A decision delayed by 12 years

I've always been uncomfortable about eating meat.

I remember as a kid choking back the roast beef or pork chops but eagerly eating all the vegetables on my plate.  In the summer, I would raid my dad's garden or peach trees and eat whatever I could find.  Fresh peas were my favourite, as well as fresh peaches and strawberries.  I remember one summer when my brother and dad were gone for a few weeks, and my mum and I lived pretty much on salads and raw vegetables.  I was a strange kid.

 It was in my 2nd year of university that I decided to become "vegetarian".  Nothing extreme, of course - I would still eat dairy and eggs.  I allowed fish in my diet as well, and I clearly remember the reason why.  I was out for lunch one day at the local food court, and there really wasn't any option other than a tuna fish sandwich.  So, I held my nose and ate the fish.  Instead of declaring it a "moment of weakness" to myself, I decided to make an exception for fish.

Soon after this, I started dating the woman who would eventually become my wife.  She didn't turn vegetarian right away (even by my rather loose definition of the word), but did come around after a few years.  We married a number of years later (12 years ago today).  By time we got married, the hypocrisy of my diet was starting to be obvious to me.  I made a decision that there would be no fish at our wedding reception, and to myself made the decision to start becoming vegan.  For whatever reason, that never happened.

Fast forward 12 years.  I had actually tried reintroducing meat into my diet - it didn't work, since I was totally disgusted about eating meat again.  I started reading about a vegan diet, and the health benefits associated with it.  Over the past few months, I have started cooking a more whole-food plant-based diet, and minimizing using refined or processed foods.  Still, I relied on fish, eggs and dairy more than I should be.

Yesterday, I saw the movie Forks Over Knives at a local showing.  There was nothing really eye-opening (to me) about the movie, but I have decided to give it a go.  Yes, I know it presents a lot of anecdotal evidence and only presents one side of the argument.  Still, there is some science behind the benefits of a vegan diet.  Really, I need to find out if it will benefit me.

I have decided that I will eat no more fish from here on in.  Fish has always been a crutch for me, and that ends now.  I will radically curtail my dairy intake, and will avoid eggs as well.  I will not be doctrinaire about it - for example, I recently made pesto that contains some parmesan, and I will continue to eat that.

The fact is, I am realizing that my health is not where it should be.  I refuse to accept that it is because I am "getting older".  I could stand to lose 40 or 50 lbs., my blood pressure is at a point where I need to watch it, and I feel tired all the time.  I get frequent headaches, and am starting to get what appears to be arthritis.  I suspect - and there is research behind this suspicion - that at least some of my woes are diet related.  Over the next few months, I will test that hypothesis.

I don't expect anyone to read this blog, but I will put it out there.  Partly because I believe in it, and hope to get some encouragement from others.  Also, I hope it will hold me accountable to myself.  If I write it, perhaps it will force me to live it.