Vegan Update

The way I approach my diet is actually pretty flexible.  I hesitate to really call myself a true vegan, because I deviate from time to time.  Until I these past two weeks, that didn't happen very often-maybe once or twice a month, and it was almost never meat.

I love food.  I always thought I loved food, but it wasn't until I veered toward the plant-based diet that I realized that before I loved the act of eating, not the food itself.  Mindless gluttony, to fill hours of boredom, or to fill spaces in my life, empty voids, cavernous craters in the soul.  These things cannot be filled by physical sustenance. 

But now I have learned to love my body's fuel.  I take pleasure in colors, textures, smells, and cultural-historical significance.  I'm kind of a nerd.  I'm the chick that makes gazpacho and then reads a bajillion articles about Spanish cuisine for the rest of the afternoon. 

 I'm not a hipster, okay? Hipster don't read- they engage in interprative dance as a means of communication.

That's the loophole.  If it's a culturally significant dish, I will try it-vegan or no.  If it is something I used to eat as a very young child, I will take that stroll down memory lane.  If I'm traveling with people, I won't go out of my way to be a nuisance.  

This system works pretty well for me.  I don't break this lifestyle because I have a sugar craving, or "just because".  I wouldn't break it for a McRibb but I would for a cut of Argentinean asado.  The traditional blend of seasonings and spices, the manner in which it is prepared, are statements of Argentine heritage. 

If I turned it down, I would be missing out on a chance to experience another culture in the coolest way possible.  

That's my justification.  And like I said, it works for me, except that I don't really care for meat anymore.  The way it feels in my mouth, the gaminess...its not the same anymore.  

But I spent these past two weeks at volleyball tournaments, in Orlando and Houston, respectively.  I strayed from the Vegan lifestyle a lot.  Especially in Houston, because if the surrounding eateries are any indication, the Texan's dietary staple appears to be barbeque.  So I said "To Hell with it!" and went ham (ha!) on their pulled pork.

Well, I'm back home now, and I feel gross.  I've been feeling gross.  When I was on a stricter Vegan regimen, my body felt lean and powerful.  Now it feels puffy and uncomfortably full.  Feeling full from large meals of fruits and vegetables and carbs is actually pretty pleasant-but feeling full on pretzels and beef and ice cream is not.  

Before these two weeks, I had lost around ten pounds (in the space of 5ish months-very gradual), my skin had cleared, my eyes had gotten lighter and the whites brighter, I slept better, and I had what felt like boundless energy.

Now, I'm all salty and puffy.  I have begun to break out, and my eyes seem darker.  I keep getting spells of nausea and it's possible I got dumber, too.

But this is how you learn, right?  This is definitely not an experience I'd want to repeat, so I won't ever eat that much junk food again.  I don't honestly think this happened because I ate meat and dairy-I think its because the manner in which I chose to eat meat and dairy was pretty much the unhealthiest option there was.