Well, all this talk of being a vegan warrior, getting out the dietary fat, living stress free (whatever that means) has given me a cold. Yup!-a cold. Bummer!!! Wednesday afternoon, I started to feel a little throat tingling and nose stuffiness and my eternal nemesis, fatigue!
AAA-Choo!
Don’t get me wrong, it is not a bad cold and I don’t want it to be. So, I am trying to rest-Ha! and not get mad!!! GRRR!! Actually I am doing pretty well at the not getting mad part. Into everyone’s life a little rain shall fall!!
But, I am thinking perhaps, this can be my little 100% whole food plant based diet test. Now I grant you, some of my more recent dietary changes are, well, by definition, more recent. So, what positive effect could they have had so soon on my immune system? Time (not too much time, I hope) will tell.
The last cold, which I caught sometime after Xmas, morphed into several different things until it sputtered out sometime in late February or early March. Way too long, right? I am not complaining here or looking for sympathy(although a cup of tea would be nice! LOL).
I am just wondering!! How long will it last, now that I am eating, pretty much exclusively, a high carb (starch based), low fat plant based diet? But I am human-there definitely were some slip ups in the chocolate and sweets department at Easter time. I need to have a serious talk with the Easter Bunny about bringing too many goodies! Even if they are Vegan, too much, is too much!!
On the whole (play on words, LOL), I exercised quite a bit of restraint. But, I still have this darn cold. And what the heck does that say about all my efforts? Maybe nothing. Maybe it is encouragement, telling me that despite setbacks, this is still the best road to be on, health wise.
Maybe I am getting a reminder that nothing is foolproof. Maybe I am learning that being on this road in this journey we call life, means moving forward, adapting and accepting that outcomes are not always what we expect or hope for.
But, this is temporary. My immune system will rally and I will get over this cold!! In the meantime, I think I will start keeping track of my colds and the like-the little health boo-boos in life. It can be a little experiment, the results of which I will share with you.
We can all have a Virtual Vegan Potluck to celebrate when the results are out. I am certain that the results will show that my dietary changes have effected a significant decrease in the frequency, severity and duration of these colds and things.
In the meantime, I will continue to eat my brown rice (and other grains), potatoes(and other tubers) , oatmeal, corn, peas, green and red veggies (raw and cooked), beans, fruit and keep at bay the added oils and fats that are not recommended.
And in case you think I am so perfect and impossible to follow, I do have coffee with almond milk in the morning, a couple of glasses of wine a week and sweet treats at my bridge games with my friends.
Annie’s Vegan View
All I know is that right now, this seems to be right for me. It may be right for you or you might want to tweak things. You may already be doing what I am doing and more…kudos to you!
I invite you to give it a whirl! Who knows what good could come of it.
One thing I know for sure is that the nonhuman animals benefit in a big way when we make plant based choices…and that is all I need to know!!
May all beings be happy and free.