That would be question number two that I am almost always asked. Then it’s usually followed up with..
“But vegetarians and vegans are always sick looking!”
Really? I mean, I think that could be said for most people in general. True-there are some vegetarians and/or vegans who don’t get the proper nutrients that they need, and they do end up becoming malnourished..but it is more than likely because they aren’t really focused on the foods they are eating. People like to zero in on the the vegetarians and vegans who are malnourished because it seems to happen so fast. But it can take years for your body to really start kicking your ass because of the horrible junk you’ve been putting into it. So, you say I can’t possibly be healthy? I say call me in 20 years.
The truth is, if you are serious about living a kind life, choosing a plant based diet, then you should have no problem getting most of the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. Some people swear by supplements, that just isn’t me. I don’t feel I should have to supplement much of anything. Nature has this really kick ass way of knowing exactly what you need. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m against them...I just try to get as much as possible from my food.
Another questions I am often asked is how many supplements I take. I take a B12 tablet a few times a week. That’s it. For me personally, if I begin to feel run down or anything, I know I’m not eating the way I should be. If you eat the dark leafy greens, grains, and a rainbow of other fresh, organic produce...you probably shouldn’t have much to worry about!
Ever since I was a little kid, I got sick constantly. No matter what went around, I got it...and I mean I REALLY got it. Even through high school. Since becoming a vegetarian (now vegan), I’ve been sick once. In about a year and a half, I’ve been sick once. That is a miracle for me. And have I mentioned I live in a house with an 8 year old? Last November I came down with tonsillitis. IT SUCKED!!!! My tonsils looked like something not even Stephen King could conjure up. So I did some research and found that certain juices have been known to greatly help or eliminate tonsillitis. So because I don’t have a juicer (you have no idea how much I want one) I went out and purchased a bottle of organic carrot juice...downed half the bottle that evening...woke up the next day feeling amazing and my tonsils looked absolutely fine. Now I’m not saying that the carrot juice worked magic….but I really don’t know how else to explain it! My tonsils were horrible! My mother wasn’t convinced and took me to my doctor, much to my disapproval. I am very lucky to have a doctor who actually cares about my health and my beliefs. He knows that unless it is a life and death situation, don’t try to give me meds. I won’t even take them for a headache. He sat with me for an hour and talked with me about my eating and exercise habits. He then told me something that made me ecstatic. He told me that I seem to know what I am doing (duuuh!), that my body is perfectly healthy and that my body fought off the illness all by itself (which we concluded was stress induced). This was a huge sigh. Now my mother couldn’t get on my case about malnutrition.
I actually started writing this post about a week ago, but quickly became overwhelmed because there is just so much to cover! There are so many myths that people believe and so many facts that people don’t know about. I decided to hit up good ole Google, and just post a link to a site I found that pretty much covers everything on the nutrients category. I kind of feel like this is cheating a bit, but I would have an entire book written by the time I had finished with this post. If you are becoming a vegetarian or vegan, I would recommend hanging with your doctor and figuring out if you are lacking anything to start with. Brush off all of those nasty rumors about veganism causing you to become more sick etc. If anything...for me at least...it has saved me a lot of money in doctors visits!
Be kind to yourself and others. Till next time!
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