The following post was originally published on Disease Proof about two years ago. I thought it’d be helpful to dig it out of the archives for some inspiration again this time of year. Even now, I still hear, “Oh, I could never do that!” in response to the way I eat, and I’m sure that many of you do too. It’s good to be reminded on a regular basis of the many medical problems that we nutritarians get to bypass, and the many wonderful pleasures that we get to enjoy as a result! Some of the comments at the end are funny, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking all rolled into one. May they encourage and uplift heavy hearts, and cheer everyone on in the pursuit of excellent health. Cheers to all!
In the Fall of 2008, after I had dropped 40 lbs in three months, my peers started commenting and asking questions about the noticeable changes. By the next Spring, when 100 pounds were off, complete strangers such as clerks in stores would comment and ask questions as well.
Everyone’s question was, “How did you lose weight?”
Of which my reply would always be, “By following Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live;. . . . basically eating lots of high nutrient, plant-based foods.”
“You mean no meat? No cheese? No pizza? No McDonald’s? . . . . Oh, I could never do that!”
Now, over 2 ½ years later, the majority still say to me, “Oh I could never do that!” in response to anything remotely related to the idea of eating meals primarily composed of plant based nutrition.
Well, the following is what I think in response to, “I could never do that”:
- I could never blow the family budget on unnecessary test strips, insulin, medications, doctor and hospital bills, or bypass surgery.
- I could never carry around expensive medical supplies and meds while traveling.
- I could never ask a loved one to mow the lawn for me due to fatigue and ill health.
- I could never turn a child away from playing a game due to a migraine headache.
- I could never miss out on the joy of a wedding celebration due to obesity and depression.
- I could never ask someone to drive me to kidney dialysis three times a week.
