80/20 You Can Do It!
/Lacey has learned so much about nutrition through the courses she has taken and all the books she reads. Adam and I are 60, and we take no medicines on a regular basis. We take an occasional ibuprofen, sinus medication, or antacid if we really need it, but we try to stay medication free as much as possible. Lacey has taught us so much about healing with foods.
Our plant-based diet did not happen overnight though. It has been a gradual change. We cheated a lot at first. In the beginning, we even only ate all vegetarian when we were with Lacey. (Sorry to tell you that, Lacey.) The first time I cooked a full vegetarian dinner for Thanksgiving, we ate with Lacey, and when she went back to New York, we went out to a restaurant and had a turkey with gravy dinner. I'm happy to report that we didn't do that this year. We visited Lacey in New York, went to the Macy's parade, and then went to Peacefood restaurant in NYC for the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner we have ever eaten -- all plant-based. We didn't even want turkey this time. We are pretty much converted.
Adam and Janet at the Thanksgiving Parade in NYC.
I remember when we were gradually eating vegetarian. Then Lacey started her eCornell courses and told us about the plant-based nutrition plan -- basically no meat, no dairy, no sugar, and no oil. Wow! Adam and I looked at each other and said, "What do we eat?" Ok, salad. Wait, no oil, so no dressing. It took us a while to figure it out. Lacey gave us advice and The China Study and Forks Over Knives Recipes books. I watched YouTube videos and read a lot online about plant-based eating too.
I am not a fanatic though. I do not stress myself out over my diet. I don't really crave the things I use to eat though, so it has gotten much easier. I don't want meat or cheese or french fries with cheese and bacon or the donuts my fellow workmates sometimes bring in. One of my work friends bakes cookies now and then though, and I do let myself eat one of her yummy cookies EVERY time she bakes. Once a week, I go to Bible study, and we take turns bringing a dessert. I let myself have a piece of whatever someone brings; and sometimes it is something healthier, but sometimes it is apple pie or chocolate cake. I eat it, and I don't feel bad about it. I also occasionally have a salad out and have a balsamic/oil dressing, and I might even have a slice of veggie pizza, and an occasional Hershey Kiss (you can't totally restrict chocolate, especially if you live close to Hershey, Pennsylvania and Chocolate World!).
I figure if 80% of the time, I eat right and 20% I don't, I'm certainly soooo much healthier than I was before, and that makes me very happy. And, being happy makes you healthier, too, according to everything I've read -- being happy and laughing a lot!
Adam and I feel great, and we have lost weight without trying. We don't restrict what we eat, we just eat plant-based foods (80/20 and some weeks even 90/10), and we have lost weight naturally. We have both lowered our cholesterol as well. Since we changed our diets, Adam's cholesterol went down the most, from 240 to 170.
We are so proud of Lacey, and so thankful that she cares so much about us. She wants us to be healthy and live a long time. Lacey has really become an expert on healthy eating. I can ask her anything. She is a wealth of healthy food information.
I would suggest reading Eat to Live and The China Study (links on the resource page). You might want to try my 80/20 plan. In time, you might want to eat just plant-based, or at least mostly plant-based. Start out gradually. Don't stress yourself out. Be healthier and be happy!
Scott, Lacey, Reese's Penut Butter cup, Adam, and Janet at hershey park over christmas 2015
