Observations

The first and most obvious thing I have noticed in the whole 72 hours that have passed since giving up animal products, is that I don't feel like crap anymore. I have a spring in my step and a song in my heart. I am less angry and feel a lot more zen about shit.

I am gonna go ahead and assume that most of the good feelings I have at the moment are psychosomatic, brought on simply by knowing that I am doing something really good for myself. They might well be genuine, but until more time has passed, I am not banking on causality here.

On thing that is definitely a direct result of my changes was noticed this morning and confirmed by my boyfriend who humoured me in my request of smelling my morning breathe. He said it was stale but not unpleasant. Usually I get pretty bad morning breathe, so I count this as a minor victory!

This morning I am having a smoothie for breakfast. It's bright green. It has spirulina in it. Who is this person I have become?! :P

I Can't Feel My Body

Borborygmus, for those who aren't as into funky words as I am, is the name given to the noise your stomach and intestines make when digesting food.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a very loud and very active stomach, and the first little while after eating meals would creep towards discomfort, sometimes ending up in honest to goodness pain. Bloating and cramping was just par for the course, and I assumed that it was something that everyone experienced to some degree or another, otherwise why would there be such an awesome onomatopoeic word for it?

So far today I have eaten crumpets with peanut butter for breakfast, a soy banana smoothie for lunch, a vegan apple berry muffin for a snack and on the way home I stopped at Iku Wholefoods and got myself a rice pocket and a tofu fritter nom nom nom. I also drank a buttload of water. Right now I am sitting at my laptop and I am enjoying the unique sensation of being both full and completely silent. My body is at peace, and I have never known anything like it.

I wonder if this is how "normal" people (without my digestive issues) feel after eating, or if it is an experience unique to those who eat this way. I honestly can't feel my body right now, and its awesome!

Goals

This isn't my first run in with H. pylori... in fact, its my third pepi (peptic ulcer) in 5 years.

Unsurprisingly, the stomach trouble isn't my only health concern either. I am also insulin resistant as a result of having Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome so I crave white carbs and sugar, I could easily stand to lose 20kg, my hair is dry and brittle (I can only blame the bleaching for so much), my nails crack and peel, my skin is dull and lifeless and my blood pressure and cholesterol are a little tiny bit too high. On top of that, I suffer from Bipolar 2 disorder. I'm also short sighted. And allergic to cats.

What do I want to achieve by changing my eating habits?

• More than anything, I would like to feel better - I don't want to have stomach aches and reflux and feel bloated all the time
• I would like to lose weight and have the energy to run like I used to
• I would like to GLOW - I used to have a radiance that people commented on, and I miss that
• I want my blood tests to show normal levels of cholesterol, insulin and other hormones
• I want to feel better than other people because my eating habits are so morally superior

I know what you are thinking, but any vegan who says that they don't enjoy that feeling of moral superiority is a filthy liar!

Diagnonsense

I felt really sick yesterday, which is not all that uncommon for me. I had been awake most of the night before with heart burn and reflux, and a quick trip to the GP confirmed what I already knew... my peptic ulcer has returned.

The doctor said I really need to change my eating habits, and until my stomach recovers I am to have no alcohol, no coffee, no soft drinks, no energy drinks, no juice, no dairy, nothing greasy, nothing spicy, nothing salty and nothing sugary. Great.

Since I was home from work, I caught the days episode of Ellen, and on it she was interviewing the woman who had assisted her (I think) in becoming vegan. The way they talked about the cleanliness of the food and the benefits to the body really got me thinking. I soon gave up that idea, because I really love meat. And cheese. And bacon. And meat. And cheese. You get my point.

Today however, miserable from lack of coffee but delighted that my nausea is subsiding, I am considering my options once again. I have watched countless YouTube videos on veganism, vegetarianism, clean eating, organic eating, paleo, etc, but there doesn't seem to be any one "system" that sounds right for me.

That said, the benefits of a vegan diet are very appealing and I guess aiming high never hurt anyone.