I went to bed an omnivore, and woke up a vegan
There is something wrong with this pyramid. Where are the meat, eggs and milk?
If you follow me on Twitter or have access to me on Facebook, you know that I have been planning to experiment with vegan eating for several weeks. No, I’m not moving to Vegas, I’m completely eliminating animal products from my diet for one week (to start) , and then I’ll re-evaluate and see how feasible it is for me to continue living this way for the rest of my life. Maybe I’m crazy, or maybe I’m onto something. You can ask me which next Sunday.
Why am I doing this?
I have had many people ask why I am making this choice at this stage in my life. I’m not doing it to call attention to world hunger , or to lose weight, or because I am suddenly regretting all the cows, pigs, chickens and fish that I’ve eaten in my lifetime. I am trying it because, frankly, I am too young to feel as crappy as I do lately.
So I kept a food diary for a week to evaluate what I was putting into my body. Lots of caffeine, too much artificial sweetener, and incredible amounts of dairy (if you read food labels, you might be surprised at how many things contain milk products). Top that off with red meat (I like mine rare), pork, chicken, turkey, fish and shellfish. Now, maybe it’s nothing, but I noticed that when I ate certain animal products (like red meat and dairy), my energy levels plummeted and I had more trouble thinking. Then I realized that on morning when I had, say, a banana and some dry, whole grain cereal (no milk), I felt illuminated. I didn’t feel like I was depriving myself anything by eating fruit instead of bacon and eggs, so I figured–why not at least try life on a vegan diet?
Why this is tricky for me:
Apart from the fact that I was raised believing that a meal is not a meal unless it contains a meat, a starch, and a vegetable, I also have a medical concern that impacts my decision to become a vegan. In 2006, when I was 28 weeks pregnant with my daughter, I was diagnosed with Factor V (five) Leiden Thrombophilia. You can visit Wikipedia and read the information, but in the event that you don’t have a thing for reading about the genetics of proteins and how they affect blood clotting, I’ll lay it on the line for you: My blood clots at about 8 times the “normal” rate when I have no other mitigating health factors. When I’m pregnant, which is a hyper-coaguable state for any woman, my blood clots about 100 times faster. I should have known about this condition much earlier in my life. Our family has a long history of women, including my own Mother, who have experienced the hallmarks of this mutation: blood clots, TIAs (mini-strokes), pulmonary embolisms, miscarriage. Women who have this condition should not take birth control pills, and should be monitored and treated with injectable blood thinners during pregnancy.I am very lucky that I made it nearly 3 decades into life before having a single complication.
Why would my Factor V be a consideration when I decided to change to a vegan diet? Vitamin K is a “no no” for people with Factor V, and this particular vitamin comes from…where else? Leafy green vegetables and legumes. This is where I give my Doctor’s disclaimer: I am being monitored closely to be sure that my clotting factors remain optimum while I change my diet. I would never suggest that anyone with Factor V make a dietary change without the involvement of their physician.
There you have it, I went to bed an omnivore and woke up a vegan. I am planning to blog about my experience every day as I discover what this change will mean to me.
Are you a Vegan? Do you really love a juicy steak? Want to know more about Factor V? Find me on here: @AmySwipeRite
I must confess, I’ve never heard of the Factor V condition before, Amy. I hope the experiment goes well. Glad you’re trying it out with eyes open and careful thought…