I’ve slowly been re-reading “Unlimited Power” by Anthony Robbins. I last read it over two decades ago, and my copy, complete with underscoring and notes, survived my minimalist purges in which I recycled most of my hardcopy books. I typically read “Unlimited Power” at night when I eschew the sleep disturbing blue light of my Kindle.
In the chapter, “Energy: The Fuel of Excellence” Robbins makes the case against consuming animal products. I already was a vegetarian when I first read the book, but this chapter influenced me to minimize dairy. Robbins writes milk “becomes a clogging, mucus-forming mass that hardens and clogs and sticks to everything inside the small intestine, making the body’s job that much more difficult.” Cheese? “It’s just concentrated milk.”
I recall the day I gave up cheese and milk around the time I read “Unlimited Power”. My family and I went to lunch at Las Brisas, a cliffside Mexican restaurant in Laguna Beach. We sat at a table on the patio overlooking Main Beach and the Pacific. I ordered a quesadilla. The waiter delivered it oozing with cheese, smothered in grease, and seeping buttery fat. With Robbins’ book fresh in my mind, I became more and more repulsed as I masticated the gooey slime and gulped it down. I finished the dish, but afterward, as the meal churned in my stomach, I decided I was done with cheese. I hadn’t been drinking much milk, anyway, so I decided I was done with that, too.
For several years I did not eat cheese, drink milk, eat dairy ice cream, eat eggs or consume dairy toppings. I only consumed animal products if they were already mixed into something and unidentifiable such as a in pancake mix or cookie batter. Eventually, though, I started eating eggs, again, from time to time and cheese here and there, too.
Then, a few years ago, after reading “The Whole Foods Diet” by John Mackey I circled back and went one hundred percent vegan. I was running a lot at the time. Between running and the vegan diet, I lost about thirty pounds. People were concerned, and it turned out they were correct to be concerned. After about a year of veganism, I experienced health issues like I never had before. It was a scary time visiting with various medical professionals, subjecting myself to all kinds of tests, poking, and prodding and getting no answers. At wits end, I experimented by incorporating moderate amounts of animal protein back into my diet and cutting back on some whole foods like unprocessed nuts and raw fruits and vegetables. I began to feel better.
And here I am now, re-reading Tony Robbins’ warnings about animal-based food products. Upon reflection of my current eating habits, I probably have become too loose on dairy. I have become rather unconscious about adding creamy dairy spreads and dressings and cheese to sandwiches and salads. It’s over the top if I’ve done that for lunch and then have something cheesy for dinner such as pizza.
Accordingly, I have started to go vegan at least one day a week. I am doing that as reminder to be cognizant of my use of animal food products. The goal is not to be vegan one day a week and then stuff myself with dairy and eggs the other six days. Nor is the goal to become vegan, again. The goal is to raise my level of consciousness and to keep my consumption of animal food products in check.
We’ll see how it goes!
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present
Relevant Links
In Sickness, Health & Happiness!
Unlimited Power, by Anthony Robbins
The Whole Foods Diet, by John Mackey
Las Brisas, Laguna Beach, California