The Challenges of Mixing a New Eating Style With Those Who Don't Understand Why We Do It

I cannot say how many times I have been asked why we changed our diet so much recently.  I have fielded the usual, "But what is left to eat?" and, "How do you get calcium without milk?" and my favorite, "Why don't you like meat and milk now?"  Ah, how simple life must seem from the other side of this conversation.

The reasons why I, personally, have chosen to change my own diet are:

1. I felt called to make major changes through prayer.  I just feel like God is encouraging me to treat my body more like the temple it was when he blessed me with it.
2. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time.
3. I want to be alive and capable of participating in the lives of my four daughters and each and every grandchild they give to me and my husband some day.  This reason makes me cry every time at the thought of my daughters not having me at their weddings or when their babies are born or when they just need a hug only a mom can give.  I have friends who have lost moms, and it scares me that it could happen to my girls if I do not get healthier.
4. Over the past ten years or so, I have felt like I was living in a fat suit; I was the same person on the inside, for the most part, and the outside looked completely foreign to me.
5. I met a truly wonderful woman and friend that taught me how to exercise my body to benefit my health, and I knew that I was not following through completely by also exercising my will power and choice to eat better.
6. Research.  Start reading and watching for yourself, and you will want to make changes, too.  Start with Food, Inc., The Engine 2 Diet, and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  Netflix is teeming with food documentaries that will make you want to stand up for food regulations that make sense and supporting organic farms.
7. I have always done my best to support my local economy by choosing to shop in stores that are locally owned and operated.  While I do still shop at Trader Joes and Whole Foods, I also shop at farmers markets and actual farms.  The meat we do buy is all locally-raised, grass-fed, and free of antibiotics and hormones.  Thanks, Whole Foods, for educating us about our choices in this department.
8. When I was in college, I paid a lot more attention to my food, and it showed.  I made loads of food from scratch, used whole wheat flower, and drank tons of water.  I felt better then, and I am feeling that well and even better now.
9. Dairy makes me physically ill.  Why would I continue to ingest something that gives me terrible stomach cramps and severe constipation?  That sounds like torture to me.
10. I have not given up meat completely, but I have cut way back on it.  We have meat in our meals, on average, twice per week now.

As for getting enough nutrients, fruits and vegetables are filled with them.  Just a quick perusal through The Engine 2 Diet will show one the lengthy list of vitamins and minerals found in vegetables and fruits.  One of the best things any person can eat is kale.  We love it!!  Kale is packed with protein, fiber, potassium, calcium, vitamins galore, and even more.

While my mom may still call a lot of what we eat "Rabbit food," it does not change our attitude.  We, as a family, are committed to eating healthier, remaining active, and choosing Earth-conscious products and services in our home.  While I realize that not everyone will understand, at first, why we eat the way we do, I hope that they will take the time to ask me why and really listen to the answer before calling us crazy or "Tree-hugging hippies," or something else.  We are just doing what we think is best for our family and its food difficulties.