Why am I doing this? I have been trying to cut down on my meat consumption for awhile now. There was a time I would be eating animal meat 3-4 times a day. Lately I have been good about getting it down to 1-2. I have also been doing no meat on Fridays for lent, so that was a good warmup.
As you all know I workout a lot and am very into fitness. For awhile now my main priority has been gaining muscle. Therefore, a lot of protein was neccessary. I think the amount I was consuming was above and beyond the necessary amount at one point. I was having over 200 grams per day. I weigh 170 right now. That is such a strain on the kidneys. Too much protein can also lead to dehydration, fatigue, ect. Needless to say, I needed animal protein to accomplish this task of getting my daily protein in. However, upon doing a lot of research I have come to the conclusion that I do not need this much protein. More protein doesn't necessarily mean more muscle. It is more about nutrient timing. Meaning, when you eat that protein is more important, so that your muscles can take advantage of the muscle protein synthesis rather that simply converting it to fat, because your body doesn't need it for building muscle.
Furthermore, upon doing research on the environmental toll that the meat industry has, I have decided to lessen my footprint. If everyone did this the environment would be in much better shape. Even simply cutting down the amount of meat consumption. The resources that are required to produce this meat at the alarming amounts that are produced take an extreme toll on the environment. That includes the feed required to provide the animals, which is mostly gmo and laden with pesticides. Then the animals are often given hormones, antibiotics, steroids, ect. that are very bad for human comsumption, even carcinogenic. The conditions the animals are raised in are just as bad. Crowded containers, running up against one another, existing in piles of their own excrement, disease ridden animals.
I have researched the benefits of plant based living, and the results are extraordinary. People report feeling better, and even healing disease. Not to mention the fact that animals get their protein from plants, the original source of protein.
Another reason is that during this coronavirus pandemic meat supplies are getting low, and there isn't a lot of going out and eating socially. Furthermore, it is a great time to eat healthy and boost that immune system to stay healthy and ward off iillness.
That is just a few of the reasons i decided to do this.
The last day of eating meat I went on sort of a binge. I ate Thai food out, subs, chicken. I honestly felt like crap. I was congested, and my eyes burned.
The first day I had eggs and gluten free bread with avocado for breakfast. For a snack I had overnight oats with almond milk, peanut butter, honey, bananna, chia seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. A large snack I know, but keep in mind I am still trying to build muscle. I also had rice, spinach, blackbeans, salsa, garlic powder, and spicy kimchi for lunch. Next i had half a can of tuna, 6 oz white potatoes, and 3 oz of broccoli. I had an after workout protein shake and some gummy bears. For dinner i had a salad with peppers, cucumbers, and tomatos. For dinner i also had a home made cauliflower alfredo with brown rice pasta and broccoli pictured here, which turned out pretty good.
.
Finally, i had a half cup of cottage cheese with black berries and blueberries. Also, a cup of elderberry and echinacea tea.
As you can see i ate plenty, and getting enough protein in was not a problem.
I worked out also. I did a bodyweight cardio workout of planks, burpees, and jump lunges along with some pullups, dips, bent over row, dips, and curls. I felt pretty good. A little tired. I didnt use caffeine and got about 7 hours of sleep the night before. Overall I felt good though.
I will keep updating things during my experience on this blog to keep you up to date on my progress. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment