Plant-Based (Vegetarian) Eating – Day #23

It’s amazing to me how much different I feel eating plant-based. First off, I have no cravings. Zero. Nada. None.

I have organized this post first about the food and then about the physical improvements I have noticed since going plant-based.

So, you might be asking, “What are you eating if you’re not eating meat?”

For breakfast this morning, I ate a bowl of quinoa and lentils. I’ll be satisfied until lunch.

Breakfast: I might have a smoothie. In the smoothie, I will add organic fruit such as a banana or berries – raspberries or blueberries. Some days, like today, I’ll eat quinoa and lentils. Lentils seem to be easier to digest than beans. Hint: I soak and rinse the lentils for a day or two before cooking. I would do the same with dry beans. I have eaten organic canned beans, but find them to be a little gassy.

Lunch: Sautéed vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, orange or red peppers – whatever fresh organic vegetables I can find). I eat the sautéed vegetables over rice or rice pasta. I could do without the rice or rice pasta, but I like it so I eat it. I occasionally add a little organic tomato soup to spice it up.

Dinner: Sautéed vegetables over rice, rice pasta, quinoa or polenta. I also love avocado and might have a half avocado on the side.

Hummus and rice cakes are good for lunch or a snack if I feel I need one.

You might be saying, I don’t see a lot of salads in the mix. You’re right. The reason for that, is there have been a few cases of listeria in the news recently. Therefore, I am eating only cooked vegetables to ensure that I don’t contract anything like listeria or any other bacteria from eating raw greens. I am not saying this to scare you, it’s a choice I made for myself.

I am getting my greens in my smoothie mix.

If I am out, I might have a vegetable pizza, or stir-fry. Other than salads, there is not much of a selection at most restaurants where I live.

Beverages: Water. Sparkling water. Tea – herbal or Earl Grey. Espresso – cappuccino or latte. Yes, I have a little dairy – maybe a ½ cup a day. Eventually I will cut out the dairy, but for now I splurge! At home I use organic milk or flax milk.

Physical changes: One of my big concerns going plant-based was hypoglycemia. In the past when I ate animal protein I experienced bouts, sometimes quite severe bouts of hypoglycemia. I am thrilled to report that I have not had one hypoglycemia attack since I stated eating plant-based. That is absolutely amazing to me! That means I am getting enough protein from the plant-based foods I am eating!

Another great thing I’ve noticed is my digestion is so much better. As long as I can remember, while eating animal protein I experienced intermittent bouts of what some would call irritable bowel syndrome – symptoms ranging from diarrhea for no apparent reason, to slight constipation. Eating plant-based has completely corrected that, I now have normal daily bowel movements.

My sense of smell has improved. It was good before, but now it is heightened – which I feel is a good thing. Also, my taste buds seem to have reawakened. Food tastes better, even though I do not add a lot of seasonings. I only add a pinch of Herbes de Provence to my vegetables when sautéing.

I feel physically stronger. I cannot explain this except that I have so much less inflammation in my body that I am nearly 100% pain free. My joints no longer ache or burn, even when it’s going to rain. The other day I noticed my feet hurt, then I realized I was a little dehydrated. So, I drank more water and by evening my feet felt a lot better.

Mentally: I feel clearer, and more focused. My sleep has improved a little, too. I am waking up much less during the night than I did before. I still wake up at least once a night now, but no where as much as I was before. I am also able to fall back to sleep quickly.

Words of Advice: Changing one’s diet can and often does release toxins from the muscles and tissues. Knowing this from my Lyme healing journey, I made sure when I first began eating plant-based to take an Epsom Salt bath every day. After three weeks, I still take an Epsom Salt bath nearly every other day or every third day to remove any toxins.

I hope you have found this interesting and helpful. I’ll write about this again…I cannot wait to see what other changes I experience.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.