My 180-degree shift from being a red meat eater and beer drinker to a whole food plant-based diet devotee.
The Game Changers ~ A UFC fighter's world is turned upside down when he discovers an elite group of world-renowned athletes and scientists who prove that everything he had been taught about protein was a lie. This is a shocking revelation what meat (beef, pork, chicken and fish) can do to your health and heart. This is just one of the documentaries that changed my outlook on health! (Watch THE GAME CHANGERS, WHAT THE HEALTH, VEGAN 2019, and FORKS OVER KNIVES in the video section of our page)
But hay, donโt listen to me. Here are just some of the medical experts who have been proving the scientific facts:
Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Colin Campbell, Dr. Michael Klaper, Dr. Brook Goldner, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Anthony Lim, also Dr. B. Lypton, Dr. Joe Dispenza and others.
What is a Whole Food Plant Based Diet ~
โA whole-food, plant-based diet promotes eating whole, unrefined or minimally refined plant-based foods, such as whole grains, legumes, tubers, vegetables, and fruits. Animal-based protein foods and highly refined foods such as refined sugars and bleached flours should be excluded or avoided. A whole food plant-based diet has been shown to control or even reverse common chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, and many degenerative and auto-immune diseasesโ ~ Forks over Knives
My Take on the Whole Food Plant Based Diet~
This is my take on a Whole Food Plant Based Diet (WFPBD) after an ordeal with my health on November 6, 2019 when my life took a sudden turn.
I have been a meat eater my whole life. BBQ steak was my favorite food since I can remember. As South Africans we grow up barbecuing and eating meat, lots of meat on the table, and if you do not eat meat for protein intake, not drinking cow's milk for calcium, and not drinking beer around the BBQ fire, you were considered weird! This is normal South African culture.
So, this is how I enjoyed food, a predominantly animal food diet from a young age.
Getting older and living abroad for the last 26 years, I found myself in a complete different eating environment. Being married to my wonderful Filipina wifey and adopting a typical Filipino eating lifestyle, I was under the impression that I have changed to healthier eating habits by adopting a more predominant Philippine cuisine.
Yes, I did cut down on eating red meat since I have been living in the Philippines and abroad, but I still consumed pork, chicken, fish, animal proteins regularly in the Philippines as this is part of a typical Philippine diet, and of course I loved my BBQ meat and my home made South African โbiltongโ(air dried beef).
Working in KSA and adopting a sedentary lifestyle while away from my Philippine family the last 4 years, eventually caught up with my health. A diet on chicken, fish, eggs, and bread products was predominantly part of my daily eating lifestyle in KSA. And being away from my wife and family made it more difficult to eat healthy. The result, I become overweight, and developed high cholesterol and high blood pressure without knowing it. I only found out about this the 1st week of November 2019 when I suddenly felt dizzy, light headed after waking up in the middle of the night. I felt so bad that I had to visit the doctor the next day. This came as a shock as I have not been to a doctor in the last 10 years. Although I know I was overweight, I could not comprehend why I felt so bad so suddenly because I am taking the best natural supplements for the last 3 years nonstop. Obviously, the supplements did the job, but I did not pay attention to my eating lifestyle and eating habits. Supplements are not a miracle drug, you need to eat healthily and avoid unhealthy harmful food products, which I ignored to do because I thought the supplements will keep me 100% healthy no matter what I eat. It was time for a full medical examination, which I avoided for way too long.
After my visit to the doctor, I was thunder-struck with my blood work lab results. The chemical counts and blood sugar levels in my body were normal, and this I believe was at least the result of taking the very best supplements, but my cholesterol was very high and my BP at a pre-hypertension level. This shocked me to my core. So, on advice from the doctor, I had to start changing my eating habits and exercise more. Luckily I did not need prescription medication at this stage, which I would have refused to take if he prescribed them.
It was time to look into what I need to do to lower my biggest concern, my bad cholesterol level, and this led me to do extensive research online to find out what is the best way to turn my health around. So, I spent many hours online searching for alternative methods to improve my health. I know I had to start exercising more, but I first would want to change my eating lifestyle.
I was comparing all sorts of diets; Keto, Paleo, Atkins, Low-calorie diet, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Plant-based. I eventually ended up with the Whole Food Plant Based Diet recommended by Dr. John McDougall and many doctors and pioneers in the plant based field, the very best way to improve your health, losing weight and living an optimum healthy lifestyle! A Whole food plant based diet can reverse all kinds of chronic diseases, including heart disease! So, I knew if this diet can reverse heart disease, it surely can reverse my bad cholesterol. And the best thing is that it wonโt cost extra by changing your food and eating lifestyle from animal based to plant based. It is a cost-free, side-effect-free treatment as described by Dr. McDougall! I could not think of a better treatment!
So, a plant based protein diet replaced the animal based food diet I have been following for so many years. I must admit, it was not easy in the beginning, but what encouraged me was that these experts all said the same thing; "It is not easy at first, but you will get used to it quickly and you will feel better before you know it."
So, I started shifting slowly, not eating 100% plant based right away, but gradually moving towards plant based over a few weeks. It was not easy to give up my favorite red meat, breakfast eggs, and lean chicken after eating animal proteins for so long, but I realized that this must be the best diet to improve my health, and all the evidence showed it will reverse bad cholesterol. Cholesterol was my biggest concern at this stage.
The documentary "The Game Changers" (a must watch) finally convinced me without a doubt that a whole food plant based diet is not only the best diet , but the most beneficial lifestyle to follow if you want to be 100% healthy. If you watch it, you WILL change your eating lifestyle. It will shake you up!!
Although I know natural supplements are good for you and USANA supplements, in particular, are excellent products to keep your health in balance, plant based diet experts on the other hand do not recommend taking supplements. They only recommend vitamin B12. I continue to take Usana Cellsentials as they contain the most important minerals and vitamins your body needs, including Vitamin B12, Vit D, Vit A, iron, zinc which are vital in boosting your immune system for protection against the various diseases. In the end, the WFPBD is a healthier eating lifestyle with great health benefits enhancing health and wellness. In my opinion, the combination of WFPBD and Usana is a winning recipe in supporting your health, getting sufficient nutrition, and boosting the immune system.
This is how my WFPB diet challenge began.
My life-changing journey on a plant based diet started the 1st week of November 2019, and I will share the results on this page as time goes onโฆ
My diet consists of NO animal food, no dairy, no eggs, no processed food, no oils. Only whole food plants; healthy starches, fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, plant based milk, green smoothies, and plenty of water.
The 1st step I took was to changing breakfast to only plant based, for example, oats and fruits instead of eggs and dairy. The next step will be to change lunch to only plant based and thereafter dinner. Iโll also cut out all refined sugar, and lower my salt intake.
A great advantage is that there are so many like-minded people online and a million videos and websites teaching you what to eat with numerous plant based recipes making it so much easier on this path of improvement.
" Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" ~ Hippocrates
So, it was time to stop poisoning myself with the wrong foods!
Donโt we all want to be on this planet for as long as it is physically possible?
This is a question you need to ask yourself if you really want to live a healthy life while being with your loved ones and to stretching your longevity to the max.
WFPBD is not only a diet, but a healthy lifestyle to follow, preventing bad health, reversing bad health, curing chronic illnesses, as these experts have been proven with evidence-based facts. Ensuring 100% health if you followed this way of eating.
You donโt need to be a victim of bad health!
It is really about what are you going to do with the strength and power you have to make that change!
Today I have a totally different outlook on life in general. I am very glad I made the switch! Today, I regret laughing at vegans and vegetarians previously in my life! I know today it was wrong judging these lifestyles. I know better now.
" I used to eat like a peasant, now I eat like a King and I feel like a KING" ~ Jacob LMAD
My Conclusion on an Optimum Healthy Life:
Whole Food Plant Based Diet (no animal food, no Oils)
Daily Deep Breathing Practice (inhale deeply through the nose, and exhale through the mouth for about 10 to 20 times)
Daily Meditation / Sit still / Chill out / Alone time (10 - 20 min a day)
Daily Light Exercises (brisk walking 20 -30 min a day is a good start)
Drink lots of clean water
Drinking amazing plant based healthy green smoothies full of powerful nutrients.
Taking the best supplements there is available in the market, USANA Cellsentials.
Therefore, the focus of this page has changed from a supplementation only based page to focusing also on a Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle as well! I hope you'll find it useful.
Change your eating lifestyle, prolong your life!!
If you would like to transition to a plant based diet and you have no idea how to, then Running on real food is a great source that will help you in your transition step by step!
(Update: April 2020): Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, taking USANA supplements is vital in providing that extra boost you need to keep your immune resistance strong!!
Be Smarter About Life!!
Jacob LMAD
Jacob & Lyrra~ Usana 3 Business Center Owners/Associates since 2017.
