Although she is a beautiful 62 year old lady, with gorgeous silvery-platinum hair and hipster glasses, she has struggled with some health problems for a long time. She has suffered from very high (like dangerously high) cholesterol and the medicine she was prescribed for it made her feel like she was "dying". She is also diabetic and has to take medication for that. (those are the two main problems, but there are others...) My grandma died pretty young of diabetes/heart disease related complications, and my mom did not want to end up that way. I think five out of the seven of my mom and her bros and sisses have diabetes.
My mom has experimented with vegetarianism a few times in her life, but never really put her heart into it. Earlier this year she read Eat Right for Your Type, and her type (as is mine) is recommended to eat a nearly vegan diet. She decided to try it and became a vegetarian with vegan aspirations (like me!). She started feeling better. As I started to transition further into veganism, I'd share recipes with her and we also started going to lunch at our (one and only) local vegan restaurant about once a week or so. (she even got my 'very omni' dad to go to their weekend brunch and he's met us there for lunch during the week!)
Then I read Dr. Barnard's Reversing Diabetes, which advocates a vegan diet for reversing diabetes (obviously) and also pretty much every other health condition. After I read it my mom read it. She was convinced even more that she should be completely vegan. (she's not quite there yet, but probably about 90-95%)
So today she had a doctor appointment with her long time doctor- its been about 6-9 months since she last saw him- and guess what??? Her cholesterol is 148!!!!! That is nearly perfect! And before it was so high, even with the medication that her doctor was afraid she was going to die! Her blood sugar levels are very good, not quite 'normal' but better than they have been in years, and she has lost 10 pounds! Way to go MOM!! And all of this is with only about 6 months of a vegetarian diet and about 3 months of a nearly vegan diet.
If my mom isn't proof that eliminating animal products isn't amazing for your health, I don't know what is.
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That's amazing news and I'm so happy for your mum and you.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I've been pulling my mom along too--she's got sarcoidosis affecting her digestive system (finally diagnosed and treating it now), but she basically wasn't able to eat for a year and a half, losing 80 pounds she could't afford to. I started giving her vegan recipes (even flew out to cook with her for a couple weeks) because they're easier to digest, lowering your acidity, and on and on and on. She's still not totally veg, but a lot healthier--and she's getting others to try her favorites.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I used to get insane migraines, like a few a month that would last days each...but now it's maybe two a year. Good for me and everyone who has to put up with me!
the health benefits just go on and on! I love it!
ReplyDeleteYay for your mom! There's a really inspiring vegan blogger at http://www.veganhope.com who reversed her type 2 diabetes this way.
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