November 22, 2016
During the first month of transitioning to a Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) diet was challenging. How do you cook without meat? How do you make such a radical change?
Yes, there are numerous health benefits to switching. For example, I have no more constipation, heart burn, and joint pain. But there are some extra perks that I discovered that are not commonly mentioned.
1. Easy cleanup! No more greasy pans to clean. After Thanksgiving dinner, I did not miss cleaning up bones and the roast pan from the turkey. No more cleaning up bacon grease and figuring out how to dispose of it. No more scrubbing casserole dishes with baked cheese stuck to the sides.
2. Forgetting to take meat out of the freezer. How many times have you left for work and you have realized that you didn’t take meat out of the freezer? You also don’t have to worry about using up raw meat within 3 days. On a plant based diet, I can always use a can of lentils, beans or peanuts right away. Tofu lasts a lot longer in the fridge than meat.
3. No more worrying about buying meat that is spoiled or past its best before date. I have bought meat, fish, and poultry that has spoiled several times. Many other times I have bought meat that is definitely not fresh. On November 2015, CBC Marketplace aired ” Best Before Date”. In this episode, they describe what goes on in several Canadian supermarkets in the meat departments. For example, fresh hamburger is mixed with old hamburger, rewrapped and sold. When meat is starting to turn gray, the store worker dips it in meat blood, rewraps it and then sold. When chicken is starting to spoil they add marinades and spices to cover up the odour. I always picture these things when I am tempted to have meat.
At home, I don’t have to worry about cross contamination or having 2 separate cutting boards. I like having less stress and I am not worrying about eating spoiled meat.
4. Since meat is more expensive, I save money. With the extra money that I save on meat and cheese, I spend it on organic and non GMO food.
5. Most importantly, plant based food is delicious. For the most part, I don’t miss eating meat. In fact, when I see it now, a lot of it looks unappetizing. Now that I am not addicted to the fat in animal products, my taste buds have changed and the plant food tastes better.
