Why I gave up dairy, meat and fats

Someone recently asked me how I was able to do this and I wrote her a letter that might be helpful to anyone else that is wondering:

I didn't set out to do this but this is how it happened.
I heard about a video of Bill Clinton talking about eating differently to keep his heart stints from getting clogged up again with fatty deposits.  I was curious to know what a scholarly type considers to be credible diet information so I read the book he mentioned, "Prevent and Reverse Heart disease" by Dr. Calwell Esselstyn Jr. of the Cleveland Clinic.  In his book he mentions the China Study by Dr. Campbell so I read most of that too. (It is more about how animal protein feeds cancer cells, the heart book is more about how fat (any kind) changes your blood right away and can lead to vascular problems.  Heart, stroke, Alzheimer's.
The more I read the more convinced I became.  The evidence is very credible.

I read the book right before my 47th birthday and knew I had to try it for at least three weeks.  On my birthday my parents made roast beef so that was my last real meat meal.  I have since ordered fish once in a restaurant (about a month after that) but it wasn't very good and so I could walk away feeling like I wasn't really giving up much of anything.

The first three days were downright depressing because I never really was a big fan of oatmeal and fruit and vegetables.  I just didn't know how to make anything that tasted as good as a steak, or how to cook without using oil.  Three days of wandering around trying to not eat all the stuff you are used to eating tends to make a person hungry and eventually much less picky.  Once I started figuring out how to just convert my favorite recipes, starting with the two casseroles (enchiladas and lasagna), my depression started to abate.  If you are not allergic to onions and bell peppers this diet will be easier for you.  If you like to cook, that will make things easier.  When traveling, I have learned to just ask the waiter outright, " I am on this fat-free vegan diet, is there anything on your menu that I can eat?"

After the first three weeks, it seemed like an awful waste to go back to eating like I had been.  My body was losing inches at first, then pounds.  My husband has been on it with me right from the very beginning.  He looks and feels awesome.  He works out every day and really looks so much younger.  It is thrilling to watch.

I don't have problems any more about giving up fat.  I think I visualize it going straight to my bloodstream and sticking the the inside of my veins, clogging things up.  My real motivator is preventing Alzheimer's though.  My grandmother had it, and I have noticed a decline in my own memory for the past few years.  One of the reasons for writing down recipes and posting them when they work well, is so I can find them.  I tend to forget exactly what I did here or there.....

What I haven't been able to give up is sugar.  But I am working on it!  I use less and less as time goes on so I hope soon I won't miss it too much.  Developing recipes without added fats and all the other has taken up all my free time for the past several months.

So although I didn't set out to do this because of humane reasons against eating animals, I must say it is a nice little side benefit--the "peace" of mind.

Good luck and keep in touch!