Fennec
05-31-2008, 09:31 AM
Hi everyone!
I've been ghosting here for a while.
I'm a 20-year-old female residing in northwestern Michigan (lower peninsula), also known as THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and then I lived in Florida for a couple of months before coming here.
To make a long story short, I was a vegan for two years. This was done cold-turkey, and believe me, it infuriated my mother, lol. She assumed it was just a "phase" but eventually realized that I was serious. Yet unfortunately, I've fallen off the track by returning to SAD. This started last September when my mother, father and I ate at a diner in Georgia; there was literally NOTHING vegan or even vegetarian, nor any way to substitute the dishes. Ever since, I have been suffering from some health problems.
The challenge I now face is where I live. I have been experiencing great difficulty in finding a job, so I rely on whatever is in the house. However, because I live with my boyfriend's family, his grandfather decides what foods are to be bought. Believe me when I say that vegetables are nonexistent in this household. You know those pre-made salad blends? Two bags are bought once a month... and those bags are the only source of vegetables. Otherwise, all of the foods here include pastries, white flour breads, sandwich meats, Tyson chicken products, and fish. I find it rather odd that the grandfather states "tree-hugging hippies" (by that, he means raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians) to be "unhealthy" and yet he is clinically obese, suffers from diabetes, and is in so much pain that he takes the medicinal equivalent to heroin. He once told me that it is apparently a medical miracle to saturate salad with bacon grease...um...okay?
I really don't understand what's with such people. It reminds me of when I was a vegan and a friend of mine (who lives on chocolate donuts and deep-fried foods) said that she eats Monte Carlo sandwiches almost daily. She noted that because she is fine, the claim about the nutritional benefits to being a vegan/vegetarian/raw foodist must be inaccurate.
Anyway, the point is that I want to try to be a raw foodist. This lifestyle has called to me since I was 11 or 12 for the ethical, health, and spiritual reasons. As a vegan, I felt much healthier. I wasn't bloated, breathed easier, had more energy, etc. (And yes, I also want to return to my weight. I'm 125-128, but used to be 110-115. Considering that I'm only 5'3", this is a healthy goal.) Since tomorrow is the start of the next monthly challenge, I figured it'd be the best time to try this out because of the support.
Let's hope I can do this!
I've been ghosting here for a while.
I'm a 20-year-old female residing in northwestern Michigan (lower peninsula), also known as THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and then I lived in Florida for a couple of months before coming here.
To make a long story short, I was a vegan for two years. This was done cold-turkey, and believe me, it infuriated my mother, lol. She assumed it was just a "phase" but eventually realized that I was serious. Yet unfortunately, I've fallen off the track by returning to SAD. This started last September when my mother, father and I ate at a diner in Georgia; there was literally NOTHING vegan or even vegetarian, nor any way to substitute the dishes. Ever since, I have been suffering from some health problems.
The challenge I now face is where I live. I have been experiencing great difficulty in finding a job, so I rely on whatever is in the house. However, because I live with my boyfriend's family, his grandfather decides what foods are to be bought. Believe me when I say that vegetables are nonexistent in this household. You know those pre-made salad blends? Two bags are bought once a month... and those bags are the only source of vegetables. Otherwise, all of the foods here include pastries, white flour breads, sandwich meats, Tyson chicken products, and fish. I find it rather odd that the grandfather states "tree-hugging hippies" (by that, he means raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians) to be "unhealthy" and yet he is clinically obese, suffers from diabetes, and is in so much pain that he takes the medicinal equivalent to heroin. He once told me that it is apparently a medical miracle to saturate salad with bacon grease...um...okay?
I really don't understand what's with such people. It reminds me of when I was a vegan and a friend of mine (who lives on chocolate donuts and deep-fried foods) said that she eats Monte Carlo sandwiches almost daily. She noted that because she is fine, the claim about the nutritional benefits to being a vegan/vegetarian/raw foodist must be inaccurate.
Anyway, the point is that I want to try to be a raw foodist. This lifestyle has called to me since I was 11 or 12 for the ethical, health, and spiritual reasons. As a vegan, I felt much healthier. I wasn't bloated, breathed easier, had more energy, etc. (And yes, I also want to return to my weight. I'm 125-128, but used to be 110-115. Considering that I'm only 5'3", this is a healthy goal.) Since tomorrow is the start of the next monthly challenge, I figured it'd be the best time to try this out because of the support.
Let's hope I can do this!