As some of you already know, I transitioned to a vegan diet several months ago. I was skeptical at first, having eaten animal products for my entire life and really enjoying foods like bacon, hamburgers, steak, etc.
One of my favorite creations - Vegan Baked Ziti.
Andre and I talked about this a good bit on one of our early podcasts:
What changed my mind was a couple of things:
- I started dating a vegan. Now I know what a lot of people will say (including Andre), but I actually didn’t do it FOR her. But because I was dating someone who had been on a strict vegan diet for the past few years, it made the learning curve a lot less steep. Instead of spending months trying to figure out what to eat and how to convert meals I loved to vegan ones, she was able to guide me in the right direction and provide some basic knowledge at the start.
- I started doing more research into the health benefits of plant-based diets in general. Like a lot of people, I watched Game Changers on Netflix, a really interesting documentary about the health and potential global impact of reducing animal product consumption and debunking a lot of old myths, including some I believed myself. I also watched What the Health (also on Netflix), a slightly more scathing review of the current food supply industry and the negative impacts it’s currently having on our environment and our bodies. And from there I started doing my own research to understand more about what I was learning. It was all very eye-opening.
This Vegan Banana Bread was incredibly delicious.
What I ultimately found after moving to a vegan diet was that I didn’t miss those foods as much as I THOUGHT I would miss them. I also discovered a wide variety of healthier alternatives to a lot of the foods I regularly ate that were just as flavorful, if not more. The options for vegan eaters are significantly greater now than five years ago, to the point that I almost feel bad calling myself a vegan. I mean, it was only last week that I finally saved some aquafaba to use in a recipe! (Aquafaba is the liquid that Chickpeas, a.k.a. Garbanzo Beans, come canned with and it’s a fairly common ingredient in vegan cooking and baking. The name was made up by combining the Latin words for “bean” and “water,” according to this 2016 article from bon appétite.)
These Vegan Donuts were a hit with my daughter.
Now please don’t worry. This is not one of those posts telling you what to do or wanting you to feel guilty about what you eat. I say (or write) all of that to ultimately say this: please try some of the new plant-based products like the Impossible and Beyond burgers, or buy a gallon of oat or cashew milk the next time you’re at the store. You might be surprised at just how good they are. And even a small adjustment to our diets can have a significant impact on both our own health and the health of our planet.
Want more vegan content? Check out these episodes of The Chris and Andre Show: