Okay, first like to say thanks to Casey and Jenny for egging me on... I may had backed down from posting this, but like I said I wanted to share some positive changes, and maybe it can spark some interesting conversation at the same time! just a warning, though- I am very deep into the subject, so expect this to be a long post.
being a vegetarian was appealing to me when I was as young as 11 years old, but my attempts failed, cause my parents and I did not know how to do it "right".
Fast forward years ahead of time to about five months ago. With the help of my new found health thanks to Heather and her diet, I came out of my 'dormant' stage that I had been in and started to develop back into being my own person. I felt like I was evolving into a better, and definately more mature person.
First, the health reasons made me consider being a strict vegetarian (to eat a vegan diet). poultry I did not feel like could be trusted. I could just taste the butter and junk in it, even if I specifically said "NO dairy" to the waiter. I started to enjoy cooking with tofu and such in stirfrys. I also recently had a bout of D at a BBQ, and marinated chicken was calculated into the mix.
So, flesh wise, I was only left with fish. The only fish I ever eat is raw and in sushi. Awhile ago I tried veggie sushi for the first time, and have only wanted that whenever I go back. It shocked me that I enjoy it more, but I do.
I also had what I call an "enlightnement" of sorts a couple of weeks ago, and now feel tolerant to all forms of life and just feel that it is wrong to kill another lving animal. I feel that by eating a chicken, I am killing it, even though I am not physically doing it. The day this all went down is kinda comical, in a way. i was off work for the day, and found a millipede clung to the ceiling of my apartment. I was about to hose him down with Raid, when I thought to myself, "What makes my life on earth any more important than his?". I lived in harmony with the bug the rest of the day, and he didn't wind up landing on my bed or in my dinner. Since then, I have been rescuing spiders from my shower, and sparing the lives of flies, beetles, etc that I come in contact with at work, home, or in my truck.
I felt that since I was humble enough to not kill the littlest bugs, that I really needed to weed all of the possible animal products from my life. If I do not deem dead cow worthy to put in my stomach, why do I wrap my feet in it's skin?
I have not intention of doing this overnight, but every step in the right direction helps. Compassion starts with making the right decisions, not trashing anything that you have previously owned that may be a byproduct of cruelty.
i also plan to stop using personal care products that are tested on animals. It may take alittle work, but definately doesn't seem as hard as I thought it might be.
it just seems right for me, and alot of it clicks right. Like, how it kind of seems absurd they way we consume animals the way we do. Why do we as grown adults drink the milk that was made to raise a baby calf? It just seems like it is against nature, even though the majority of people probably think that those of us that only eat vegetation are going against nature.
Another benefit- even though I was bracing myself for the worse with my gut changing to this style of eating, it has been getting BETTER. I am not saying this is the answer for every IBSer, but I am finally regular and COMPLETE, which has not happened. i think the extra insolubles have helped in that area, maybe? I am an A, but usually call myself a D, cause that is the end I most identify with and have dealt with mostly. I did not want to tamper with myself, since I was finally regular once a day, even though it didn;t seem like I was passing enough waste. This seems like the missing piece of the puzzle.
I definately suggest that someone has been stable for awhile before trying to make the switch if they are interested, though.
I have alot more thoughts on this, but I didn't want to overwhelm anyones minds.
If you have made it this far, thanks for listening! I am also open to field any questions anyone may have.
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-Sheri
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