[food] On the subject of why the body gets the last word.
I have a lot of vegetarian friends. I have a slightly larger than that number of vegan friends.
I am neither. And it's not a "yum, meat!" deal, either. My two attempts at not eating meat - one vegan, one macrobiotic - had what you might call less than desirable results.
The attempt at going vegan (as a teenager, so long ago that I don't remember them even calling it vegan) led to what my doctor at Marin General called one of the weirdest syndromes he'd ever seen; I broke thirty plus bones in the car accident on 6 September 1971. No one else broke anything in the way of bones, except my toddler goddaughter, who was thrown from the shattered back window as the car fell and was crushed by it as it turned over and over. Doctor Steve wanted to find out why I'd sustained all those fractures. Turned out my nice vegan diet - with huge amounts of spinach, kale, beans, and leafy green veggies, because I'm allergic to so much else, including nuts, avocado, and a lot more - had completely blocked my ability to process calcium. The result were nodes of solid calcium on my joints (and one honker of a node on one vocal cord) instead of IN the bones. I was also anemic, severely B vitamin deprived. And my body doesn't process supplements well.
The macrobiotic attempt had actually come first, back in NYC in 1969-1970. That landed me in hospital with severe anaemia. It was so extreme, they tested me for leukemia and various blood cancers. NOT fun.
So here's the bottom line for the Deb body:
Hyperactive autoimmune system =
allergies to about half of everything +
osteoporosis + serious calcium absorption deficiency =
final result: I do not get to be didactic about what I eat. My conscience may prefer to stay away from all animal proteins. My autoimmune system disagrees, and it gets the final say.
On account of I'd like to - you know - NOT DIE YET.
Short form is that, when there are maybe thirty food sources in the world - animal, vegetable and mineral - that you aren't allergic to, you don't get to do anything other than listen to what your body is telling you. You don't get to be faddy about food. And since the multiple sclerosis is likely to take me out earlier than I'm willing to go anyway, I listen to the body, not the pundits. I don't even get to listen to my own conscience on this one.
Sorry, my vegan friends. I adore you all and will happily cook for you (I have a nice colletion of vegan food in my repertoire, because I really like most of it), but I'm not willing to sicken and die for anyone's conscience, including my own.
Soma gets the deciding vote.
I am neither. And it's not a "yum, meat!" deal, either. My two attempts at not eating meat - one vegan, one macrobiotic - had what you might call less than desirable results.
The attempt at going vegan (as a teenager, so long ago that I don't remember them even calling it vegan) led to what my doctor at Marin General called one of the weirdest syndromes he'd ever seen; I broke thirty plus bones in the car accident on 6 September 1971. No one else broke anything in the way of bones, except my toddler goddaughter, who was thrown from the shattered back window as the car fell and was crushed by it as it turned over and over. Doctor Steve wanted to find out why I'd sustained all those fractures. Turned out my nice vegan diet - with huge amounts of spinach, kale, beans, and leafy green veggies, because I'm allergic to so much else, including nuts, avocado, and a lot more - had completely blocked my ability to process calcium. The result were nodes of solid calcium on my joints (and one honker of a node on one vocal cord) instead of IN the bones. I was also anemic, severely B vitamin deprived. And my body doesn't process supplements well.
The macrobiotic attempt had actually come first, back in NYC in 1969-1970. That landed me in hospital with severe anaemia. It was so extreme, they tested me for leukemia and various blood cancers. NOT fun.
So here's the bottom line for the Deb body:
Hyperactive autoimmune system =
allergies to about half of everything +
osteoporosis + serious calcium absorption deficiency =
final result: I do not get to be didactic about what I eat. My conscience may prefer to stay away from all animal proteins. My autoimmune system disagrees, and it gets the final say.
On account of I'd like to - you know - NOT DIE YET.
Short form is that, when there are maybe thirty food sources in the world - animal, vegetable and mineral - that you aren't allergic to, you don't get to do anything other than listen to what your body is telling you. You don't get to be faddy about food. And since the multiple sclerosis is likely to take me out earlier than I'm willing to go anyway, I listen to the body, not the pundits. I don't even get to listen to my own conscience on this one.
Sorry, my vegan friends. I adore you all and will happily cook for you (I have a nice colletion of vegan food in my repertoire, because I really like most of it), but I'm not willing to sicken and die for anyone's conscience, including my own.
Soma gets the deciding vote.