The Journey to plant based.... and still be one of the LADs
It has been an interesting past 5 years and a journey that has enlightened as well as being difficult in parts. I found someone in my life who opened my eyes to some of life’s atrocities that are simply overlooked and ignored as it is something that we have done all of our lives. How to overcome doing what we have always done and remain one of the lads? One of the lads that always go out for Steak dinners or Rodizios. One of the lads that cares about the environment and welfare of others? Surely that’s not right…….he’s just turned weird!!
How to cope with how excited they still all get as they order the most expensive steak or even now a meat that you wouldn’t even have ever seen on a menu previously. The worlds wealthiest outdoing each other by telling stories of what they have eaten and how much it would cost? The biggest thing that resonates is that our bodies aren’t even made to be able to digest these foods. I learnt this in a session with a ‘Vegan guru’ but even I didn’t really understand it the first time. If only this bit of information could be passed on then surely they would question why they do it? However it is how we have always done and therefore must be right, the majority of the population cant be wrong?
I have lost interest in being able to change people views who don’t want to listen and hold out hope that in the new world with all of these new ‘Plant based’ options that people will start to make the change that makes the world a better place. It’s interesting a man’s view on diet, but manly generally means ‘more’ and it definitely meat is part of that. After football dinners, I’ll just have salad and chips used to go down with some fanfare. Haha, you can’t be serious, this tastes so good etc….Something different always is to the amusement of others, be it an interesting fashion choice or even activity at the weekend so, diet would be no different.
Once it became the norm then it became less of a joke and those who wanted to understand would ask the questions and many trips away would include a trip to a ‘Plant Based’ restaurant only. The feedback was always that it was an amazing feed. Your friends will be supportive and always look out for what you can have and its then when you have broken the back of it. Accepting your changes and how your diet has changed for the better is something that they see over time. Those that were interested then came and asked questions and were very interested in what they found.
There is an obvious rinse and repeat to all of this as there are friends who you haven’t seen for a while and so therefore you have to go through the same process. The shock, the questions and of course then the piss takes. These challenges are there to test you but deep down you know it is something that you have done before and you believe in. It becomes simpler every time!!!
You are still the same just have been able to open your mind….
-By that vegan lad.