2007 is rapidly approaching its half-way point. Isn’t it amazing how time flies? To kick off the year I did a one-month diet modification excluding all products with HFCS. In fact, that was part of what spurred me to start this website. To welcome the second-half of 2007, I’m going to do another month long diet modification – an all plant based diet.

In May I was lucky enough to see Mitra Ray, PhD speak when she was visiting California. I have listened to several of her presentations but this was the first time I saw her in person. She is an amazingly vibrant woman – she literally glows with health and well being. One particular statement she made stuck with me and is what led me down this path. She said something along the lines of: “You will never get fat just eating plants.”

I realize the statement doesn’t sound profound but think about it over the next few days. It genuinely opened my eyes to the amount of animal products I consume daily: cheese, butter, steak, fish, etc. I decided to learn more and do some investigating. The idea for a one-month experiment came to me a few days after seeing Mitra Ray speak, but I have to admit – I was a bit scared of it at first. Then from my mother I borrowed the book that Mitra Ray mentioned: The China Study.

Reading The China Study has really opened my eyes to the overwhelming effects that animal protein has on our health. The China Study focuses on the specific health impacts of consuming greater than 10% animal protein. The flip side is the additional impact of eating large amounts on animal protein on our environment. Over the next few days I will begin to introduce some of the statistics about health and environmental impact.

One thing that is important for me to do here is swallow my pride and some of the statements I’ve made in the past regarding vegetarian & veganism. I was a vegetarian for over 7 years. For some of the years I ate fish but no beef or pork, and the fish was rare. The day I woke up from a dream about a hamburger, I knew my vegetarian phase had come to an end. I should also be clear that I was not a particularly good vegetarian. I don’t mean that I cheated – I did not. I did not however really learn how to incorporate legumes, beans, soy, increase my fruit & vegetable intake, and all the other things you really should do as a vegetarian concerned about their health – which is how I described myself. I was great at eating cheese, beans and rice on a tortilla, granola, lots of milk products, and anything else that crosses the path of a typical high school or college student.

This time I’m approaching things differently. I actually understand the principles behind being a vegetarian and the nutrition requirements as well. I want to incorporate legumes, beans, soy, increase my fruit & vegetable intake, find new grains to eat, and more! I consider this to be an adventure rather than a period of doing without.

So back to the “swallowing my pride” statement. I’ll just sum it up by saying – I’ve been harsh with my criticism and I’m eating my words. I’m interested in exploring and learning – so here we go!

If you are interested in joining me in the July experiment just let me know. If there are enough people participating I may start a message board for us to share our experiences.