The KInd Life Community Forum

Hello and a happy healthy prosperous new year to all of you.

For Christmas I bought myself Alicia's book The Kind Diet and am really enjoying reading it. Lots of good information that I too believe in. I am of the heavier set and have always been, but within the last two years I have gained more weight and just feel very yucky, ugh-like all the time. I am not the type to count calories or weigh things or write everything I eat down. I have been very stressed out these last few years (lost my income, home, mother-not physically just mentally through Dimiensia, getting older...too many things) and have not been caring for myself. I've been caring for my sons and spending way too much energy on my boyfriend. So I'm going to care for myself and they can all follow.

Alicia, your book is my new beginning. I am just realizing that food is so very important for a balanced healthy calm life. I think my biggest hurdle will be with sweets and dairy. Meat I can do without once I don't have anymore in my freezer. But how does one live with out dairy or sweets? Another big hurdle will be for me to find vegetables that I like to eat and to introduce them to my sons so that they will like them too. This will be a very tough challenge as I have so far done a very poor job showing them what food is. I am determined to change my life style so that I and therefore my boys are happier because being sad, mad and angry all the time is just plan awful.

Thank you for writing this book and helping me along with a new healthier, happier approach to life.

It's a great first step for both of you. Try using the site search engine for threads about dairy and sugar - there are many. It's all about breaking the addiction, and both are very addicting and harmful foods. Good luck!

Julie and Elizabeth,

I am a physician who advocates a plant-based diet! As a hobby I also keep a blog on Plant-based diets. It is largely from a medical perspective of course, because well, that is what I know. (I'm here to learn from other people about the benefits from an animal welfare and environmental perspective.) That being said my reasoning for adopting a vegan diet for myself was all due to the data on health and wellness benefits. The fact that there are additional benefits on top of that is a wonderful bonus!

If you guys have a few moments you may be interested in taking a look at my blog, particularly a section on our "mini-experiment" that will be starting in two weeks on Jan 15th. It is an experiment in which people who are currently consuming either a SAD diet (std American diet), a flexitarian diet or a vegetarian diet convert to a vegan diet for 60 days. (I only require 60 days for the experiment but I have done this before with patients and they almost always stay with it) I measure various health parameters prior to the onset of the experiment, at the 30d mark and at end. The participants will be blogging about their experience the entire 60 days sharing the experience with my readers. I hope to have bios, etc up by the end of next week! (Actually, I hope to have a lot more done site wide by then, but I digress) I thought it may be interesting since you will be on a similar path.

Regarding the dairy and sweets. These were the hardest for me too. I have a substitutions guide on my blog under "recipes and cooking" resources that shows what you can substitute in recipes for these things that may be helpful. Also, David Kessler's book is great (bad title, great book). Best Wishes, Jenn (www.theplantrx.com)