I have to laugh whenever I
tell someone that I’ve changed my eating habits to vegetarian. So many seem to
say the same thing and I don’t blame them. I was always skeptical of vegan and
vegetarian menus, too. So it’s fun to see myself in them and have a laugh at
their reactions.
Food is a comfort for me,
sometimes, I admit. In the past, whenever I have been really stressed out I wouldn’t
eat for half the day, then I would become suddenly famished and eat whatever I could find or go get fast food because it’s quick and filling. Or sometimes I would
just eat because I was bored.
When your body craves junk,
it’s a huge sign that you are not eating well and probably should change your
habits. And sometimes those habits are not easy because of things such as:
-being addicted to something
such as caffeine
-becoming used to specific
foods and the feeling they give us (and thus feeling a sort of “craving” for
them)
-we have grown up with
certain ways of eating and schedules, such as “cleaning your plate” or only
having 3 meals per day or not wasting anything you have taken
-we have been conditioned by
marketing or misinformation that we should eat certain foods, that they are
good for us, and that we can’t get certain nutrition any other way
-loving a particular food so
much that we cannot give it up, even though it is unhealthy for us.
The list goes on, of course,
but these are just a few things to think about.
Going vegetarian/vegan wasn’t
an easy decision. Lee and I have been on a downward spiral for some time over
the years; eating out a lot, snacking late at night, eating seconds, taking
bigger portions than we need, eating in front of the TV - many bad decisions
regarding food. Our bodies have already started to repel some of those things
naturally; we have become lactose intolerant and can’t eat ice cream or any
milk products much any more. But this wasn’t enough.
Last year we participated in
a health clinic at Lee’s work. Both he and I had some eye-opening news.
Lee’s blood pressure was
high and
My blood work came back with
mixed results. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my liver count was good
and that a couple other things were great for someone my age. But I was at-risk
for diabetes, my blood pressure was climbing, although not alarming yet, and a
few other numbers had me worried that I needed to change.
As I have begun to study
health and find out information on what really makes our bodies tick, I have
had to re-learn things and change my view. Without an accepting attitude and a
willingness to change, I have started to understand, I will die an early and
uncomfortable death. Heart disease scares me as much as cancer does, and if
there is something I can do to prevent it, I am now ready to say that I am
willing to do it.
Yes, I love bacon. Meat is
great and has a great place in my diet. But it is also not a necessity to my diet and I could keep
eating what I want and loving the food and the way it tastes so good but that
was not going to change how my body felt like it was falling apart from the
inside out. In fact, as I have found out, it is actually contributing to my decline in health and increase in pain.
The other choice was to
change my diet to something healthy (although it sounded boring at first),
start exercising to keep my muscles and joints in shape (and I am not a big fan
of working out) and change some lazy habits that were only making things worse.
 |
| Lee and our little grandson Haden. |
And then something else
happened: we became grandparents. We have a sweet little 7 month old
grandson and another one due next month. When I look into that beautiful face
and eyes, I realize that although I may be “old” enough to be a grandma, I
wasn’t old enough to be feeling so ill and immobile because of my poor choices.
I am 49 and feel like I’m 89! That’s just not right.
So when some people laugh
about my change in eating, I just smile on the outside because I understand. I
thought it was crazy, too. But I cry a little on the inside because I know that
a few of them don’t understand that this could save them. There is a
possibility that they could stop taking pills for high blood pressure or other
illnesses simply by giving up a few items of food that they think are so
essential!
I would much rather enjoy my
grandchildren than eat a piece of bacon. After all, I gave up a scar-free, slim
body and went through hours and months of pain and discomfort to get my
children here, would I not give up a few things for my grandchildren as well?
So when I say I am vegan, I
am not saying that I am simply “giving up meat,” but I am saying I love my
family enough to give up a few things in order to live more fully for them.
And if you are following this
blog for the same or similar reasons, I am here to help and encourage you. Let’s
get healthy together!
Hugs and cheers!
Denise
Post note: I tried the
Coconut Key Lime Pie and it is sooooooo good! Expensive to make, but so worth
it! I used a regular almond crust instead of the dates and lime one, but it was
very decadent and delicious. Even my teenage boys loved it!
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