Paul, my veggie loving hubby!
My husband surprised me this afternoon by telling me that he wrote a guest post for my blog. So without further ado, here’s his story.
The Hubby’s Tale
I haven’t known a lot of vegans in my lifetime. There was Adaela, the new-agey mechanical engineer, with whom I shared a cubicle back in the late 80s. My ex-girlfriend in London had a friend who was vegan. Neither made much of an impact on me. Sure, I always liked veggies but I was raised to believe that meat and dairy were a part of a well-balanced diet. And I loved animals but I did not know of factory farming and thought that eating and wearing animal products was a normal part of life. I never gave it a second thought.
That changed after I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It wasn’t bad enough to require medication, but I feared that it was the beginning of a downward spiral. This was how it started for my dad who ended up having a triple by-pass, a stroke and diabetes. Not only does my father have a poor quality of life, but his expensive medications depleted my parents’ entire life savings.
My wife, Celeste, was also concerned about my health and suggested we go to a healthy cooking class at Whole Foods Market. That class changed my life. The teacher made a convincing argument for the health benefits of a plant-based diet. It was enough to convince us to try it and we haven’t looked back since.
Although we made the switch to a plant-based diet, we weren’t vegans yet. Veganism is more than a diet, it’s a way of life that avoids using or consuming anything that harms or exploits animals. It was after watching the movie Vegucated and learning about the horrors animals endure on today’s factory farms that we decided we needed to go further. Now we make a conscious effort to not buy non-food animal products like leather shoes and anything that has been tested on animals.
I never dreamed I’d be a vegan; however, I am happy with this path. I lost 20 pounds. My allergy symptoms have considerably lessened. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels are now normal. And I feel great! I also feel at peace because I am no longer supporting factory farms. My hope is that others will find this path as well.
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Hey nice to meet you Celeste’s hubby !! Great story and thanks for sharing it….. Awesome post !!!
It takes a strong will person to make those changes as it requires a ton of commitment. Kudos to you guys:).
Totally agree Sonal 😉 I also think your tastebuds change. I enjoy food so much more now then again I went vegan a few years ago so I have forgotten what most things taste like when I was a vegetarian 😉
I am still a vegetarian and only one in my house ….. I cook vegetarian only at home… Still a long road for my family… Have made it better though gradually… Especially for my husband.
That’s cool 😉 my wife is vegetarian too and she also is gradually moving toward veganism. I enjoy reading your blog and maybe one day you both can visit Australia… It’s a beautiful place 😉
Sure:).. The other day my 9 year old daughter told my husband that she really wants to visit Autralia because she wants to see Koalas :)).
Oh that’s nice. We are lucky where we live we have koalas in the gum trees.. I ran a fun run called the koala run to raise money for them. They are so cute when they walk on the grass 😉
Wow 🙂
It’s funny, if someone told me two years ago that I’d be vegan someday I would have laughed. We had a lot of motivation to make the change, however; and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. And now I love our lifestyle! The food we eat is actually tastier than what we ate before. Vegan food is delicious if you know how to prepare it. I also agree with what Thomas says, your taste buds change. Thanks for your comment – I really appreciate it and I know my hubby does too!! Celeste 🙂
🙂
With Indian cooking, it’s vegan most of the time…but not always..
Since I started blogging a month ago, I have found a hue community of vegans… And I am learning the new food items etc which is motivating me to try more of vegan side.. Probably when I blog for food recipes which have milk and milk products , will try to include a vegan version for my vegan friends.
Any suggestions for milk and milk products in desert cooking like dry milk powder? I would appreciate that :).
Thanks so much for your comment Thomas, my hubby and I both appreciate it!! Celeste 🙂
You’re welcome I hope the both of you have a nice weekend 😉
Hey Thomas! I find it interesting that your wife isn’t vegan, but I’m glad to hear that she’s moving in that direction. I feel very fortunate that my husband and I chose to follow this path together, but I don’t think we’re the norm. I know it’s hard on a lot of couples when one person makes a dramatic change and the other person isn’t onboard with it. Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend too!
Hi iCeleste t’s kind of strange as we eat vegan food at home together, my wife never buys any leather or suede products but its things like milk that my wife does not want to let go of ! She doesn’t like non dairy milk and has tried to become vegan but failed. I know she will one day. She also is an animal activist with the local wildlife especially the koalas which are in the trees near our house (many of them have an illness which if it can be caught early can save them from a horrible death) thanks for your comment 🙂
Giving up dairy was tough for me too, so I get your wife’s struggle with that. It’s wonderful that she’s an animal activist, however. Like you say, I’m sure she will go vegan one day. Celeste 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and I am sure too. We have both sponsored a goat at the local animal sanctuary so we are happy about save him from slaughter 😉
Wow Paul! I’m happy to hear your experience. It is awesome that you guys are so supportive if each other!
Hey Mark! I think it’s really helped that we did this together. I know of a lot of couples where one person makes the change and the other does not. This is tough! Where do you go out to eat? What do you cook for dinner? Anyway, I’m very thankful that we’ve done this together. And again, I so appreciate your support!! Celeste 🙂
What a great post!! Congrats! 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by Gabbi! My hubby and I both appreciate it!! Celeste 🙂
Wow!! That’s inspiring.. 🙂 keep it up!
Thanks so much for your comment! Both of us appreciate your support and encouragement! Celeste 🙂
Great post 🙂
Thanks so much for your support and encouragement!! We both really appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
Nice to hear “the Hubby point of view”.
Hi Mom! Thank you so much for being so supportive of my blog. Since I know you like to know how many followers I have, I’m currently at 347. See you soon!! Celeste 🙂
Thanks all for the kind words. I appreciate the comments!
Thanks for writing this post Sweetie! You’re the best hubby in the world – newlyweds forever!! Celeste XXOO
I figured the least I could do was take over the blog for a day while you cook for the Fourth of July party we’re attending tonight. You and I both know I can’t make a cooking contribution!
This is a great post! So nice to hear both sides of the vegan journey 🙂 Haha, I very much doubt that my husband would ever come around to being vegan (at the moment we’re 80% plant-based but that’s as far as I can push it without experiencing the wrath of his Argentinean, meat-eating friends!) but we’re enjoying the benefits of lots of grains, vegetables and other ‘peaceful’ consumables. I never, ever support factory farming, non-ethical produce and non-sustainable goods. I am happy to pay extra, shop around and feel good about what’s on the plate. Thanks for this post, Celeste’s hubby. Glad that you’re feeling healthy and strong again. Inspirational!
Yeah, cultural biases can be hard to shake. Congrats to both of you on the 80%! Better that than nothing.
Hey Poppy! It’s hard for anyone to go vegan, but I can hear how it would be especially hard for Mat. There are so many factors against him! I guess the only way you can make it as a vegan chef is by living in a vegan ‘hot spot’ like LA or San Francisco or opening your own restaurant. Hey, that’s what you and Mat can do Poppy, open a restaurant. He can cook and you can bake. Just joking – I know owning a restaurant is exceptionally hard and risky. Besides, I know you’ve got other plans. I actually thought about opening a vegan restaurant when I first went vegan, but I let the idea go. Too much risk. Anyway, thanks for your comment! Both Paul and I appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
Always a pleasure to hear from you Laura! You know, I think it’s harder for guys to go vegan. I think a lot of guys see it as weak not to eat meat. And God forbid that a guy appear weak around his buddies! I know that you are very careful about the animal products that you buy, and I respect that. Thanks so much for all of your support – I appreciate it and I know my hubby does too! Celeste 🙂
Celeste I couldn’t agree more about the ‘guy thing’. Mat and I were discussing his meat reduction just a few days ago and he said (in regards to becoming vegetarian or vegan), ‘I’d be scared of the ridicule, I see what you go through, I’d get it even worse because I’m a man’. It’s a shame really. He also feels it would be especially hard for him as a chef, as there tends to be a ‘chef culture’ that vege’s are annoying and difficult and also as unless he worked in a vege restaurant, chef’s of course have to taste their food! We have no vege eateries near enough to us where he could work and there are so few of them anyway, it would be very hard for him to find a job, it’s hard enough at the moment in standard restaurants!
Anyway, thank you Paul for sharing your great story. My favourite part is the last paragraph – your ‘then to now’, you just prove that the changes you two made were so worthwhile on so many levels!
Poppy 🙂
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Life is always full of surprises huh!
Absolutely! And it’s so wonderful when the surprises are good ones!! Celeste 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I love hearing stories of how people found this lifestyle. 🙂
Thanks so much for your support, my husband and I both appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
Awesome post and a great post by your hubby. Wonderful way to encourage to become Vegan. I look forward to meeting you both at the end of August.
🙂
Ivonne
Hi Ivonne! I feel very fortunate that my hubby and me are in this lifestyle together. And yes, it will be wonderful to meet up with you in August. I’ll contact you about getting together when we get back from our Seattle/Vancouver trip. Hope you had a happy 4th! Celeste 🙂
Great post! An inspiration to so many who don’t consider diet has an impact on our health. X
Thanks so much for your support. And oh my gosh, our new diet has made a HUGE impact on our health. We look and feel so much better eating this way. And I used to get colds a lot, but I haven’t been sick for over a year now. Celeste 🙂
Fantastic 🙂 xx
Thanks for sharing your story, Paul. You have both significantly influenced me and Florence. We are looking forward to attending farmer’s markets in order to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, we are headed to Edinburgh tomorrow early enough to visit their Saturday market. – Mike
Thanks Mike. I’m looking forward to hearing of your adventures in Scotland. Celeste tells me you’re wearing a kilt these days. 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment Mike. I always appreciate hearing from you! And it makes me feel good to know that Paul and I have made an impact on you and Florence. We feel so good eating the way we do that we want everyone to discover this way of eating, but most people aren’t moved by our experience. It’s nice to know that we’ve made an impact on someone. Going plant based will make such a difference in your lives. I’m excited to hear how it goes for you guys. Celeste 🙂
I think we evolve as we learn more and so glad to read how you did!
When I think about my beliefs about diet and animals just a year ago, I’m amazed with how dramatically I’ve evolved. I’m so thankful that my husband and I decided to go to the healthy cooking class at Whole Foods that initiated this transition. Not only are we healthier now, but we’re so much more informed about the lives of animals and the way humans treat animals. I can’t believe that we just lived our lives with such little awareness before. Anyway, thanks for your support! Celeste 🙂
Woohoo, hubby!!
I always appreciate your support Annie, and I know my hubby does in this case too! Celeste 🙂
I wish there was a “love” button. First off, how awesome that your husband just decided to write this guest post without you asking! Secondly, his story of how he came to vegansim is great. Third, I love that “happy vegan” picture of him. And finally, both of you have a wonderful gift of writing very meaningful blog posts that aren’t overly wordy.
If there was a love button, I press it for your comment Ketty! I always appreciate your thoughts, but this particular comment was especially kind and wonderful. And I have to agree that my husband is awesome!! Happy Friday! Celeste 🙂
Awesome story, I’m so glad your husband is doing so great!
Love,
Monique
Hey there Monique! Thanks so much for your support – both of us really appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
Hi there Celeste! Great post by your hubby! The more of your posts I read, the more I think about & contemplate going Vegan. You always present the facts, without judgement- something that’s greatly appreciated! 🙂
Happy Friday-
Thank you so much for reading and for your support. I try very hard not to be judgmental. Just two years ago I was eating meat and cheese everyday, so who am I to judge anyway. It really means a lot that my posts are encouraging you to contemplate going vegan, however. I’m always here if you have questions, but of course I will never judge you if you don’t make the choice to go vegan. I just read about your mom, by the way. I really feel for you girl. I hope you have a nice weekend despite everything that’s going on with you. Celeste 🙂
I always enjoy your posts! It’s exciting to see your readership grow & to see you now on Twitter!!
For me, it’s not so much the meat….it’s more the dairy side of things (I know we’ve chatted about that before). I greatly appreciated your note regarding my mom. As you can imagine, that’s partially what has me thinking more about this vegan lifestyle. 🙂
Soon-
wonderful story! I am so glad he shared this! I was just telling my husband (vegan too) I wish more guys would tell their story.
Hey Amber! Thanks for your comment. I’m so happy to hear that your husband is vegan too – that’s great! I do think it’s both less likely for a guy to be vegan and less likely for him to share about it. I think there is a bit of a stigma for guys. Hopefully this will change in time. Have a great weekend! Celeste 🙂
I love hearing from the other half of the couple sometimes! Well done
Thanks so much for your comment! It is nice to get another perspective. Celeste 🙂
This post was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise! What a lucky lady you are, Celeste. 🙂
I think it’s so fantastic that you both saw the writing on the wall and took steps to alter your path. I wish more people (including my immediate family) would do the same. It pains me to see them eating the SAD diet with their health issues, but I know from experience that we all have to come to a plant-based diet and/or veganism in our own way and time or it will never “stick”.
It’s just shocking and heartbreaking to me that a literal near death experience (we’re talking flatlined with multiple shocks of the paddles, a 2 week medically-induced coma, followed by nearly 3 months in the hospital and much fear and anguish) were not enough to spark lasting change in two of the smartest people I know (3 if I were to throw my brother into the mix). Habits, taste, socialization and culture run deep.
My brother saw me looking at the half-eaten remains of a lamb after dinner when I visited with my family. (My idea of cooking vegan for them was clearly out the window when I opened the fridge to a bunch of newly purchased animals products. Hint taken. — My brother did go out of his way during his very busy life to get me vegan burgers, though, which was so sweet and kind of him.) Looking at me looking at the lamb, he asked me if it made me mad. I contemplated for a second and said, “I think it makes me feel sad more than anything.” He probably thought I was talking about the life of the lamb, but I was thinking just as much about the lives of my family and the thought that I may lose everyone too early and be left alone; how I came into the world an orphan and would likely leave as one, too. It’s like watching a sinking ship and nobody wants a lifeboat.
Anyway, my point is that I have great admiration not only for the fact that you both made the change, but that you are sharing the benefits in such a public way that you have and will continue to inspire others on their own journeys. The fact that you have transitioned from plant-based to veganism is just icing on the vegan cupcake!
I was moved by this comment cowgirl. And it made me wonder why some people are willing to change their diet while others are not. Like you, I don’t understand how someone can have a literal near death experience and not wake up to the fact that they need to change their life. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to watch your family members make poor health choices. Very sad. Hopefully in time your example will make an impact. Thank you so much for this lovely comment. Celeste 🙂
Hi Celeste and Paul! Hope your 4th and potluck was with great success. I too watch my father spiraling downhill around the time of my wedding and felt so sad that he really did not get enjoy it. It is so important to take care your own health. Everyday health insurance rises and we absorb the cost. Kudos to you Celeste and Paul. Every day I something plant base for me and something with meat for Bill. And it is a struggle to buy 2 different meals and he ends not eating it. I usually say screw it and make my vegan meals. Bills prefers anyway.
Hey Sis! Kudos to you as well for sticking with the plant-based diet.
Hey Jeanne! The food for the potluck was great. I made chocolate chip cookies with avocado instead of butter and they were fab! I also made a gluten free pesto pizza which was delicious as well. I planned on making hummus, but by the time I finished baking the cookies we were already an hour late for the party so I skipped it. Anyway, I’m sure it must have been difficult for you to watch your father’s health decline. I’m really happy that you are making changes in your own health so that you stay healthy and happy for many years to come. I can’t imagine having to make two different meals every night – that’s tough! But it sounds like Bill is getting used to your vegan cooking, so that’s a good thing. I hope all is well with you guys and we’re looking forward to visiting in September. Celeste 🙂 PS – I always love to hear from you on my blog Jeanne!
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Celeste, it is great to hear your husband’s story and just wonderful that you two embarked on this together. I would love for my husband to come over from The Dark Side!!
Hey Deborah! I am so thankful that my husband and I are doing this together. It must be a challenge that your husband is on The Dark Side (ha!). Do you have to cook two meals at dinner? And how do you handle eating out? I think that would be tough. I hope your hubby comes around. Celeste 🙂
Nice to meet you, Celeste’s husband! what a lovely transition & story! 🙂
Thanks so much for reading my hubby’s story Sophie! We both appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
Thank your husband for this fabulous guest post! Bravo. My husband’s father died of a massive heart-attack at the age of 67, after having two bi-pass surgeries and Type II diabetes. These “genetic trends” can absolutely be reversed. Don’t succumb to excuse of bad genes!!
Best part of my 50-something-year-old hubby’s going vegan? His super soft, silk-like skin. He hasn’t had that in our 20 years together. It goes well with his love-gone-handles (’cause they’re gone), cut abs, and “wings” (the muscles under his arms that I love to grab when we’re embracing). His sweat still stinks like hell, but hey. He’s dead-lifting 400 lbs now — all on a 100% plant-based diet. And he’s HOT. And his cholesterol dipped into the 100’s for the first time in his adult life.
Yea to vegan dads! They’re the best. 🙂
So sorry to hear about your father, but it’s wonderful that you’re protecting yourself and your family from the same fate.
I read this comment aloud to my husband and we both laughed at the love-gone-handles. You have a way with words! My husband says, “thanks” for the kind words and I appreciate it too.
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