Why Plant-Based?

I was never a big meat eater, the texture and flavor just didn’t appeal to me. As a small child I distinctly remember picking the meat out of my meals and stuffing them into a little decorative box that I used to keep with me at meal times. I don’t think I’ve ever even tasted some meats, like steak, gammon and chicken nuggets. In my teens, I felt more opposed to the actual concept…eating the flesh of an animal seemed increasingly repelling to me and as I became more informed about the cruelty involved in intensive factory farming methods it only served to strengthen my resolve. I was always partial to a bacon sandwich though, so that was the last type of animal meat I gave up. I remember being in my mother’s kitchen, tucking into a bacon sandwich, when I saw a little hair on the meat. It immediately stopped me in my tracks as the reality hit that this ‘snack’ of mine was once a living, breathing, sentient creature. The hair was a stubborn lingering reminder of the animal whose life had been taken purely for the sake of my taste buds. I threw the rest away and never touched bacon again. From that point on, I alternated between being a pescatarian and a vegetarian. My feelings towards fish weren’t as fervid as my feelings towards mammals. I suppose it’s only natural to identify more with fellow species who go through pain and tremendous effort to give birth to their young, breastfeed and nurture them. This only intensified when I had children of my own. I realised that the immense feelings of love and protection I had for my babies was a universal phenomenon experienced by all mammals. As mothers, we share a powerful bond with our offspring and our primary focus is to ensure their survival and safe keeping. So the idea of eating someone’s baby, or someone’s mother, seemed devoid of empathy and flew in the face of everything I’d experienced and believed in. After my third child, Mia, was born, I woke up one morning and was unable to move my fingers because they were so stiff and sore. Even holding a hairbrush seemed to be an impossible task. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which runs in my family, and waking up to painful hands became my new reality. I soon realized, however, that the pain was immeasurably worse when I’d eaten a dairy heavy meal the night before. If I enjoyed a pizza or ice-cream I knew it would play havoc with my fingers the next morning. My doctor disagreed, the calcium from dairy products was essential to help my symptoms, he said. But the internet was full of testimonies from other people living with RA who firmly believed the same as me: dairy products exacerbated their pain. I couldn’t ignore what my body was telling me, so I cut dairy products out of my diet altogether. The difference was incredible. My sore hands began to be a thing of the past. Nowadays I rarely have any problems, unless I over indulge in a few other of my known irritants, like raw tomatoes and alcohol. As time went on and I learnt more about dairy farming practices, I realised that I wouldn’t choose to eat dairy products anymore even if I didn't have health reasons. I find it deeply unsettling that calves are separated from their mothers so soon after birth so that we humans can drink the milk that was intended for them. Cow milk is perfectly constituted for calves’ physiology and needs. Human milk is perfect for humans. Nowadays I stick to a totally plant-based diet. I know that every living being on our planet shares one primary desire: to survive and hold on to dear life for as long as possible. With an abundance of food choices available, I don’t see the need for my sustenance to have caused misery, pain or death to any creature. I don't want anybody's precious experiences on this earth to be cut short because of me. After putting my diet under the spotlight, I also began to realise how most processed food products are loaded with additives and sugar, so I started to seek out healthy food in its most natural form. I always use brown rice, bread and pasta in family meals, make sauces from scratch, incorporate lots of nuts, seeds and legumes in my dishes, use a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and try to source organic products whenever possible. It's easy to see why a plant-based diet is rapidly becoming favoured by health enthusiasts and countless serious athletes who want to ensure that their bodies are fuelled by the purest, most efficient nutrients possible. It’s also supported by many environmentalists, who recognise the heavy strain that meat production places on the world’s resources, from the amount of water required to sustain the industry to mass deforestation caused by the need to grow crops to feed farm animals. Trying out existing plant-based recipes and experimenting with my own has become a passion of mine and I enjoy getting feedback on my cooking from those who share my enthusiasm. Far from limiting my repertoire, being plant-based has opened up a whole new vista of delicious possibilities, using unexplored food items and combinations of ingredients that I’d never considered before. In this blog, I intend to share my plant-based adventures and hopefully learn something new from other people who are embracing this diet.