The long, LONG, LONGER list of VEGAN-CAUSED health ailments, diseases, and deaths..

[freshwest]

144. A few years ago, I went from SAD to lacto veg, but jumped from veg to raw. I never felt better, but

developed some severe health problems. Probably too much enthusiasm.

I do not like vegan food that mimics meat, dairy, etc. When some vegs tell me they want the taste or texture of meat, etc., and come up with all these complex, processed things to eat, I figure they should stop romancing the meat and get it over with. But I say nothing, it's not my place.

I had severe deficiencies that caused kidney and hair problems. But all else seemed fine - but really, it wasn't fine. A number of things happened all at once, not all about diet, and I went back to SAD.

Now I am transitioning off of it, but it's very hard. I also have no support on this issue and am less well than I was when I started. So I will not be as severe in whatever I do.

I don't want to be a lacto veg either, it doesn't agree with me, but I am using a lot of fermented diary right now for probiotics. I just hate the stickiness of dairy in my system.

As far as anyone at any time changing their diet, it's hard. There is a lot of emotional and social memories associated with food. I never tell anyone what to eat, 'preach,' or whatever. Because it's like insulting their family, their lifestyle, etc.

I am going to go back to my detox regiment, which is slightly different than what you suggest in this post here, which I have saved for ideas.

I used raw ginger, raw garlic, grapefruit and red onions, all juiced. It definitely will make one's eyes water when juicing. It is an acquired taste, after a while it's no big deal. It hits the mouth which says 'what are you doing' the first few times, but settles in the stomach very well.

It has to be portioned out because if one takes too much it has too strong a reaction.

For a long time smoothies were breakfast, with pea protein, fruit, vegetables, kelp, kefir, flax seed, whatever. Very satisfying.

Then I went to having nothing but that with homemade almond milk and not kefir and fresh organic apples for breakfast. That was followed by spring greens almost all day long, or at times grated carrots and raisins with kefir, then lemon juice. At times, I'd add in ssliced avocado and fresh lemon juice on the greens. They were satisfying.

Once one's palate is 'cleaned' food tastes better and the body metabolizes well. I drank the aminos produced by soaking chia seeds, raw carrot juice and ate a lot of sprouts and raw almonds. All of this was very energizing. The smell of cooked food after a while made me nauseous and the texture was like cardboard and it seemed tasteless.

In the evenings, dinner was for a time, a free range scrambled egg, then I left that out, and had a very satisfying bowl of brown rice and kidney beans with Indian spices. And lots of spring water all day long.

I didn't take any vitamins at all, which was probably a big mistake. Instead of coffee I had herbal tea, usually without any sweetener, sometimes a bit of raw honey.

I am going to get as far down that road as I can, but not get extreme. I'm not too positive about this, but something has to change with me.

So I know you will catch some flak and you will have some support and some criticism. I have a friend who grew up in the mountains in Mexico just south of the Equator. All the people in his family and village lived to be a hundred or close to it. He told me one time:

We are the architects of our bodies.

That stuck with me for a long time, remembering that we are not helpless.

Every so often I read this quote as well:

Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.

~ Alfred A. Montapert

I go on the side of a person choosing what they will do with their body if they harm no one else by their practices. I do believe in medicine and science, but there are doctors and nutritionists who know the value of fruit, vegetables, salads and avoiding empty foods.

However, I will note that the doctors tell me from my quarterly labs that my diabetes is well under control without any RX, and for a moment I thought that meant I was cured.

I am not they explained. Once your body has gone that path, it appears to me, that one's cells are mutated and one can never say they are cured from Type 2. Only controlled, and always dangerous. People are very complex, every body is also different. So I let [people be and respect them for what they choose to do. It's their choice, after all, and we all have to live with our choices.