I’ve always been interested in nutrition.  I always say if I could “do it all over again” I would have become a nutritionist.  I love the idea of what my body does and feels like when I eat certain foods.  However, in my 37 years of life, I’ve never once considered limiting my diet to certain food groups.  I’ve always consumed without thinking.  But consuming what makes me feel happy for a moment has never worked in my favor.  I wrestled for a lot of years feeling sluggish and hitting that afternoon slump, not sleeping well, and aches and pains I was always trying to figure out.  Along with nutrition, I’ve also been interested and passionate about running.  I set a goal this year to “be a runner.”  (Which, when you put on a pair of running shoes and go for a run, you are a runner).  After watching an inspiring documentary on athletes and their diets, I decided to do a little experiment and be a runner and eat only plant based at the same time and see how I would feel.  I noticed a big difference right away.  I was able to power through the hard and recover really fast. The inflammation in my body has subsided.  What I eat plays a powerful key in my mood and how I feel.  I like being in control of what I eat rather than what I eat controlling me.  Being a Sparitarian is the best of all worlds- enjoy life, eat mostly plants and sprinkle in the other things sparingly.