Thanks for Your Concern, but...

The announcement that our family is experimenting with veganism has become an issue for some, mostly just friends who care about us and want to make sure we're being smart with our health. We are so happy to have friends and family who love and care for us so much. I see where their concern comes from. Who doesn't know someone who became vegetarian or vegan in an effort to improve their health only to end up less healthy? I certainly have known such people. The truth of the matter is, those people did not educate themselves or prepare properly for such a change. They didn't consider what nutrients they'd be giving up when switching to a plant-based diet, and they certainly didn't take sufficient efforts to replace those nutrients with other foods. While I'm not an expert and I don't yet know all there is to know about nutrition, I want to assure you all that I and my husband have put a lot of thought and research into this experiment. For our children, we are continuing to feed them foods that their pediatrician recommends for their good health and development, and we will continue to seek his advice as they grow. We are aware of many of the dietary "holes" we will need to fill by shifting our diet and plan to supplement our diet as best we can. This will be a learning experience for us, but we want it to be a positive one, so we're working hard to make sure it is.

As I've thought about the concern that has arisen, I've found a little humor in it. We're trying to lead a healthier life and people are concerned for us? Doesn't that seem odd? As I said earlier, I understand where the concern comes from and I too have thought similarly in the past about such a dietary change, but I now look at it differently. For every 1 person I know that has had health problems related to switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet, I know at least 10 people who have health problems related to overeating or unhealthy eating habits(such as a diet that relies too heavily on meat & dairy for nutrients, or just simply eating all the wrong stuff). Unfortunately, I think that those health problems and their causes are more common today and thus more widely accepted or are overlooked because they are so common. Isn't that sad? So that's why I say, 'Thank you for your concern, but...' we're going to do this. Please remember this is an experiment for us. After the 90 days are up we may decide we need to go back to our "normal" diet, or we may not. I'm using this blog as a way to track my thoughts, feelings, observations, and progress (or lack thereof) throughout the entire experiment so that I'll have a careful log of everything I experience along the way. Just please keep that in mind as you view this blog.