For my plant based familia, this will resonate. But for the majority reading this, you’re probably thinking “Not this shit again!!” 

I feel you.

One day, before I went plant based, I was eating a hard boiled egg on my work break. It’s a mega source of protein and I was all proud of myself for being healthy, then my one vegan co-worker went OFF on me. Making me feel small, ashamed and less than. Top that with a bunch of other deeply rooted lack of self worth stories, yeah, it didn’t feel good.

Now, some of us may have experienced that or heard similar stories, leaving us with this distasteful resentment for “those people”. I’m here to tell you right now, you won’t get that from me. 

Hell, I’ve been eating meat for 98% of my life and if I’m talking shit on you then I’ve got some deeper problems I’ve gotta deal with and I’d be a major hypocrite. That ain’t my style.

So, my intention is to simply get you asking the deeper questions. Getting really really honest and real and intentional with your decisions. I want to expand how you look and feel about being plant based (I like “plant based” because I feel a lot of bad energy around the word “Vegan”). And I want to share some incredible positives I’ve gained from making this lifestyle shift, which I was completely blind to when I started. 

When talking to plant based friends we usually ask, “What got you to switch to the plant based lifestyle?” And you’ll usually hear one, two, or three answers:

1. The animals

2. Their health

3. The environment/sustainability

All of these answers are EPIC, and all major influencers for my decision. 

I remember back when I was eating meat, deep down I felt a little off. I had a general understanding of how we got meat on our plates, but I was truthfully scared of the truth. 

I remember saying to myself, “I’ll wait until I watch the video”. You can imagine how many days and weeks and months I pushed this activity back because I didn’t want to see the truth. In fact, I was ignorant.

Now, “ignorance” might get a bad rap, but my definition is simply a lack of understanding, or an unwillingness to seek to understand. 

I was shielding myself from the truth, which inherently left me feeling incredibly out of alignment. Then I watched THE video: Dominion. 

And yes, it’s as treacherous and horrible as you can imagine. How many times do we avoid thinking about how our foods actually get on our plate? That sizzle, and texture and taste is just too damn beautiful, right?? 

But I was ignorant to the truth of the matter. I wasn’t a conscious consumer. And dude…I fucking love animals. 

I got to the point on my journey where I was focusing on being in alignment with my values, and I realized…how can I say I love animals, yet contribute to the pain, suffering, and unjustness of so many beautiful creatures. 

If you love animals, and truly love animals, watch Dominion. And if you still dig meat and can’t give it up after watching that, then I’m cool with that because now it is a conscious decision. But we owe it to ourselves to know the truth. There is a major release in our bodies when we live in alignment. Just like how I talked about being a conscious consumer with foods and labels, knowing how our food gets to our plate is part of that formula as well. If you’re an animal lover, check it out.

Second, we have the health aspect. 

There is a serious war going on behind the scenes about whether we NEED meat or can live without it. I’ve heard both sides of the story and came to my own conclusion.

I stole a copy of my sister’s book “Skinny Bitch” by Kim Barnouin. Yes, they also have “Skinny Bastard” for my brothers, and the info on the meat and dairy industry was eye opening to say the least. 

I also watched the documentary, “What The Health” on Netflix. 

Logically speaking, big corporations are all about that good mulla, right? “Any means necessary!”

Many farmers support their family and lifestyle through this business. And what they’ve found is that the bigger the animal, the more meat that is produced. And more meat produced equals more dinero in the pocket. Same goes for milk and dairy. 

The main focus is on quantity, not quality.

So, to get the animals nice and juicy and thick with meat, they pump Growth Hormones, antibiotics, corn and grains, and other not so friendly stuff in them that we would NEVER put into our bodies. Remember the phrase, “You are what you eat, ate”…well those chemicals that are in those animals are now in our meat. And when eaten, they are now in us. Gnarly, right?

Same goes for fish when they’re swimming in mercury and other toxic chemicals. It’s a first class ticket to disrupting our microbiome.

Another thing to think about is, after watching “Dominion”, you’ll see the screams and horror and stress in these animals. 

Question…what happens to our bodies when we are overly stressed? Or when we go through a heavily traumatic experience? 

Chemicals shoot through our bodies and affect our health. Also, energetically, we are consuming the remains of an overly stressed, horrified being and that energy is then transferred into us. 

#Nobueno

And then they artificially change the color of the meat in the display cases and adjust the lighting so it looks desirable. Yeah, I could go on, but just watch the documentary.

I also follow many incredible health experts, and not all of them are pro being 100% plant based. It’s a back and forth battle, and I think, if health is our overriding value over the others, we can still stay healthy with conscious real, whole foods and clean meats.

BUT, if health is the reason why you eat meat, then you MUST make sure you know where you are getting it from. Grass fed or free range.

I’m not promoting eating meat, but realistically, not everyone is going to make the change, or will do so slowly. So, if this is you, and health is a value of yours and shifting this lifestyle is daunting, then make sure you go for grass fed and free range and know where it’s coming from. Look up how they farm the animals. 

I know it’s more expensive, but be a conscious consumer. It’s a powerful thing. And your body will thank you.

Next, we have sustainability. Truthfully, I had no idea the impact consuming meat products had on the climate and environment. I took environmental science in High School, and we did a test to see what our environmental footprint was and I don’t think it ever mentioned how much meat or dairy we consumed. It was all about turning the lights off when not using them, carpooling, saving water, and all those minute details. 

After research, I’ve found that all of this is minuscule in comparison to simply reducing the meat and dairy we consume, due to the way these animals are farmed. My eyes popped wide open after watching “Cowspiracy” on Netflix. By cutting out animal products you save (per day) 1100 gallons of water, 45lbs of grain, 30 square feet of forest, 10lbs of CO2, and 1 animal’s life.

For me, I LOVE the outdoors. I love nature and I love this earth. But contributing to this industry left me completely unaligned. If you love mother earth, check out the doc on Netflix.

NOW we get into the juicy stuff. The stuff not a lot of people talk about. The benefits that I’ve realized after deep reflections. 

1. There is something so incredibly powerful about MAKING THE DECISION. This is a gift that this lifestyle shift gave me. I made the decision to go plant based, and by making the decision, fueled by all these incredible reasons, I have not fallen back. How many times do we tell ourselves we want to start waking up earlier, or exercise more, or start changing any of our old habits? I’ve found that when we say we WANT to, we then give ourselves the option NOT to. And when that 95% of us (the subconscious old habit) has the chance, he’s going to trounce our 5% (conscious mind that wants to change). I’ve realized that the only way to truly break that cycle is to MAKE THE DECISION. To burn the boats. Don’t give that 95% of you a voice. Making the DECISION to stop eating meat products after about 14 months empowered me to realize the importance of this. I realized that if I want to make a radical change, or form a new habit, it starts with making the DECISION. It’s an incredible lesson I’ve learned. I don’t even have the cravings or desire to go back because of creating this new habit. If I can do this, then IMAGINE what else I can do??
2. For my fellow people pleasers, being plant based helps us practice to stand up for ourselves. Yes, we are social creatures, and want to please, help and serve others, but there is a fine line. Many times, we get so caught up in filling someone else’s cup that we forget about our own. It may sound all great, but chronic people pleasing has us constantly neglecting our own needs, desires and feelings. It can be damn hard to create the boundary, trust me. And when you go plant based, and you’ve made the decision, there will be times where you will be the only plant based homie at the table. You are the grand, beautiful elephant in the room. It’s so easy to fold. You feel like an inconvenience for the others. You are fully swimming upstream. You’re basically an entrepreneur. I cannot tell you how empowering it is to be that elephant in the room, and own that shit. Know your values and your worth. Realize you don’t NEED to please everyone because what you’re doing aligns with YOU. You will have these food events many times throughout your journey, and each time is practice to own ALL OF YOU. Over time, you’ll notice you might be putting other people’s needs ahead of yours, seeking their approval. YOU ARE ENOUGH. And being plant based is great practice and helps reaffirm that.
3. Living in alignment. I talked about this earlier, but on my journey I’ve truly realized the importance of being in alignment with our values. First, we must identify what our values are, and then ask how our everyday decisions reflect those values. My values of health, sustainability and loving animals were real, and going plant based honors all of them. Dr. Joe Dispenza talks about “Being in State”. This is when how we think, act, and feel are all on the same page. We become stronger creators and manifestors of our reality.
4. I felt a deeper connection to nature. This ties into being in alignment. I am a pure nature lover. I always used to run through the woods, creating my own world and rules and lands. I felt a deep sense of peace when I was outdoors. And it’s kind of hard to explain, but once I went plant based, I swear I felt a deeper connection to all of mother earth. Because deep down I know my actions are helping her, and I believe in reciprocity. I felt a deeper connection to the animals because I know my actions are intentional and loving towards them. The bugs, the wind, the water, the grass, the mud…every part just felt so much more heightened. It really makes us feel like we are not alone and there is something bigger going on around us.
5. And finally, the COMMUNITY. Running into someone who is plant based is like running into a long lost brother or sister. It’s an instant connection because we share so many similar values. It’s an immediate sense of family and belonging. I worked at a cafe for a good bit, and every time I met someone who was also plant based, the fireworks just went off! A woman came in with her mother, both plant based (They weren’t even my table), but I heard them place a plant based order so I went up to talk to them and the aftermath was incredible. She made her own recipes (and she’s a recurring customer), so when she came back in, she made me two or three handwritten recipes with a photo stapled to it. VINTAGE, am I right?? And it was sooo good! The woman was also a massage therapist and I got some rockin massages from her and we became good friends. I’m going to talk about community and that sense of belonging in another post, but it’s truly the most incredible thing, and one of my favorite stories, which all started with the similar lifestyle of being plant based. 

For those who have read this far, you are so deeply loved. 

If you have no desire in making this switch, that’s alright. I’m not here to shame or force my hand upon you. I don’t believe that is how we create change. I just want us to live an intentional life. Questioning every decision we make. I know this shift isn’t easy. It’s a radical change. All I ask is that you seek to understand both sides. 

Be a conscious liver of your life.

Watch all the videos I recommended, then, if you still want to stick with meat every now and then, then right on! I’m cool with that because now it will be a conscious decision. 

I want to wrap up with one last reflection.

As I transitioned to a plant based lifestyle, many asked me “Why” I decided to make this radical change. As I sat and reflected on this, I realized that when I was still eating meat, no one ever asked me why I ate meat. 

I thought that was fascinating. 

So, I reflected and asked myself “Why did I actually eat meat?. The answers were pretty interesting.

“I liked the taste. It gave ME protein. It filled ME up. It’s easier. I didn’t want to cause trouble. It’s just what we’ve always done”.

You can see the theme, right? The answers were pretty much all centered around ME.

Now, why did I go plant based?

“To save and support the animals. To help reduce my carbon footprint and sustain this beautiful earth. To improve my health. To make the DECISION. To live in alignment. To connect deeper with mother earth, and to be a part of this beautiful movement and community.”

Being plant based is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. Yes, it was a radical shift in identity, but it is the identity I am so proud to embody. I’ve met so many incredible humans who share the same vision. I strive every day to honor and live in alignment with my values. And being plant based does that for me.

There are so many incredible resources to make this shift as painless as possible. It’s a movement, and a damn loving one. 

At the end of the day I want you to be in alignment with YOU. We all hear people “living their best lives”, but I don’t believe that is possible if we are not intentional and in alignment with our choices and how we think, act and feel. This is YOUR journey. I want you to step into your POWER. You have my support every step of the way.

I love you deeply.

-Andrew