We often see our halfway house clients gain 50 or 60 pounds within a year of their arrival. Now they have something new to stress about.
And it also happens with some who quit smoking.
Because I've been vegan for 20 years I often get questions about weight loss and nutrition.
Some ask what I do for protein, for example. And the answer is: nothing. There's nothing to do. If one eats across the food spectrum plants combine to provide more protein than a vegan requires.
But what do you eat? This is a frequent question.
The answer? I eat everything but animal products. That means I have a choice of about 185 kinds of plants.
There are myriad fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, almond milk, and so on. Many delicious choices.
I know what they eat. Beef, pork, chicken, or fish. That's about it. Unless they throw in a lettuce salad and french fries. Or some milk and sugary flakes for breakfast.
Now I'm not a crusader. I actually have little interest in what others eat. That's their business. And it's their life to live as they choose.
But if they ask me, I point out that they become what they eat. Within minutes, what they put in their mouth becomes - on a microscopic level - who they are.
If one lives on cheeseburgers and fries and sweets, then they start to resemble those things.
To build the best health we must consume food that's healthy. Greasy, fried, fattening, sweet and processed stuff may taste wonderful. But there's a price attached.
And that price is that we undermine the basis of our life: the healthy body that God gave us when we were born.
