Gluten Free. Vegetarian. Vegan. RawTill4. Pescetarian. Juicing. Paleo. Raw Foodism. The list goes on but those are more than likely the ones you have heard talked about the most. I am sure that the common perception is that people do it to lose weight, and some people do but there are other reasons people decide to drastically change their diet.

The big reason? Allergies.

I love white bread. I know it is terrible for you but I still love it however, I can no longer eat it. About two years ago I started to notice that bread products were upsetting my stomach and with a mom that has Celiac I decided to drop wheat and gluten products all together. The same thing happened this summer when I noticed dairy products were making my sick to my stomach about thirty minuets after eating them so I cut out all dairy as well, even butter. The same story goes for eggs. I had to give up eggs, dairy, gluten, and ANY food/drink products that contained any of them. Let me tell you, those are in things you would NEVER think of. Yes, I lost weight after doing that but I did it for health reasons not because it was "cool" or the new diet trend.

My reasoning for my next change isn't as clear cut. I have never been a fan or pork or red meat and I only recently discovered I like shrimp so most of my life I have only eaten chicken and turkey in the form of deli meat, turkey bacon, or on Thanksgiving. Recently I haven't really been wanting chicken like I normally do and believe me I really do love chicken but after eating it or any meat for that matter I have noticed I am more sluggish and not as full or life and my stomach isn't its normal self. So, I have decided to go Vegan.

NO, I am not cutting out all meat cold turkey, it's not realistic for my life for me to do that so I am doing it in steps like participating in Meatless Mondays (yes it's a real thing). Once again I am not doing it to look "cool" or be a "hipster" I am doing it for me and my body and my health. Focusing on eating more plant based foods is going to make me healthier as a whole and it is going to be ten times better for my stomach. Think about it people, the idea of decaying meat sitting on a counter would turn any of us off so why doesn't the idea of decaying meat in our stomachs?

I know I will get the questions about the products I am using outside of food like makeup and clothing and maybe someday I will go vegan in those areas as well but there is no way I could do it all at once, baby steps people, baby steps.

I also know I am going to be met with people telling me I won't get enough protein. NOT TRUE. One 3oz serving of chicken is 28g of protein, one serving of black beans is 8g, one serving of quinoa is 8g, one serving of cooked kale is 3g thats only one meal and thats 15g of protein. Most women need about 46g per day, so lets break this down by meal.

Breakfast: Naked Blue Machine Drink- 2g

Morning Snack: The GFB (Gluten Free Bar) Peanut Butter- 12g

Lunch: Spaghetti Squash (2 cups)- about .12g, Kale Pesto (w/o cheese)(1 Tablespoon)- about 1.2g

After Workout Snack: Smoothie (1 cup Blackberries-2g, 1 cup Blueberries-1.1g, 1 cup Strawberries- 1g, 1 Tablespoon of Bee Pollen-1.2g, 1/2 cup Organic Apple Juice- 0g)- Total of about 5.3g

Dinner: 2 Cups of Cooked Quinoa-16g, 1 Cup of Cooked Kale- 3g, 1 ½ Cups Bushes Black Beans- about 15g, Total- about 34g

Total for the day: about 54.62g

Anyone can see that is well over the 46g a day recommended for women. And there are plenty more food with high protein that I can eat as well.

I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and it certainly will not be an easy start but I am doing it for me so that I feel better not for the ever changing diet trends.