Eating: Know your Options

Pop quiz: Which is the most restrictive way to eat?

1. Vegan

2. Vegetarian

3. Gluten free

4. Plant-based

5. Meat, whenever you want

When it comes to understanding ways of eating, it can be confusing!

I’m here today to shed a little light on this bewildering topic. First, a caveat: these definitions come from limited research. I’ve read a little, asked a few people, but I make no claims that these are 100% accurate, or 100% fully defined. They’re simply meant to give you a broad understanding. If you want more information….do your own dang research!

From least restrictive to “most” restrictive

1. Gluten-free. The main thing avoided here is wheat and a few other grains. So, bread and grain-centric products need to be focused on. Aside from that, you’re pretty free to eat what you want.

2. Vegetarian. No meat. That means no flesh from chickens, cows, pigs, turkey, quail, pigeon, grouse, …you get the idea. Fish may or may not be excluded.

3. Vegan. No animal products at all. So, no meat, but also, no eggs, no dairy…not even honey. I should add that “vegan” is bigger than just food. Many vegans swear off ANY animal product; including not wearing leather. It’s more a philosophy of life than an eating plan.

(Vegans can get a little aggressive with their beliefs. Did you see what happened to Joe Biden? Good night.)

4. Plant-based (PB). Eating only food made from plants, as directly as possible. That second part, as directly as possible, is key. Vegans can eat processed food as long as it’s not from an animal. Like, for example, there are vegan hot dogs and vegan potato chips, which are technically from plants, but also contain a lot of processed ingredients. (Heck, an Oreo could be considered vegan.) Therefore, they’re not PB, because they do not come directly from plants.

Some plant-based diets don’t even use oil of any kind, since the oil was processed. (Even olive oil is processed in some small ways.)

5. The mother! There is one more level: Plant-based, gluten-free. Our friend Tracy eats this way.

Which I like most of all

Based on literally hours of experience in this field, here are my ignorant opinions on which one I am leaning towards for the future:

• Gluten-free? Frankly, there’s a lot of good information on why modern grain isn’t good for you. For me? I’d like to get to the point where I eat as little gluten as possible. But it isn’t my primary concern.

• Meat-free? All you need to do is look on Youtube to see how unhealthy—and cruel—the meat industry is. Knowing that cows are so sick that they have to be fed antibiotics before they slaughter them is pret-ty convincing.

  Free-range meat is nicer…but it takes so many resources—land, water, feed—just to make a pound of meat for me. Not very practical or sustainable.

  For health reasons, cruelty reasons, and environmental reasons…I plan to eat a LOT less meat. Maybe, none.

  But you know what? Even that isn’t my main concern.

• This is the worst. Highly-processed food. It is terrible for you. Read In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan. It’s an awesomely short, well-written book on why it is so bad. Highly-processed food is essentially just a way for corporations to make more money. It has no benefits for us, the buyers and eaters (except maybe convenience). I’ve actually read more about this topic than any other, and I am convinced that I need to stop feeding the corporations’ bottom line by eating this terrible stuff.

Conclusion?

• Probably plant-based. PB eating can be gluten-free, if you want. It is vegetarian, because you eat no meat. And it’s vegan, because you eat no eggs or dairy.

  But here’s why I’m leaning towards this: it goes further than all of them because you don’t eat processed food. There’s something really cool about getting food directly from the ground, fresh, instead of through a middleman like a cow or chicken, or a factory. That just feels healthy to me.

Have I decided fully? Not yet. We’re still only about half way through.

But it sure seems like a logical choice to eat more plants and less of everything else.

Update: Day 11

• We’re hangin’ in there! Still eating only plants.

• By now, it’s less “sexy”. Meaning, it feels more like a daily habit and less like something exotic. It’s not as easy.

• I’ll have more details on Day 15 or so, when I give you an update after two weeks.

Some things you can do right now

• Buy or get In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan. This is by far the simplest, clearest, most practical, non ”food nazi” book I have ever read on why it’s good to eat more plants. I’ve read it three times. I highly recommend it.

• Decide what kind of Eater you want to be. Don’t let yourself be led around by marketing, commercials, or simple convenience. What kind of Eater do you want to be?

• Make a plan to eat the way you want.