Family’s Vegan Diet Challenge
This almost sounds so cliche by now, but after watching the documentary “What The Health,” my family went full-blaze mode and changed their diet drastically. They started to question and worry about my 90% protein (meat) and 10% healthy fat such as avocado or veggies such as baby arugula intakes. After my mother’s plea to try to go vegan for one month, I gave in.
Effects Of a Vegan Diet On the Body
Pre-vegan: I was 185 pounds, worked out often, and ate clean six days a week. My immune system had been crappy since I was a child, but I had chickenpox which resulted in shingles at a young age. It was a once or twice-a-year incident for me. Everything in my blood work came out great. I avoided workout supplements due to “natural flavors” and “added sugar” such as maltodextrin or other chemically known names.
One month of vegan: I was 180 pounds and still worked out, but my muscles just felt flat most of the time. My face was no longer puffy, but my girlfriend noticed that my stomach was getting softer. I noticed that most vegan diets allowed them to have complex carbs/whole grain stuff, so I ate them moderately too.
I’ve eaten high-protein veggies such as broccoli, edamame, and potatoes. I’ve also made sure to eat avocado and healthy fats by eating nuts. I avoided eating meat substitutes since the ingredients in the back had so many chemicals stuff in there.
Improved Health After Meat-Driven Diet
Here’s where things went wrong. I’ve had shingles almost once every week, and my immune system was shot even with ginger/lemon/kale, etc., juicing at home. My blood work showed I’d had elevated blood sugar, and though my cholesterol almost remained the same, my HDL was actually lowered.
After one month, I stopped and went back to my meat-driven diet again. I’ve eaten almost strictly carnivore diet, and oh boy! I missed red meat! Back in two months of my meat diet, my doctor said my HDL had been high, and I was back to average. Also, the immune system felt better.
I try turning the table on my mother but still no luck. It’s just so hard to sway someone’s eating habits after they’ve been brainwashed for so long.
