My Journey

Hello Everyone!
My name is Courtney and I have been trying out being somewhat of a Vegan for almost 3 weeks now. It has been such a journey getting to this point in my life. I would've never in a million years have thought I would be giving up meat, cheese, milk, honey, and oh goodness......ICE CREAM!!! The most interesting part about this is that I really haven't given up much at all. I get alternatives to my favorite foods and most of the food is delicious! I was shocked!

I grew up in Southern California with my parents and two sisters. We are the typical American family who's main food groups were meat and dairy. My sisters and I would have ice cream almost every night and sometimes even before dinner. The main favorite foods I would eat were ice cream, pizza, Hamburger helper, spaghetti O's in a can, dad's meatloaf, Top Ramen, and chicken cheddar broccoli casserole.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!

No wonder I had such weight problems, I was beyond tired, and I would get sick all the time. I thought at the time that it's just because this was normal. Now looking back I could just scream at my younger self...."Are you nuts?!" How is it that my childhood doctor never said anything?!

Later on my mom heard about red meat being bad for people so she started substituting turkey meat in the dishes. My sisters and I still had weight issues and my dad wasn't doing too well either. My mother on the other hand couldn't have much dairy because she was lactose intolerant, but still would fluctuate with her weight because she was still eating mostly what the family was having.

I went through many diets as far as Nutrisystem, lemonade diet, calorie counting, weight watchers, atkins diet, mediteranean diet, etc. The sad thing is they would work for a short time and then I would gain the weight back. After awhile I just wanted to be healthy.

Three weeks ago, while at work my coworker told me his girlfriend was a vegetarian. My first question to him was, "Then what does she eat?" I figured meat was the main part of a meal and maybe a side of something. It really puzzled me that she didn't eat meat. I went on the computer and did some research. As I dug deeper and deeper for answers I soon realized that I had to change my eating habits and that she was on the right track for being a vegetarian. I know that I could never eat the same way ever again.

My main reason for writing this blog is to enlighten people about the food they put in their bodies and how it can alter their lives.....either for good or for bad. I also wanted to show people my journey into being healthier and what information I come across. I will post about different foods I try along the way and how they taste.

I'm not a nutritionist and I'm not an expert.

I encourage people to do their own research as well and make sure to talk to a nutritionist or a doctor about their diet plan before trying it out.