Going Veggie
Slightly over two years ago, I decided to become a vegetarian. I am a die-hard meat fan. I love duck. Ice cream is my life's blood. I never thought I would become a vegetarian, let alone a vegan - someone who does not consume any animal products. But I did, and the entire process taught me about myself and others.
I began to look into vegetarianism when I first met Patrick Combs, now a great friend. Till I met him, I'd never eaten in a vegetarian restaurant before. Patrick looked great and was full of energy.
At this point in my life, I wasn't too happy about how I looked or felt. After nearly ten years of running for high school and college, it'd been years since I was in shape, and my weight was creeping up the scale. Though others never noticed, I did, and for the first time in years, I refused to wear anything but shorts and a tshirt at the beach, let alone a bikini like in days gone by. My stomach decided to start giving me trouble, too, and I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a painful and embarassing gastrointestinal problem. On top of that, I suffered from 18 years of horrific hayfever, and prolonged and painful periods. (sorry guys!)
Looking into vegetarianism to improve my stomach problems seemed like a good idea. I read "Perfect Body" by Roe Gallo first, a gorgeous 50 year old raw foodist who looks about 25. I still wasn't convinced, though I had slowly started to reduce my meat intake, and I looked for another, more research-oriented resource. I found "Fasting and Eating for Health" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.
This book opened my eyes to how food really affects the body, especially overconsumption of protein. In addition, I learned how the meat industry practically perpetuates starvation, since nearly 80% of all grain produced is used to fee beef cattle. Not to mention the exploitation and terrible treatment of the animals we use for food or milk production.
About five months after meeting Patrick, I was a complete vegetarian. I had my first meatless Easter ever. Difficult? No, it really wasn't. Did others understand? No, they really didn't. My reaction? Let's just say I was starting to reap the benefits and loving it! No one, I mean NO ONE, that I have spoken to about vegetarianism, who wants to lose weight, will even try giving up meat. I don't know why. I lost 25 pounds over approximately 5 months, hadn't felt hungry or run-down, and it never came back.
Becoming a vegan was the next step, since I felt eliminating all animal products was right for me to do. I was more worried about this than giving up meat. No ice cream? No cheese? But one day I woke up, and realized, I haven't had any dairy for almost a month! And no coffee or caffeinated soda either. So that was that. Vegan ever since.
Other benefits from my lifestyle change have occurred as well. And it is a lifestyle change - a diet used to mean a way of eating or the foods one eats throughout a life time. Diets in the traditional sense don't work. No wonder the ladies in my office are constantly on them - once they lose the weight, they go off the diet, and yo-yo back to their original (or higher) weight again.
But the benefits: the higher fiber, low acidity of the vegan diet helped my IBS problem (meat can sit in the digestive track for more than 3 days!); eliminating milk probably eliminated my hay fever (no Claritin for two summers now! And my allergies lasted from March - October, cracked peeling nose, runny itchy eyes.); and my menstrual periods have spread further apart (which is better for a woman's health in the long run), and have become pain- and cramp-free.
What did I learn? I learned that some individuals are very open minded and willing to try new things (my vegan tofu pumpkin pie was a hit!), that some will steadfastly stick to erroneous beliefs and will refuse to read or learn anything that might change those beliefs, and that finally, sometimes I need to keep my mouth shut.
Email: artofbeinghuman@yahoo.com