Veggie Tales

As many of you know, my husband, Joshua Attanasio, decided to go vegan for 30 days in honor of Bethlehem’s Vegfest, and, maybe in honor of me too. I have been vegetarian ever since he has known me (almost 20 years) and turned vegan almost 10 years ago. He nobly walked quite a few miles in my shoes and feels great as a result!
I know many of you were itching to know the outcome of this 30-day adventure. Would he stay vegan? How does he feel? What were the healthy side effects of his veggie-filled lifestyle? What did he crave? Did he feel lethargic?… Well, here is the lowdown on how he feels, what it has changed in his and our lives and why you should fill your day with more veggies!
So, how did it impact his health? Check out this before and after data to see these amazing results. Remember, Josh was under the careful watch of Dr. Kristen Bentson. She made sure he stuck to a healthy and nutritious 1800 calorie diet that included enough protein, carbs and fat to help him get through his long work days and crazy commutes into NYC! He never felt tired and often felt more full after eating his fiber-filled plant-based meals.

 
As a vegan, you tend to simplify your food intake since many foods have hidden dairy and other animal by-products. You end up needing to inspect each food label before eating. During these inspections, you begin to notice the many other hidden ingredients that plague our food: all the preservatives, chemicals and hidden sugars. Josh began to notice this as well. Going vegan didn’t just change his perspective on meat; it changed his perspective on food.
Overall, he feels great and better than ever, but unfortunately does not plan to stay vegan. However, he has eaten very little meat since he has had the option. He has chosen fish rather than meat and eats vegan the majority of the time except when dining out. This is a big change for us considering I always made Josh a meat and/or cheese filled entrée for dinner.
He is loving veggies and now realizes how many calories are in many of his favorite non-vegan foods. He lost 17 pounds in 30 days!! After he ate his first meal with red meat, he said he felt like he was in a “food coma.” Not sure when he will subject himself to that again, but it was awesome that he realized the impact that food has on the body. How often are we impacted by what we eat and what we put into our bodies, but blame it on other things?
As fall approaches, take advantage of all the produce that will be available to you. If you are here with me on the East Coast, try a variety of apples, squashes, pumpkins, pears, carrots, beets, peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, concord grapes, figs, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower… Have fun with it and try to go vegan for a meal, a day or maybe longer.
Sending you love, health and wellness!
L