Recently, many friends and family members have taken a keener interest in what I eat, which is why I am writing this post.  I have never asked others to change what they eat at my request, but simply allow me to choose what I ingest.  If they have questions, I answer them.  Sometimes it feels like the answer is long, boring, and even annoying.  Maybe it is also because I don’t always like to talk about why I initially made the switch, even if it has made me happier in the end.  So here I am posting a longer answer for those who are interested. 

 

What started as the realization that I had food intolerances contributing to major health problems turned into a closer look at everything that went on my plate.  If I am a brave blogger like my good friend Maria, I may share the entire, scary “sicko” story a bit later.  In brief, my problem foods, scientifically proven, are: gluten, egg, dairy, eggplant, peaches, pineapples, yeast, brazil nuts, and sugar (true for everyone).  Yikes, you may say, what does she eat?  Homemade vegan-g/f bread and baked goods, salads, vegetarian Indian or Thai dishes, nuts, hummus, kipper, wild salmon, sardines, oatmeal, baked pumpkin, corn taco shells with veggies or fish, salsa, avocadoes, dairy-free chocolate, seaweed, hot sauce, tempeh, French fries, soy or coconut ‘yogurt’, almond milk, falafel, buckwheat crepes, ratatouille, vegan soups, honey, sweet potatoes, rice, Lara bars, fresh fruit, fruit pies, Romanian tapas, stuffed peppers, dahl, and much more.  You get the idea; I can still eat a lot.   

 

Although initially for health reasons, my diet of mainly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans/lentils and tea with a little fish and lots of herbs and spices has other benefits in brief:

 

 

1.     Health: as stated for my food intolerances that gave me a now-ancient-history “chronic disease.”  But now also to avoid many other chronic diseases and cancers or heart disease.  (see China Study or recent articles about a studies on cancer and heart disease; yes, I have read the rebuttals as well and I still think it makes sense)

2.     Environmental Ethics: most of us have been told by now that if the world ate less meat, we would have more trees, less carbon dioxide.  It’s true!  And in fact, much of our deforestation is still due space for livestock or space for the grains that feed the livestock we eat.  See Eating Animals, Meatless Monday groups, etc.

3.     World Hunger: growing or harvesting vegan nourishment is more economical.  If we were to reduce our intake of meat, we could feed more of the world’s poor.

4.     Animal Ethics: or the treatment of animals; I’m not against killing animals for food.  Most of us know about the cruelty animals face, such as chickens not being able to move their entire lives or the way pigs are slaughtered, etc.  Derrida went as far to say that the animal spirit is connected with ours, in a Buddhist way, and that we are grotesque to eat them.  See Eating Animals or many documentary films including Food, Inc..

5.     Feeling Better: although a ‘side effect’, this is the best one!  I have more energy, better skin, clearer mind, less anxiety…the closer I eat to the above mentioned food items.  When I allow myself to slip a little, I am reminded of the better feeling I have normally.  I still don’t mind the slip, though, as will be discussed.  See, for example, Thoreau’s Walden where he describes this impact on his mind when he eats only the above items (which he tried to always do).

6.     The World Economy and my Own Economy: money is always an interesting topic.  People talk about the cost of ‘special foods’ (especially since I also can’t eat gluten)…vegan treats, coconut butter, organic stuff…I try to eat organic when prices are reasonable and always if I am eating meat, eggs, or dairy as a ‘treat’.  Hormones/antibiotics/pesticides/genetic mutation (I’m less concerned about this last one)…they have no place in our bodies and at the least have less nutrition, causing us to eat more, and at worst can make us sick or stupid.  So my point is that in the end, this diet is cheaper than eating meat and much cheaper than eating organic meat.  Meat should be much more expensive than it is.  Government subsidies of ‘bad farming’ makes it cheaper, and less healthy.  It would be more economical for our government to feed its people by education them about eating less meat, which will inevitably happen if it takes its natural economic course.  Farmers don’t often have a choice; it’s sink or swim.  Family farms are at a constant threat of being bought out or reaching bottom where they have to change their practices.  See Food Inc, Eating Animals, The China Project, etc.

7.     YUM: this last reason is that I enjoy my diet.  Actually I had always been one to eat more of the veg and grain and less of the meat, although I did eat a lot more dairy and eggs.  However, this diet has allowed me to explore new types of foods that I love: buckwheat, tempeh, quinoa, coconut butter, rainbow chard, and kale to name a few.  Don’t knock it until you try it.

 

(The fishing industry is also something I am currently struggling with.  This is a helpful website: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx)

 

All these reasons said, it can be difficult sometimes to eat out or eat at a friend’s place for dinner.  I can usually find something I like that won’t harm me, but sometimes it is the reactions that are more difficult.  Some people think I don’t like them if I don’t eat their food. Some people think I don’t appreciate the work they have done to prepare a meal or choose a restaurant.  Some people think I am just being picky and annoying.  Sometimes, it’s also just that I would really like to eat the thing that’s being served or the thing on the menu, but I can’t.  This is where the “Once a Week Cheat” comes in.  None of the factors above are harmed if I can do this once a week.  Like this week, I went out and had some wonderful unpasteurized cheese and organic wine with the girls.  There was no peer pressure, the choice was from within, and I don’t regret it.

 

But I had a bit of a headache the next day…was it the wine (not much) or the cheese?  Or both?  My writing was not very good; I felt a bit sluggish; I thought about how I would have also enjoyed a vegetarian Indian meal or even some wild salmon instead.  The cheese and wine were remarkable though, and the conversation divine.  The atmosphere of this little wine bar was also quite Bohemian, in all the right ways.  There are no regrets about this evening.

 

As long as I can be brave most of the time, it’s ok to indulge a little now and then.  Maybe I should make it once a fortnight, though.  In any case, if I do it more often than that one meal a week, I risk getting sick again – that is the biggest issue for me - and I also contribute to a world problem that I feel really strongly about.  Most people may be able to healthily live their lives and also help the world problems by having meat a few times a week, and that’s fine.  Good luck whatever your choice may be.  I have no judgment on others choices, which is why I don’t run around with vegan t-shirts or make grotesque faces at meat on plates and menus.  All I ask in return is to let me choose my meals peacefully and check out the information if you’re interested.  

 

 

For more information, check out: The China Study, Eating Animals, Food Inc., Eat and Run, Thoreau’s Walden and these links –

 

 

 On Ikaria: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=all

Longevity: http://www.eco-friendly-africa-travel.com/longevity-diet.html

On cancer: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegan-diet-cancer_b_2250052.html

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/cancer.aspx

 

On eating only organic meat: http://www.bulletproofexec.com/steve-jobs-dr-dean-ornish-and-vegetarian-cancer/

 

 

 

Or just look within for YOUR answer.  Bon courage et merci a mon mari pour son aide et confiance toujours.