in her own words - how i became a vegan - shelley

i get so many emails asking me about how and why i am vegan that i've decided to start a readers series to help others make the transition from a regular, sad (standard american diet) to a vegan diet.

you all know that i switched the minute i finished watching earthlings.

but not everyone does it that way.

i look forward to introducing you to regular readers of my blog and have them share with you, in their own words, just how becoming vegan happened for them and the impact it has had on their lives.
if you would be interested in participating, please email me.

so first up is shelley.  she is a schoolteacher in san diego and has a wealth of information that she shares regularly in the comment section of my blog.

so here is shelley's story.

How did you become vegan? THAT is a question I get asked regularly. The answer? We were forced into it.

In Oct 2010 my husband---age 70-- was pre-diabetic and overweight and he failed a treadmill test which resulted in him getting an angioplasty and 2 stents in his coronaries. And he was told he's need a 3rd stent in 6 months. He was never even given an option of changing his diet. That was a huge wake up call for the both of us.

My husband lost 40 pounds following the regular Mc Dougall starch/plant eating plan and he's kept if off - for a year now.  He was never hungry. His new cardio doc took him off his 2 statin drugs and his 2 BP meds--10 months ago- and says no 3rd stent required. All his follow up tests show good strong blood flow to his heart.

He has not overcome his compulsive eating behaviors - they will always be with him. Instead, he changed his diet so these behaviors don't trip him up.

The KEY was for us to fully understand the STARCH BASED vegan diet - I read all the resources that I will post here--right below. 

They were most helpful :

The China Study by Colin Campbell [ your library has it ]

McDougall Program - http://drmcdougall.com/

The Healthy Librarian's blog : http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/

Jeff Novick's DVD excerpt on Calorie Density - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTLpTq1nQk

Mc Dougall forums for recipes, support and new ideas: http://drmcdougall.com/forums/index.php

After reading or watching the above, we both committed 100% to this starch/plant way of eating for 2 months to just SEE if we could do it - we were semi-vegetarians for 20 years prior to becoming vegans and so it took only a month of getting rid of cheese and yogurt and ice cream and fried foods and oils to feel like we were not "missing out" but honestly we do not miss cheese or yogurt or ice cream or fried foods or oil at all now. Every time we cheated we RE-committed -  we didn't let a small cheat be an excuse to continue to cheat the rest of the day. So if you are thinking you want to try plant based, I'd suggest you commit to it for 2 months-don't tell yourself you are doing this way of eating FOREVER - say to yourself you are doing just a 2 month trial. If you can stick with it for 2 months you will be glad you did. The hardest part is over after 2 months-!! We see our friends and family members suffering with all sorts of health issues and we feels so bad for them. I hope this post will inspire a few reader's of Janet's to do something good for themselves. It's not complicated - eating this way is very simple and easy!

The change in the quality of our lives still amazes me today, after over 18 months of eating this starch/plant way. No Rx drugs, more energy, better sleep, clearer skin, fewer aches and pains, better mental clarity and the peace of mind that comes with knowing we are doing what is best for ourselves, the animals the environment and planet earth !

All these benefits and THIS :  it is CHEAPER than eating meat + dairy + junk.

-Shelley [ in San Diego ]

thank you shelley for sharing your story!