Forget the New Year’s resolutions…… just be kind.
Most of us are very, very fortunate. We get to be kind to ourselves. We get to. It’s a choice we can make. Or not make. Not every human or being on this planet has a choice or a voice. And the ripple effect of being kind to ourselves impacts every cell of our body and every species on the planet.
This message is not for everyone. Some are already living a WFPB lifestyle and you know what that acronym means. Woohoo! Some may feel a bit offended, or not agree with this point of view, and to that I say, isn’t it cool to be kind?
Please hear me out….
5 Reasons to Go Plant-Based for 21-Days
1) You Will Feel Better!
Dr. Michael Greger M.D, author of “How Not to Die” says is best:
“Given the right conditions, the body heals itself. If you whack your shin hard on a coffee table, it can get red, swollen, and painful. But your shin will heal naturally if you just stand back and let your body work its magic. But what if you kept whacking it in the same place three times a day—say, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner? It would never heal.”
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is a BIG HAMMER. The flow of injury through our body in the form of processed food, saturated fats, meat, dairy, eggs, refined grains and sugar keep us from healing and is the largest contributor to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and countless other health conditions.
“You could go to your doctor and complain that your shin hurts. “No problem,” he or she might say, whipping out a pad to write you a prescription for painkillers. You’d go back home, still whacking your shin three times a day, but the pain pills would make it feel so much better. Thank heavens for modern medicine! That’s what happens when people take nitroglycerin for chest pain. Medicine can offer tremendous relief, but it’s not doing anything to treat the underlying cause.
If you choose to keep re injuring yourself three times a day, (or even once a day) you interrupt the healing process. You can choose moderation and hit yourself with a smaller hammer, but why beat yourself up at all? You can choose to stop damaging yourself, get out of your own way, and let your body’s natural healing process bring you back toward health.”
Why not try a whole food plant-based diet for 21-days to experience the healing process? If after 21-days you want to return to whacking yourself with a hammer, at least you know what it feels like when you don’t.
In 2017 my sister was able to lose 30 pounds and reverse a host of medical conditions within just a few months of committing to a whole food plant-based lifestyle. She is certain that if she had not given it her all, she would not only have been forced to undergo a 2nd by-pass surgery, she believes she would not be alive today. She strongly encourages others to jump in, not wade in, in order to feel the powerful healing effects.
If you participate in a random 21-Day act of kindness to yourself by eating many plant-based meals, you will have an experience, a point of reference from which you can make choices with an expanded perspective.
2) Your Mood Will Improve!
Once I fully embraced a whole food plant-based lifestyle, I began to feel noticeably more centered, peaceful and joyful. This happens to most people that I personally know, have worked with or interviewed. Perhaps there is a spiritual element to this. A satisfaction about living in a kind and compassionate way 3 or more times a day.
I think about the animal-based adrenaline, cortisol and hormones that I am no longer ingesting as a significant contribution to my elevated happiness and contentment. If we store emotions and fear in our bodies, why wouldn’t that also be the case for the animals we eat? Animals who are mistreated and suffer unimaginable pain and fear in the food system.
From a more scientific point of view, Dr. Neal Barnard, President of the Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine, refers to several studies in his February 2015 report that showed how foods fight depression. It was sighted that some people cannot tolerate antidepressants, don’t benefit from them, or are hesitant to take medications or seek counseling due to stigma. As a result, they miss an average of 19 work days per year, costing employers up to $44 billion dollars annually in lost productivity. Depression can aggravate other chronic illnesses as well, like diabetes and heart disease. There are decades of studies confirming that plant-based diets prevent and even treat chronic illnesses, but can they also improve mood? A study in the March/April 2015 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion demonstrated how a plant-based nutrition program improves not only depression, but anxiety, fatigue, productivity, and other markers of well-being. The 18-week study analyzed the health benefits of adopting a plant-based vegan diet in a corporate setting. Study participants, GEICO employees who were either overweight or struggling with type 2 diabetes, adopted a low-fat vegan diet, favoring high-fiber, low-glycemic foods. They learned about preventive nutrition and new cooking tips through weekly “lunch and learn” sessions led by a clinician or cooking instructor. They also formed bonds, sharing helpful health tips along the way and connecting with the group daily through an online forum. Study participants alleviated symptoms of anxiety, depression, and fatigue, and improved their productivity both at work and outside of work.
If you participate in a random 21-Day act of kindness by eating many plant-based meals, you might get your happy on!
3) You Will Save Animals!
Most of us love animals and many of us care for our pets as we would a family member. The average pet parent spends more than two thousand dollars a year, according to new research, totaling over $20,000 if a pet lives to be 10 years old. Some owners believe their pets have vastly improved their lives, 75 percent feel happier after adopting a pet, and 68 percent believe the animal gives them comfort. Some of us regularly cry to our pets and half have even shared a secret no one else knows about. Having a pet can lead to better health and many dog owners credit their improved exercise habits to their pets.
If you do love animals, kitty videos, the Dodo stories (https://www.thedodo.com/ ) and get enraged when you hear about animal neglect and abuses, why pay slaughterhouses and Big-AG to commit the atrocious acts you oppose? Why participate in speciesism by operating from a paradigm that some species are worthier, are owed more, while others don’t deserve the same rights?
If you participate in a random 21-Day act of kindness by eating many plant-based meals, you will save, on average, 21 animals!
4) You Will Help the Environment!
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change. According to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we may have as few as 12 years to cut global emissions by 45 percent to prevent global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avert a catastrophe.
Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, greenhouse gas emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits.
If you participate in a random 21-Day act of kindness by eating many plant-based meals, you will save 23,100 gallons of water, 630 square feet of forest land, and 420 pounds of Co2. In a nutshell, you’ll be significantly reducing your carbon footprint!
5) You Will Help Reduce World Hunger!
By some estimates, we could feed 1.4 billion additional people simply by giving up beef, pork, and poultry in the United States. Think of what we could do if the entire world gave up all animal products. The amount of resources required to produce animal products versus the amount of resources required to produce plants in the U.S. alone is astonishing:
We use 56 million acres of land for animal agriculture while dedicating only four million acres of land to growing produce; a staggering 70 percent of grain in the U.S. is fed to farmed animals rather than to people (The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people — more than the entire human population on Earth).
It takes 4,200 gallons of water PER DAY to produce a meat-eater’s diet. A plant-based diet uses only 300 gallons of water per day. Additionally, a whopping 70 percent of our domestic freshwater goes directly to animal agriculture;
All resources taken into account, one acre of land can produce 250 pounds of beef. Sounds pretty good, but not when you consider the fact that the same acre of land can produce 50,000 pounds of tomatoes or 53,000 pounds of potatoes.
If you participate in a random 21-Day act of kindness by eating many plant-based meals, you will redirect resources to those that are hungry.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, but going completely plant-based for 21 days is a choice, not a resolution. It’s a choice you can make that will have a positive impact on you and the world. Why not give it a try?
Here are several ways:
Join the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicines’ FREE 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. There is an APP you can download, videos, recipes and lots of information. Access here:
https://kickstart.pcrm.org/en/signup
Let me guide you in your journey. I offer a variety of packages and ways to help:
I am passionate about helping others reach their best physical and emotional body. Are you ready for a supportive, interactive approach in taking charge of your life and health? Are you ready to rewrite your story? If the answer is yes, contact me HERE.
