Meet our Herbie of the Week, Anne. Anne feels more energetic, is exploring new foods, and has lost weight since going plant-based.
Q: What made you and your husband decide to go plant-based (vegan)?
Our daughter (Ellie) gave us us the book Forks Over Knives in December 2011 and we also watched the movie. Ellie has not actually read the book herself, but she knows a couple our age who happily and successfully adopted a plant-based diet.. Ellie knew her dad, Ross, was taking cholesterol and triglyceride medication and knew he would be interested in trying to manage it with his diet. After reading and watching, we were convinced we needed to try it.
Q:Did you go through an adjustment after making the switch?
We did not do this gradually. We decided to commit to it completely and have not looked back. From the very first recipe we tried (Rip's Black Beans and Rice), we have never felt deprived or unsatisfied, so there was no difficulty in switching. Every recipe we have tried has been delicious ... my three main resources are FOK, the Engine 2 Diet , and Everyday Happy Herbivore We are discovering that the flavors and textures of plant-based foods are intensely delicious!
Q: Did either of you have any medical issues before going plant-based?
Our only health issue is high cholesterol and for Ross, high triglycerides. Even though Ross's numbers still aren't ideal, we are going to continue to eat a plant-based diet because we simply feel better and more energetic. We've both lost weight, even though that wasn't our goal.
Q: Have you seen any changes in yourselves since becoming plant-based?
The thing we noticed first was how energetic we felt. I did the South Beach Diet to get rid of post-pregnancy weight in 2004. I lost weight but I was miserable and fatigued. . When we started eating all plant-based foods, we had more energy than ever before. This helps us to keep motivated to exercise, which in turn motivates us to keep eating well!
Q: Has anyone else in your family joined you in being plant-based?
Our son, Sam, who is still at home and going to college, isn't completely plant-based, but he chooses plant-based meals more often than not,. (How about EHH's Grilled Cheeze for lunch, Mom? :D)
Q: Any additional thoughts or comments?
When I first responded to you, I thought we were not a success story because our goal in becoming plant-based was to completely be off cholesterol medication. If by success you mean "favorable outcome", then Yes, we are a success, because our cholesterol is lower, we are enjoying all kinds of new (to us) varieties of plant-based foods, we've lost weight and we feel better and more energetic than we ever have. It's all good! :) I'm happy to report that my cholesterol has dropped from 217 to 172. :)
Thanks for sharing your story, Anne!
