Almost 10 years ago, we went ‘cold turkey’, adopting a plant-based diet. We didn’t know what the heck we were doing, but since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and given just a few years to live, we decided to give it a shot. Chemotherapy and other diabolical ‘treatments’ killed my father, and we watched him die. Radiation and other ‘treatments’ killed my dear sweet mother-in-law, and we watched her die. When I decided to do nothing but change my lifestyle, I really had no idea what impact it would have on my life, attitude, and vitality. Nancy, my wife, had a 50% arterial blockage in her ascending aorta as well, so we thought adopting a plant-based diet might benefit that too.
Read on to know what we discovered!
The Shift to a Plant-Based Lifestyle wasn’t Easy for us…
With the full support of my lovely wife, Nancy (now Chef Nancy), we embarked on a path of lifestyle change. Much of it was based on what we had learned through watching several documentaries featuring Dr. John McDougall, T. Colin Campbell, and many more, discovered later. Their approaches to defeating cancer and other lifestyle diseases centered around a strict plant-based lifestyle and nutritional approach to health, so we just decided to do it.
We tossed out or gave away ALL and ANY products containing meat, fish, dairy, or eggs and their derivatives. What we ended up with was a mostly empty pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. It was painful, but cancer is deadly, so it was a pretty easy choice. Not everyone does this for health reasons; some people do it for other reasons. Many adopt a vegan lifestyle, which is a bit different than a plant-based one. Still, it is an approach that avoids all meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and most GMO foods and food products, as well as reducing the consumption of a lot of other oils and saturated fats.
For a devoted carnivore whose breakfast often consisted of 5 eggs, white bread toast slathered in butter, and bacon and sausage (yep, all in one meal!), the lifestyle change was dramatic, to say the least. A meal wasn’t a meal without meat.
Then there was the ice cream; oh, that was painful. Hershey’s chocolate bars? Gone with the rest because they contained dairy. It is really amazing how much stuff dairy sneaks into; read the labels! Later, I discovered a wonderful array of non-dairy treats in the marketplace.
Read on dietary tips to improve your gut health, naturally!
…. But we DID it!
It is now going to be ten (10) years since we have been strictly following a plant-based diet. By strict, I mean no fudging or cheating—at least not as far as we can tell. It is difficult because manufacturers seem to stuff dairy and animal by-products in just about everything. So, avoiding that stuff leaves us with whole foods consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. We initially thought we would starve to death, eating nothing but salads.
What we did discover is a plethora of delicious and wondrous whole-food plant-based cuisine that tantalizes the palate, fills the stomach, and generally makes life pretty darn wonderful. Now, just driving by a ‘fast food’ joint and smelling the greasy burgers being sold pretty much turns our stomachs. Watching advertisements for steak and burger joints is such a turn-off; we feel sorry for those folks eating that crap and contributing to their ill health.
We are pretty much 'vegan' or, as we prefer, 'plant-based'. Yes, we exercise, but we don’t go crazy. We prefer walking and hiking in the great outdoors whenever possible, and we take road trips whenever we can afford to do so. Also, we lecture and try to educate others about the wondrous nature and benefits that this plant-based diet has to offer. We endeavor to pay it forward whenever possible and do take every opportunity to talk to others to encourage them towards a better and healthier lifestyle.
The Journey Continues…
My lovely wife, who retired from Delta Airlines, went back to school and got her Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition and has become an excellent plant-based chef, now known as Chef Nancy. I get to enjoy and dine on her wonderful cuisine every single day; she seldom lets me in the kitchen these days! Nancy wrote her first book, “Restoring America’s Health: Simple Steps to a Plant-Based Lifestyle,” based on our experiences and what we have learned. In 2018 and 2019, Chef Nancy was awarded the honor of being one of the nine (9) best teaching chefs in Orlando.
As for me, I’ve decided to re-enter the more traditional workforce, having been sort of 'semi-retired' for several years. You see, the energy levels you experience are pretty much ‘off the chain’ as Mell B often says. Nancy’s arterial blockage and her fibromyalgia pretty much dissipated in about 6 months. Oh, my cancer? I don’t know, don’t care, and don’t often think about it. Our regular blood work astounds our doctor when we get our annual check-ups. We take no drugs, medications, or any other ‘treatment’.
So now, as a team, Chef Nancy and I offer a wide range of services and support addressing both individual, group, and corporate programs. Now, we design and deal with health and wellness programs for corporations and individuals. Who would have thought that we would be doing this together in our 70’s and loving it!
Now we have multiple websites, several public and private social media groups, and more; all focused on helping others. Begin today and reap the amazing benefits that a Plant-Based Diet has to offer.
Your Health is your Wealth, Spend it Wisely!
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