diet and then to check it again after 30 days on a vegan diet. The results were profound. My total cholestoral was lowered 49 points in just 30 days! That significant outcome caused me to seriously consider the role of animal proteins in our diet.
Of course, this new way of eating would affect the whole family, so at a well-visit with our son's pediatrian, I asked for her advice. She was very kind in advising me; she didn't roll her eyes or argue the merits of meat. She strongly suggested daily consumption of yogurt and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Silas tends to not each much meat as it is, so I had already discovered the merits of Morning Star Farms Chik Nuggets and Corn Dogs. I have to admit that we're still not as balanced as I'd like, but he sees us eating a variety of foods that I wasn't accustomed to preparing.
We are NOT a vegan family. I do think it is a wonderful lifestyle choice for some people, but at this point in our lives, it is not for us. After praying about whether or not to continue the vegan way of eating, I remembered God's promise to the people of Israel to give them a land flowing with "milk and honey". And that is where my faith stepped in to calm the storm within me. My Lord created milk as well as meat for human consumption. If He intended for us to eat it for our benefit - in fact, for a reward - then perhaps it isn't something I should avoid as detrimental to my health. Perhaps it's not just what we eat, but how much we eat!
So what kind of foods to we eat now? Dinner is no longer centered around meat! I have a few favorite vegetables that I always keep in my frig, and I have a variety of ways to prepare them. I do occassionaly cook chili with organic ground sirloin as a treat for Daddy, who still eats whatever he wants outside of the home. And when I'm out, I order meat dishes a couple times a week. Protein is an important building block for young children, so I offer eggs, nitrate-free turkey slices, Hebrew National hotdogs, and such to Silas.
I'm really not as good about preparing meals at home as I would like to be because of our schedule. When we do have a meal at home, we usually sit together at the island rather than at the dinner table, and Silas usually eats a modified version of what we're eating, like plain noodles without sauce. (Barilla Plus is a wonderful pasta option packed with 17 grams of protein per serving as well as 360 mg of Omega 3's and 7 grams of fiber!) After reading Take the Fight out of Food, I trust him to get the nutrition that he needs while I continue to offer a variety of healthy options. But I could still do better...
1 comment:
I soooo respect and admire you for the extensive thought, research and prayer that you have put in to this subject! Silas is blessed to have a mom who is willing to go to that extent to make sure she is feeding his little body the way it should be fed. And congrats on that huge cholesterol drop! I'm curious. Did you feel deprived during those 30 days? I suspect that I, myself, would go into a state of depression if I had to eat a vegan diet for 30 days. (But that's my own issue to explore, isn't it???)
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