By Heather Nicholds
Eating a plant based diet can get a bit serious sometimes, but it can also be really fun! I’ve found a few awesome side-benefits to eating plants.
The serious reasons for eating a plant based diet are so incredibly important – the environmental, ethical and health impacts of animals raised as food are massive and unnecessary.
But I think it’s also important to remember to have fun, because no one likes being a martyr when so many around us don’t even care.
Plus, sometimes you can sway someone over to your point of view more effectively if you have a little fun…
I may have had a little too much fun shooting this video, and I definitely had fun editing it together for you…
This is one post that I think comes across a lot better as video, so take a couple of minutes to watch, and if you like it please share it with your friends 🙂
Ok, are you ready??
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#10: Washing Dishes Is SO Much Easier!
Whenever I think back to having to scrub congealed animal fat or other disgusting things out of pans, I shudder…
When I cook plants, the most I have to do is soak it for a bit.
Well, sometimes I burn things and then I have to break out the steel wool, but even then it doesn’t make me nauseous.
#9: Eating Cookie Dough
Without raw eggs, I never have to hear my mom’s voice in the back of my head telling me I’ll get food poisoning if I eat cookie dough.
Plus, if you make healthy cookies, you can worry even less 🙂
#8: No Contamination
I don’t have to worry about having separate cutting boards for raw meat, or disinfecting my hands or knives after touching meat.
#7: Egg Sub Has Tons Of Omega-3
My substitute for eggs (ground flax or chia seeds) naturally has one of the highest levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids, so I don’t need to look for specially-raised ones.
Flax is also incredibly cheap, and keeps a lot longer than eggs.
#6: Butter Sub Makes Great Moisturizer
My substitute for butter (coconut oil) is the most luscious moisturizer, so I never have to buy overpriced bottles of goop or make room for them under the sink.
#5: Plants Are Where The Flavor’s At
The flavor in all the best dishes come from plants – herbs, spices, vegetables and fruit.
I cook with so much more flavor now that I’m eating a plant based diet, and I enjoy the taste of my food so much that sometimes I have trouble stopping myself from eating too much.
#4: No Carcinogens In Burnt Bits
The carcinogens that happen when animal proteins are burnt (heterocyclic amines) aren’t formed when plants are burnt.
It still doesn’t taste very good to eat char, but at least it won’t kill you 😉
#3: No Cholesterol
Another thing that’s nonexistent in plants is cholesterol.
Is that fun? I don’t know… maybe not in and of itself, but for someone trying to lower their cholesterol it’s fun.
#2: You Can Eat A Lot
Obviously, you can still eat too much vegan junk food, but if you stick with mostly whole foods then you can stuff yourself silly and not get too bent out of shape about it.
I find at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner-type occasions that even if I eat too much, I don’t feel disgustingly full. Full, yes. Disgustingly so, no.
Also, with all the fiber in there it doesn’t take as long to make its way through the digestive process.
#1: I Just Feel Awesome!
I didn’t know how good ‘good’ could feel until I started eating a plant based diet centered around whole foods.
I remember when I started filming videos, I said to Phil, ‘What if I’m sick, how will I film?’
That has never been an issue – in the 3 years I’ve been filming, I have not been sick once.
And it’s more than just not being sick – I feel healthy, I can run further and faster than I could when I was a teenager, I don’t get the mid-afternoon energy slump…
When people ask me if I ever crave meat (or junk food), I say hell no!! Not only do I not like it, need it or want it, I love the way I feel without it and I would never go back.
Well, all that and the dishes are honestly a pretty huge motivator for me, too…
What’s on your top 10 list? Let me know in the comments!
