Going Vegan- Sort Of

Recently, my dad had triple bypass surgery. That scare got me thinking about my own eating habits and what I was prepared to do to escape bypass surgery in my own future now that the hereditary factor is staring me in the face. While researching various dietary methods of staving off heart disease, it was brought to my attention that exercise alone will not prevent heart disease if, like me, you eat your weight in cow and chicken every year, and let’s not even discuss bacon, which is the meat candy of the gods!  I exercise and do it a lot because I love to eat. I figured if I lived by calories in/calories out, I was all set. After all, if I’m burning the calories I consume every day, all is good, right? Unfortunately, it’s wrong. What you eat has everything to do with whether you will develop heart disease or not. While I am burning calories, the saturated fat I consume is already on the way to doing damage to my arteries.  So what do I do? Well, for starters, let’s be real. I have no intention of giving up every food that I love. However, I am willing to eat them less often. I am eating more whole foods and less meat. I have also instituted a “free pass” day. On this day I will have whatever I want, which must include cheese.  I am willing to be a quasi vegan six days a week in order to enjoy meat and dairy on the seventh. With the Fourth of July growing near, I know my free pass day will be then. I will not be denied my mom’s potato salad or the loaded cheeseburger that has my name on it.

During my research, I found this article particularly helpful. It tells you everything you need to know about fighting heart disease. I am doing well in most of the areas. I don’t smoke or drink. I exercise at least an hour per day and I am trying to stay away from the evil foods, especially the ones with trans fat in them. It is so hard, though. Fast food fries are hard to say no to! Even though I’m not a fan of going to the doctor, I do it anyway twice a year to keep my blood pressure and weight in check. Being proactive about my health has to be a priority, and everything in moderation is now my mantra.

Although I’m not happy with the new lifestyle change, at least not yet, I know I’ll feel better about it over time and won’t have to worry so much about my arteries clogging. After all, eating well 297 days out of 365 is a pretty good compromise.  While I can never see myself saying, “I can’t wait to eat a bowl of lentil soup,” I’ll eat it anyway while dreaming of the extra cheesy pizza I plan on having on my free pass day.  I can live with that.

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