Evidence suggests plant-based diets can improve both lifespan (overall length of your life) and “healthspan” (period of your life that you are healthy, i.e., free from serious disease)
Researchers have run decades-long surveys to understand the diet of the world’s Blue Zones—regions with the greatest share of centenarians (people 100+ years old). See here for more on the resulting food guidelines. In short:
Only consume small amounts, if any, or meat/fish/eggs, dairy, sugar
Drink mostly water – some coffee, tea, wine is ok
Have some beans and nuts daily
Eat whole foods
95-100% plant-based
Specific potential health benefits of vegetarianism:
Lower cholesterol
Lower cancer rate
Lower risk of chronic disease, e.g., coronary heart disease
Decreased incidence of stroke
Increased life expectancy
Others I’m not personally concerned about but worth noting: lower blood pressure, body mass index, and risk of metabolic syndrome (including obesity and type 2 diabetes)
Environmental benefits:
Uses less land
Minimizes pollution
Produces fewer emissions
Conserves water
Protects marine ecosystems
Animal health benefits:
Reducing animal suffering (fewer animals bred to suffer and die on farms)
Vegetarians save 25+ land animals/year, about 24 of whom are chickens
*I had to look this one up, and it is horrifying. This is the process of separating and killing unwanted (male and unhealthy female) chicks for which the factory farming industry has no use. Their methods:
Maceration (putting chicks in high-speed grinder)
Gassing with carbon dioxide
Cervical dislocation (breaking their neck)
Electrocution
Suffocation (putting chicks in plastic bags)
7 billion male chicks are culled this way each year around the world
I’m curious if it’ll have any effects on my energy levels in either direction
Uh oh…
Vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. Diet Coke, Burger King fries, and Pixy Stix are all vegan.
“Meatless meats” like Impossible Foods and Beyond Burger and many other vegan products are often more processed and contain ingredients that are less natural than what I’d normally eat.
Skeptics about vegetarianism often ask, “But how will you get enough protein?”
I’m considering this, but I’m not convinced this is the issue we make it out to be.
How much protein to get has always been one of the hardest questions for me to answer given the volumes of conflicting opinions on the matter.
After scouring the internet, searching for credible sources (e.g., Dr. Huberman of Huberman Labs and Dr. Peter Attia), the recommendation appears to be 1g protein/pound of body weight/day for everyday consumption or 1.2g+/pound/day if you’re trying to increase muscle.
This will take real effort for me on a vegetarian diet, but I should be able to hit the everyday recommended levels by using a clean protein powder. The amount needed to build muscle would be harder but isn’t my current focus.
Some studies show vegetarian diets, and especially vegan diets, can cause nutrient deficiencies including B12, Vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, and Iodine. My plan:
B12: Nutritional yeast can help with this, providing 733% of our daily value in just 2 Tbsp
Vitamin D: I already take a daily supplement for this
Omega-3: I already take fish oil and eat nuts (mainly macadamias) daily for this – walnuts have the highest levels among nuts. Other great sources are flax and chia seeds
Calcium: Greek yogurt will help here. Other sources high in calcium I’ll consume regularly include tofu, tempeh, almond milk, tahini, and spinach
Iron: Spinach, beans, tahini, nuts, oats, green peas, and sweet potatoes (my favorite food) are all things I eat regularly
Ever notice how all the bad guys Popeye would beat up were eating burgers, while he loved spinach and “Olive Oyl”?
Zinc: I eat great sources of this regularly, including almonds, peanuts, tahini, beans, oats, dark chocolate, Greek yogurt, eggs, and mushrooms
Iodine: Yogurt and eggs will help here
I’ll extend this diet until I do my annual physical bloodwork in August. That way, I can check on levels of these vitamins/minerals and to see if there have been any changes to other health markers, particularly reduced cholesterol.
I will be trying Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism, meaning I will consume no meat/poultry/seafood but will still have dairy—mainly Greek yogurt for me—and eggs
I made this decision because 1) it will be more practical for me to implement sooner and for a longer period and 2) it will make it easier to consume adequate protein levels
Our meal delivery service Fresh N Lean has Vegetarian (and Vegan) meal plan options, which will help with this switch.
Side note: I talk regularly to their nutritionist, and he fully supports the switch.
I’m not ready to jump all the way to vegan.
Vegetarian is far more straightforward (no animal meat and fish). This makes it easy for me to implement without a ton of research and planning.
Will and I each cook a couple meals each week. Requiring these meals be vegetarian means I’m pulling him a bit more into the plant-based space… pulling him back into it, I should say, as he had been vegan for a while in the past. Fortunately, he’s supportive of the switch and it should benefit us both.
I betcha…
I’ll encounter tricky social situations, where I’m eating way more bread/pasta than I would like because the meal or spread was more centered around meat/seafood.
I’m going to get a lot of questions and skepticism.
For one, I’m not in California anymore.
I already get asked if I am vegan (and often why) whenever I order a non-meat dish.
I hope I’ll be able to respond in a useful, non-defensive way.
I won’t miss meat/fish and will want to continue.
Here’s how it went down…
First 3 Months:
It’s been mostly easy so far. I don’t miss or crave meat at all. I think the identity shift, saying “I’m someone who doesn’t eat meat/seafood right now” is helpful. Mindset shifts like this simplify and inform any decision-making.
Will has been gracious in shifting to cooking/eating plant-based meals for our few shared weekly meals. He was vegan for a while years ago, including a 6-month raw vegan stint—an extreme lifestyle shift—so he gets it.
I lost 5lbs. This wasn’t really a goal, but we’ll see how this looks in the coming months.
I’ve noticed I wake up a bit hungrier. Likely reason: Having switched my Fresh N Lean delivery meals from Paleo to Vegetarian/Vegan meals, the macronutrients have shifted a bit.
The meals have a little less protein and more carbs to reach the same calorie count.
While not inherently a problem, carbs are less satiating than protein, causing my ghrelin (hunger hormone) levels to increase again sooner after eating.
Menus are simpler. The paradox of choice melts away when you can slash entire sections out of your consideration set.
Be mindful though, or you’ll accidentally order a salad that’s buried in bacon bits. Oops. (Fortunately, it was for a group, and there were other options for me to eat.)
I consulted my good friend Mike, a former pro triathlete, who maintained a vegan diet for years during his training. His advice:
We generally get enough protein by eating a well-rounded diet.
Avoid over-indexing on one food, which could lead to gut health issues, e.g., too much dairy from yogurt, fiber in legumes, or cholesterol in eggs.
Be sure to get enough branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to rebuild muscle. In his words:
“These are in complete proteins. Protein from animal sources are complete proteins because they either are literally muscle or contain animal protein to do so.
We accomplish this with combinations of plant proteins. You can Google these, but examples are beans and rice, hummus and pita, hemp hearts (might just be complete on their own but I imagine combined with fruit or nuts would accomplish).
And for powders, stay away from single sources (like pea protein) and rather ones that highlight BCAA. I use Garden of Life Sport or Vega Sport, which are NSF-certified for clean production. So, it’s more about the quality of the protein than the amount, which you will get by eating as outlined.”
Second 3 Months (and bonus 1.5 months):
My current identity as a vegetarian has solidified, and I think about it little in my daily life.
My energy level has been good, or at least as good as it can be while working full-time and sharing care responsibilities for a newborn and active toddler with my husband.
I don’t feel it’s changed notably vs. before this diet shift though.
My ability to maintain muscle, judging by physical appearance at least, seems not to be hindered. I’m curious to see how my levels of protein and other key biomarkers look when I get them tested in a month.
Having a higher fiber diet, with more veggies and legumes, keeps you “regular,” though I didn’t have an issue with this before. However, this also comes with a little more gas (yay).
I’ve found 1-2 Bean-zyme pills (same ingredient as Beano but cheaper on Amazon) to be useful with meals with beans or cruciferous veggies… so most of my meals.
Where I Failed…
I struggled to get the recommended 1g protein/pound of body weight/day.
I didn’t track this closely, but I’d estimate I was 75-80% of the way there.
Fortunately, this didn’t seem to have a negative effect on my energy or physique.
Where I Won…
With a simple mindset shift, I achieved this diet shift easily.
This gave me the confidence to revisit two of my earlier experiments and quit my caffeine addiction and sweetener usage.
I now drink tea—sometimes caffeinated, sometimes herbal—and have a single-shot latte once/week. This keeps me at or below the 100mg threshold that helps avoid addiction.
It took some time to adjust to the lack of the sweeteners I wanted to stop using: stevia and monk fruit. It should be good for me in the long run though.
I found using a very small amount of organic, raw honey to be an acceptable alternative and goes a long way in helping with bitter teas/coffee. I like that it’s a natural sweetener and been around way longer than sweeteners—in the processed form we use them, at least. Honey is still sugar, so I use a scale to ensure I use no more than 1 Tbsp/day.
My bloodwork came back great
No nutrient deficiencies
My cholesterol dropped from slightly above the normal range to well within it
LDL or “bad” cholesterol dropped 20pts vs. a year ago: 108 (high) to 88 (good)
Total cholesterol dropped from 203 (high) to 173 (good)
Note: My HDL or “good” cholesterol dropped a bit too, but this was and still is at a good level
What Surprised Me…
The meal delivery service I mentioned above, Fresh N Lean, suddenly went out of business in July. :/ We’re trying a new one, Factor, which has been good so far, though is a bit more expensive and has fewer vegetarian and vegan options and more ingredients per meal.
If anyone has a clean, healthy meal delivery service they like, please let me know in the comments!
Like a method actor, I’ve gotten so deep into my new role as a vegetarian that it almost seems weird to think of eating meat/seafood again.
Still, while this was easy and felt good, I’d like to increase my protein intake a bit again…
I plan to eat some meat/seafood again, 4-5 meals/week, being very selective about the sources.
To reiterate that’s 4-5 meals/week, not 4-5 days/week which would mean most of the time. In other words, that’s just 20-25% of my meals, and I’ll eat vegetarian 75-80% of the time.
Almost all meats you get from restaurants and grocery stores are from factory farms with awful practices that result in an unhealthy product, so I’ll avoid most of this unless it’s at least labeled as organic and cage-free (chicken), grass-fed (beef), or wild-caught (seafood). I’ll continue to avoid most pork.
Whoomp, there it is…
Why am I adding some meat/seafood back in?
While the bloodwork I had done didn’t register any deficiencies, there are some micro and macronutrients available in meat/seafood that are harder to get on a vegetarian diet, so I’m covering all my nutritional bases.
As someone who loves variety and novelty, I’ll enjoy having a little more flexibility with my food options.
Our current meal delivery service Factor, accounts for nearly half of my weekly diet. Right now, they only have about 4 vegetarian meals each week, some of which repeat from week to week. There are many, many more options containing some well-sourced meat or seafood, so I’ll get to enjoy a richer variety of meals each week. This will prevent meal burnout and make this plan more sustainable in the long run.
1.5 months in, Factor meals are tasty and macronutrients are great (balanced fat/carbs/fiber/protein), but there are more ingredients than Fresh N Lean had and more dairy (unlike our dairy-free option at FnL), so jury’s out on if we’ll continue or seek a better option.
Since our regular grocery store Kroger doesn’t carry much high-quality meat—e.g., organic, pasture-raised chicken or turkey, we’re considering trying this local farm delivery service my sister’s family recommends for high-quality reasonably priced meat and seafood
I believe there will come a time in the future in which we no longer kill animals for our consumption.
We’ll likely come to see slaughtering cows and pigs then much like we see killing dogs and cats now.
The science is already underway to painlessly extract a single cell from an animal that can be used to bioengineer animal food products.
I also expect we will come up with creative new ways to harness the power of plant-based protein.
In a Nutshell…
Plant-based diets can improve both lifespan and “healthspan” (period of life free from serious disease).
Blue Zone studies show centenarians consume mostly plant-based diets with minimal meat, dairy, and sugar.
Potential benefits of vegetarianism include lower cholesterol, cancer rates, and chronic disease risk.
Vegetarian diets have environmental benefits like reduced land use, pollution, and emissions.
Vegetarianism can help reduce animal suffering and prevent cruelty in factory farming.
Nutrient deficiencies can occur with vegetarian diets, but can be addressed through meal planning and supplementation.
I tried a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet for 6 months, finding it easy to maintain with no cravings for meat.
My bloodwork after 6 months showed improved cholesterol levels and no nutrient deficiencies.
I plan to reintroduce small amounts of high-quality meat/seafood (4-5 meals/week) while remaining mostly vegetarian (75-80% of meals).
I hope and believe future food technology will eliminate the need to kill animals for consumption.
Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment with any feedback, what you think my next experiment should be, or to just let me know you stopped by. Some ideas:
Recap of experimenting with abstract painting I did during the pandemic
Daily Journaling Practice
Daily Affirmations, e.g., writing out by hand a mantra 15x/day
What I’ve learned as a new parent, e.g., how it’s one giant experiment
Here’s the (sweet) T. I currently use stevia or monk fruit extracts 3-5 times every day. In the past, I’ve given up alcohol and caffeine for long enough stretches to prove to myself that I can at any point. Sweeteners are the one other extraneous thing I consume daily that I wince at the thought of giving up. This is how I know it’s the right choice for an experiment.
Stevia and monk fruit are both natural extracts that have been used for centuries, originating from South America and Southeast Asia, respectively. However, while generally considered safe for consumption, little research currently exists about the long-term usage and side effects of commercial sweeteners containing these plant-based extracts. So even though I plan to continue using them after this period, I like the idea of reducing my consumption until more research about them emerges.
Like some of my past challenges, especially giving up caffeine and starting keto, this one is daunting. I’m a kinda nervous about it. But I’ve found that when I am scared about doing something, it’s usually worthwhile.
Little challenges like this over time help me strengthen my discipline muscles. When I return to using sweeteners, you know what else I’m expecting to find in my beverages?Gratitude… and relief.
Uh oh…
I’m betting my creamy keto coffee* will be fine, but my regular coffee in the afternoon with no sweetener is gon’ be rough.
My afternoon apple cider vinegar drink will be rough.
My evening keto hot chocolate may be rough.
My potassium citrate supplement—a powder electrolyte supplement I take while doing keto—will be nose-plug-and-chug bad.
No more using monk fruit to make tasty, sugar-free cocktails like my naturally sweetened versions of the Old Fashioned and Margarita.
About that…
*Keto coffee is a rich, high-fat concoction that helps you become a fat-burning machine as part of the ketogenic diet. It’s also an uber decadent morning indulgence with coconut cream (thicker than coconut milk), coconut oil, and ghee (clarified butter). I also add collagen powder, cinnamon, a lil sea salt, and some stevia. Needless to say, it’ll be nice to cut one ingredient out of this list for a while.
While I can enjoy things that already contain a small amount of sugar/sweetener, e.g. White Claw, I won’t go crazy with these.
I’m trying to build willpower and reduce dependency on sweeteners—particularly in beverages—not trying to be a total asshole to myself.
We tried Trader Joe’s Kyla hard kombucha this month and dare I say that just may be our new replacement for White Claw! Sorry, girl.
I betcha…
Like coffee and alcohol, I’m 99.9% sure I will want to resume using sweeteners after this month.
My hopeful expectation is that I will adapt and need not dump small truckloads of stevia into my coffee anymore.
Week 1-2: The Struggle is Real…
The coffee tastes flat—even my beloved keto coffee. It’s like what I imagine fries without any salt taste like. Flat and meh.
My joyless plain afternoon coffee almost makes me want to just take caffeine pills instead, a la Jessie Spano. But we all know how that worked out (yikes)…
Almond or coconut milk, natural flavor extracts (e.g. peppermint, orange, rum), pumpkin spice seasoning, and sea salt all help make this a bit more tolerable.
While my daily beverages don’t taste wonderful, the implementation could not be simpler. As I do whenever I’m giving something up for a period, I say to myself, “Self, I am not a person who uses sweetener right now” at the beginning of the month. This simple internalization is all it takes.
The lesson I keep learning through these experiments and in life in general:
Dread lives only in your head… and only when it’s fed.
Week 3-4: Sweet Surrender…
Drinking beverages like coffee without sweetener feels similar to having a reduced sense of smell, like when you have a cold. The general flavor is there; it’s just a bit less satisfying.
By week 3 though, I started to appreciate the natural flavor of coffee more.
Temperature matters. Similar to how a warm rosé or white wine is a travesty, one should not subject themselves to cold, bitter coffee. It tastes much better to me when adequately warm, especially without the support of sweetener to prop it up.
Adding some cacao powder and orange extract became my favorite alternative. Terry’s Chocolate Orange vibes, anyone?
Where I Failed…
That cute thought about simplifying my beverage prep by cutting out the step of sweetening coffee, keto hot chocolate, etc. did not pan out. I found myself spending at least as much time trying to add other natural ingredients (e.g. peppermint extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon) to make it less offensive to my taste buds.
I stopped making my keto hot chocolate altogether because it was so dismal unsweetened.
Where I Won…
The winning combo I found to make coffee great again—or acceptable, at least—is a splash of almond milk, a few drops of peppermint extract, and a tablespoon of cacao powder. Mix it up, don’t think too much, and enjoy the minty hot chocolate sensations.
What Surprised Me…
I typically have an ACV (apple cider vinegar) drink in the afternoon. In addition to ACV, this health elixir includes lemon or lime juice, flavored sparkling water, and normally some sweetener to balance out the acidity. Surprisingly, this beverage was far easier to drink without my normal stevia than expected. The palatability ranges a bit depending on the sparkling water brand and flavor. The winners have been Trader Joe’s pineapple-flavored sparkling water and La Croix Mango.
Whoomp, there it is…
The first day after this experiment, I put on some Ariana Grande sweetener and celebrated!
Fortunately, I added just 1/3 as much stevia as I used to add, and my taste buds still rejoiced. That was plenty to make it way more satisfying… so I’d say this experiment was successful. (Yes, I’m a grande Ariana fan.)
Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment with any feedback and/or what you think my next experiment should be:
Daily Journaling
Daily Affirmations, e.g. writing out by hand a mantra 15x/day
Experiment: Follow keto diet for at least 1 month. No cheat days.
What is this keto business, anyway?
The purpose of the ketogenic diet (aka “keto”) is achieving ketosis,
a natural metabolic state in which your body doesn’t have enough carbs to use
for energy so instead burns fat. Your liver turns this fat into ketones, an
acid, that it sends to your bloodstream for energy. The way to achieve this
fat-burning state is via a very low-carb, high-fat diet. Note the focus is not
on restricting calories, just carbohydrates.
When you eat less than 50 grams of net carbs (Total Carbs – Fiber) per day, your body depletes its typical fuel—blood sugar—and breaks down fat and protein for energy. It can take 3-14 days to reach ketosis depending on your level of carb restriction and how your body reacts. My no-cheat-day policy will ensure I reach and remain in ketosis for the duration of the month.
Ok, so why…
This falls under the category of experiments that I’ve been thinking about but intimidated by for a while now.
The potential bennies are ample:
Reduced inflammation – as someone who often gets leg cramps, this is a key motivator for me
Enhanced cognitive functioning – you can get more out of that beautiful brain of yours
Increased energy throughout the day
Better sleep
Weight loss – While not a personal intention for this experiment, it has been shown to produce over 2x the weight loss vs. a low-fat, calorie-restricted diet.
Improved endurance performance, e.g. running and cycling, by raising your muscle-to-fat ratio and the amount of oxygen your body can use when working hard
Longevity – in part due to preventing or treating some of the conditions below
Other conditions the diet helps to treat:
Heart disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Cancer
Metabolic syndrome
Type 2 diabetes
Parkinson’s disease
Sleep disorders
Acne
Epilepsy
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Uh oh…
Some of my favorite foods, which I normally consume on the daily—sweet potatoes, Fuji apples, popcorn—and beverages—kombucha, coconut water—are Gone Girl from this diet. Byeee!
We’ll see, but this could be annoying to navigate at parties and dinners with friends.
Side effects? The “keto flu”… this is not an actual sickness but a state of flu-like symptoms that occurs while your body is shifting from a carb processor to a fat processor. It can include lower energy, muscle cramps, bad breath and irritability.
However, this can be prevented or alleviated by consuming extra electrolytes… more on this to come.
About that…
So, is this a new, postmillennial fad? Nerp. The ketogenic diet was developed in the 1920s as a treatment for epileptics who didn’t respond to drug treatment. The treatment proved to be highly effective. The other benefits above were found later.
My husband and a good friend of ours both started this diet as well, shortly before I did, which has been helpful in collecting and sharing info and supporting each other through the shift.
Alcohol is ok in moderation [audible sigh of relief]. To be clear, regular beer is not ok, but that’s cool with me. (Light beer is ok at 3-4g carbs but it’s also light beer.) Thankfully, a glass or two of wine is fine, weighing in at 2-4g carbs/glass. Hard liquor is the best because it’s carb-free. Just be sure to use a low/no-carb mixer like soda water or naturally sweetened, sugar-free tonic or soda. Zevia, for example, is a tasty soda brand sweetened with plant-based stevia and comes in a variety of familiar flavors. Or enjoy it on the rocks!
I betcha…
This is not going to be as hard as it seems for
me since 1) you can still have coffee and certain types of alcohol and 2) it
will mainly involve removing a few key foods and adding lots of tasty fat to my
diet, like Macadamia nuts, (even more) avocado, and ghee, oh my!
I’m thinking and hoping I can stick with this
one going forward, perhaps with some cheat days built in (post experiment) to
help with longer-term compliance.
DO try this at home…
Here is a primer on how to get started, with specific recommendations on what to eat during your first week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z15Z1-Og_pg. This video greatly simplifies what to do for the first couple weeks.
It helps greatly if you can prepare most of your meals for the week at home in batches.
Mexican and Mediterranean restaurants also often have great options.
Chipotle is a godsend—in general but especially for the keto diet. You can copy this order for a delicious, filling meal with only 12g Net Carbs. It’s tastier than my normal order, with all the good stuff and no filler:
Chipotle Salad Bowl (no dressing—it’s just not needed and adds carbs):
Chicken
Fajita veggies
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Sour Cream
Guac
Optional: Chipotle Tabasco sauce
Fat 38g, Protein 38g, Carbs 22g (Fiber 10g) –> Net Carbs 12g
Find an accountability buddy. Share this info with a friend or partner you’d like to join you in test running the diet. It has been wonderful having friends and my husband doing it too. Then, you won’t be the only crazy one asking the restaurant to ditch the bun and swaddle your turkey burger in lettuce.
DON’T try this at home…
…until checking with your doctor [obligatory disclaimer], particularly if you are diabetic, obese, or have a heart condition or high blood pressure.
Week 1-2 Notes…
As expected, it was not hard to adjust to the
new diet as eating tons of fat is fun and satiating.
My morning coffee feels mind-blowingly decadent
with ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil, and coconut cream added.
No cravings for either carbs or sugar. This was
a big pleasant surprise. I don’t miss what I’ve cut out because what I am able
to eat is so satisfying.
Doing this post-holidays was convenient too
since many people are also experiencing a post-holidays sugar hangover and
there’s an unspoken agreement to make/buy/push fewer sweets than in the
celebratory months of Oct/Nov/Dec.
I experienced some of the keto flu symptoms
during week 2. I was a bit sluggish, had some muscle cramps, and was less
interested in socializing at times—which is saying a lot since I work from home
and often crave these opportunities.
Electrolytes in the form of Salt Stick pills and
nuun tablets were quite effective in quickly lifting the physical and mental fatigue
though, making me feel much better.
Week 3-4 Notes…
I’m completely out of the woods on the short-lived “keto flu” and am feeling the sweet benefit of reduced inflammation, i.e. my legs don’t feel like they’ve spent the night being pummeled by American Gladiators like they used to.
I got a massage this week too and it was oddly refreshing to let the masseuse know my legs weren’t too bad for once. He noticed a difference in my back too, saying it used to “feel like a marble slab” but has loosened up a bit.
Yas, my skin and hair are looking good… thanks for noticing. I have been using a scoop of collagen in my morning coffee, which likely helps, but I think the diet is the main contributor. All that coconut oil and ghee is doing its thing, while sugar and wheat are no longer doing theirs.
I regularly feel a cognitive lift, able to focus more clearly throughout the day.
There are a few ways to test ketone levels. The quickest, easiest, and cheapest is via urine strips. Sexy, I know. Here are the ones I used. While less precise than blood or breath testing, they are a good indicator of whether you’ve achieved ketosis. According to my daily testing over the past month, I have – woo hoo!
While your options are certainly limited at parties and restaurants, I’ve found that deciding between 2 potential menu options—or maybe 3-4 with slight modifications—vs. 18+ options can help in deciding faster and with reduced risk of buyer’s remorse.
Whoomp, There It is…
Wow, in hindsight this big change I dreaded was not actually that big of a change at all. And I feel multiple benefits.
I’m going to renew this experiment indefinitely.
In fact, at the time of this post, I’ve already surpassed the 6-week mark with no off days.
I may tinker with returning to Intermittent Fasting in tandem with this new diet, as the two are compatible and have some similar goals and benefits.
I’ll also play with switching to 1-2 days of non-keto with the aim of staying in ketosis for the rest of the week. This could help with long-term sustainability and allowing for some social exceptions that don’t derail the whole plan.
The benefits outweigh the costs too handily for me to quit this experiment in the near future.
I’ll leave you with a quote I heard that resonated with me,
particularly around this experiment:
“It always impossible until it’s done.” -Nelson Mandela
Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment with any
feedback and/or what you think my next experiment should be:
Daily
Affirmations, e.g. writing out by hand a mantra 15x/day
