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Ally van de Pol

THREE MONTHS WITHOUT MEAT

So I’ve been actively not eating animal products for the last three months and I thought I’d give you a quick update on how I’m feeling and how my journey has been.

My overall conclusion is that it’s a lot easier than I originally thought it was going to be, I wished I’d done it years ago and that almost everyone and their dog will ask you where you are getting your protein from!


Here’s What I’ve Gained From Eating Like This

-I’ve lost weight. But most importantly excess fat- the stuff that nobody needs – down to around my teenage weight in fact. I also don’t know anyone who eats like this who hasn’t dropped weight.

-I haven’t suffered while losing weight- in fact I’ve eaten a lot more than I did previously. I have not counted calories and the food has been very satisfying. It’s been really nice to eat lots of fruit and whole grains and think of different ways to eat my veg!

-I feel great and healthy when I eat like this. Knowing that I’m giving my body what it needs makes me feel good and honestly it made me feel a little smug when I was on holiday recently. At the breakfast buffet, I loaded my plate with veggies and fruit and most other westerners loaded their plates with ‘white’ food and animal protein. Unfortunately, their bodies reflected their food choices.

-TMI Time! My poops are way better!

-I don’t miss meat and in fact the times I have eaten the odd piece of meat or cheese or butter, the effects on my body have been bad (feeling like I want to go to sleep after eating steak on holiday) to awful- skin breakouts (I’m lactose intolerant) to not so great- putting some weight back on when not stuffing in as many fruits and veggies during the day as I should.

-I feel good about myself that I’m not contributing to any animal’s death or cruelty

-My blood pressure readings improved by 20 points- I’ve not had my other stats done yet, but this will follow.



What I’ve Learned and What I’ll Continue to Learn

-I’m not vegan. In fact I don’t want to add a label onto my lapel at all. For me, vegans get a bad rap, for being activists and for attacking people who eat beef etc. If people want to eat meat it’s their prerogative- I did for over 45 years. Why? Because I just didn’t know any better. Or maybe at that point in time I didn’t want to listen. I just try and feed people yummy meat free food and let them make up their own mind.

-In the same vain, if I choose to eat meat, butter or cheese, I do so knowing the consequences (see above). Never say never is my motto! To me, these are like alcohol. We don’t need them, but sometimes they are nice to have, but there is a price to pay.

-I need to remember to soak my beans and nuts and therefore planning ahead is key.

-I’m still on a mission to make a great cheese sauce replacement!

-Most restaurants are usually very happy to make veggie alternatives of their menu dishes- but if in doubt phone ahead

-Protein is in EVERYTHING! The world is brainwashed about getting in enough protein but actually we would have to be calorie deficient to be protein deficient, which is very rare. We all need to focus on getting in as many nutrients from whole foods as possible instead.

-I have not lost any muscle, in fact I may have put some on. This may startle some people but actually it makes sense, as I’m just taking out the middle man/ animal (see pic above that was taken a couple of weeks ago).

If you're interested in eating a whole food plant based diet, just try it for one month and see how you feel. Alternatively, I can help you get started, answer your questions and smooth out any bumps you may encounter along the way!

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