It was just over a year ago that Pete and I switched rather drastically to a whole foods plant based diet (WFPB). The first question people ask (after they've looked at me like we're crazy) is "Why on earth would you do that?" I've always been a huge fan of whole grains and have milled my own wheat and made our bread from the flour for over 37 years. Why take it a step further and stop eating meat, dairy, eggs, refined flour, sugar, fats and oils?
As we've aged things began creeping up on us - our weight, our cholesterol, our fasting blood sugar. If we continued to eat the standard American diet we'd be fighting weight, taking statins for our cholesterol and facing pre-diabetes. Not to mention the risk of cancers associated with eating meat and dairy. Why go there when it's preventable through diet? And probably the most compelling reason for us was and remains that we are staring down the barrel of the Parkinson's Disease gun: if there is anything we can reasonably do to strengthen our bodies and give Pete the best chance he has for fighting the effects of a degenerative disease it seemed like a no-brainer to pursue it.
So for the past year I've been un-learning the cooking habits of 50+ years and pursuing the adventure of cooking a whole new way. I've been surprised at how easy it's been (I thought not cooking with oils would be hard but it hasn't been!) and frankly, although our tastes are simple, we feel that we eat like kings! I don't make fancy recipes. I usually look in the fridge to see what's on hand and decide what I can make with it. We rarely eat the same thing twice! Grocery shopping has been hugely simplified - once around the outside aisles of the store is all it takes.
What do we eat? ALL the fruits and vegetables available from our garden or the store, LOTS of grains (whole grain oats, rice, barley, flax meal, quinoa, pasta), nuts and seeds, lots of beans of every shape, color and variety and you'd be surprised at how many beautiful kinds there are! We use almond milk instead of dairy and maple syrup or honey for sweeteners (but not much of either).
We are NOT fanatics about it. If someone invites us over for a meal and serves meat and cheese, we will eat and enjoy it with thanksgiving. Our bodies have a remarkable ability to recover from an occasional lapse if our normal diet is healthy. We don't eat out often but we've been surprised at how many options there are at the restaurants we frequent that align with WFPB. And every couple of weeks we really enjoy a vegetarian pizza from the local pizza place! Food is one of the good gifts God has given us and we thankfully enjoy it as close to the form He made it as we can.
Has it changed our lives? It's hard to measure. We feel great. We've both lost 30 pounds without feeling deprived. I haven't had my cholesterol measured yet this year but at least I know I'm not feeding my body any cholesterol so if my liver is producing it, I don't think it will be dangerously high. Pete's doctors have told him it is a great diet ("if you can stick to it" and "it might be saving your life"). So after a year we evaluated and think this is the way we'll eat going forward. We don't miss the meat or dairy. We don't feel deprived. We love the food we eat. We're not trying to live forever but we want to be as healthy as we can in the years God gives us. A healthy diet and regular hard workouts at the gym have made us stronger and healthier than we've been in many years, in spite of the PD. How many people can say that at age 68 and 67?
 |
| Beets, beets and more beets - delicious in salads and such a great source of healthy anthocyanins! |
 |
| Yummy vegetable barley soup. |
 |
| These veggies are shiny, not from oil but from broth! |
 |
| Look at those beautiful "Christmas lima" beans! |
 |
| Life is good with whole grain blueberry pancakes! |
 |
| Breakfast of champions - whole oats (raw), fruits and nuts. Oh, and COFFEE of course! |
 |
| Whole wheat bread from freshly ground flour. A real staff of life. |
The one area that has been difficult is hospitality. I feel that since most people eat and expect meat at a meal I end up cooking two different things if we have guests in and sometimes that daunts me. But I'm learning ways to cope with that issue, too. A delicious vegetable soup and homemade bread is something most people won't turn up their noses at so that's always a good option. A wise woman once told me, "NEVER apologize for what God has given you to share at the table with others."
