Nurses Going Vegan?
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KetsyBaby
Posts: 40 Member
Hello All,
I am a brand new Vegan, a baby vegan as it were, and I have made this decision based on my current state of poor health, and the fact that I can no longer ignore the benefits of a vegan diet, but also the downfalls of not choosing to change the way I eat and treat my body and the environment.
I am 40 years old, morbidly obese, and my life "was" (as of a week ago) pretty much over. I was gaining weight, chronically overeating, and eating nothing with any nutritional value. I have IBD, sleep apnea, SOB, knee problems, abdominal hernias, a permanent ileostomy, depression, anxiety, PTSD, carpal tunnel in both wrists, and am practically immobile. I haven't left my apartment in 2 months because It is too difficult to get in and out of my car and my belly hits the steering wheel. This is not living, this is waiting to die.
I have tried every diet I know of, had consultation for gastric surgery, and am seeing a Bariatric specialist MD who believes I have ADHD. Because of my bowel disease and the twists and turns of the herniation I have, I CANNOT eat most raw fruits and vegetables. It is hard to be on any diet when you can't eat the "free foods".
I have slowly been considering my relationship to meat, dairy, eggs, and animal products. I saw the documentaries including Super-Size Me, Food Inc., Hungry for Change, and Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead. Then I caught something on the evening news that disturbed me greatly, it was a hidden video of a pig farm where they were handling these small helpless piglets, and without stating what most of you already know, I was sickened. I also always thought that Kosher meat was somehow better, after watching Vegucated, then PETA's "If all slaughterhouses had glass walls", and finally Earthlings. There was simply no way I could ever put any of that crap into my body ever again.
I realize the reason I was eating so much, such mass quantities of garbage food was because my body is craving nutrients that it is not getting. Not only that, all my food was processed and washed down with copious amounts of diet soda and artificially sweetened mix drinks. I was not drinking any water.
Now, I don't smoke, drink, or drug, but I have been addicted to crap (and I now know that it is not entirely my fault). I am lucky in that I have normal blood pressure and no diabetes in my family history, but I am approaching early signs for Type-2 Diabetes. I am not living, and it is time for all that to change. I want the second half of my life to be better than the first. I deserve this.
I am reading tons, and I have been juicing and tracking my intake, cleared out all the crap and filled the cupboards with the most nutrient dense and cleansing foods I can.
I may have to puree or cook some veggies to eat them, but there is so much I can eat it is unbelievable. I am almost a week in and I feel fantastic, I have lost a lot of the swelling in my legs, I am sleeping better, I love the food, love the fresh juice (who knew beets and lemons made for awesome). I feel somehow 'brighter', less hungry, I am eating correct portions, I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner.
This is my choice, no one told me to go VEGAN, but I don't think I could even look at meat, dairy, or eggs again, I am just not interested. To top it all off, I am a nurse, yep, I take care of others and help them find health for a living. I know better, I knew better, and now I will do better.
I'd love to have anyone interested add me as a pal, if you have any of the same hurdles to overcome, if you are a nurse too, if you are a new vegan, if you identify at all with my story.
With a compassionate soul,
Ketsy
I am a brand new Vegan, a baby vegan as it were, and I have made this decision based on my current state of poor health, and the fact that I can no longer ignore the benefits of a vegan diet, but also the downfalls of not choosing to change the way I eat and treat my body and the environment.
I am 40 years old, morbidly obese, and my life "was" (as of a week ago) pretty much over. I was gaining weight, chronically overeating, and eating nothing with any nutritional value. I have IBD, sleep apnea, SOB, knee problems, abdominal hernias, a permanent ileostomy, depression, anxiety, PTSD, carpal tunnel in both wrists, and am practically immobile. I haven't left my apartment in 2 months because It is too difficult to get in and out of my car and my belly hits the steering wheel. This is not living, this is waiting to die.
I have tried every diet I know of, had consultation for gastric surgery, and am seeing a Bariatric specialist MD who believes I have ADHD. Because of my bowel disease and the twists and turns of the herniation I have, I CANNOT eat most raw fruits and vegetables. It is hard to be on any diet when you can't eat the "free foods".
I have slowly been considering my relationship to meat, dairy, eggs, and animal products. I saw the documentaries including Super-Size Me, Food Inc., Hungry for Change, and Sick, Fat, and Nearly Dead. Then I caught something on the evening news that disturbed me greatly, it was a hidden video of a pig farm where they were handling these small helpless piglets, and without stating what most of you already know, I was sickened. I also always thought that Kosher meat was somehow better, after watching Vegucated, then PETA's "If all slaughterhouses had glass walls", and finally Earthlings. There was simply no way I could ever put any of that crap into my body ever again.
I realize the reason I was eating so much, such mass quantities of garbage food was because my body is craving nutrients that it is not getting. Not only that, all my food was processed and washed down with copious amounts of diet soda and artificially sweetened mix drinks. I was not drinking any water.
Now, I don't smoke, drink, or drug, but I have been addicted to crap (and I now know that it is not entirely my fault). I am lucky in that I have normal blood pressure and no diabetes in my family history, but I am approaching early signs for Type-2 Diabetes. I am not living, and it is time for all that to change. I want the second half of my life to be better than the first. I deserve this.
I am reading tons, and I have been juicing and tracking my intake, cleared out all the crap and filled the cupboards with the most nutrient dense and cleansing foods I can.
I may have to puree or cook some veggies to eat them, but there is so much I can eat it is unbelievable. I am almost a week in and I feel fantastic, I have lost a lot of the swelling in my legs, I am sleeping better, I love the food, love the fresh juice (who knew beets and lemons made for awesome). I feel somehow 'brighter', less hungry, I am eating correct portions, I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner.
This is my choice, no one told me to go VEGAN, but I don't think I could even look at meat, dairy, or eggs again, I am just not interested. To top it all off, I am a nurse, yep, I take care of others and help them find health for a living. I know better, I knew better, and now I will do better.
I'd love to have anyone interested add me as a pal, if you have any of the same hurdles to overcome, if you are a nurse too, if you are a new vegan, if you identify at all with my story.
With a compassionate soul,
Ketsy
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You have great clarity and insight and it is inspiring. I hope things are going well for you!0
