Better than the alternative…

I always try to be careful not to think my own experiences are the norm. I don’t want to be so self-centered that I think that whatever is happening to me would apply broadly to most humans. But I’m not that unique either. As a human, it should only make sense that what does happen to me could represent the possibilities for a lot of others.

We’re so complex. And yeah, maybe we do think we’re somewhat close to the norm. But how? In what areas of our lives can we generalize?

A good friend of mine struggled with his health for so long. He may have tried a few things along the way, but he always went back to the bad habits that got him where he was – vastly overweight, struggling with diabetes, arteries clogged. Then he saw something in the first chapter of the Bible that got him thinking…and ended up changing his life.  Near the end of the creation narrative – the last day before God rested, as a matter of fact – he created men and women . And then the Bible says this (with my emphasis):

“²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ ²⁹ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.’”

Genesis 1:28-29

My friend came to the conclusion that we humans were not made to eat meat, but rather, we were meant to eat plants. So he dropped meat from his diet (and believe me, he could smoke a pork butt like nobody’s business), and he did the research, and it turns out there are an awful lot of reputable studies out there that show he’s right. These aren’t fly-by-night pseudo-scientists, out to make a quick buck with the latest fad diet. They’re not even necessarily evangelists for the vegan lifetstyle. These are just good scientists doing their jobs. They’re designing the experiments and drawing the blood and collecting the metrics, and it seems (from what I’m seeing out there) that what they’re coming up with is pretty conclusive – animal-based protein is more inefficient and damaging to the human body when put up against plant.

I remember a funny meme from years ago that pictured a pig and a ham with the words, “Vegetables are what food eats.” Thinking back on it now, the meme nails it…but not in the way you might think. The meme is actually telling us the truth that animals are merely acting as intermediaries between plants and humans – taking all of the nutrients we need and can get from plants and converting them into a less-efficient (and less healthy) means of delivery. And that intermediary work adds hormones and chemicals to our foods that make them more difficult to digest and use in our own bodies.

I know the crowd that poo-poos this kind of thing. But I’ve seen the results. My friend has dropped over a hundred pounds and no longer has to take many of the medications that previously kept him alive. Diabetes is no longer a threat. The same for his heart problems (as far as we know – the indicators all show improved heart health). Instead of having to use a cane and taking a break to rest between his car and the entrance at Walmart, he’s out walking ten-plus miles. He’s riding a bike. He’s alive again.

I know this also from my own experiences. 2021 was a banner year for me on the bike. I started it in February of that year with a green-smoothie cleanse that dropped 11 pounds in 10 days and then got me going on a much healthier diet and lifestyle that had me 30 pounds lighter by August and feeling better than I’d felt in years. Then, of course, the year ended with the winter months – less active, not getting out as much, and of course, the holiday season bringing back the old diet and excesses. So here we are at the end of 2022, and I must say, it was an awful year. I’ve gained 20 of the 30 pounds back. I’ve struggled more on my rides. While I’m approaching my goal of 5,000 miles this year, that’s still nearly 450 miles less than 2021, not to mention over 30,000 feet less climbing (a huge difference actually, and I believe attributable to having to lug twenty extra pounds up every hill). I also spent over 30 hours less on the bike, and I know very well that being out on the bike – and especially enjoying myself more while I am (something I wasn’t doing as much this year because of my struggles) – makes for an overall happier outlook.

So my friend has become quite the evangelist for this major lifestyle change, and I believe pretty much everything he’s telling me. He’s even sent me a book (The China Study – I wrote about it back in April) that laid out a good deal of the research backing it up (and The China Study is not an outlier – there is a lot of research out there). And then, after such a crappy year (and after not even taking my own advice from that April piece), he strikes again, sending me the film The Game Changers, which documents the benefits of a vegan diet in some of the world’s top athletes. And it serves as a reminder to me of where I could be, and a motivator to make 2023 another great year. I know it can’t get much worse than now – I haven’t been feeling at my best for the last couple of months. So what better time to say “no meat for a year” than at the end of such a bad year itself? I’ve risen to plenty of challenges before (blogging for over a year, or going a year without shaving for example), so I’m sure I can pull it off. And I already know the payoff is going to be there in the end.

I’m shooting for a great year in 2023. I want to get back to living — having the energy and enthusiasm to get out there and up those hills again. I think it’s important. It’s certainly better than the alternative…