No Excuses!
“Oh I could never do that, I like my food too much”"
Oh I had a friend who did that and got sick”
“Oh I lost a lot of weight on Atkins…..”
Once you become Vegan you’ll hear just about every excuse in the book why it’s not practical or healthy . Prepare yourself.
We have become so programmed by TV Commercials, Magazines, and Billboards that we actually believe that Beef is what should be for dinner, or that Milk actually does do a body good.
Your best defense? Educate yourself with as much information as you can on why a Vegan diet is the healthiest diet on the planet.
#1. I Tried Going Vegan Once And It Made Me Sick
You can eat nothing else but French Fries and Diet Coke and call yourself a Vegan. But will you feel good? Probably not. You have to be smart about it and eat the right foods – namely Fruit, Vegetables and Starches.
Sometimes people are so out of shape that even if they do follow a healthy Vegan Diet – they start to feel ill. This could simply be a detox time as your body adjusts to get rid of all the accumulated toxins. And by get rid of I mean by any means it can…. throwing up, diarrhea, flu like symptoms, whatever. It’s not pleasant, but it usually passes pretty quickly. And then you feel amazing.
Sadly a lot of people will see this as a sign something’s wrong, and quit.
I just can’t eat like that – it made me sick.
#2. I Need My Protein
Of course you need your protein. We all need our protein. But look around you. 2/3′s of Americans are overweight and 1/3rd of them are obese. Do you really think we have a protein problem as a society?
If you’re eating enough, and eating a variety of whole foods, you will get all the protein you need. For example, lentils and soymilk are over 30 percent protein. Fifteen percent of the calories in whole wheat pasta are from protein, and even brown rice has protein, at about eight percent of calories. Even potatoes and other vegetables have protein. And don’t worry about combining your proteins which was made popular in the 1970’s. That’s old news and has been debunked many times.
There has never been a documented case of protein deficiency. Ever. The only way you can become protein deficient is if you starve yourself. So eat up!
#3. Plants Have Feelings Too
Really? Remember elementary school biology? Plants and animals are different!
Plants have neither brains nor nervous systems with which to feel pain. (And they don’t usually scream when you pick them.) Does this mean that we can say with absolute certainty that plants cannot have a consciousness or feel pain? I suppose we can never be 100 percent certain.
But here’s something I DO know – for sure…
The animals we eat are conscious. And they do most certainly feel pain, especially when they are being boiled or dismembered alive.
#4. I Was Raised To Eat Meat
I think most of us were. Our parents didn’t know any better, and were only doing what their parents did, and their parents before them. I also bet they didn’t drive their fully loaded SUV down to the local McDonald’s for a McNugget dinner every night either. Just because it’s the ‘way it’s always been done’ or ‘it’s what humans have been doing for centuries’, is not much of a reason to continue doing something, especially if it’s been proven to be bad for you.
Red meat is high in saturated fat (which clogs your arteries), and there’s also evidence that processed meat, such as bacon and hot dogs, increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.
Old habits die hard – but they can be changed.
#5. We Have Canines So We’re Meant To Eat Meat
That sounds logical because we do have 4 pointy teeth. But – human canine teeth much more closely resemble the canine teeth of horses, hippos, elephants and gorillas, all of which happen to be plant eaters.
But have you ever look inside a bear’s mouth? Or a wolf? How about a lion? Their pointy teeth are a lot longer and sharper than ours. (And if you DO have teeth like that – maybe you should try out for the next episode of Twilight. )
Carnivores have those sharp, pointy teeth so they can catch, kill, rip, tear, and eat the flesh right off their prey. Can you do that? The only thing we seem to be able to tear into is a big, greasy cheeseburger from Burger King.