WIN WIN

One day in 2011 my husband and I cleaned out all the meat, dairy products and oils from our kitchen and never looked back! In their place we stocked vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. We had to relearn how to cook and eat for optimum health. What a trip it's been!

Did our bones weaken and crumble? Did we lose all muscle mass? Did our brains turn to jelly? Of course not! In fact, quite the opposite happened--we both achieved ideal weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels within weeks of our dietary change. In addition we regained energy and stamina and have warded off aches and pains and the annual rounds of respiratory misery.

Do we miss meat and cheese? At first it was hard to walk through town smelling all our old favorites. But within weeks our tastes changed and we liked feeling light and energetic. Besides, we were becoming aware that no animals had to suffer for us to eat well and be healthy. Then we learned from our on-going reading and study of livestock's long devastating shadow on the environment.

So health is not our only reason for our lifestyle change. Yes, we definitely want to take charge of our own health and not be a burden to our families and society. We have learned that as high as 80% of all chronic diseases can be prevented and/or reversed through the adoption of a Plant-Based diet. We tell anyone who will listen how easy it is to eat this way and how delicious the food is. Best of all are the extraordinary health benefits. Two outstanding films, readily available, bring this exciting message home--FORKS OVER KNIVES (http://www.capegazette.com/blog-entry/life-changing-film/128065) and WHAT THE HEALTH (http://www.capegazette.com/blog-entry/what-health/130647).

But we have serious concerns about the impact of human demand for animal products on climate change. We have learned that massive environmental degradation is occurring at alarming rates as meat and dairy consumption increases worldwide. Valuable land and water resources are diverted for animal agriculture while grains are fed to animals instead of hungry humans. We are not alone in these concerns. Richard Oppenlander has been writing for years about FOOD CHOICE AND SUSTAINABILITY (http://www.capegazette.com/blog-entry/seafood-supper/70910) and the film COWSPIRACY makes a compelling case that a great deal of modern environmental damage comes from the unsustainable practices of those supplying people with their meat, dairy, and eggs. This is hard news for most people, but we want everyone to know that joining us in dietary change is a WIN, WIN for humans, for animals and for the environment!