A Little Health Update
Even though I’m stepping away from the food blog life doesn’t mean that I’ll stop talking about food completely. No way!!
It’s been a long while since I’ve shared an update about my health and all things food and I figured that today is a perfect time to share a little bit about how things have been going.
If you need a little recap you can check out more about stepping away from veganism and all things food before continuing with this post.
Okay, carrying on!
Since it’s been about 10 months since I started eating animal products again I have really changed my view of veganism, but that’s another story for another time. It was honestly a HUGE adjustment for me to go back to animal products but once I was over that initial hump I must say, a lot of things got better.
Physical Health
Let’s start with the physicality of things. Last year my health was at a very low point. I spent thousands of dollars on doctors and supplements and wasn’t feeling any better… until I dropped all of that and reintroduced animal products. Everything except my digestion got better. Truly! My digestion has been a chronic issue since I was about 5 or 6 years old and over the past 8 ish years I’ve tried all kinds of stuff to improve it. Some things worked and some things didn't. And I wish I could say that my digestion got better too, but it didn’t.
Everything else went away though. I stopped feeling shaky and faint. My blood sugar stabilized. I’m able to eat way less and feel super satiated, which has been a huge plus. I never realized how much of my day revolved around food and to not have to worry about that much has been awesome.
And eating animal products again hasn’t been the only thing helping me. I invested in a sauna blanket and use it regularly, like 4-5 times a week. I notice a huge difference when I’m not using it. I went on 3 trips this summer and I craved a sweat sesh when I got back. Game changer!
I also need to share that dry brushing works! I mean, maybe you guys know that but I’ve had it confirmed and I’m excited about it. I started dry brushing last year and I always questioned if it did anything because I never noticed a real difference with it. Well, I had this little lump behind my ear a few weeks ago. It was there for like a week before I gave dry brushing a shot. The next day it was gone! I was so shocked/happy and now I’m on that dry brushing game daily!
Mental Health
Ooookkkaaayyyy.
This one is a touchy subject I’m sure.
So, last year when this was all going on my mental state was a wreck. I was anxious and paranoid to extreme levels. It was BAD. Prior to getting sick I really thought that my relationship with food was relatively healthy. I grew up with food issues but really worked on them prior to and during my vegan days so I thought I was solid.
This year as I’ve transformed my diet my mindset also began to change and I realized how dang messed up my relationship with food was. Over my 5 years of being vegan I developed food fears surrounding animal products. And when I ate animal products with my meals then I would be stressed about it during and after eating it. I thought about all of the vegan claims of what animal products do to your body and had a mini crisis every singe time.
What really helped me with this was to keep pushing through and listen to doctors and claims on the positive side of eating animal products. Having this happen with fish and eggs really made me think and realize what an issue it is/was so now I’m working through it with small amounts of dairy as well. Which honestly is something I thought I’d never ever ever ever eat again but seeing how veganism made me fear foods I had a change of heart. I struggled throughout my teenage years with fearing foods and I feel like that’s a slippery slope that I don’t want to get myself back on.
This is a journey and I know that it will change and evolve in time. It’s where I’m at right now and even though I’m still struggling with my stomach (more on my next experiment soon) I am in a much better place than I was last year as I shared health related stuff with you guys.
It’s all so crazy to think that what started as a vegan recipe blog has turned something so different. And what this has all taught me is never to judge or force your lifestyle or beliefs on anyone else because you never know what they’re going through or why they make the choices they do. I mean, I knew that back then, but I didn’t fully understand it until last year. I’m grateful for the way things have unfolded because it’s brought me great growth and transformation through uncomfortable experiences.
This is only part of the journey.
And I’m excited to keep sharing.
xx
