My husband and I made the decision to change our diet to Whole Food Plant Based three months ago. With this decision comes a certain amount of curiosity from our friends about why and what is WFPB eating anyway? Isn't it just Vegan? 

Motivation is the difference for us

Generally speaking, people’s motivation for adopting a vegan diet and lifestyle is prompted by animal rights issues and the ethical treatment of animals.

People who follow a whole food plant-based diet generally do it for their health—either to prevent chronic illness and disease or reverse chronic illness and disease; this is why processed food isn't included in this way of eating. 

People who eat a vegan diet do not eat animal-based products, including meat, dairy, eggs, or animal-derived ingredients, like honey. 

Those of us who eat a whole food plant-based diet avoid animal-based products, including meat, dairy, and eggs. Unlike the vegan diet, processed foods, including oil, white flour, and refined sugar is not part of the diet. This way of eating is based around unprocessed or minimally processed veggies, fruit, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

I'm driven to eat wfpb to stay healthy. It's my opinion, the American Diet is killing us. At the very least, it's making our lives difficult to live without the help of medications for various conditions and illnesses.  I ask myself, could some of these conditions be prevented by eating a truly healthy diet?

What baffles me is why many are so convinced we eat healthy even when we take a pill (or 6) daily for an existing condition that very well could be reduced or eliminated by healthier eating.

I smile when I hear friends say, "I could never eat like that, my body tells me what it needs, and it needs meat!" I heard this yesterday from an acquaintance. Six months ago, I would have told you the same thing.

While I'm not 100% there with eating WFPB, I'm getting closer.

I guess I've reached a point in my life that my health is first and foremost (next to my relationship with Jesus Christ). If I have to make a few sacrifices in diet, it's well worth it. 

The eye openers for us, were two documentaries, Forks over Knives and What the Health. They sealed the deal that change was in order for us. I've also ordered the book, The China Study.

In The China Study, Dr. T. Colin Campbell details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The report also examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and opportunistic scientists. The New York Times has recognized the study as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology” and the “most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.”

p.s. You can still invite us over to dinner. We'll find plenty to eat, and we're happy to bring a dish to share that you might even like :-) We won't judge how you eat if you'll kindly do the same for us.