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Thoughts On Food

Our veg box is delivered on Wednesdays.
 So by Tuesday - we always end up with a bit of a concoction...

Last night we made Carrot, Hazelnut & Millet Burgers...

Served with the last of the salad, some leftover pasta, sprouted alfalfa, baked mushroom & a bread roll...

When we first gave up oil & butter - we really were hungry & eating several meals a day.
We decided to include nuts again, especially during the cold weather & we are definitely more satisfied. We're also eating olives occasionally, though not many & aim to stop eventually. 

I don't snack at all any more & don't even crave anything sweet or stodgy - I can look at chocolate & am happy not to eat it, so it must be because of the foods we no longer eat. Sime does still fancy something sweet after meals & continues to eat muesli with nuts & fruit to help with that. Interestingly, I gave up drinking shop bought juices a while ago, but Sime drinks a small glass of either pressed apple or grape juice with breakfast & I wonder whether the early morning sugar hit makes him crave sugar for the rest of the day... Think I'll stick to nettle or fennel tea first thing!  

I am loving feeling well & we're enjoying such good, simple food & have read enough to know that cutting out oil, dairy, spreads & processed foods will have a positive impact on our health. We have seen documented evidence of reversal of heart conditions, auto-immune system disorders, dementia & diabetes in people eating a similar diet, so although compassion for animals is our main motivator - it's great to know that people are recovering from all sorts of illnesses & diseases too.

 I am due to have another blood test to check my thyroid levels in April & I know that the results will come back normal. Even though I wasn't diagnosed with Graves Disease until 2005, it has been suggested that I probably became under active while pregnant with Hugo. My weight ballooned out of the blue (I just thought it was because I became pregnant after quite a gap) & although I was vegan for 8 years, I never really lost the weight I'd put on. That was over 15 years ago & I didn't lose any weight until my thyroid became over active, then once I started the anti thyroid drugs - the weight just piled on again... The biggest issue though since Hugo was born, has been the fatigue - but I just lived with it & hadn't really realised how bad it was until now.
Before Hugo, we were big walkers - the girls were too from very young ages & we would think nothing of going off for the day with our backpacks & walking about 10 to 15 miles on sometimes quite strenuous terrain. After Hugo came along - I became big, clumsy & weak. I sprained my ankle several times & just couldn't do it all any more...

But it seems that all of a sudden, I'm getting fitter & it's really strange. I have spent so long feeling weak, tired & uncomfortable -  I just thought that was it, that's the way life is for me... 
Well, thank goodness - it's not!

I never thought I'd enjoy walking again, or even have the ability to do so.
I feel alive & am so grateful to have found a way to recover at long last. 
Sime is finding it weird that I'm doing things & he's struggling to let me - we've been so used to working the same way for a while that it throws him now that I'm whizzing around & able to do so much more.
How could I have aged 15 years, but feel younger than I can remember?

And before I get off to bed - I just want to say thank you for all the great comments & lovely emails we've been getting lately. It really has surprised me how many people are feeling inspired by what we write about & I'm thrilled to be told that the food posts are encouraging others to think about their diet...

So for those of you who I've promised to share more about the hows & whys of what we're doing... Here is a 40 minute film (made in 2003 - but I think is still very relevant) you may find interesting & it covers some of the reasons of why we become addicted to certain foods...

                                            

Hope those of you who are looking to change your eating habits find it inspiring!

Kay :)


Comments

Kath said…
Fabulous film clip. I was particularly interested in the link between fats and cancer and the 7 rules of weight loss, make good sense.

I shall definitely watch this again. Thankyou for posting.

Interesting that 3 weeks is enough time to adapt to diet changes. I am planning to get the book Food for life by the speaker Neal Barnard.
Glad you found it helpful Kath, so much to see & read out there...

Kay :)
Catherine said…
I'm so glad you are feeling better and able to get out and do the things you enjoy doing like walking. A good walk is always so over looked for a way to stay healthy and strong. So many people think you have to have an expensive gym membership!

Keep up the good work!
xo Catherine
Thanks Catherine & you are right!

Kay :)
Becky Bee said…
Hi Kay. Thanks for posting that film, I found it really interesting. Over the past few months I have become far more aware of what I am eating and how it affects me. Since last December my husband and I became vegetarians , partly because it started to feel wrong eating meat, we weren't enjoying it. We then watched Earthlings and it was like our eyes were opened and there was no going back. We have flirted with veganism and have enjoyed it but slipped back into the trap of eating chocolate and then a splash of milk in coffee when we are out. But we are going to try again, as as the film said, try it for 3 weeks and see what happens.
Thanks again for posting this.
Becky
Hi Becky Bee,

Thanks for your comment - Great that you've changed your diet! I've only managed to watch the trailer of Earthlings which upset me too much... So well done for watching the film, I'm sure that if more folks watched it - there would be more vegans in the world!

You probably know of them already,
Viva are helpful for resources, etc: www.viva.org.uk
And I would recommend reading Caldwell Esselstyne's book for the health aspects of a vegan diet. Check out Happy Herbivore in our blog list, she's good if you need an inspiration boost.

I used to be a mentor for the vegan society, if you need any advice just drop me a line. Recipes, where to buy something or just a few words of encouragement - I'm here!

Good luck on going all the way!

Kay :)

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