When I first started eating a plant-based diet, as a man I drew a good amount of attention at the office…
So Jim, why did you go from a hunter to a gatherer? …Your health, no laughing matter
I think I can take a joke as well as the next guy but some of the jokes were about manhood and off-color and hitting below the belt… well kind of… A deathly serious problem for men in America is Erectile Dysfunction, according to a leading expert in nutrition and health, Dr. Mark Fuhrman, ED is the first clinical manifestation of Cardiovascular Disease. Cardiovascular Disease remains our nation’s biggest killer, responsible for about one-third of the deaths in this country. Dr. Fuhrman further shows that there is a strong relationship between ED and high blood pressure, high cholesterol, angina, stroke, heart attack and premature death. So really, if I continued to eat the Standard American Diet (SAD), I, like millions of other Americans would be heading down a path that leads to destruction, no thanks. My health is no laughing matter and neither is yours.
Take the jokes from the guys, your wife and family will thank you for it
When I initially went plant-based, not only was I being supportive of my wife’s quest for good health and getting healthier myself, I also started to lose a significant amount of weight. I not only felt better and younger, I also looked better. The better I felt, the more active I became and the more active I became the better I felt. Quality time with my family was truly filled with quality. I have a great friend who is 20 years my junior, we were at a get together recently where we were playing with our young children on floor and it was caught on video. That awesome time, would not have happened before my diet lifestyle change.
The CDC, has a bunch of morbid statistics on unavoidable tragedies as well as avoidable tragedies
The best way to lower your risk of health related tragedies is to focus on a plant-based (nutrient rich) diet and exercise. The CDC and other entities have a bunch of different morbid statistics on deaths in this country, by age, gender, causes… If those statistics weren’t enough, in my own personal history and that of my family, there are many reasons for me to adopt this diet lifestyle change. I want to honor my Lord and Savior, Jesus with being a good steward of this body that he has given me. I also want to be a great husband to my great wife and a great father to my great kids, I can’t do that if I’m dead. I don’t want to die of an avoidable tragedy. I don’t want to be another statistic.
Struggle is OK, giving up is not.
As I’ve written in previous posts, I struggle at times just like anyone else with eating a non-nutritious meal (pancakes and French fries come to mind right now actually) and struggle is OK. Your health however, is too important to give up on. Take the ribbing, eat healthy anyway.
Well Said. And you are exactly right! I struggle everyday and unfortunately over the past few years, i have been giving in to the temptations and yet I KNOW better. I lost over 100 pounds eating plant based diet and then slowly but surely allowed processed foods back in my diet when my life got more hectic and I didn’t have as much time to prepare nutritious foods and my family wasn’t as willing as I was to eat this way. Your blog today is making me rethink my choices. I WANT plants over pills any day! I am a nurse too. I do KNOW BETTER!! Thanks!!
Thank You for posting this Jim, It is very inspiring! What a wonderful testimony. This has encouraged me to stick to with it! Your determination has really paid off, Heart disease runs in my family so I always have it in the back of my mind and worry about it. God has Blessed us with this truth about eating healthy!