No Longer Vegan

For months I have been contemplating changing my diet; it was not an easy decision to make. For the past 5 or 6 years I have been vegan; originally doing it for health reasons and then staying vegan because I think it's a very healthy lifestyle and it also supports how I feel about factory farming and the mistreatment of animals.

There are several reasons for this decision.

First, I have way too much soy in my diet. From all the reading I have done I have come to the conclusion that soy is not good for you. There are lots of articles on this subject and this is just a sample Dangers of Soy. I have made an effort to avoid soy, but it is an easy protein source and often the only alternative choice on the menu when you dine out. There is a good chance it was adding to my digestion issues.

Second, since educating myself about health and nutrition I have learned a lot about the food industry and what I thought was healthy food. I make an effort to eat local organic foods and learned the difference between factory farmed beef, fish, pork and chickens and free range grass fed animals. When I ride my bicycle around the county I can tell the difference between cows that are kept in a barn or locked in a stall with their tails cut off versus cows that are out in the pasture eating grass and playing. Animals that are actually curious when you ride by. I'm not adding dairy or beef back into my diet, but if I were to it would be grass fed, organic, antibiotic-free beef and dairy or free range chicken.

Third, I recently read a book that took me by surprise. I was at a local bookstore when I looked down and this title caught my attention, "The Vegetarian Myth" by Lierre Keith. She was a 20 year vegan and blamed veganism for health issues and seemed very angry. Of course, I questioned what her diet had been like? You can be a vegan and still eat unhealthy; I mean french fries and Fritos are vegan. How much soy did she eat?

I could relate to her message about sustainability. She pointed out that factory agriculture does just as much damage to the planet as factory animal farms. She gave many examples of top soil being stripped away and once fertile land is now desert. Also, if the animal population is not controlled we would be overrun. She promoted sustainable farming.

So, for basically those reasons I decided to add eggs and fish back to my diet. I still plan to avoid wheat, corn, soy, dairy and most meat. I'll continue to eat mostly organic and vegan recipes, but I will not be able to proclaim myself as a vegan. I'm not a pescatarian or vegetarian; not really sure what I am? Other than a health conscious eater.

So here is an update on my acid reflux.

Since March I have continued to have what I would consider minor bouts of acid reflux. If you will recall, in March I had a Hiatal Hernia issue that caused an acid reflux attack. It had been the first in a number of years.
Anyways, I had an appointment with my naturopath last week and we discussed this. I knew that I had been eating a lot of trigger foods; tomatoes (in season), chocolate and caffeinated teas. She thought a digestive enzyme might help, along with taking DGL again. I started taking the digestive enzyme prior to meals and the DGL between meals, plus gave up the trigger foods and here I am one week later and feeling like my old self. Again, it's all about exercise, eating right and listening to our bodies. Thanks for reading, please leave a comment.