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Vegan curry prep!

I recently completed a Whole30 and it went by super fast! Originally I was planning on doing a Whole45 or Whole60 but sometime between then and now I became curious about a plant-based diet. I stumbled upon a few vegan bloggers' recipes while looking for Whole30 recipes and noticed that they had a common thread: a focus on consuming minimally processed, whole foods. There are obviously big differences between these two lifestyles, mainly the whole animal products thing, but there's no dairy, minimal processed food, and an emphasis on listening to your body. While I was on the Whole30 I already got used to not eating dairy, staying away from processed foods, and being in tune with my body so I figured that a transition to a plant-based diet wouldn't be too difficult. I really like the Whole30 program and I think it provides so many benefits for so many people but I need to confess something: meat grosses me out. And on a paleo based diet you're eating meat with EVERY. MEAL. On my previous Whole30 I remember getting distinctly getting really sick of the smell and taste of meat. Like I felt like it ruined all my dishes! And even prior to evaluating my health I didn't really like meat. I ate it only occasionally and usually someone else had to prepare it for me. This is back when the only animal protein I ate on a regular basis was eggs and the majority of my food was dairy, grains, or highly processed. Things have definitely changed!

Acai Spinach Bowl

I tried a vegetarian diet back in college for short period of time. It was mostly in solidarity with a friend and I went about it in the worst way possible. I could still eat eggs and dairy, and let me tell I sure as hell was. I was eating them in conjunction with fried and breaded foods, but I thought it was okay because I wasn't eating meat. I was definitely way unhealthier on my version of a "vegetarian" diet than I was on an omnivorous one. That only lasted for a short period of time and I went back to eating meat because in my mind I thought you always had to have meat to be healthy. Thanks to some personal research, I've now realized that you don't HAVE to eat meat to be healthy. I also found out about the environmental impacts of eating animal products and as someone who considers herself environmentally conscious, I don't feel comfortable continuing to live that way. I've never felt good about eating meat in general. I'm not clueless; I'm aware of how animals are treated in the process of attaining their products. Even when we don't directly eat their meat, acquiring milk and eggs often includes poor living conditions and sometimes abuse. I'm not saying you're a horrible person if you're not vegan. I'm obviously very new to this lifestyle and have no right to tell other people how to live. I used to think that eating a vegan diet was "way too extreme" or downright unhealthy. I knew about the consequences of my lifestyle but I wasn't open to change. I guess I'm really open to change now! I can't say that a vegan diet isn't sustainable without at least TRYING it. So here I am, embarking on a new lifestyle without meat, eggs, or dairy. I'll keep this place updated with my favorite dishes and info on a plant based diet! Has anyone else ever tried a plant-based diet?