Why I Don't Believe in Labeling Your Diet

I am NOT a vegan

In fact, if someone were to ask me what type of diet I follow, I would say that i'm a "flexatarian".

Yes, the majority of my diet IS plant based. I eat a vegan diet 95% of the time, and the majority of the recipes I create are plant-based, but I also have frozen yogurt on the weekends and have fresh-caught fish 1-2 times a week. I try to stay away from cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy based products, but once in a while I will have an apple pie a la mode at one of my favorite restaurants or have some alfredo pasta on special occasions like my birthday. I hardly ever crave cheese, but if I do, I allow myself to enjoy some raw goat cheese from my local co-op. I also hardly ever have eggs, but if I go to a restaurant and there is a baked good with some eggs in it, I will eat it. ONCE in a while (like maybe once every 6 months) if I get an intense craving for eggs, I will have some. And if an amazing recipe calls for some eggs, I will make it. I haven't had chicken for over 4 years, but when I had an intense craving for some about 5 months ago, I bought some organic, free-range, hormone free chicken breast from my local co-op, grilled it, and had some(I never did again since then).

Basically, what I'm trying to say  is that my diet is mostly plant-based, but I don't like to label myself and call myself a vegan, because then I will NEVER be able to have a piece of cheese or a bite of frozen yogurt ever again. I hardly ever crave non-plant based foods, and feel much better without them, but the idea of never being able to have a certain food again is sad to me. Not only that, but it can be extremely harmful to your health.

I mentioned before that I suffered in the past with disordered eating, and I know from experience that limiting yourself to a certain way of eating can cause anxieties surrounding food and later on lead to an eating disorder. When you limit yourself from ever having a certain food ever again, you end up feeling extremely guilty when you have an intense craving for it and want to eat it. Not only that, but by denying yourself, you end up wanting that food even MORE than if you were to allow yourself to eat it. I find that when I allow myself to eat whatever I please, I end up making healthier choices than if I were to restrict myself from ever eating something.

I completely understand the ethical reasons behind being a vegan, and even more so the health reasons, and I am not against being a vegan at all; for me personally, however, labeling myself to any diet can be very harmful, and being a vegan just doesn't work for my body. I was a complete vegan for about three months, until all of a sudden I experienced an insane amount of low energy for over a week. I had intense cravings for chicken (which I didn't eat for 3 years before that) and I was feeling extremely low. No matter how much I ate or what I did, nothing seemed to help. Now I know that this is a cleansing effect and usually goes away after 3 weeks, but since I've suffered with disordered eating, depression, and anxiety in the past, I couldn't afford to wait that long, so I had a piece of chicken. Of course I contemplated doing so for days and asked everyone I knew what I should do. I kept hoping my cravings would go away and that my energy levels would go up, but at the end of the day I had to do what was best for my body. I decided to listen to my body, purchased the highest quality chicken breast I could find, had my mom cook it with some avo oil and spices, and guess what? The world didn't end after I had one piece of chicken. I actually felt much better, and since then, have never craved it again or had the desire to eat it.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is very simple- listen to YOUR body. With every meal, make the decision to eat what you know is best for YOUR body. Don't follow someone else's diet or try to eat exactly like someone else, because we all have different bodies and belief systems, I choose to eat a mostly plant-based diet because I believe that it is the healthiest and greatest way to eat. It makes me feel the best, both mentally and physically, and keeps me buzzing and energized for hours on end. My body constantly CRAVES all natural plant-based foods. I also love eating plant-based for ethical reasons, and when I do eat animal products, I make sure to purchase organic, free-range, cage free, wild-caught, etc. from a direct source (like my local co-op or farmers market). I choose to treat myself and eat other things occasionally, because without that freedom I would go crazy! My body also functions better when I eat a piece fresh-caught fish 1-2 times a week. For me, it is all about balance.

Life is too short to be so hard on yourself, especially when it comes to food. When you give yourself the power to eat whatever you please, you will actually start to eat better than ever before. Don't let food control your life- control what you eat and your body will thank you.

xxx
Rachel