Men Over 50 choose to change from Carnivore to Vegetarian.

I was born and raised in France where we ate all kinds of meat. I grew up knowing exactly where my meat was coming from, whether it was from the farm or from the woods, I always knew where it came from and how it was processed. I even know how to clean rabbits and pigeons.

But, as I was entering into my 40’s, I became curious and decided to look into the great cuisine of the vegetarian world.

Because of my readings (no tarot readings) I was becoming educated on the ecological footprint of eating factory farm meat and factory fishing. Suddenly, I could see the effects of my personal meat consumption on a global level. I multiplied my personal consumption by the billions of humans populating our only planet to live on and it scared the shit out of me.

My changes didn’t happen overnight. They were step by step changes that first started with  reducing the number of times I would eat meat. I changed my meat consumption to a couple of times a week. I then took out different kinds of meat one by one and slowly consumed less. First, I took out chicken and finally I took out fish.

Each time I reduced my meat intake, I began to see changes in my body and I felt better.

In the beginning, I compensated my meat reduction with eating more carbs because I was hungry. Overtime, I began to also reduce the amount of carbs I was eating. Every day, I would reduce my portion size by a spoonful until I reached a portion size of two handfuls of food.

After this, I began to slowly migrate from pasta to rice to grains and introduced new kinds of grains I had never cooked with before like Quinoa,  Teff, Kamut Berries, Farro, Millet , Sorghum. There really are so many choices and so much to learn.

Changing your diet is life altering. I was raised eating meat, heavy sauces, milk, cheese… French food. It was filled with butter and smells that provoked deep memories of flavor.

In order to change your old lifestyle, first, you have to recognize it. Close your eyes and bring to your mind the moments you were eating all of these foods and how you felt, recognize the joy and pleasure. Now, with the new grains and the new recipes, you must acknowledge how good they are, the joy and pleasure they bring, and the benefits they are bringing to your life.

One other thing which is of major impact is that these non-conventional grains are also produced by local farmers on small size plots. So, with the change of your diet, you extend the positive impact not only for the planet as your own ecological footprint is being reduced but, you are also contributing to a form of farming which is more ecological and lifts up the community.

So, I did all that and now it has been 15 years. I would say I have left the old meat life of mine in the past and have now moved to another diet that is different and enriching.

It is such a pleasure to learn how to cook these new products and learn from different cultures. Each country has a unique way of cooking and has contributed to creating new recipes. It brings our kitchen’s to life.

In conclusion… After 15 years of being vegetarian, I feel it has been a fantastic decision that has allowed me to shape a new me, enjoy what I eat fully and feel renewed.

My body shape changed too and I became leaner and lighter. It was incredible to get back into moving like I had years ago because of my nutrition changes.

I lost weight and I started to move more everyday. I exercised every day and I mixed in different sports and exercises that I liked to do. I did swimming, SUP paddle, yoga, running, biking, water ski, and aikido.  Now, when I wake up and look at my naked body, well I love what I see.