I Didn’t Want a Plant-Based Diet to Work

When I was working on my MPH at Johns Hopkins, I heard it all:

• The environmental cost of raising animals for food (not great)

• The treatment of animals, even on small, sustainable farms (better, but still not great)

• The impact on human health (yeah, yeah, I’d heard it all before)

I watched the documentaries. I read the research. But deep down? I didn’t want to give up bacon.

So I justified it.

We ate “better” animals. Bought eggs from local farmers. Our health was “fine.”

At least, that’s what I told myself.

The Plant-Based Diet Experiment We Didn’t Expect to Work

Last year, we decided to try something different: eat vegetarian for a few months.

Just an experiment. Honestly, I thought it would feel restrictive. But it didn’t. Taking meat out of the equation wasn’t nearly as big a deal as I thought it would be.

We still ate dairy and eggs, so it felt doable. We didn’t miss much.

But then in January of this year, I decided to go a step further:

➡️ Cut out all animal products at home.

➡️ Eat a fully plant-based diet for a stretch.

Eric was game to try, too—even though he had been told for years that his stubbornly high cholesterol was genetic and that he’d eventually need medication.

The Results We Couldn’t Ignore

Within just a couple months, the numbers spoke for themselves:

• Eric’s total cholesterol, which had been hovering in the 250s despite years of effort, dropped well into the normal range.

• My lipoprotein(a), considered an inherited marker, fell by more than half.

• I had more energy, my running took off, and even my skin cleared.

  
  

We had heard the research—but now we were living it.

• Studies show plant-based diets can reduce cardiovascular risk factors, including LDL cholesterol.

• Harvard research links plant-based eating to lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

• Even environmental research shows shifting toward plant-based diets could significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions.

  
  

How Our Choices Keep Evolving

Here’s the surprising part: the more we’ve continued down this path, the less we’ve wanted to go back.

When we travel, we still indulge sometimes—but even that has shifted. We now find ourselves actively seeking out plant-based restaurants or ordering naturally plant-forward cuisines like Mediterranean, Indian, Thai, or Ethiopian. And honestly? They’ve become some of our favorite meals.

The cravings for meat keep fading. That said, doner still reigns supreme in our house. (But leave it to Eric—he’s been experimenting with plant-based doner recipes at home, and they’re so good we may not even miss the original.)

A Realistic Takeaway

Let’s be clear: we’re not here to convince anyone to go fully plant-based. That’s not our message.

But we are saying this: almost all of us could benefit from eating fewer animal products. And our story shows that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

Incremental changes add up, and the more you lean into them, the more your body (and your bloodwork) will reward you.

At the end of the day, food is medicine. And you don’t have to do it perfectly to feel the difference.