Vegan or Not To Vegan, A Health Journey Question
It’s interesting the journey we go on with food. From what we enjoy as an adult over time, to what we feel would serve us best to aid in overall health, we make choices all the time, and come to new eating revolutions in our cycles. One of the things that was a great learning opportunity for me was being a vegan for several years. It was presented to me as a way to heal when I was dealing with a second autoimmune condition and at my wits end. It truly did help for some time. And I love that I went on that journey. It ended in 2023, although even before that, a year or two of eating a bit of meat after my periods and when I craved it was allowed on my mostly vegan journey.
And having so little meat also did some things to my detriment health wise, namely in the dental department. While I don’t dismiss the vegan or vegetarian journey at all, as I know people who are very healthy that this can work for, I do know that as much as I tried to make it work it seemed to not be the best solution for me. For the short term though, it did give my body so many benefits.
And here’s something else. We conveniently dismiss things that don’t fit into our narrative. I do this, you do this, we all do this. And it’s not really a bad thing. We all have to filter to sort out our world. This is how we make sense of it, and create and reaffirm our beliefs which give us a sense of security. And so while the Eating for Your Blood Type had said that I needed to eat meat, I dismissed this as part of an old paradigm. Now I believe there must be some truth to it.
Why was this easy to dismiss? I felt very energized while being on a vegan diet, and also felt very positive-minded. It was easy for me to notice these benefits, and recognize I was healing on some level. Over the long term though, as I would go back into the dentist, I kept getting cavities. For someone who has an extremely low sugar diet, and brushes and flosses daily, this was crazy and made me cringe! How could this be happening with such care I thought?!
When your health is in jeopardy and you have faced health issues for years and done so much to heal… diving into all the research, following all the dietary protocols, doing sessions with all your alternative healers, spending all of your money on trying to get well again… for years and years. This was my life. Trying to get my health back consumed my life. I know you may have also gone through this or know a loved one who has.
I have to admit, I kind of lost my sense of humor in this time. It happens. Most of us do when in the midst of a health crisis. It’s not funny obviously. And when I found something that worked for me, I clung onto it because I finally was getting better. This was after Western medicine failed me, but I had already been studying Chinese Medicine and knew Holistic Health would bring me back into balance. And it did. I healed both of my autoimmune conditions.
So while I don’t cling to the plant-based way of life that I once did, I do see it as a way to heal for the short term. I also see it as a thing to incorporate and do at least a few weeks a year or more, to gain greater vitality, if it works for you! I still plan to lead some retreats incorporating this, and I applaud my family and friends who this works for. I do have some biases here, as we all do, as I desire everyone I love to be healthy!
In the end, I have found that at the root of helping educate my clients, I love Chinese Medicine for the individualized approach that it brings each person. I see that we each get to eat foods a little differently based on so many things, and that ultimately our path will lead to healing if we are ready to be open and to listen to ideas that don’t always fit into our current paradigm, and we explore.
As I’m writing this, I’m getting ready to take people on a 15-21 day Rejuvenate and Restore cleanse where we will let go of sugar for a short term, focusing on healthy whole foods. You get to decide what foods you want to keep or eliminate outside of the sugar and processed junk! I look forward to being your guide.
All the Healthy Blessings!
Korenna