I remember when my son was 6 months old, I would hold up two outfits in front of him and ask which he would prefer to wear. That may seem silly, but I always felt a bit powerless as a child. I thought that giving my son choices about simple things, even from a very young age,  would provide empowerment and give him some control over his environment. Eventually, he learned that this daily routine was in his control and he would respond by smiling at one or sneering at another. The result was that he wore the outfit he responded to in a positive way. This turned into him pointing at the preference and then eventually into him telling me which he would prefer.

Sometime in late 2012, I was hustling breakfast for my then 2 year old son, a single mom, working a more than full-time corporate job. I was always crunched for time to get myself together, get him to daycare, and get myself into a mindset to serve clients all day.

On this morning, my bright little kiddo decided to question my AWESOME breakfast choice… cereal with milk. (Just what I needed – LOL) In a very matter-of-fact way he asked, “Mommy, is this cow’s milk?” I said it was of course. He proceeded to tell me that he didn’t want to drink cow’s milk.  (Insert big sigh) Now, I had been drinking cow’s milk my entire life and was surprised that he even thought to ask; after all, it was MILK and MILK comes from cows! When I asked him why he didn’t want the milk he said, “This milk is for baby cows. I don’t want to take their milk.” (Insert more sighing – LOL) I couldn’t argue with his very astute conclusion and I was touched by his thoughtful observation.

Being in a hurry, and wanting him to eat before daycare, I remembered I had a carton of almond milk in the cupboard. I asked him if he would like some milk from almonds instead and he said yes. So, I disposed of the unwanted cow’s milk cereal and poured another bowl with almond milk. It seemed to do the trick and we were on our way.

I didn’t know at the time, but this would be the start of my family’s path to eating a plant-based diet. Incidentally, I hate that word ‘diet’. I’ve tried so many of them… Jenny Craig, WeightWatchers, paleo, weight loss supplements, etc. The lovely side effects that came with these diets included feeling super hungry, feeling tired, persistent pain or stiffness, having headaches, restlessness, anxiety, heart palpitations, etc. I have struggled with weight my entire life. Most of the time I was going so fast that I didn’t give a second thought to what I was eating or how it would affect my health in the longterm. I also had a lot of misconceptions about healthy eating. I would take whatever over-the-counter pill I needed to cover the symptoms and keep going. Advil and coffee were my best friends.

Now, 5 years later, I’m starting this blog. I’m doing it as much to inspire other families to eat fewer animal products as I am to keep our family accountable. It can be overwhelming and challenging to live an everyday American life while maintaining plant-based nutrition. Most importantly, I want to convey that this is what works for our family. We feel better eating this way and that’s important to me. Being overweight since I was about 8 years old, and now having children of my own, I want to focus on how to help all of us make healthy decisions about food and nutrition. Like so many people, my family has a history of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

I also want to acknowledge that it has taken us a long time to get here. Sure, our journey started with a toddler-sized protest to cow’s milk, but he would never turn down Grandma’s “Oh my God how can I live without this” traditional macaroni and cheese! It wasn’t initially about the taste or nutrition, but more about my young son working through his values and what he thought was right. It prompted me to begin thinking about how to honor his assertion of those values and support his personal growth as an individual.

Plant Based Parents is intended to share our journey, through stories and recipes. My husband and I have now adopted whole food plant-based eating as the norm. We’ll share how we got here and what we do to maintain our choices. We’ll share trials and triumphs as we work through our everyday life and hope that it provides some resources and inspiration for families trying to accomplish similar goals.

Healthy food, healthy family-

Jen