Why I changed my diet...

Here we go with my first About Life post. 

This first one is going to be about a topic which is really important for me and which did have a huge impact on my life, my lifestyle, my health and my philosophy of life in general!

So as most of you know, I eat a vegan diet since more than a year by now. So here is how I started and why I changed my eating habits. 

Last Summer I went to a Yoga camp for a week. I posted a little about it here. During this week I was in a yoga center where I slept, went to my yoga classes AND ate. The place was vegan-only, so for the entire week, I ate only vegan food. First, I thought this may be slightly difficult since I used to be a huge cheese-lover. However, being in this yoga camp, I began to learn a lot more about vegan food and how YUMMY it actually is. This was the first step, opening myself up to this lifestyle, because I realized that it was actually super yummy. 
In this yoga camp there were also plenty of brochures and books about a vegan diet and since we had some time off in the afternoons, I read a lot of these. Like that I began to realize more about the influence of our eating habits on the environment, the hunger in the world, even the politics and the world economy. I also read a lot about the moral aspect of eating vegan. Of course I knew about factory farming and how the animals there are tortured their entire life. But still, somehow I wasnt able to really get this into my head before.You know this difference between knowing something and actually really realizig something? If yes, you know what I mean ;-) 

Being there in this yoga camp, where I was so balanced, relaxed and where I began to feel a whole new love for life and for the world (this is what yoga does to many people :)) I was suddenly ready to open myself up for these topics.
So I asked myself how can be that I study African Studies and discuss political and economical possibilities for a better and a fair world and at the same time I consume dairy products and meat and thereby support this whole system of injustice and inequality. I decided that I couldnt! For me, the animal-aspect is not even in the foreground, it is more the world as a whole, the environment, the people (also, and especially, the poor ones) and yes, of course the animals too. Its all this together. 

Finally, next to all of the this, the aspect of HEALTH came into my life too. I read a whole lot of books after participating in this yoga camp and I can really recommend you THE CHINA STUDY and WHOLE, both by Colin Campbell. If you prefer watching a movie instead, go for FORKS OVER KNIVES to learn about the health aspects of a vegan diet.

Here, I do not want to explain to you in detail in which way a vegan diet is good for the enviroment, the hunger in the world and for your health. You can find plenty of books, youtube videos, documentaries and blogs on these topics if you are intersted in getting to know more about this. I just want to share with you that all of this is connected to my decision for a vegan diet and I think when people once start actually reading about these topics and their links to food, then they cannot do any different then to change their diet.

 Well, I also have to say that today the health aspect became even more important to me. So I changed my diet slightly again, from a "normal" vegan diet to what Colin Campbell is calling for "Whole Food Plant based Diet" (WFPD). As the name says this diet is about eating whole foods only, which means no white flour, no white sugar, no processed foods, and of course no animal products (by the way, I eat honey but thats another story which I share with you another day). This WFPD turned out to be the perfect diet for me and I am really really happy that I found this out for me. 
Since I changed to this WFPB diet, I sleep a lot better, I got rid of my migraines (I used to have migraine at least twice a week), my skin got better, I have much more energy and most importantly, I feel SO much more comfortable in my own body! I began to love my body in a way I actually didnt know I could and I am so so grateful for this! It just makes you feel good when you know that you give good things only to your body!

Now, this is part of my story of why and how I changed my diet and what I am eating to feel good with myself and the world around me. I would love to know about others stories and your paths to a different lifestyle. So I totally invite you to share your story on your blog or in the comments! 
Now that you know a little bit about my opinion on food and stuff, I am probably going to make a few more detailed posts about specific topics related to a WFPD. Between others, I will share with you my experiences with eating vegan during pregnancy and what my doctor and midwife thinks about that. I may also share with you more details about the health aspects of a WFPD and maybe also a little bit about the moral aspects of eating plants only. Lets see :)

For now, I am exited for my first post with that much text! Its a whole new blogging experience to write that much! Sorry, by the way, for my English! I learned it partly in Africa, partly in America and mostly on the streets...its messy sometimes, but I guess its okay enough ;)

Sending you all lots of love and wishing you a wonderful start in the week! Happy first of December and those of you who have an Advent Calender - happy opening of the first gift! :)