I saw a disturbing movie last night – Forks Over Knives. It’s a doc about ... well, eating plants... which I have nothing against. Except that it’s also about not eating animals or their products (ie. eggs and dairy).

It was amazing to watch, this film, which profiled a couple of doctors who, though raised on dairy farms, came to the same conclusion through years of study and experience: a whole food, plant-based diet can save you from a world of hurt... like cancer and heart disease, for a start.

It is disconcerting how easy it should be... just eat plants and whole grains and your health, in most cases, should improve in tangible ways. You should feel better and last longer.

At the same time, it is disconcertingly difficult. Much of what my family now eats would be out of the question. No delicious burgers or gooey cheese pizza... Even chicken and fish are off limits, as well as olive oil. I thought olive oil was supposed to be good for you, right? I can’t even begin to imagine what we would eat for dinner every night – especially since Bill has 3 entrées he will eat as it is.

Also, I spent so much time earlier in my life watching every morsel that went into my mouth that I don’t know if I could go back there. It made me crazy. Literally. Do I want to be crazy again? Not really.

Another think I think about it is that sticking to it religiously would involve trampling on the basic rules of hospitality whenever you go to someone else’s house. I think St. Paul instructed fellow evangelists to eat whatever they were served when they were guests in someone else’s home... Which is basic good manners... unless you are, say, deathly allergic to peanuts and they are serving PBJ’s.

I know that all my “excuses” are pretty stupid, because I’m basically saying, “It’s too inconvenient to prevent cancer and heart disease.” But it really is inconvenient! And I’m already stretched thin... So right now, I'm just going do the best I can to eat more plants, and maybe not so many animals. I can do that. I think.