I keep forgetting to write this post...
Last year you remember we 'went Vegan' and had a grand time with carrot topped pizzas and bean burgers. Really, it was good and healthy. So why did we stop our veganhood? A number of reasons...
We knew when we returned to the U.S. last year that we would eat meat, etc. mainly because we were in and out of people's homes so much, and on the road so much. But what we did not expect was that in the time we changed our diet, Bella fell off her growth curve, down to like 7%, I was still nursing her at this time and she was eating solids, but I really probably should have weaned her because my milk was obviously not enough or not 'fatty' enough for her growth needs, and she was not eating meat. The other thing we did not expect was that both our girls became borderline anemic. Our doctors wanted us to keep an eye on this for them. It is easier for us as adults to eat iron-rich foods (non-meat) in abundance, but you can't force feed your child to eat a bowl full of broccoli or spinach or enough to get them what they need. We were still giving them milk, but no meat.
And then of course, I got pregnant while we were Stateside. I knew being so new to the vegan/vegetarian thing, I probably should wait to return to non-meat/dairy so that I would not need to worry about protein amounts, etc. since I was 'eating for two.'
And now I am nursing Tobin, so I am still waiting before doing any type of real 'dieting', at least a few months anyway.
But remember we read the book 'the China Study' which was very compelling. We then read an article that a women wrote that questioned the book's statistical findings. Actually, the woman who wrote the article (sorry I don't have the link, this was long ago), heartily agreed with the premise of 'the china study' and even agreed with the outcome, but took him to task on some of his stats, etc.
So, yes, I do think animal protein is not the best for you, and whole grains, and fresh fruits and veg are absolutely the best choice. And our family still tries to stick with that....healthy and balanced. But we do eat meat and dairy for now. Chicken for the meat, and really not much dairy (Bella is now lactose intolerant). Pork is the meat of choice around here, but we don't eat it in our home, only when we go out. And we still do our 'green smoothies' and love them.
I am not sure if/when we will become vegetarian and/or vegan again, it is a real possibility, right now we are just focusing on the 'whole' and 'fresh' and 'balanced' and learning as we go. Honestly, right now, if food ends up on the table that is a sign it was a good day :).
