Why Whole Plant Foods?

There are many reasons why I have taken the journey towards plant based goodness.  I have always been interested in food and the relationship it has in fueling our bodies.  As a child my mom called me her “meat and potatoes” girl.  I was never a picky eater and always cleaned my plate like I was taught I should do.  I had typical teen/college years of eating junk, fast food, and anything that tasted delicious. Like most young people, never thought twice about it.  

When I was pregnant with my first child, I became more conscious of how what I ate affected my body.  I turned to all the health advice I could get my hands on. Little did I know that this advice was being funded by special interests and not likely to be the best practices for nutritious living!  

I loved to run and felt that my high protein “meat” diet would properly fuel my runs from 5ks to half marathons.  I was in my late twenties and three kids later, I felt like I was super healthy and living the good life! I did not yet know that getting rid of all the animal protein would make me feel even better!

A few years later I experienced some devastating news when I found that my loving husband of 11 years was suddenly leaving the family.  The divorce was extremely painful and I turned to anything but healthy practices to help me cope.  I was now a single mom of three small children. I was working a 50+ hour a week job that paid next to nothing, and receiving very little child support.  I threw out my ideals of organic food and healthy lifestyle and turned to foods that were convenient and quick just to get a “meal” on the table.

It is now 8 years later.  By this time I had done some serious soul searching and trusting in God.  I was so thankful for God’s care through all my difficult struggles and I was ready to reclaim my life.  

But with being so busy with kids, a new marriage, and a very demanding job, my eating was still not what it should have been.  After my wedding I gained about 20 lbs and was feeling physically drained, bloated and miserable.  I got back into working out only to find that now in my late 30s, the weight did not seem to fall off as easily as it did in the past. Still I continued, believing that my then diet and exercise plan would prevail!

It wasn’t until my son struggled with severe acne that I stumbled upon the plant based diet.  He had tried every medication, cream, and potion and nothing worked.  After 5 months of Accutane and many severe side effects later I stumbled upon a podcast by Dr. Michael Greger about acne and diet that changed me.  I had my son listen to the same podcast and our research into the plant based world exploded.  

I was entranced by Dr. Mc Dougal, Dr. Esselstein, and Dr. Campbell and all of the research they had done proving that a plant based diet could not only prevent our top diseases and health issues, but actually REVERSE them! Furthermore, their research was unbiased and they did not receive a penny from special interest companies to report their findings.  

After reading Dr. Furhman’s book Eat To Live, I was convinced that this way of eating was superior to any other “diet” I had ever been on.  This moved me to try Dr. Furhman’s advice on how to change my food addictions from the standard American diet, to a more nutritious plant based one.  

My son was with me.  After a few weeks of Dr. Furhman’s 6 week plan, his acne had dramatically improved.  A few months later, and my high school athlete son was acne free with no medication, all from plants! He did go on to adding grass fed and pasture raised meat to his diet, which can make cooking for this diverse eating family a challenge! That is why many of my recipes will add in ways to make one meal, two ways.  I know not everyone out there has completely plant based families!  

As for me? I have never felt better in all my years.  I lost 25 lbs, my skin is clear and I have more energy than ever before.  I feel so mentally clear and free of any depression or brain fog. How had I never know about any of this before!

It is now my mission to share the plant based message.  I want everyone to know that they can live a happier, more healthful life and enjoy it more than they could have ever imagined.  

My Philosophy

I truly believe that God gave us the earth and everything in it. All food is a blessing from Him.  There is even blessing in “junk” food as it can bring us pleasure and joy.  However, we  can find ourselves greedily over indulging in some of these things and this can lead to consequences.  Weight gain and health problems top the list.

Fortunately, God provided things on this earth that can reverse and repair our overindulgences.  We have medicine, (wonderful in many cases!) and we have food. (Scientifically proven to repair and heal.) Depending on the illness, food can at times heal more effectively than medicine and with no side effects.

If you choose to eat processed food, enjoy it in small amounts.  If you choose to eat animal products, enjoy them in small amounts, grass fed/grass finished if possible. If you choose to eat all plants, you are doing your body good.

This blog exists to offer more plant based meals to you and give advice on how you can add more plants into your diet.  Beyond that, what you eat is your choice!

I still love Michael Pollan’s famous words to live by best: “Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants.”

May God bless you and the food you eat!

Lora