I am so happy to have Amanda from Tales of An Amateur Mommy here again today. Amanda has decided to live a plant strong (mostly meat free) life recently and it is so intriguing to me. Even though Dave would never let us go completely meat free in the house (he told me so, so yes I know he won’t let me do it) I am still very curious about it. I asked Amanda to talk about “living a plant strong life” with everyone today. Please welcome Amanda!

To continue with Jayme’s weekly toast to health, I’ve agreed to share with her followers (makes her sound like a goddess doesn’t it? You’re welcome, Jayme) my journey that has led to me eating a plant strong diet. By now, most of you are probably raising your eyebrows at me and wondering what in the world is a plant strong diet. Basically, I don’t eat meat (including fish), eggs, or dairy.

Wait a minute… then don’t I mean that I’m vegan??

No. No I don’t. I’ve learned from many vegan forums that it is pretty unacceptable to peg yourself as a vegan unless you eliminate ALL animal products from your life—that means leather shoes, coats, purses, belts, couches, car seats, etc, wool coats, honey… I could go on and on. Since I’ve become more educated and passionate about this topic, I’ve started working towards eliminating many of these things from my life, but I probably won’t ever be a total vegan for my own personal reasons.

My husband and I started down this path during Lent, when we decided to give up meat. We had started eating mostly vegetarian for health reasons right before I got pregnant with my daughter. When I found out that I was now responsible for the health and nutrition of another little being, I decided to give it up. I just didn’t have enough knowledge about vegetarianism and pregnancy to feel comfortable with it. However, during the brief time that I had eliminated meat, I felt a lot lighter and healthier.

Recalling that time is what made me suggest to my husband that we give up meat again. He agreed, so I decided to do some reading on it. I randomly picked up The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, not knowing that this a book based on being vegan, not vegetarian. Many of her points made so much sense to me and she presented many examples of people not just feeling better by cutting out animal products but actually reversing disease and becoming stronger as well. I raved about all of the new information that I was learning to my husband, and he backed me up fully.

Now, before you start bashing me for not eating meat, eggs or dairy, hear me out. Not eating these things, especially if you concurrently cut out most sugar, will make you feel AMAZING. I have never, ever changed my eating habits in order to lose weight and not felt tired and headachy for at least the first week. On the other hand, a week after I stopped eating animals/animal products, I cleaned so much around our house that my cousin claimed that I must be pregnant and nesting. And I hate cleaning. But I had so much energy that it overflowed into completing domestic duties that I hate.

Eating plant strong is not a wonder cure to fix all your ills. I’m sure many of you know vegetarians or vegans that eat junk and a diet that is utterly unhealthy. You definitely cannot cut meat out of your meals and then stuff your face full of french fries and beer. It just doesn’t work that way. There are many vegan blogs that can be found with awesome, healthy vegan recipes and it’s important to make sure that you are still getting the right nutrition. Want to see some? Follow me on Pinterest (not all vegan boards, some are crafting and food porn).

Health is not the only reason to cut meat and animal products out of your diet. It’s also better for the environment and of course, better for the animals. While I personally believe that the consumption of animals used to be perfectly healthy and acceptable, many slaughterhouses are terribly inhumane and unsanitary. I would much rather eat a deer that my husband has shot than a chicken breast from our local grocery store because of this—not to mention the steroids and antibiotics that are stuffed into many livestock.

I should probably reiterate here that I’m not entirely 100% meat free. I don’t expect my family to make a vegetarian alternative for our Sunday dinners, and I still love fish and cheese (I never really liked red meat to begin with) so sometimes I do indulge. Often, I totally regret it and feel bloated and disgusting the next day. It’s incredible to me how my body responds now that I have stopped stuffing the wrong things into it.

Interested in learning more? I encourage you to do your own research into the benefits of eating a plant strong diet. Some of my favorite resources are:

Vegucated—a documentary on three New Yorkers that eat a vegan diet for six weeks. A very
comprehensive film on all the reasons to transition to a vegan diet.

Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz—a terrific vegan cookbook. She also has a website,
Post Punk Kitchen.

Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine — “Since 1985, PCRM has been influencing advancements in medicine and science. We advocate for preventive medicine, especially good nutrition, conduct clinical research, and advocate for higher ethical standards in research.”

Have questions for me? Please ask in the comments, I’d be happy to answer them!