I get this question a lot these days. So here is my answer. We have been slowly changing our diets over the last 1 1/2 years. We have cut out meat and dairy along with many other dietary changes. We do have cheese occasionally at home and meat on Sundays when we eat at my Moms. We do have organic range feed eggs sometimes also, but mostly for baking things that don't work well with flax. We do eat yogurt and I do make it, mostly because it is cheaper than buying it, but also because I can control better what is in it. I tried to make kiefer, but it was too much babysitting for me at this point in my life.
People always want to know if it is hard on my kids, if I think it is too extreme, and if it is making a difference. My kids are 2, 5 and 7. It has made a huge difference in our lives. We dont really get sick and when we do it only lasts for a day or two unlike our friends who get the same thing and get it much worse. We also have more energy. I was on several medications for hormone problems and for other such things and I now am off every single one and I feel great! I actually have a regular period for the first time in my LIFE! My kids behavior has changed, especially my son that we thought had ADHD, but really was just because we were putting bad stuff in his body. I don't think that it is extreme at all. I think that it is smart and a healthy way to live. Starting when your kids are young will be more beneficial for them and will make it easier to allow them to make good life long choices.
So, why do I do this? People are becoming more and more aware of the hormones and antibiotics that are in meat, (check out the movie "Food Inc." for more info about this, it is fabulous!) and some are making adjustments accordingly, but it is important to remember that it is not just the hormones and antibiotics in meat and dairy that is not good for our bodies. Animal protein is hard for our bodies to digest. It effects our colon, kidneys, bones (due to loss calcium through our urine), liver and many other organs. It takes a lot of energy from us because it as to work our organs so much harder. For more information on this, The China Study is a great book.
Milk and eggs are the best source of animal proteins as they have the best match of our amino acids, more so than meat. Including these foods in our diets minimally is very good for us. I believe that yogurt (or Keifer) is one of the best ways because not only is it a good source of amino acids, but it can be digested easier because of the live active cultures in it. Our bodies only need 5-6% (relative to total calorie intake) of dietary protein to replace the amino acids that our body looses. Most of America gets well beyond that and take in about 15-16%. I believe that moderation is the key, but many people do not know what moderation means for their bodies. Many people eat animal protein at every meal (eggs for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch and something with hamburger or chicken in it for dinner, not to mention the milk they drink throughout the day) and think that they are being moderate when in actuality that is way too much protein for our bodies. Protein is the most important of all the nutrients in our bodies, but this has been misinterpreted by our society that more is better. People also tend to believe that "quality" proteins, like meat and dairy, are better than "lower quality" plant proteins, when in fact that is not true at all.
People always want to know if it is hard on my kids, if I think it is too extreme, and if it is making a difference. My kids are 2, 5 and 7. It has made a huge difference in our lives. We dont really get sick and when we do it only lasts for a day or two unlike our friends who get the same thing and get it much worse. We also have more energy. I was on several medications for hormone problems and for other such things and I now am off every single one and I feel great! I actually have a regular period for the first time in my LIFE! My kids behavior has changed, especially my son that we thought had ADHD, but really was just because we were putting bad stuff in his body. I don't think that it is extreme at all. I think that it is smart and a healthy way to live. Starting when your kids are young will be more beneficial for them and will make it easier to allow them to make good life long choices.
So, why do I do this? People are becoming more and more aware of the hormones and antibiotics that are in meat, (check out the movie "Food Inc." for more info about this, it is fabulous!) and some are making adjustments accordingly, but it is important to remember that it is not just the hormones and antibiotics in meat and dairy that is not good for our bodies. Animal protein is hard for our bodies to digest. It effects our colon, kidneys, bones (due to loss calcium through our urine), liver and many other organs. It takes a lot of energy from us because it as to work our organs so much harder. For more information on this, The China Study is a great book.
Milk and eggs are the best source of animal proteins as they have the best match of our amino acids, more so than meat. Including these foods in our diets minimally is very good for us. I believe that yogurt (or Keifer) is one of the best ways because not only is it a good source of amino acids, but it can be digested easier because of the live active cultures in it. Our bodies only need 5-6% (relative to total calorie intake) of dietary protein to replace the amino acids that our body looses. Most of America gets well beyond that and take in about 15-16%. I believe that moderation is the key, but many people do not know what moderation means for their bodies. Many people eat animal protein at every meal (eggs for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch and something with hamburger or chicken in it for dinner, not to mention the milk they drink throughout the day) and think that they are being moderate when in actuality that is way too much protein for our bodies. Protein is the most important of all the nutrients in our bodies, but this has been misinterpreted by our society that more is better. People also tend to believe that "quality" proteins, like meat and dairy, are better than "lower quality" plant proteins, when in fact that is not true at all.
The fact is that people need to educate themselves about food and their bodies, no matter what kind of diet they have. Being vegan or vegetarian in and of it self is not necessarily a healthy diet. You need to know about food and how it effects your body and incorporate all aspects of a healthy lifestyle into your way of eating.
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