So I'm thinking of going vegan.
Well, I say vegan, I'm more pescatarian at the moment, which means I am a vegetarian that also eats fish - the end goal is to be vegan. And I can't lie, I have to say I'm enjoying it. I actually went completely vegan for a couple weeks back in May, because one of my best friends at work was vegan, and as you guys know I worked in a kitchen for a year, so being vegan was a bit embarrassing for her - being in the environment that we were in, as well as the language barrier - but she stuck at it because she loves animals and doesn't want to contribute to their demise, period. I thought I'd give it a shot, and it turned out to be great, I really loved it after a while, I had a lot more energy, I felt lighter, I could actually justify eating more because I needed to intake more calories to get all the nutrients I needed for the day in - it was a really good time.
Fast-forward to September, and I had been diagnosed with anemia, was waiting on further blood test results, had a MRI scan in the near future for my chronic migraines (recently got those results, I'm all clear), was moving back to Birms to start Year 3 of university and I was back to feeling terrible. I had started to eat meat again, wasn't eating nearly enough fruit and veg, my life revolved around carbs (croissants u r bae) and I wasn't enjoying my food anymore. Relocating actually helped me to reflect on the past year as I started to go into the months when I usually don't feel so great (I get really bad S.A.D. in winter, and my anxiety teams up with that to make the whole period a fun, fun time.).
As cliche as it sounds, sunny weather and good food improves my mood, so incorporating more good things into my diet was always something I wanted to do as I now had the opportunity to - I was the one filling up my fridge. And a couple documentaries later, and deeper research into where out food actually comes from, and the effect modern day farming has on the planet, I quit eating meat.
I don't know where it'll go from here, but I have to say I feel lighter. I can't say I'm eating the best that I could be at the moment, but I am still taking my supplements, still trying to have fruit as often as possible (I tend to go off fruit in the winter months) and I am generally trying to stay positive. My mental health can be a bitch if I haven't got a good support system - of recent that hasn't been too much of a problem.
In the next few weeks expect a few vegan/vegetarian/pescetarian posts, and the occasional one about me crying about my deteriorating mental health down to the decrease of my banana intake.
With Love,
Christina x
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