Meat and butter dominated the table in the family Lyla Sloane grew up in. She was therefore dubious when her doctor gently advised she try a plant-based diet to reduce her rising cholesterol.
“I thought I could not give up the foods I loved,” she says. “But at 35 I also wanted to avoid starting medication.”
Lyla made slow changes rather than plunging headfirst. Lentils and beans replaced meat; butter gave way to avocado and olive oil; dairy became nut-based substitute.
She started going back to the kitchen more frequently, learning how to season vegetables like a professional, and experimenting with flavours and new dishes.
Her blood work changed, but what most surprised her was her level of satisfaction—though her cholesterol dropped in three months.
“I honestly didn’t miss meat, although I thought I would,” she says. “I felt lighter and more vivacious. My body seemed to have been waiting for this.
Lyla’s plant-based diet today is a lifestyle she enjoys, not a temporary fix. “It’s not about deprivation,” she notes. “It’s about honouring myself in a way that seems natural.”
