Now mind you, I have ALWAYS said that I love me some steak and a big slab of beef like the next guy. There is something to be said about that yummy burger. HOWEVER...Oprah's episode on Becoming Vegan was so eye-opening on alot of levels. She encouraged her staff to try being vegan for one week. She did not force them to do so, but many stepped up to the challenge. She had over 350 staffers join her and it seems they lost like 450 (ish) lbs, gained 83 lbs in one week and one gentleman even stated that he had lost 11 lbs and has never felt better. Oprah also included in the factual evidence that a young lady staffer actually felt that she had, two days in to trying the vegan experience, went through some sort of detox and withdrawal symptoms. This did not shock me very much.
It was so interesting. What scared me to the salad bar the most was the segment Lisa Ling did on visiting a cattle slaughtering house and how the process is performed. YIKES! For those of you who have yet ot experience the NOW network and see an episode of Ling's hour long newscast, you are missing out. WONDERFUL!!! They did not really go into full visual disclosure in the slaughter house of "THE" moment of death, however they did show Ling's eyes as the 4 inch bolt was shot into the cow's head and the cut was administered to begin the blood letting. Horrifying. And then they showed the cow's body strung up by its feet to drain and begin the removal of hide, etc. YOU ALL KNOW ME... I get queasy at the sight of a hangnail... This moment was very eye-opening...
Some interesting facts I found online concerning becoming vegan are :
- Eating a vegan diet has shown to prevent some diseases, including blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, can greatly reduce the possibilities of colon cancer and breast cancer and lowers cholesterol.
- Lengthens your life by three to six years.
- Provides healthy skin and helps you lose weight.
- Reduces body odor and bad breath.
- Increases your energy levels.
- Makes your hair and nails stronger and healthier. (and with my hair turning whiter and whiter and leaving the party on the top of my head...healthier and stronger is better RIGHT?)
Oprah's guests then went on to say that it would be difficult to give up something you are used to. In fact, they also stated that you have to do what is best for you. They suggested "No-Meat Mondays" or to become "Vegan-ish".
I think this is something I should look more into and see what other goodies I can find out about the topic. I am truly not sure that I can give it up fully...I love my eggs, milk and ice cream, and the occasional steak here and there....but maybe this could be a beginning of a little more healthier eating? I could definitely afford to remove the sugars and could definitely do a "No MEAT Monday" regime.
More to come.