On January 1, 2011 I gave up meat, dairy, gluten, processed foods, processed sugars and miscellaneous foods that I have tested allergic to. Most of my food is raw...uncooked.
I have studied the masters....
Dr. T. Colin Campbell
Dr. Esselstyn
Rip Esselstyn
Kris Carr
Dr. Barnard
Brendan Brazier
Well this is the state of my vegan lifestyle 5 months in....
It is not one that should be chosen lightly. Vegan eating excludes most social outings. I went to a potluck dinner last week and I could not even eat the vegetables because there was bacon in one and cream in the other....the deserts and side dishes had wheat and dairy. I ate my fruit salad.
I work 100 times harder to eat. I do my own grocery shopping. I prepare my own meals and I eat alone. I always eat alone.
I explain my choices to people. I know enough now about the diseases caused by most normal diets to worry about the people I love and the way they eat.
It is worth it. I am worth it.
I am tired sometimes. To be honest, more than when I ate meat, wheat and dairy. I need to work on that. I don't have the energy I had before and I have been sick a lot. I may have been even sicker if I had not been eating as healthy as I am.
I started juicing. I drink smoothies for 2 meals. I make protein bars. I have maintained the carb/protein/fat combination and right times and portions. I eat whole/raw foods.
I have lost weight and expect that weight won't ever be a problem again. I learned more about nutrition than I even knew there was to know.
I had my blood tested. My allergies are down. My c-reactive protein is back to normal. My liver is healthy. I have become healthy by changing my lifestyle.
So why am I not feeling full of life and energy? I am not sure.
The supplements I take....
vit d (that was low in my blood test)
probiotics...critical care
vegan multi vitamin
enzymes
holy basil
the only prescriptions I take....bio identical hormones
vicodin for migraines
I still get migraines...either induced by physical or emotional stress. Yep, a really good work out or a stressful week...right as I start to settle down to relax...my eyes start seeing sparklies...and thank goodness for vicodin. I know I hit my 10 when I get a migraine.
I drink FRS...I have since my husband had cancer. He would not drink it...so I did and I like the energy...now I like the vit B12.
I have not taken an antibiotic in 2 years. I haven't taken a sleeping pill in 2 years.
I made a decision at the beginning of this year to take responsibility for my health. I am eating and moving to facilitate a healthy body. I am not having any medical tests done unless I am absolutely positive that the tests are for my welfare and not to cover the behind of a doctor afraid of a lawsuit. I even thought of not paying for health insurance. My health insurance has become outrageous since my husband had cancer. You can't be without it though. For one thing my insurance company has negotiated down all the medical fees and I would be paying 2-10 times more without their rate deduction. I also can't bear the thought of Gary not being cured if we didn't have insurance. I even thought about getting a part time job that offers benefits....but I can make more in 2 hours of one day than I can make in 40 hours of a part time job. So, I am just working harder.
I have no stomach problems. I can't wait to see how much time I cut out at the next marathon by not having to stop at every single port a potty and wait in line. This improvement came within 24 hours of eating a plant based diet. I am vegan because I am finally living a normal life. I can get up and go any time I want to. I am not chained to the bathroom. (I know...more information than your required)...if it helps you answer a problem...you should know.
The funny thing...or not so funny, is that a Dr. told me all this in 2006. I didn't trust her because she was goofy on hormones. She wanted me to rub hormone cream into any fatty part of my body .......are you ready for this?.....16 times a day...like I wanted to spend the whole day thinking about my hormones. She was also convinced that my headaches were caused by hormones. Since she didn't know what she was talking about in hormones...I discounted what she said about diet and my gi situation. She was right on target.
In my ministry class the thing that they taught us was not to tell people how to solve their problem...but to work through processes so that they could solve their own in their own time. This is very apparent in my lesson with this Dr. I had the information...I knew in my heart that it was the right thing to do....but it took 5 years until I brought myself to the point where I wanted to make the radical changes that were necessary to live a healthy life. I didn't really think about it too hard. I spent a few days getting my 2 week menu ready...and then I didn't prepare all the meals...because that is not who I am. I don't like spending all day on my food and it already seems like I am shopping, mixing, munching, processing and eating...all day long.
Vegan/raw is not an easy way to live. It is not popular and is often heckled. It is also kind of cool...and smart. I am not embarrassed about eating this way. Funny, my ministry leader wanted to be able to feed me something. He went all those weeks with cheese puffs, cookies, candy and even lasagne and chicken...he never had anything for me to eat. Tonight I met with him and he was so happy...he had gluten free crackers in his desk and he wanted to be able to feed me something...lol...I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't eating processed foods either. I ate a cracker tonight to make him happy: ) (People are lovely aren't they?!) He calls me an earth mama....lol....that is pretty funny.
There is a new movie out..."Forks over Knives"...meaning eat correctly and you can skip surgical remedies. I am going to drive to KC to see it. I am a cool vegan foodie with my FOK t shirt. The only t shirt I ever purchased besides my transformation t shirt.
How do I feel about meat? I ate fake meat and almost threw it up. YUCK. I also ate meat once....this year. It was when I went to visit my parents. My dad was recovering from a stroke and trying to remember the steps to make his chicken. He was so proud of his production that I ate it for him. I am not sorry...but I am not in a hurry to do that again, ever. I ate a scone on the weekend at my granddaughter's BFF tea party....her mom was so proud of her authentic British tea party that I ate it for the fun....it wasn't fun the next day: )
I have a new lifestyle. I eat and I drink and it is all doing something good to nourish my body. I have fun with my family in other ways than to eat. I love my new lifestyle. But if you see me sharing my recipes and new found info and reasons...I am not trying to push anyone into it. This is not something to enter into lightly. It is a major commitment...and it is sooo worth it.
I have studied the masters....
Dr. T. Colin Campbell
Dr. Esselstyn
Rip Esselstyn
Kris Carr
Dr. Barnard
Brendan Brazier
Well this is the state of my vegan lifestyle 5 months in....
It is not one that should be chosen lightly. Vegan eating excludes most social outings. I went to a potluck dinner last week and I could not even eat the vegetables because there was bacon in one and cream in the other....the deserts and side dishes had wheat and dairy. I ate my fruit salad.
I work 100 times harder to eat. I do my own grocery shopping. I prepare my own meals and I eat alone. I always eat alone.
I explain my choices to people. I know enough now about the diseases caused by most normal diets to worry about the people I love and the way they eat.
It is worth it. I am worth it.
I am tired sometimes. To be honest, more than when I ate meat, wheat and dairy. I need to work on that. I don't have the energy I had before and I have been sick a lot. I may have been even sicker if I had not been eating as healthy as I am.
I started juicing. I drink smoothies for 2 meals. I make protein bars. I have maintained the carb/protein/fat combination and right times and portions. I eat whole/raw foods.
I have lost weight and expect that weight won't ever be a problem again. I learned more about nutrition than I even knew there was to know.
I had my blood tested. My allergies are down. My c-reactive protein is back to normal. My liver is healthy. I have become healthy by changing my lifestyle.
So why am I not feeling full of life and energy? I am not sure.
The supplements I take....
vit d (that was low in my blood test)
probiotics...critical care
vegan multi vitamin
enzymes
holy basil
the only prescriptions I take....bio identical hormones
vicodin for migraines
I still get migraines...either induced by physical or emotional stress. Yep, a really good work out or a stressful week...right as I start to settle down to relax...my eyes start seeing sparklies...and thank goodness for vicodin. I know I hit my 10 when I get a migraine.
I drink FRS...I have since my husband had cancer. He would not drink it...so I did and I like the energy...now I like the vit B12.
I have not taken an antibiotic in 2 years. I haven't taken a sleeping pill in 2 years.
I made a decision at the beginning of this year to take responsibility for my health. I am eating and moving to facilitate a healthy body. I am not having any medical tests done unless I am absolutely positive that the tests are for my welfare and not to cover the behind of a doctor afraid of a lawsuit. I even thought of not paying for health insurance. My health insurance has become outrageous since my husband had cancer. You can't be without it though. For one thing my insurance company has negotiated down all the medical fees and I would be paying 2-10 times more without their rate deduction. I also can't bear the thought of Gary not being cured if we didn't have insurance. I even thought about getting a part time job that offers benefits....but I can make more in 2 hours of one day than I can make in 40 hours of a part time job. So, I am just working harder.
I have no stomach problems. I can't wait to see how much time I cut out at the next marathon by not having to stop at every single port a potty and wait in line. This improvement came within 24 hours of eating a plant based diet. I am vegan because I am finally living a normal life. I can get up and go any time I want to. I am not chained to the bathroom. (I know...more information than your required)...if it helps you answer a problem...you should know.
The funny thing...or not so funny, is that a Dr. told me all this in 2006. I didn't trust her because she was goofy on hormones. She wanted me to rub hormone cream into any fatty part of my body .......are you ready for this?.....16 times a day...like I wanted to spend the whole day thinking about my hormones. She was also convinced that my headaches were caused by hormones. Since she didn't know what she was talking about in hormones...I discounted what she said about diet and my gi situation. She was right on target.
In my ministry class the thing that they taught us was not to tell people how to solve their problem...but to work through processes so that they could solve their own in their own time. This is very apparent in my lesson with this Dr. I had the information...I knew in my heart that it was the right thing to do....but it took 5 years until I brought myself to the point where I wanted to make the radical changes that were necessary to live a healthy life. I didn't really think about it too hard. I spent a few days getting my 2 week menu ready...and then I didn't prepare all the meals...because that is not who I am. I don't like spending all day on my food and it already seems like I am shopping, mixing, munching, processing and eating...all day long.
Vegan/raw is not an easy way to live. It is not popular and is often heckled. It is also kind of cool...and smart. I am not embarrassed about eating this way. Funny, my ministry leader wanted to be able to feed me something. He went all those weeks with cheese puffs, cookies, candy and even lasagne and chicken...he never had anything for me to eat. Tonight I met with him and he was so happy...he had gluten free crackers in his desk and he wanted to be able to feed me something...lol...I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't eating processed foods either. I ate a cracker tonight to make him happy: ) (People are lovely aren't they?!) He calls me an earth mama....lol....that is pretty funny.
There is a new movie out..."Forks over Knives"...meaning eat correctly and you can skip surgical remedies. I am going to drive to KC to see it. I am a cool vegan foodie with my FOK t shirt. The only t shirt I ever purchased besides my transformation t shirt.
How do I feel about meat? I ate fake meat and almost threw it up. YUCK. I also ate meat once....this year. It was when I went to visit my parents. My dad was recovering from a stroke and trying to remember the steps to make his chicken. He was so proud of his production that I ate it for him. I am not sorry...but I am not in a hurry to do that again, ever. I ate a scone on the weekend at my granddaughter's BFF tea party....her mom was so proud of her authentic British tea party that I ate it for the fun....it wasn't fun the next day: )
I have a new lifestyle. I eat and I drink and it is all doing something good to nourish my body. I have fun with my family in other ways than to eat. I love my new lifestyle. But if you see me sharing my recipes and new found info and reasons...I am not trying to push anyone into it. This is not something to enter into lightly. It is a major commitment...and it is sooo worth it.
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Thank you for commenting on my blog. I appreciate the time you took to read it and to offer your remarks. ~Cathy