Last November, I watched a documentary called The Game Changers. It convinced me to try a vegan diet, mainly due to the adverse impact the meat industry has on the environment. I'm not radical, in that I'll share an occasional hamburger with fries with my spouse, but for all practical purposes I'm eating a plant-based diet and enjoying it. I rarely eat the psuedo meat because it is so highly processed but live three blocks from a Burger King and will eat the occasional impossible-burger.
I've had high blood pressure for fifty years. Ten years ago, I had an incident where my heart stopped and I ended up with a stent. I started to eat much better but for the last four years I've had BP in the 145/90 area. Today, after six months of vegan eating, my BP is 121/75 -- and it has been in that area for the last month.
BarbieLee - I still love cows. I'll just not eat them anymore.
Jill
Comments
Please don't blame meat for
Please don't blame meat for your health problems, or for your health getting better.
"We" (American/Canadians/Some Europeans) eat far too much meat than we actually need. That's more likely a problem than blaming beef, pork, or whatever catches your fancy. However, we ARE omnivores. We're sort of built for eating meat when digestible plants are in short supply, and for eating digestible plants when meat is in short supply.
I'd suggest that it isn't being "vegan" that helped (which is a moral/religious stance, btw. I think you mean 'vegetarian', as you're not against meat or animal products) as much as it is that you're truly paying attention to your diet, as well as lifestyle.
I have an old friend who is a vegetarian because her system has a hard time with heavy proteins at all, so she simply can't eat most meats. It doesn't help her be healthier :)
That said, I'm glad you're doing better, so whatever it is, keep it up.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Welcome to the Green Side!
I will somewhat refrain from flooding you with way too much info; just these four:
1) Whatever you do, stay away from dairy. Dairy is a cluster-F$$K of health disasters. https://p.widencdn.net/mwhzyu/Health-Concerns-About-Dairy-Fa...
I think these are the top three plant-based health sites, Each has plenty of free information to get you going, and to keep you going in eating plant based.
a) https://nutritionfacts.org/, Dr Micheal Greger. Many books, including "How Not To Die" and "How Not to Die in a Pandemic". He has hundreds of 3-6 minute searchable health videos. Hearing him speak is a hoot.
b) https://www.pcrm.org/ from Dr Neal Barnard, He has multiple books including on diabetes, and a free 21-day starter's guide at https://kickstart.pcrm.org/en
c) The leading proponent of Whole Foods Plant Based/no oil (WFPB) eating is https://www.drmcdougall.com/. Look over his "Coloring Book".
Those on proper WFPB or vegan diets tend to live healthier, and to live an average of >seven years< longer.
Enjoy, and good health to you!
Kim and I Are Vegan
Because it is immoral to kill sentient animals. Cows, pigs, chickens, etc. are just as smart and loving and deserving to not be tortured as anyone's cat, dog or 2 year old.
We all live in modern countries with plenty of food (malnutrition of too much food in many cases). Eating animals to get enough food or protein or the right vitamins is unnecessary and is proven to be harmful.
Finally, animal agriculture including all the crops used for animal feed in the developed world, causes as much greenhouse gases as all forms of transportation. Be a science denier or a fracking, coal, oil pipeline lover if you need to be, but any unbiased observer can see signs all over the earth of global warming and climate change. If greenhouse gases keep increasing, so much of the physical world will be disrupted that there will be a major extinction event including humans. It's possible billions of people and huge human and natural assets could be lost. Any sensible risk management scheme would be to do everything possible to stop this climate catastrophe asap.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Whatever Works
Jill, it may have been you weren't getting the vitamins and minerals in the amount your body needed to maintain itself. Going to a veg buffet is supplying those which you weren't getting from meat. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a veg diet. Even growing up on a dairy farm we ate a whole lot of greens with each meal. Provided we had anything to eat. I was out in the yard gathering lambs quarter (weeds) for many a meal. A garden was a must so we didn't starve to death.
Every person's body chemistry and needs is different just as no two people are alike. It amazes me why doctors want to make a one size fits all diet intake for everyone. Humans are any thing but intelligent but do they need to prove it?
I love almost all animals, cows, horses, goats, pigs, sheep, cats, dogs, etc. Just as coyotes have a desire for red fresh meat, so do most people. For those who think we shouldn't? Then don't but don't try and make everyone else forgo steak because you can't. (Jill, I know you aren't one of those)
My cooking has gone south the past couple years. Canned meat, sandwich meat, frozen steaks often enough with a side dish of french fries or nuked potato. If I can't have it on my plate in ten minutes after I begin fixing I ain't eating it. When the garden comes off I'll be eating vegetable meals. Now truth in advertising, right. With that corona virus going around I've been deathly sick off on on. I am lucky to have one day out of the week I don't wish God would hand me another ticket home. I've been tested and blood works taken, urine sample, etc. and they don't have any idea? But they told me to monitor myself. Here are my stats I take at eleven AM everyday.. My temp is usually around 96.7 day in day out taken with mercury and digital therm. BP is 98/65 Oxy is 97/66 The last two numbers in those figures are pulse for those who don't know.
I don't believe it was the meat doing you in, hon. Your body wasn't getting the vitamins and minerals it needed. Homeopathy isn't a fix it in a day thing, lucky for you on your own you found the approach to give your body the tools it needed to fix things. Stick around for me sugar. I need you and all the guys and gals on BCTS. Besides all the red paint on everything around here is beginning to fade. I think it needs touching up.
Hugs doll
Barb
Life is a gift. Treasure it.
For those who think dropping a handful of vitamins and pills down the throat everyday. Be careful. There is such a thing as toxic poisoning from too high a dosage. Something that doesn't happen when getting all that from vegetables.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
bad diet
Yup I have one and I don't think I will change it any time soon. Just that lazy and fast food are such a easy thing to do and convenient.
Processed foods if I had the will I would avoid like the plague. However, with being lazy I just don't. Vegan or vegetarian is a good plan for your food but I think the key is that it is not processed like the meat products. Tons of salt are in all of our foods that are processed. if it is fresh then the salt is only there if we add it during cooking.
Processed fast foods are the biggest lie and I think even Wendy's lies on how much of their meat is 100% beef. It is not but close. Straight from the cow is the best whether the meat or the dairy. I grew up on farm milk and prefer it over store bought any day. Homemade cheeses have just so much more to offer and being in Germany for awhile taught me American bread is really cardboard, but again I am lazy with my diet.
As with anything I think moderation is the key. So not eating meat is not really the thing that has helped but eating a lot of non processed foods that a Vegan diet supports. Avoiding gluten IE modern GMO Wheat is another health bomb just like the processed soy burgers that are made to taste so good. If and when I do go vegan or vegetarian I will not refrain from the steak now and than but avoiding wheat or processed foods as much as you can or all together is the key, but as I say again it is not convenient. So eating the impossible burger is not any healthier than a regular whopper. Homemade ground beef from a local butcher with home made oat or potato bread self made cheese/butter and fresh garden fixings is the true impossible burger.
People will sacrifice everything for convenience and not even realize it until they cant ignore it anymore.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Contemplation, yet duty
Death, yet the Force.
Light with dark, I remain Balanced.
Vitamin B12 is required by everyone - no matter what
No matter what you are eating, no matter what you believe, no matter what you think your reserves are -- getting enough vitamin B12 is required by everyone.
The B12 deficiency diseases are nasty, and might not be treatable.
The Vegan Society has been going for 75+ years: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/...
And: https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutriti...
Again, VEGAN is a religion
Again, VEGAN is a religion/moral stance. VEGETARIAN is someone who exclusively eats plants. A Vegan won't even wear leather shoes. A Vegetarian might have eggs, cheese, or milk. The OP is clearly not a vegan.
The various vitamin B's (B6, B12, etc) are essential. Also is vitamin D. I'm on a heavy regimen of D supplements after my doctor did a blood test. Even taking a basic supplement every day, I was still deficient.
As for salt? It's not as much of a boogyman as people make it out to be. Drink enough fluids, and your body takes care of balancing it out unless you have one of the relatively rare diseases that require very careful handling.
Add some potassium chloride to your diet in place of sodium chloride (called 'lite salt'). It'll help with potassium deficiency.
Also, think about some lithium supplements. There's not a lot of hard studies, but enough basic data to show that areas with naturally lithiated water tend to have lower statistics of mental illnesses.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
B - 12
Before changing my diet I spoke to both my cardiologist and my GP. Both recommended a B - 12 supplement which I'm taking.
Thanks.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
B 12?
I be 12 in 1963. I be 69 now.
Love, Andrea Lena
You be silly is what you be
I swear Drea that comment was almost as bad as this one...
I told that genie I wanted to be 17 and now I'm a Flying Fortress.
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
Lady Laika and Mistress Drea
To paraphrase Vonnegut:
2 B 0r not 2 B --- Shakespeare
2 B is 2 B --- JP Sarte
Do B Do B Do --- Sinatra
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
To Do, Is To Be - Sartre
To Do, Is To Be - Sartre
To Be, Is To Do - Socrates
To Be, Or Not To Be - Shakespeare
Do Be, Do Be, Do - Sinatra
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Vegetarian Update
Just got the results of my blood tests.
My numbers are within normal in every way.
This also is a huge positive change.
Maybe the docs will reduce the thirteen pills I now take.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)