PLNT BSED=(Plant Based)

I’d like to share how and why I adopted a plant-based diet.

I didn’t begin as part of a moral quest. Still, it makes me sad to think of how, as a young boy, I killed insects for no good reason. I look back now and feel for the child I was, unaware of what I was doing and perhaps even taking pleasure in it. Maybe I was reenacting violence that had been done to me. Maybe I was releasing anger. Whatever the reason, I’m deeply sorry to the universe for ending the lives of those creatures before their time.

Those experiences stayed with me. They shaped the way I think about compassion, and they remind me not to judge people for where they are in life.

My first experience with a plant-based lifestyle came during the years I was training hard to fight. I was expending tremendous energy six days a week while trying to keep my weight low. I quickly learned that fruits, salads, juices, and smoothies helped satisfy my hunger, keep my energy up, support my recovery, and help me maintain my weight.

For years, I ate that way while training for Thai boxing matches. After a fight, though, I’d return to an unhealthy pattern. I ate too much and whatever I wanted, sometimes gaining 20 to 30 pounds between fights.

My diet was full of processed foods and animal products, and I always seemed to be hungry or craving something. Sometimes I wanted protein because of how it changed my mood and made me feel grounded. Other times I craved sugary processed foods for the brief rush they gave me.

I was using food for stimulation. Even with all my training and accomplishments, I was carrying grief and depression from my childhood.

In 2010, I opened Juice Press. Around that time, I was working toward becoming fully vegan. I thought it would be better for my health, and I liked how I felt and looked when I was lighter. I felt brighter as a vegan, and lighter on my feet.

Having a high-end kitchen at my first Juice Press location made that way of eating easier. I had access to the foods I wanted, so I had fewer reasons to eat outside that environment.

I had a brief relapse in 2014, when I returned to what I’d call a debaucherous way of eating. Around 2015, I got back on track. Since then, I’ve followed the cleanest diet I’ve had in my life.

Something happened in 2016. I had a dream about the emotional lives of the animals we eat. In the dream, they were frightened. I also felt the difference between the beauty of snow, the wonder of rain, and the glory of mud and soil.

I dreamed of flowing water and clouds moving across the sky. Then I saw the horror of blood being shed from a body.

I began thinking about the difference between the instincts of other animals and the choices humans can make. Some animals hunt because that is how they survive. They have instincts, senses, and bodies adapted to finding and eating other animals. I began to wonder what it meant that I could choose differently.

I thought, “What a remarkable creature I am. Even if I have these desires and instincts, even if the taste of blood is in my mouth from a thousand lifetimes, I can choose to rise above them. I can choose to eat plants, to practice compassion, and to remove myself from a food chain that depends on taking animal life.”

I had to think about it deeply. Was there really a difference between taking the life of a plant and taking the life of an animal? Should I regret eating plants, too? I decided that was a fair question. At the same time, plants are the food that sustains many forms of life, and I could choose to eat plants directly instead of eating animals who had eaten plants.

Humans are omnivores. We can eat a wide range of foods and survive on different diets. In some circumstances, people may rely heavily on animal foods; in others, they may eat plants alone. The food available to us depends in part on where we live and what our environment can provide. I believe we should consider those conditions when deciding what to eat.

Our surroundings matter. Many of us live amid pollution and have easy access to highly processed foods. I believe that adds to the burdens we place on our bodies. We are not living in the Garden of Eden, untouched by the conditions around us.

I don’t believe animal foods are necessary for everyone. Eating them in moderation is not automatically a dietary mistake, although I do believe it raises an ethical question about the animals involved. Eating too much animal protein, however, can be a mistake. The body needs protein, but more is not always better. We need balance. Something useful in one amount or situation can become harmful in another.

I recommend trying a plant-based diet regardless of blood type, religious background, or temperament. That doesn’t mean the change will be easy for everyone.

Changing a lifelong way of eating can bring a mental adjustment, including fear or a sense of losing a familiar source of comfort. Some people may also notice changes in digestion as their diet changes. If you’re considering a major change, it makes sense to pay attention to how you feel and seek qualified guidance when you need it.

I’ve experienced the benefits of eating this way, and I believe a plant-based diet can be nourishing and sustaining when it’s planned well. I don’t think of it as a special detox. Our bodies are always doing the work of maintaining themselves. We can support that work by getting enough rest and water, exercising, staying mobile, nurturing a positive outlook, choosing beliefs that empower us, and doing good.

We also need to care for the body by keeping it loose, flexible, strong, and agile. As we get older, we can keep learning new ways to move that help us avoid impact, danger, and injury.

There is always something new to learn about the body. Practicing veganism, even for a period of time, can stimulate your thinking and change your relationship with food. I hope it leads you to a place where you can look an animal in the eyes, recognize its desire to live, and feel that you have stepped away from a system that takes animal life for food.

The longer we live this way, the more familiar it can feel to be around animals, and the more trust we may build with them. At the same time, we should recognize that people who live close to nature may depend on animals for sustenance. Their circumstances can differ from ours, especially when we have other food choices and when animals are raised and processed for consumption.

Many people throughout history have chosen not to eat animals. Some have developed deep compassion and a close relationship with the earth that sustains them. They have also sought a strong connection with the divine and with the universe.

Entire communities, not only individual spiritual teachers, have tried to live with greater compassion, avoid distraction, and reduce harm to themselves and others.

I highly recommend trying a plant-based diet. Give yourself time to adjust, pay attention to how you feel, and see what changes. You may be surprised by the experience.