Transition to Plant Based Food | Magdalena Weinstein

Our family transitioned to a plant based (vegan) diet two years ago. It wasn't like one day meat eaters and the next vegan, it was a process, and we did it intuitively and organically. To clarify, I never enjoyed smelling the meat isle in the market, for years I couldn't deal with having a dead animal in the refrigerator, less cooking one. When I got pregnant with my first son, and after almost a decade of being vegetarian, I had more than once dreams of entering raw meat shops and choosing what to buy. Those dreams lead me to start eating meat again, but after my second child was three, I was done. It bothered me to buy it, to cook it and to eat it. It was a mild feeling, in the background of my life, the sensation of the whole meat thing being not for me, not what I would feel proud of doing, something didn't feel right, I just couldn't pin it or figure it out. It was in 2015 that I watched a documentary called "Lucent" about the Australian pig farming industry. After watching all of it, I had it. I woke up the next morning and I was absolutely done with meat, DONE. I was somehow lucky to have my husband Craig fully on board with me, excited to try something different that was in alignment with his feelings about animals and the Earth. Together we decided to explore a new journey with food, becoming fully aligned with what felt good at all levels. It took us some months to get to the place we are now, fully plant based, but we weren't in a hurry, it was a slow process grounded in our day to day decisions more than in our ideas of what to do next.

Many things and people helped in our transitions. Sid Garza-Hillman, his wife Lisa and three kids, had been vegan for many years and were constantly assuring us that we were going to be OK, and that our kids were going to thrive without meat, eggs and dairy. We also started listening to "the Rich Roll Podcast" a vegan athlete that interviews people from all over the place and giving a lot of information for a plant based lifestyle. We followed our hearts, read the China Study, watched "Cowspiracy" and felt stronger and more grounded day by day. It was hard to navigate holidays and parties, traveling and explaining our food choices to friends and family, saying: "no, thanks" over and over again, but the rewards of trying a new way of eating, and a new relation with food and with animals, felt totally in alignment with our deepest desires, and still is.

Interestingly, a few moths before this transition I decided that I was done with a lot of trash and excessive packaged food. I created a Facebook group that still exists called "I will seriously decrease my impact on the Earth", and I started buying almost only bulk food and produce, avoiding all packaged food as much as possible. One thing linked to the next, and we suddenly found our family eating a plant based diet almost entirely wholesome, decreasing trash and minimizing our impact on the planet. We are there still, and growing stronger in our decision to consume food consciously.

Me and Craig had blood tests at the beginning of 2017 and our levels were great, apart from a little low in D3 for me, as for 90% of the population in the world anyway. Have you ever done a blood test? You might be really surprise of your readings and probably understand a lot better your health. With Craig we have low cholesterol, and for our age (42 and 56), we have great blood levels and healthy body fat and weight.

We grow a large amount of the veggies that we eat, and also use dry super foods like: Chia seeds, Spirulina, Goji berries, Maca powder, Hemp seeds, Moringa powder and now Craig is using a lot of Chaga mushrooms in tea.

From top left to bottom: strawberries, tomatillos and kale.

In terms of food for our kids, they eat our way because it resonates with their hearts and it makes them feel like they are making a difference in the world, one meal at the time. When they go to parties or travel to other countries, they can eat the way others eat if they want, They have never wanted to eat meat, or eggs, but parties are places where they have felt like having the cake. Our son gradually started noticing that the blend of dairy-sugar-eggs doesn't feel healthy, and has chosen to skip the cake or the ice cream at the parties. In the table we talk about food, the environment, animals, climate change and the Earth, we discuss our decisions and make clear that our choice is what makes us feel the most harmonious with this beautiful planet. They listen to us talking, but most important, we walk our talk, and that's what really makes the difference on them. To hear my daughter say sometimes that her favorite food is salad is rewarding, but mostly because she loves nature so deeply, that her appreciation for salad is a reflection of her appreciation and respect for the Earth.

Below is a photo of one of our pantries where we store our bulk food and dry superfoods, our nuts, dry fruits, seeds and oils. As far as oils we use Coconut, Olive and Sesame Seed. We buy it in bulk and sometimes I get the luxury of going to the Rainbow Coop in San Francisco and get the rare organic olive oil infused with garlic or basil and also my favorite nut butter, which is pistachio.

We love this Earth, and we believe we are at a point in our human evolution when we are causing too much damage to the environment, to our own health and even to the survival of our specie. An easy step, perhaps the easiest we can make at this point, is to turn our backs to animal agriculture, even if it is one meal at the time. There are wonderful plant based alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs. i invite you to explore alternatives that might feel in deep alignment with your heart, stepping out of fear and into your power, the plant-power way.