I juiced an entire colander of kale this morning. Because we lost power for a day, *note to self - open your mail sometimes*, I wanted to use up as much stuff as I could before the settling mush made them inedible.
Kale, celery, the last remaining recognizable peach, blueberries, and carrots. The guinea pig and I just saved about $20 in produce from ending up in the trash. (Thanks, Hammy!)
As I sucked down my concoction, I was thinking about how fucking healthy I was being this morning. After all, there's vitamin something in non-specific cancer-fighting amounts in all that stuff. Also, they are probably good for any number of my various health issues. I'm sure of it. I can feel the miracles hard at work in my gut right now. But do I know what combinations of nutrients I took in? Nope. But, it's gonna fix me right up.
But I know better. All I've really done is drink all the food that was going bad in my refrigerator.
I've been vegan for about a year now. Before I went vegan (or plant-based for those of you who will say I cannot be vegan unless I'm doing so solely for ethical reasons. Also, chill out.) I had high cholesterol, autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, depression, anxiety, interstitial cystitis, adenomyosis, vitamin D deficiency and gastritis.
A year after going completely vegan, here's what's changed:
I still have high cholesterol, autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, depression, anxiety, interstitial cystitis, adenomyosis, vitamin D deficiency and gastritis. I now also have a kidney stone. In all fairness, I probably had this kidney stone for a long time, but only found out now. I used to eat candy corn by the warehouse-sized bags. It is no one's fault but my own.
At this point, you may be thinking this is an anti-vegan blog post. It is not. I'm still vegan (ok, plant-based. Shut up.)
But, here's what I've learned:
Going vegan is not a cure-all. It could be for you - but don't bank on it. I found myself watching "Forks Over Knives" and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" as if they were gospel. They are great documentaries. I actually love all the food documentaries. Even if I don't agree with them all 100%, I love watching people on their journey to better health. I love it when they can come off of their blood pressure medication, insulin, etc... It makes me happy :)
But, if you go into veganism thinking it will be the miracle cure for all your ills, you may be disappointed. I was. The more my various health issues caused me pain, the more I had to eliminate certain foods from my diet (as my doctors suggested I do). This created other problems for me, which you can read about in my blog "When Medical Issues Reboot Eating Disorders."
So, I had to chill for a minute and re-think my expectations while measuring them against the big picture.
Here's what else I've noticed:
There has been no progression of my diseases (with the exception of the gastritis/reflux - which required medication I was not taking.) I am not sicker. A lot of my issues are progressive - and by and large, they have not progressed. I believe whole-heartedly that changing the way I eat has benefited me. Cutting down on sugar (which either way is "vegan" unless it has bone char) has been the most beneficial to my health. That was my biggest struggle, and I have made great strides there.
I have lost what seems to be a "permanent" ten pounds. I am at a normal weight, and that's pretty cool and good for my overall health. I attribute this to cutting back on all the sugar I was eating, however, and not the plant-based diet. Just an assumption - don't @ me.
Halting the progression of disease is still a success. If you are like me and expected a complete reversal of all your ills because you've gone plant-based, you might be tempted to say "Fuck it! This shit doesn't work" and head to your nearest McDonalds. I don't blame you. I've been there too.
I'm lazy about food. I don't like to cook and pretty much suck at it. I don't take my vitamins like I'm supposed to. B12 and Vitamin D are imperative to take if you're plant-based or you're going to feel like ass. These are things that probably definitely set me back in my health goals. While I have a love/hate relationship with Cronometer, I have to say it is really useful in monitoring the nutrients you are actually taking in in a day. If you feel like shit, you might want to investigate what you may be missing because I promise you, McDonald's is not gonna fix it.
The point of this rambling "is this pro-vegan or anti-vegan?" blog is to have reasonable expectations or just no expectations at all. Eating more fruits and veggies is usually a good thing. If all you have to eat in the house is animal-based, or eating an animal product makes your life easier for a bit, do that.
A friend told me that veganism isn't about perfection. It's about doing the least amount of harm to the animals, the environment, and of course to you. Processed meats have been linked to various cancers and therefore probably best to avoid if possible.
See your doctor if you've been plant-based for awhile and aren't feeling great, or aren't seeing the results you want. There might be something else going on.
And for god's sake, please don't count on vegan Youtubers to get medical or nutritional advice. They're pretty much all crazy.
But, by all means, please do enjoy my video on how to sneak vegan food into an amusement park that doesn't allow outside food. Be well. Literally. However you have to get there. :)
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