The August Challenge– Plant Based Meals Twice a Week for 30 Days.
Who says January is the only month you can set your sights high and challenge yourself to do something new? I think Plant Based August has a nice ring to it, right? Much better than Dry January… because let’s be honest, if I’m still in quarantine there’s no way in hell I’m forfeiting my wine.
Why did I decide to do this? I’m not sure. Maybe too many episodes of Down to Earth on Netflix? But truthfully I’ve always been curious about plant based foods and as the market for it began to grow and more people started to commit their lives to eating plant based I started to become more intrigued. I think if some small change that I do can impact the environment in a positive way, what do I have to lose? So I, an avid meat eater myself, am going to start with baby (aka realistic) steps and challenge myself to implement plant based meals into my diet twice a week. If plant based food can be delicious in taste as well as offer incredible nutrition benefits, why not give it a try? So that’s my challenge– not only try something new but find ways to make it delicious and full of flavor so y’all might also be inspired to make a similar change.
Doing My Research
Before embarking on any new endeavor I think it’s important to educate yourself. I looked at several articles and wanted to be as informed as possible before starting. According to Harvard Health Publishing, there could be many incentives for choosing a plant-based lifestyle. Whether it be the way animals are treated, wanting to help the environment, or just wanting a break in your routine, many people are now choosing to implement more plant-based foods into their diet. Research shows that the plant-based lifestyle leads to lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers when compared to diets higher in meat and animal products. However, the plant-based lifestyle can carry some risks of inadequate protein, vitamin, and mineral intake. But when choosing the right plant-based foods and supplements these risk can easily be overcome. So overall, this way of living seems to have more positives and negatives. But everyone is different, and everyone’s bodies respond in their own unique way. So we’ll see!
I will be sharing my journey and recipes along the way (being as honest as possible- if something isn’t good I will tell you lol)! I would love for y’all to join me if you feel inspired to do so or you can follow along and maybe after seeing how my body reacts to it (say a prayer for me haha) you’ll decided to do the same thing the following month! So here goes nothing! Wish me luck!
Stay tuned! Till next time, y’all!
xoxo- Kristen Jean