Diet Update

In going over my previous posts, I realized the need for an update regarding my diet. The vegetarian journey began on July 12th. Within 2 weeks, I stopped eating even Salmon & eggs. Not long after, I also stopped drinking milk. So, I've been on a vegetarian diet for approximately a month, and a semi-vegetarian diet for about 7 weeks.

Since the diet change on July 12th, I've lost 20 pounds. The only exercise I get is through my day-to-day activities and the occasional manual labor, due to my limited strength. It's very important that I listen to my body, and rest when I need to. But I do try to stay as active as possible.

Back to the diet discussion, I would be a vegan, except I haven't been able to give up broths & cheese altogether. I eat very little of either, but true vegans eat zero animal fats, so in reality I'm just a serious vegetarian. In all honesty I cannot say I will never eat meat again, but I really don't miss it. Occasionally I get a hankering for some good venison, but it's pretty fleeting. If I ever do go back to eating meat, it will likely only be seldom, and only venison or fish I catch myself, from a water source I can trust.

Before all of this, I didn't want to know about our food sources - I felt that it was better not to know. Oh, how wrong I was! Now I want to know the truth about everything! And what I have found has caused me to cease buying ALL meat & fish from the grocery store. It is not my intention to start a debate about our food supply; however, in my opinion, almost everything we eat is tainted in some way. I prefer to just stick with fruits, veggies, & nuts. I want to eat food in the most natural state possible. When I go to the grocery store, I do my best to ensure I have very few items that are "processed" (meaning, in a box, can, jar, carton, or bag). And I am sure to read the ingredients in any processed items I buy. It sounds difficult, but after a little practice, it gets much easier.

The beautiful part about eating a vegetarian diet, is that you can eat all the fruits & veggies you want, without having to count calories. Of course, I have to limit my fruit intake to keep my blood sugar low, but I usually only eat fruit for breakfast. Each week I get something different, so there's always lots of variety in my diet.

I've also continued to eat spelt or kamut bread, homemade by a lady at the local farmer's market. She grinds the grains fresh, and bakes them the day before market. SO delicious! And so healthy. I no longer eat sandwiches, so I only ever eat one piece at a time, and I eat no more than 2 per day. Some days I don't eat any bread.

Also, my hemoglobin levels are finally rising. My last blood test came back at a 10.6! It's supposed to be 12, but it was 8 after I had surgery, so it's really improved.

The only issue I experience is light-headedness if I go too long without eating. Due to my very low sugar intake, I have to eat every 1-2 hours. So I snack all day on all kinds of healthy stuff: organic granola, raw almonds, real almond butter on toast or rice cake, apples, raw broccoli/carrots/cauliflower, apricot kernels (only 7 at a time), etc.

Suppers can consist of a spinach salad, red beans & rice, steamed vegetables, baked vegetables, vegetable soup, stir-fry, veggie spaghetti with spinach noodles, etc.

I'm very eager & excited to see the effects of this diet long-term.