Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean…. (from Old Mother Goose)
Sometimes people imagine that I was always a picky Princessy eater who never ate meat.
Or a neurasthenic hippie existing on sprouts.
I ate meat well into my 50’s, though I was slowing down my consumption by then.
My husband always preferred the lower fat cuts like pork tenderloin, filet mignon and chicken breast. I liked dark meat and marbled steaks and I would eat the rind of fat that he would cut away from his serving, just like Jack Sprat’s wife.
I grew up eating pickled pigs feet from a jar with my Mother’s Swamp-Yankee family.
I ate pork sausages and tripe “flaki” with my Father’s Polish family.
(If you don’t know what tripe is and you’re reading this post, resist the urge to Google.)
Liver? Yes.
Oxtails? Sure.
Kidneys? Not often, but yes.
Foie gras? When offered.
Chicken gizzard and heart? Not while anyone watched, but yes.
Calves brains? Uh no. I’m not a freak.
So Princessy? Guilty.
But I ate meat.
Quite a lot of it.
Especially during those Atkins days.
Even when I radically cut down my meat consumption, inspired by one of my daughters,
I NEVER thought that I could EVER be a practicing vegan.
And let’s not even talk about eggs and butter or tuna and octopus.
Along the way I encountered more and more Vegetarians and Vegans and Plant-Based folks.
Their reasons about limiting or avoiding animal products to impact
the food system,
the environment,
climate change,
animal agriculture,
worker safety
sustainability,
health and ethics were all very compelling.
So I was eating more and more Plant-Based but if there was butter in the vegetables, or stock in the soup, or bacon in the salad, or I was at a special event or it was a holiday….
I considered myself a practicing Excusitarian*, and I thought that was about how it was going to stay. I was in my mid 50’s, I liked to go out often with the husband and family, I loved to travel especially in Europe, I had a lot of other things I was concentrating on.
*You can read my Excusitarianism post from May 23, 2020
In 2015 we lost my dad to a sudden unexpected massive coronary event. That shock along with all the micro-movements I had made in the direction of a Plant-Based diet created a space where I got much clearer and more focused. I was 55.
At approximately the same time, my husband who had always been thin and fit was being advised that his blood pressure and cholesterol indicated that he should be on statins and other medications.
Almost overnight, my husband adopted the Vegan-til-Dinner approach and I committed to a completely Vegan diet. (NB within 2 months his bloodwork no longer indicated a need for medication and 5 + years later, so far so good)
When I decided it was done.
Eating Vegan is simple.
What’s not simple is the wondering, thinking, googling, judging, doubting, and rationalizing.
Coaching can help you reach any goal. The Vedge Your Best process is coaching specifically designed to help individuals struggling with starting or maintaining a Plant Based, Vegetarian or Vegan diet.
I never thought that I could commit to eating Vegan, until I stopped thinking that.
To find a time to discuss how Vedge Your Best coaching can support you or your group reduce or eliminate animal products from your diet, email info@micheleolendercoaching.com
Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean… until they made a different decision.
