Some of you have wondered if I’m still eating vegan since my cleanse experience this past April (see post: https://livinwiththelehnhoffs.com/2013/05/08/coming-clean-the-cleanse/), and the answer is yes.  Here are my top three reasons why, and they are listed more or less in order of importance.

1)      The number one reason, and really the main reason why I have continued to eat a vegan diet is simple.  I feel GOOD.  I feel the best that I have ever felt.  I’m in my mid 30’s now and I feel better than I did in my early 20’s.  Eating vegan helps me stay away from a lot of unnecessary packaged and processed foods that make me feel crappy.  It helps me to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (and I crave them now too!).  I have more energy now, and I never feel those tired, heavy, sluggish, bloated food-related feelings that I have had in the past.

2)      The next big reason I have continued to eat vegan is that my numbers are GOOD.  By eating more fruits and veggies and less heart disease causing foods, I have seen a vast improvement on my blood tests.  In the past, my cholesterol has been in the mid 200’s – my highest test being 264.  After eating vegan for 12 weeks, my cholesterol has dropped about 100 points to 159 without medications!  My doc says everything looks great!

3)      My weight is GOOD.  You know that number on the scale that you can never seem to drop below?  Well, eating vegan has helped me blow past it without even trying!  Unfortunately, I gained a whopping 70 pounds when I was pregnant with Landri, but I’ve lost 80 pounds since she was born.  Being vegan was the last 10 extra pounds that I never could lose before, no matter how “clean” or “healthy” I ate.

A couple other bonus reasons are that eating vegan is ethical, good for the environment, and has helped me learn to cook better!  So for now, animals still won’t be in my future!  Sorry, Scotty! 😉