My Journey To Becoming 99 % Vegan
By: Dr. Salihu Lukman
I have been taking cow’s milk, meat, poultry, and other dairy byproducts for time immemorial. I started learning about lifestyle enhancements in 2015 when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I changed my lifestyle and reversed it in 2016, i.e. 7 years ago and counting. I stumbled upon low-fat plant-based diets in 2020 after watching the Lifestyle Enhancement Conference videos that I shared with you earlier. The presenters emphasized that one of the main keys to the prevention and reversal of many chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, etc. was eating low-fat plant-based diets exclusively. Plant-based diets essentially consist of greens, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, especially legumes such as beans. In other words, it implies ditching all animal-based byproducts, from dairy byproducts (fresh milk, powdered, yogurt, cream, cheese, butter, ghee, ice cream, condensed milk, etc.) to meat (red meat, poultry, fish), eggs and all other derivatives from these products, i.e., a VEGAN diet. This is because of the overwhelming and long-term negative impacts that these animal products have on our overall health. I set a goal back then in 2020, that I want to become a vegan one day but it has been very difficult for me to ditch these animal byproducts, especially milk, yogurt, fish, and egg that I take almost daily.
Listening to Dr. Chidi in the past few days discuss the various side effects of these animal byproducts, especially cow’s protein in milk and beef has again strengthened my resolve more than ever before to ditch these animal byproducts for good except fish. Yes, I need oily fish to get adequate omega-3 intake instead of taking omega-3 supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in maintaining good health. You can say that I am now 99 %. There is also economic gain to becoming a vegan. You will save the money you used to spend on these animal byproducts. Maybe I will ditch fish in the future to become 100 % eating only low-fat plant-based diets. I also call on all, diabetics and non-diabetics, to set similar goals and work hard to achieve them. I will preach this lifestyle to my family members with the hope that one day, they will join me on board. Always aim high, but start small. Remember, we are what we eat, and let our medicine be our food.
There is good news for cow milk addicts. Soy milk from soya beans is an excellent plant-based alternative with as much protein as cow milk but fewer saturated fats, overall fats, and calories but more expensive. There are other plant-based alternatives such as oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, etc.
In this video, Dr. Chidi Ngwaba, a renowned lifestyle physician who swapped the surgeon’s knife for lifestyle medicine to save more lives, trained at University College London (UCL) and Cambridge, has been reversing these chronic illnesses for the past 26 years now, discussed several important things such as:
- Some constituents of milk can increase the risk of cancers in general and breast cancer in particular. Eliminate cow’s milk in your diet. Soy milk, on the other hand, has what it takes to prevent breast cancer.
- Cow’s protein found in its milk has been incredibly linked to triggering type 1 diabetes in children.
- Generally, cow’s protein in its milk and meat can trigger autoimmune responses in our bodies. This can lead to a number of other autoimmune diseases and cancers.
- Prostate cancer can be reversed using plant-based diets.
- Strive to get adequate sunlight for vitamin D3 production and other benefits. Otherwise, take vitamin D3 supplements under the supervision of your doctor to boost your immune system.
For more details, endeavor to watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PQ5CWxMndQ&list=WL&index=21
Salihu Lukman is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia