My sister so kindly reminded me that i haven't yet posted about my diet experiment...the changes i had made and results from those changes. So, here goes.
For those who may have missed my previous post on what i was doing, i'll inform you. I read a book, that talked about the problems we get from the amount of meat we intake. So i decide to follow her advice and stop eating meat, and see if my hair grew back. This is what i did.
No meat, (mostly vegan actually) for 4 months, after 4 months i added in white meat and dairy products, and after that....i got pregnant and had to eat whatever looked appetizing because if i was picky i wouldn't eat anything at all and then i would be sick. So, i can report on the 4 months.
I felt great. I lost weight. I hadn't weighed as much as i did after these for months since... i don't know...eighth grade maybe? Anyway, i really felt great. But about my hair? It got worse. Although i'd never felt so healthy in my life, i also never had lost so much hair. Interesting....
My conclusions? Well, a disclaimer, i think i might not have been the healthiest vegetarian/vegan. Like, if i was really dedicated and made sure to add in other sources of protein like more greens, nuts and legumes than maybe my hair results would have been different, however i did conclude that as Americans, we eat WAY too much meat. There are so many meals that we add meat to out of habit that are actually perfectly fine (and usually even better) without it. As a culture, we are so used to having meat in EVERYTHING that its weird when we don't! I went to a neighborhood BBQ during my no meat days, this was the kind of BBQ where those throwing it provided the hot dogs, buns, etc. and those attending were supposed to bring salads, deserts, drinks, etc. Well last names M-Z were supposed to bring salads, and i kid you not, every salad there, except for the one that we brought, had meat in it. Meat in salads? As a side dish? To go with meat as a main course? Unnecessary.
Well, i'm done talking about that. But, i do want to say that I LOVED how i felt while i was not eating meat, and now, meat in our family isn't a necessity to every meal (or even everyday), we eat less meat and i'm happy about that.
I like to eat healthy, you know, you are what you eat. I think that to be true :)
7 comments:
this is funny because i have really been wanting to post about food. i've been thinking about a lot of stuff you wrote about. have you seen "food inc" ? i just barely watched it and i really liked it. also i just finished listening to these audio files by green smoothie girl. i don't know how extreme i want to get but i do like a lot of her information. you can go here to learn more.
greensmoothiegirl.com
anyway its cool that you are kind of experimenting what works best for you body. good luck to you and keep us updating. i really liked reading this post. and again i'm so happy for you and john. and jack. you really do have the cutest family.
I'm really not surprised that your hair became worse when you cut out meat. Hair is mostly made of keratin, a protein.
My sis-in-law is anemic, and she has hair loss problems. Her doctor recommended that she ups her iron intake and especially eats lots of fish. Salmon is one of the best, and is low-fat.
If you read this article from WebMD on the top ten foods for hair you'll notice 6 of the 10 are protein sources, plus one is dairy.
I do agree with you though that the Western diet eats way too much meat (and fat). Around our house most of our protein comes from eggs, beans and nuts. Of course, most of that is because I hate cooking meat. I think it's disgusting, so if the hubby wants meat, he has to cook it.
Another Disclaimer: I know keratin builds hair and nails and is mostly protein, and i meant (honestly) to replace the meat with different proteins, just got a bit lazy i guess :)
You should read In Defense of Food. It will go along with what you are trying to do with your food and family. I think. It's an interesting read anyway!
I agree with you 100%, I don't eat much meat and sometimes my husband would like to eat meat everyday but I'm like no....why. We don't eat as much meat as we used to when we first married, I just don't think you need to eat it everyday. There are plenty of other ways to get your protein for the day!
I'm glad you are experimenting, researching, listening to your body and figuring out what really works. I am leaning towards more fruits and veggies and cleaner sources of meat and dairy. I'm also doing more with sprouted or fermented grains. I'm hoping for great health for my family.
We just started milking a cow. I'm so excited.
Love this post! You look great and to feel great too is so so important! Isn't getting pregnant so weird. All of a sudden I have this enormous appetite and nothing and everything sounds good all at the same time!?!?! Crazy! So glad you have been able to try this and see what works for you and your body. Makes me want to eat healthier...especially being pregnant! :)
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