100% Plant Based Diet

After watching the film Forks Over Knives and reading Veganist by Kathy Freston, I have been thinking about moving to a 100% plant based diet.  I know it sounds drastic, but what a healthy way of living!  Especially nowadays with the struggling economy, I often wonder what companies are willing to compromise for the sake of the bottom line.  For instance, how well are the animals really treated?  What chemicals, hormones and preservatives are added to the chicken and beef to improve presentation and taste?  Just recently I bought chicken breasts that were extremely salty; it was absolutely disgusting and I haven’t been back to the meat counter since.

Making this kind of change will be easy in some ways and difficult in others.  Red meat hasn’t been a part of my diet for a while now, and for the past few weeks I haven’t eaten any chicken or turkey either.  In place of these protein sources, I have been incorporating beans into my lunch and dinner meals.  That’s the easy part; now comes the hard part.  I eat a lot of cheese, fish, and eggs.  In fact, a can of tuna is my go to meal when there is nothing else to eat.

As with all other aspects of Running Without a Watch it’s important to set small, realistic goals, and allow yourself to make adjustments along the way.  For instance, I am going to experiment with more kinds of beans, and finally incorporate tofu into my repertoire.  I also hope to finally use the food processor to make some delicious bean burgers that my wife and kids will really enjoy.  Finally, I will continue to avoid the pre-packaged processed foods whenever possible, since I can’t even pronounce most of those ingredients! 

So far, this sounds like a recipe for success.  Even if I don’t move to a 100% plant based diet, I know that incorporating more natural foods into my diet is healthy.  And, it’s always fun to introduce myself to some new foods and tastes along the way.

Has anyone made the switch, and what tips can you offer me?