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Greetings from the Pacific Northwest!
Started
by Immacolata
on December 30, 2012
I've been a vegetarian for much of my life, and 100% vegan for 6 months now. I started out drinking green smoothies and replacing milk in my diet with coconut milk, then eating big giant salads at lunch. Eventually, I went to 100% raw, then back to 50% raw for the winter so I could incorporate more high-calorie plants that don't lend themselves well to raw eating.
I've never felt so good in my life! (Well, before the 26th, when I came down with an Xmas stomach flu - I guess some bugs are stronger than me, even healthy as I am now!) I lost weight which was a concern but being skinny never hurt anyone, and I'm not cadaverous or anything. I try to eat high fat foods like avocados and nuts but have never been a big eater. Still, skinny or not, I feel better than I have felt in years.
I had breast cancer in 2000 and lost all of my hair to chemo. It grew back white. Now, much of the new growth from my hair is coming in darker and darker. My skin tone is enormously improved, eyes very clear and bright. In spite of being skinny.
What is the most striking change is my outlook on life in general - everyone who knows me says that I'm much more upbeat and happy. (I'm thinking damn, was I that bad? LOL) But it's true - I'm much happier now. When I was just a plain old vegetarian, or non-meat-eater, I ate cheese and had cream in coffee, and ate a lot of cakes, pies, candy and bread. I told myself that it was fine since I was having problems keeping weight on, but it wasn't fine. I kept getting sicker, and was walking around in a bad mood all the time.
Now, I feel and look great, and have the added benefit of knowing that I don't contribute to an industry that practices extreme cruelty. It's a win win all round!
Happy New Year!
Oops - didn't mean to write a long run-on paragraph. There were paragraphs, I swear! LOL
Greetings right back to you from the Pacific Northwest (I'm in Oregon). Your story is really inspiring and I'm really happy for you that you've been able to find such happiness in that journey, thank you for sharing. I'm not as vegan as I'd like to be, so hopefully this year will be a new dose of veganism. Happy New Year to you!
Great hearing about your hair growing back darker and darker! Have you heard of Charlotte Gerson? She is a woman who has an organization that battles cancer with nutrition... And through her I heard some amazing stories about people having color return to their hair. Sounds like veganism and raw food gave you that boost! Glad you are feeling so well and energetic!! I have been meat free for 24 years but had gone back and forth between vegan and vegetarian...I can feel such a huge difference as a vegan! When my father had cancer we moved him to a vegan diet and before he began chemo his tumors had shrunk in half! (also five fresh squeezed juices a day). As a result my entire family has turned vegan. My mother no longer has to take pills for blood pressure or cholesterol. My sister had debilitating lyme disease and while it is still really hard, she has been well enough to finish the first draft of her novel.
The difference between vegetarian and vegan in huge! So glad you are enjoying the benefits (as my whole family now has)! It sounds like you are set to have a healthy and happy 2013. Congratulations on your health and new up beat happiness:)
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