Written by: Susannah Dickman, M.E.d Certified Food for Life Instructor (PCRM) https://eatplantsbewell.com
Dan (my husband) and I have followed a whole food, plant-based diet since 2010 after eliminating animal meats but periodically eating fish and cheese 2 years before that.
We are the parents of three adult sons Joshua, Christopher, and Zachariah, two of whom (Josh & Zach) have disabilities which have meant that as adults, they still live with us.
We have always been interested in healthy eating especially when our sons were born. We always tried to make sure that vegetables and fruits were a daily part of our diet, even when our sons were not as happy about such a decision. We also promoted and modeled daily (and outdoor) activities both as individuals as well as a family.
Even though we thought we were eating healthy and exercising, we all struggled with weight gain, high cholesterol, lack of energy and Dan struggled with back pain and migraines. We attributed much of this to getting (a little) older and as far as our sons were concerned, their access to other food at school, with friends, and being a part of other activities where we weren’t directly involved, Dan and I would periodically engage in more intensive exercise regimens (additional walking, bike riding, hiking) but often these would have limited span due to life responsibilities and inadequate energy due to the foods we were eating, and we would fall back into the same life pattern.
Over the course of years, particularly the early 2000’s, I had sought out and was being treated by a Naturopathic doctor for food sensitivities and allergies, and periodic but relatively intense sinus headaches. Though the doctor recommended the use of natural supplements and a rotation diet with a continued consumption of lots of fruits and vegetables, a complete plant- based diet was not mentioned.
Dan was dealing with periodic back pain and started to have cluster migraine headaches, which became increasingly persistent and at times quite debilitating. He initially followed the medical route by seeking treatment which included various medications as well as oxygen. None of these strategies proved very effective and the side effects from some of the medications were much less than desirable. Again, a complete plant-based diet as a possible prescriptive action, was never mentioned.
Both Dan and I knew that we did not want to age this way, i.e., feeling tired, having pain, and taking medication for all the typical diseases that ran in our families (colon cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol) as well as other individual medical problems which took time and joy away from our lives.
In addition, having two of our sons have developmental disabilities and as caretakers of them we both knew that we needed to be as healthy as we could be for as long as we could be. We wanted them to be healthy in their adult years and not have to deal with the additional challenges of poor health as they aged.
In 2010 I decided (and urged Dan) to go completely plant based. We introduced and integrated more plant-based meals for us and our sons, though our two sons at home were still eating some meat, when we went out to eat, as well as some processed lunch meats.
Life results:
Susannah
From a health standpoint, I lost 25 pounds and have kept it off to this day! My cholesterol (I have a family history of high cholesterol) dropped, and I do not take any
medications. I also suffered from chronic sinus inflammation The biggest change that I noticed and that continues today, is the amount of energy I have. Dan and I started walking and I even started running in 2018. Running was something I never thought I would be able to do. I have continued to run and placed 1 st in my age group at several 5K races. In fact, Dan and I completed a virtual half-marathon in 2021, and a 15K in 2022.
We wanted to learn as much as we could about following a plant-based lifestyle. In 2012 Dan and I went to a Farm 2 Forks presented by Rip Esselstyn and his family. In 2013 we
took the eCornell T. Collin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies Plant-Based Nutrition course. Then in 2014 I traveled to Washington D.C. to attend PCRM’s Food for Life Instructor program. Susannah started her business Eatplantsbewell.com in 2015.
Both Dan and I have been helping our community learn how eating more plants can improve their health. I also appear on our local News 25 Lifestyles show to talk about the benefits of eating plant-based and to make easy recipes to share with viewers.
Dan
From a health standpoint, my weight dropped about 20 pounds within a couple of months and my cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure which were never
problematic did drop significantly as well. More importantly, my migraines disappeared and have never recurred since. Further, the periodic back pain which was present since I had had surgery for two compressed disks back in 1984, was reduced significantly, both in intensity and frequency. I am sure, part of this had to do with the significant reduction in weight, but I
am also certain that the plant-based diet has reduced inflammation in me as well as my perception of pain in general.
Finally, the increase of energy I have felt shortly after beginning this literal life change prompted a greater amount of movement; be that standing, biking, and especially walking which I make sure to do every single day at a minimum of five miles. Currently I weigh 152 pounds, which is what I weighed in high school, and have more daily energy at the age of almost 66 than I did when I was 40. I cannot imagine what the state of my health (or life) would be right now had Susannah and I (and our sons) had not embarked upon this whole food, plant-based journey almost 13 years ago!
Josh and Zach
We knew as parents that our sons faced challenges in a society that sometimes does not accept persons with disabilities. We know the challenges they faced in school and in social situations. As I mentioned before, healthy eating was always important to us as a family and when my sons were born, they were breastfed and when they did begin to eat solid food, I made my own baby food by simply steaming vegetables and pureeing them.
Unfortunately, when they became older, we did go to the fast-food restaurants in town once in a while for that typical and expected food that all the children liked. On those days all my sons would have extra vegetables on their dinner plate, although we found out from our middle son Chris, that the extra vegetables particularly his, often went to our dog Abbie.
Our two sons with disabilities still live with us and eat plant based except on very few occasions when we go to a restaurant, and they may eat a beef burger or a perhaps a pepperoni pizza. More often if there are vegan options, our sons are more likely to order plant-based food as they have plant-based meals at home, every day and have come to believe in the benefits of being plant based. Most importantly, the plant-based meals we eat are varied, look delicious, and taste great.
We initially had to adjust some of the plant-based meals to respond to their sensory needs (tastes, textures, and smells of some of the new plant-based foods) which is part of their disability and was a bit difficult to get them to try foods which they were not used eating. Through slow but systematic introduction of new plant-based foods which looked compelling and tasted similar to a non-plant based they were used to eating, we were able to modify their eating habits to a complete and more healthy plant-based diet.
Over the years they have been eating a plant-based diet their weight has stayed relatively stable and some of the behavioral symptoms related to their disability (anxiety, difficulty in dealing with changes in their routine, hyperactivity) have lessened significantly. This has contributed to their ability to participate in new activities, interact with others more successfully and become more active in their day to day lives (daily walks and riding bikes, hiking) as well as participating in more community-based activities with support staff. While we can’t attribute all of these changes to being plant based, we do fervently believe this diet has been instrumental in the changes we have seen in them.
Conclusion:
Hopefully we have provided some insight about our family’s plant-based journey; how in many ways it is similar to many other family’s journey, yet unique in how we have been able to pass on the lessons and results of being plant based to our sons and for me, to many other individuals and families through the plant-based cooking classes I have taught since 2015. We continue on our journey and look forward to the new destinations we arrive at as carry on along this healthful and exciting whole food, plant-based pathway.
About Susannah: I have always been a teacher. I have a M.Ed. in Early childhood education and have taught young children with and without disabilities. I began teaching at the College level when my sons were little. As a teacher it was a natural transition for me to include nutrition and cooking classes to my repertoire. I have a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and became a licensed Food for Life Instructor in 2014.
You can find out more about my Food for Life nutrition and cooking classes @ https://eatplantsbewell.com, or email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: The information presented is not meant to be medical information. Please talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet.
