What are the side unusual benefits of your diet!?!
I had really soft spot for cakes & ice cream. I would over eat. I come from a family of diabetics. It was always really hard to stop my temptations. I had no will power. Often I would eat a whole big cake alone, and I would vow never to do it again. Until the next time!
But since being a vegan, I rarely think about those foods. I look at cake, but now its really not an option, so all the craving has gone. I do plan on making my own vegan cake sometimes. But it'll be healthier and less often.
I have decreased my sugery intake (good for my health) and saved money. Complete side benefit.
What are your additional benefits.
Answers: Before becoming a vegan, I was a veggie in support to stop animal cruelty.
I had really soft spot for cakes & ice cream. I would over eat. I come from a family of diabetics. It was always really hard to stop my temptations. I had no will power. Often I would eat a whole big cake alone, and I would vow never to do it again. Until the next time!
But since being a vegan, I rarely think about those foods. I look at cake, but now its really not an option, so all the craving has gone. I do plan on making my own vegan cake sometimes. But it'll be healthier and less often.
I have decreased my sugery intake (good for my health) and saved money. Complete side benefit.
What are your additional benefits.
Since developing the compassion towards the poor animals, my family emphasizes the emotional value of orphan, weak, defenseless and poor folks and physically / mentally retarded people, outcry of people in poverty, famine, and tyrannies.
If you do not practice unconditional love (love toward all God's creation), like Christ, then you may have a programmed heart. Love is a spiritual gift. It cannot be turned on for deserving people (just because we think we happen to be one of them) and turned off for inferior animals. This illogical and prevalent notion circulating among most humans is a brainwashing technique referred to as ‘culture'. It is coupled with the use of constant programming stimuli. All of God's creation is intricately interwoven to form one Body. We must not cannibalize the vulnerable and weaker, even though we are brainwashed from birth to do so.
It's the God's grace turn me to a vegetarian - realizes me & my family's willingness for social services, helping orphanage and old folks, donating blood, etc. We also been to Vietnam and Cambodia recently to help those orphans. Next, we planned to Burma, once the country is politically stable.
We (me, my wife and 8/o son ever fasted for 31 days to safe some fund to be donated to orphanage home. It was not only the money the cause, but inculcated moderation of desire and discipline in us, (we reduce our weight as well) and I've shown them the video footages of poor, poverty and famine in other countries. As we planned, the "incentive" worked out so well. My kids knew that being a vegan, never stop at eating habit alone, but a continuous journey beyond.
I also a “Healthy Lifestyle winner” in my department (civil service) from 2002 to 2007 (Zero medical leave, medically fit, passing in physical tests, non-smoker and ideal BMI).
I believe that all these are not surprising and being normal for a vegetarian / vegan. But how should be a role-model to others? Our “power” and “capacity” is indeed very great – that’s why we are dominion over others!.
I went from hating water and never drinking it to drinking 8+ cups a day. All the acne on my back completely disappeared, and so did these 3 really stubborn warts that I'd had for years. The best benefit would be a newfound love of homemade cooking. There's no greater feeling than making yummy meals from scratch.
At the office I work in, marketers bring us free meals or snacks on a daily basis. Usually it's the worst food you could eat as far as health is concerned (fast food, donuts, etc.), but I would eat it anyway because I'm a sucker for sweets. Now that I don't eat milk or eggs, I don't even think about the tempting stuff they bring, and it's not like I'm missing out because I make my own desserts when I want them. Every once in a while I also cook for the office (5 people total) and turn them on to veggie foods. This week I made falafel pitas and everyone loved it... none of them has even had a falafel before. As far as other benefits, I definitely eat a lot healthier now than I did before. Just about every meal I had at work was fast food, but now I make my own meals, and I always include a lot of vegetables. I also spend less on food because my staples are rice, beans, and bananas, which are all cheap.
Since becoming a vegetarian, I am hardly sick. It's rare for me to catch "whatever's going around"....before, I would be sick at least two or three times during the winter.
My energy level has increased.
And like you - I no longer crave sweets as much. Every now and then, I'll have a weak moment, but I eat something that's good for me (like a banana or an apple) before I start eating something heavily processed with refined sugar. (ick!)