May 11

May 11 What Inspired My Lifestyle Choices?

Hi, I’m Liz Moser and I’m a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach.

In my videos and blogs, I often mention that I’m vegan, don’t consume sugar, flour, alcohol, or caffeine, and that I eat 3 healthy meals a day. Although, I’ve never specifically discussed how I came to embrace this lifestyle.

Therefore, I thought it was time to rectify that and briefly review the information I processed to arrive at these lifestyle choices that some may consider extreme.

First off, in April of 2017, I had a birthday, I turned 52, and became curious about aging healthfully and gracefully. Subsequently, I decided to learn more about a vegan lifestyle and read several books:

Proteinaholic Dr. Garth Davis
The Starch Solution John and Mary McDougal
The China Study T. Collin Campbell
How Not to Die Dr. Michael Greger

Dr. Greger also runs a nonprofit website, nutritionfacts.org, where you can find out what the latest science is saying about different foods and lifestyle habits. In interviews, he likes to say that his only agenda is science and research. I like that!

If you’re curious, check out Dr. Greger’s 13 Introductory Videos on his website and one of his most popular videos is: The Role Of Corporate Influence in the Obesity Epidemic

After my research, by May of 2017 I was 100% vegan. I was all in! As I said, I was concerned about aging gracefully and healthfully. I was and still am convinced that a whole food plant-based diet is an important component to not only personal health but also the health of the planet. A bonus, I don’t have the moral decision of whether or not I’m going to spend twice as much or more on ethically raised organic meat. I simply purchase a can of beans for a ¼ of the cost, if that.

OK, I’m now off my vegan soapbox! Ha!

All right, so there I was feeling great and I decided to go a step farther on my quest for health and take a look at my relationship with alcohol. Therefore, in June of 2017, I read This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. (nakedmind.com)

This book is compiled from cutting-edge research on alcohol in the disciplines of psychology and neurology; it also examines the influence that alcohol has on our culture and society. It focuses on the roles of the conscious and unconscious mind in alcohol consumption, suggesting that a person’s unconscious mind has been subjected to a lifetime of conditioning about the benefits of alcohol.

After reading that book, I immediately began limiting my alcohol consumption. I went from a more or less daily wine drinker to consuming one or two glasses a week.

Then in September of 2017 after a summer without animal products and limited alcohol, I was still consuming sugar and flour-based processed foods, and I began to feel a little like a hypocrite. How can I be serious about my health while consuming junk foods?

In that frame of mind, I read Bright Line Eating , by Dr. Susan Pierce Thompson, and I resonated with so much of that book. Particularly, the cutting-edge neuroscience, psychology, and biology just blew me away. The explanation of how processed foods and particularly sugar and flour hijack the brain and create the food craving cycle convinced me I needed to let sugar, flour, and alcohol go.

The multiple books I read but particularly, Dr. Greger’s How Not to Die was my impetus to embrace a vegan lifestyle. This Naked Mind opened my eyes to a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life without alcohol. And Bright Line Eating described in simple terms how processed food alters the brain and creates cravings for more sugar and flour.

Here I am almost 3 years later. I just turned 55 and I don’t drink alcohol eat sugar, flour and I let go of caffeine 5 months ago.

My weight and moods are stable, I sleep better, and have more energy.

Most of my clients want the results that my lifestyle provides without eliminating their favorite foods or drinks. My answer to them is, first and foremost, I’ll support you in whatever a healthier lifestyle looks like to you. My job is to meet my clients where they are at and support them 100%.

That said, to the intrepid few, who choose to give up processed foods and or alcohol, all I have to say to them is they will not only discover new favorite foods and beverages BUT no food or drink tastes better than how they will ultimately feel after they let them go.

I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach, and if you have any questions about this video, or if you have any questions about health and wellness or wellness coaching with me, please reach out to me through my website lizmosercoaching.com.