Evolve into a Vegan Diet

A completely non-vegan friend sent me this link to the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart.

It is sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which, according to its website, is:

"doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate and effective medical practice, research and health promotion."

This site can support you as develop your vegan diet or as your just getting to know it:

• Tips from celebrities
• Recipes
• A 21-day meal plan to get you started

Dr. Colin T. Campbell, author of The China Study, Dr. Andrew Weil, and others lend credibility to the group. Why do I like this organization and these doctors? It's because they promote the healthy lifestyle that we live and give us facts to support our choice to be vegan. Both Dr. Weil and, Dr. Campbell in particular, are advocates of the study of the link between diet and disease. Dr Campbell advocates a vegan diet for your best health.

I am not a huge believer in traditional medicine, and I tend not to trust doctors because of an awful experience I had during college trying to diagnose and treat a digestive problem. Long story short, it was lactose intolerance, but no doctor that treated me wanted to believe that could be a legitimate answer. After two weeks in the hospital, morphine drips, painkillers and others to relieve the constant pain in my stomach, my final visit to a traditional doctor ended with a quote I will never forget and that changed my life forever: "Well, I don't know what's wrong, but just keep eating normally, and it will probably clear up in 6 months to a year." Is that an answer? Is that the best that "medicine" can do? Suffer until you get better?!

Finally, after sharing my experience, a family friend suggested it may be lactose intolerance, and, lo and behold, once I eliminated dairy from my diet I started to feel better. I started researching alternative diets and eventually learned about--and began to experience--the amazing health benefits of going vegetarian, then vegan.

I respect and admire doctors who think beyond the bounds of traditional medicine, tests and treatments. I recommend this site to help you get started and stay committed to the diet part of a vegan lifestyle.