Thursday, March 28, 2013

Meatless ... a year later...

Its been over a year now with some changes in my life...

I gave up Diet Coke last March ... still can't believe I did it... & now, when I see anyone drinking soft drinks, I cringe.  I hate I drank so much for so many years knowing what it does to your body.  But at least I stopped.

The other thing, I gave up meat last February.


Here I am a year later...

I've been very happy I made those choices.  I'm just someone who always wasn't a big 'meat' person anyways.

& its not really that hard to do.

Some restaurants make it harder then others, but what I've found is there are plenty of sides on any given menu to fill you up.

Since giving up meat, I will say that my Irritable Bowel Syndrome has 99% disappeared.  I would have bouts of some angry belly going on at the most inconvenient of times.  But since giving up meat, I don't think I've heard my stomach groaning at me in months!

I'll also say that my skin has changed.  I used to fight so badly adult acne.  Seriously - it was worse as an adult then when I was a teenager.  But I notice now that my skin doesn't break out anywhere near the way it used to.

& I know giving up meat is a lot for people - but I found this article in a vet's office & loved it.
It was about healthy eating & the effects of just cutting meat a little out of the American diet.  The difference it can make.




I keep hearing of more people doing "Meatless Monday's" ... & maybe stretch it to 2 or 3 days a week.  It significantly makes a difference.



& I will say, I have had some struggles with how my body feels... I think its mainly because I've always had blood issues... anemia.  My blood has always been low.  They don't know why - I've even had to go to a hematologist & they couldn't find out anything unless I wanted even more extensive testing & research.

Hey - I'm OK with feeling run down & tired - done it my whole life - as long as it's not something obvious - I don't need to be poked & prodded to find out more answers...

But I have felt the effects in my training for the half marathon.  I really feel like that's been the downfall of my time this year.

& believe me, I know if I ate better, it'd probably not be an issue.  If I incorporated more greens, more fruits & veggies (though I do basically eat more fruits & veggies now then I ever did)... but I know my diet is still slacking.

I can tell I'm Vitamin B12 deficient ... I could feel my anemia coming back & researched what a B12 deficiency looked like.  They might as well put my picture up there.  Complete with the white spots on my skin from the lack of vitamin boosting the melanin. & come to find out, you get B12 mainly from animal products.  Great.....

The best way for a vegetarian to get B12 is through dairy & eggs.  I don't drink milk.  I only drink soy or almond milk which holds no B vitamins.  I'm not a big dairy person truthfully.  I like cheese, but don't eat it but probably once or twice a week.  I do eat eggs - but usually just on the weekend. ... so there goes my B12

So recently, I'm dipping my finger back into a new way of eating

(Had to look up how to pronounce it - its like "Pesk-a-tarian"


It incorporating seafood.  Which is great for Omega 3 & good for the heart, if you eat the right seafood.

I think my body is screaming for something... so I'm going to see how it reacts to eating just a little bit of seafood.  Maybe one meal a week.

(Forgot to mention:  Since I had my neuropathy issues before, I can't take Vitamin B supplements... my body just doesn't react well with supplements... that's what they think caused my nerve damage last year...so that's the reason for wanting to eat my vitamins instead of taking a pill... )

I promise you though, I'll never eat anything that walks the earth... no chicken, no cow, no cute little piggy, no turkey - nothing that breaths air .... I can't make myself do it.  It nauseates me to even think about it.

I still will be using my Herbivore cookbook & my eMealz vegetarian plans

So we'll see where this next year takes me... if seafood helps my body... trying to incorporate even MORE veggies.   Its about doing what's good for a body - right?

Are you willing to give up some meat?

What changes have you made in your diet to feel better?

Are you a milk drinker?

10 comments:

  1. Oh girl, I'm so proud of you!!! It's hard to make those changes, but I'm so happy you have been able to make this a healthy part of your lives.

    Did you see that Happy Herbivore has a new cookbook that will be coming out (in May, I think), and it will include exercising tips. It looks like a good one.

    I do eat some fish, mainly salmon and I really like cod too. I have a great salmon recipe too of your interested.

    You always inspire me girl ~~ dawn

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  2. Big congrats on such an incredible accomplishment. I know that it takes lots of discipline to do what you've done...my hat's off to you! Hope you and Ricky have a BLESSED Easter! :))

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  3. I remember your love of the Diet Coke!! Good for you with your meal changes! You're doing great! I have about 1 diet soda every few months and each time I drink it I think "this tastes terrible." Just give me water, please!

    I'm not a huge meat eater, either. I'm that person who orders a salad on the menu that normally comes with chicken and asks them to leave the chicken off the salad. But being married to a meat eater (a guy raised on a hog farm, no less!) it is a challenge.

    I'd be OK going meat free. But not completely vegan. I LOVE dairy, specifically greek yogurt and cheese. I could live off a block of cheddar!!

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  4. Did you know you can get a B12 shot? We gave them for $5 at the pharmacy when I worked there. And it helps a lot! You can also get it in a liquid form at your herb store...place it under your tongue. that's not as affective though.

    My husband always says his irritable bowl syndrome goes away when we do the daniel fast...which cuts out meat. So I have cut way back on the amount of meat, especially red meat that we eat.

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  5. Way to go on making those changes in your life. Very interesting on the IBS, have to mention that to my husband. My daughter who is 32 gave up meat a few years ago because she doesn't want to eat animals. But she is not into veggies either so I don't think she is living a balanced diet :(
    Anyway, I gave up soda about 15 years ago, still eat meat but it's only maybe once a week and red meat only once a month. I drink unsweetened Almond and Coconut milk. I do eat other dairy items.

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  6. If you didn't want the shot, have you heard about the B12 nosespray? My husband has to take that. It is expensive but the company always has coupons that bring the price down to about $20/month. You only use it once a week.

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  7. We only eat meat a few times a week. That way we can afford to eat quality, grass fed/finished beef and free range organic chicken! And good for you!!!!

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  8. We try to eat really healthy and drink lots of water, but I can't see us giving up meat. Or my diet Pepsi, although I have cut wayyyy back. I think I may be the odd girl out. But I think it's great for you and so glad you feel better!

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  9. You go girl!! Try adding in a couple of glasses of freshly juiced carrots along with almonds, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. Add more beans to your diet too. Sounds like you need more protein. I'd stay away from fish. Our waters are so polluted that the fish are not healthy either.

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  10. I think what you say is true of most things we give up. On the front end it feels so hard, like it will be impossible to do, but once you do it you don't miss whatever it was you gave up. Good for you!

    We go heavy on fruit and vegetable here, but I do eat some meat. I also have a tendency toward anemia and more than one dr. has told me to eat a little meat. My sister (who is mostly vegetarian) was recently diagnosed as anemic too and her dr. said she needed to add some meat to her diet.

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