V is for Vegetarian

Okay… Buckle down and listen up because this was a lifestyle decision I made that has truly shaped me to become the health-fanatic I am today.

Growing up in a big family (me being one of four siblings), I kinda just went with the flow when it came to my eating habits, especially as a kid. Every night for dinner, I remember having chicken/steak with a plethora of broccoli, carrots, and a LOT of ketchup (seriously I would lather that red stuff on mac'n cheese and call it a day!). Steak Sunday was practically a holiday in my house. It wasn’t until I got older, and more knowledgeable about the meat industry as a whole, that I became a vegetarian.

When I was a sophomore in High School, I was your average teenage girl just trying to keep up with the latest fitness trends, yet somehow balance my family, school, social life, and everything in between. My aunt (bless her for this, seriously) had mentioned a book she was reading at the time, called “Crazy Sexy Diet” written by Kriss Carr. Fascinated with weight loss and diet, I immediately went out to Barnes & Noble to pick it up!

That book truly changed my life.

Here are a few of its major takeaways. BUT- before I dive in, this was a personal decision that truly worked for my body and that does not mean it has to be the same for everyone!

The meat industry gets away with a lottttt of things. For starters, when animals are being prepared for slaughter, they are in tight and confined spaces with stress hormones out of the roof. Now think about it- when you eat meat, you are eating STRESS hormones that have been passed down from multiple sources. What was that chicken eating before it entered the slaughterhouse? We already have so many factors that contribute to disease, why fuel that fire?

Another takeaway- cutting out meat means a HEALTHIER HEART. Heart disease is correlated with high cholesterol levels, cholesterol is in meat... Put two and two together: Higher cholesterol puts you at a significantly greater risk for heart disease. Boom. That in itself, was a huge turning point for me in my fitness journey.

Dr. Dean Ornish, an American physician who studies preventive medicine for disease (specifically heart disease) brings light to this correlation between heart disease and meat consumption. Ornish conducted a study with an objective to reverse heart disease amongst patients already diagnosed. The requirements for the participants were as follows: 1- vegetarian diet, 2- regular exercise, 3- avoidance of tobacco. After a year, the results were truly astonishing. The patient's arteries completely opened up, cholesterol levels down, and weight loss. Ornish- you da real MVP. Here is one of his TED Talks- I always like giving more resources to you, so you can extend your own knowledge from his studies/experiments. He has changed the way I have viewed food as medicine.

Cancer. We all know someone who has had or has cancer. Processed meat causes cancer. If you don't believe me or are in denial, I'll tell you exactly why. Think about the road trip that piece of meat took to get to your plate. Looks a little something like this: Hormones and Preservatives. The amount of resources it takes to raise cattle is quite alarming if you ask Mrs. Living Purely herself... First, the cattle is fattened rapidly with hormones and fed corn (fun fact- pigs are also fed corn to keep them fat and thick for a good bacon sizzle... was that too far? LMK). Back to the point- cows were not MEANT to be injected hormones OR eating pounds of corn. Cows were meant to eat GRASS. A cow is in such bad shape by the time of slaughter that it'd probably only last a few weeks if not sent to the slaughterhouse (80 Karr). Think about the amount of additional hormones you are consuming every time you eat a meat product. Why do you keep bringing up the SLAUGHTER HOUSE COLBS.. It's freakin me out!- Because it freaked me out so much it brought me HERE. Slaughter houses are one of the largest germ infested places on earth. Think about it, piles and piles of corpse in one place, hundreds at a time.

So, why vegetables Colbs? Why do you swear by kale?

For starters- I don’t really love kale. Mind blowing! Right?! Bet ya didn’t see that one coming.

It’s true though. I REALLY do not love kale. That’s exactly why I blend it in my smoothies every single morning. Wait, you blend something green, called kale, that you claim you hate, into your breakfast every morning? Yup. For those who don’t make smoothies- you really cannot taste it. I promise! I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise - Remember, intuitive eating is truly everything!

So then why kale? Kale is LOADED with vitamin K. Vitamin K stand for Kranz or what? Ha! Vitamin K supports bone health and fights CANCER. One cup of kale is loaded with iron. Colbs, you’re actin like I should know why iron is important… No silly, I’ll tell you EXACTLY why iron is important. Iron produces a protein that our bodies NEED, called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin acts as a transporter that carries oxygen throughout our bodies every single second #TeamIron. Internal benefits aside, iron gives your skin a glow, it makes your hair nice (so you won't need keratin). As you may have guessed it, kale is also low in calories (not that I track calories, but I know a few of you out there who do!) and is HIGH IN FIBER! HELLOOOO bowels!!! Higher fiber foods = better digestion = no more constipation!

At this point you’re either totally on my bandwagon (join it, I promise it’s easier than it seems), or asking yourself how I get my protein without meat?

It’s simple. Plant protein is EVERYWHERE. You just need to be knowledgeable, and it truly is so easy.

Plant protein deserves its own blog post though, so I guess you can call this my first “cliff-hanger”?

LOL

Xoxo,

That vegetarian living purely girl