Transitioning to a raw vegan diet

I’ve stopped eating fish. When I look at a fish I don’t see food, I see a living being that I don’t want to eat. I knew this day would come soon because the last few times I ate fish, I didn’t enjoy it like I used to. I’ve been slowly cutting out animal products from diet for the past 2 years. Red meat was the first to go. I decided to stop eating it when I read that the FDA approved cloned meat. That was enough to make me lose my appetite for a food I once loved. Now when I look at a cow I can look into its eyes and see that it is a beautiful living animal with feelings. It is not food.

I’m really happy that I took it slowly, that was the key to my success. For most of my life I was a meat eater. I did have some periods where I stopped eating animal products, but I always went back to them because I thought I needed them for my main source of protein. I had a brief period where I ate a vegetarian diet, but stopped after a few months because I didn’t want to fill my body with soy products. It wasn’t until I started eating a lot of raw foods that I was able to stop eating all meat and dairy naturally. Eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and especially greens made me crave animal products less and less.

Last month when I was in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix I realized I was ready to make more changes in my diet. One night I was having dinner with a group of foodie friends and everyone wanted to order the tasting menu, which was 5 courses and full of meat. If one person wanted the tasting menu the whole table had to get it. When you are eating with foodies they always want to get the tasting menu. The waiter was nice enough to make me a meat free, dairy free version with seafood.

The problem was that by the 3rd course I’d had enough, but the food kept coming. There was a time when I thoroughly enjoyed eating this way, I don’t anymore. I did enjoy having a long leisurely dinner with friends I just didn’t want to see another course with a piece of fish in it. It was just too much food. When I got home from my trip I was pretty sure I was done eating fish.

When you stop eating animal products you almost have to teach your body to know when it’s full. Meat and dairy have a lot of fat in them so it’s easy to feel very full after eating these foods. Greens, vegetables and fruits are very water rich and contain little fat so when you eat them you will not feel as full as you would if you had a steak. The benefit of eating a plant based diet is that you will feel light and happy after you finish eating your meal, not stuffed and lethargic.

The past few weeks I’ve been adding more cooked vegan foods in my diet just to experiment with feeling full without eating fish. I didn’t feel as light as I normally feel eating this way, but it was a good way to teach my body to feel without relying on eating fish once a week. I think I’m ready to go back to eating a higher percentage of raw foods I miss the clarity I had before. I will most likely save the cooked vegan foods for when I go out to restaurants and keep it raw at home. I’m much happier this way, a raw vegan diet is the best diet for me.