A documentary saved my life. You’re thinking this is a crazy statement to make, right? Well it’s true. November 27, 2011 is the day I watched Forks over Knives and it changed everything I thought I knew about food.
I was voracious for more information. I immediately did what I always do when I am excited about a new subject, I went on Amazon.com. I searched for books on veganism. I discovered a book that also changed my life and way of eating. In 2011, Jack Norris and Virginia Messina co-wrote a book titled, Vegan for Life: Everything you need to know to be healthy and fit on a plant-based diet. This book detailed, in easy to understand language, what you need to know about nutrition and what our bodies can “get” in the food we choose to eat. It not only made it easy to switch to the vegan diet, it changed how I look at food. When I chose what I will make for breakfast, pack for lunch, or order in a restaurant I think about what is in the dish that will provide my body with nourishment and natural chemicals that aid in body functioning and natural healing.
As soon as I changed my diet I immediately noticed that I felt lighter, happier, more energized, and more connected. I know this sounds sort of cliché and you’re thinking, “wow when is she going to do a blog on bohemian hippy clothes?” Veganism for me is not about following a trend or tapping into an inner 60’s hippy child, but a way of changing my diet. It is a lifestyle change.
Once I became vegan I noticed that I wasn’t craving junk food anymore (research has shown that it takes 2 weeks of eating a particular way for your taste buds to change). So the word “diet” for me no longer meant a temporary crash course in depriving myself of food I like or a new year’s resolution that ends by February. Instead it means the food I eat every day.
I could not believe that the answer to feeling better was so simple. Eat right. It felt so good I started walking again, which has really increased my mood and energy level. Then I started thinking, what else could I learn about food that could continue to improve my health and wellness?
I finally had the courage to watch the documentary Food Inc., which I have wanted to see since it came out in 2009. It was not only eye-opening, but an honest, bold, and informative look at where the food we eat comes from. It changed the way I look at grocery shopping so much that now I only shop at Whole Foods. It’s the only store that sells a variety of organic food that has NO hidden food additives or toxic chemicals that companies are legally allowed to put in food now.
A handy pocket guide for knowing exactly what ingredients you’re eating is Food Additives: A Shoppers Guide to What’s Safe and What’s Not! by Christine Hoza Farlow.
What I have learned in my research is that ingredients that make up MSG are now hidden in so many foods. Companies add one or more components of MSG, which legally allows them to hide them in their product without having to label it, “contains MSG.” So instead of eating a container of popcorn or crackers that you think are pretty healthy or safe, you’re actually eating food that has been altered with chemicals and food additives that change your brain chemistry. Here is an informative website that breaks down what’s on the market: http://www.msgtruth.org/ or watch the documentary The Beautiful Truth.
What I’ve learned in the last couple months is that Information is Power. I know another cliché, but these words are true. They alter your thinking and the way you look at the life around you.
Sarah Jenkins
