Since I went vegan it has been crazy how quickly my health improved. My doctor told me on several occasions that my cholesterol problem is hereditary and I will be on meds the rest of my life. In under 6 months of going vegan I was completely off all cholesterol meds and my numbers are great. Bonus: this made a believer of my physician. Since then she has asked me about books she could recommend to other patients. Wow.
But I digress.
The other medication I was able to eliminate not long after going vegan, even before I was able to drop the cholesterol meds, was the high blood pressure meds.
Until a few weeks ago.
I see my doctor every 3-6 months and this last visit my blood pressure went from high-normal to stage 2 hypertension. WTF! She put me on meds, had me get a monitor and now I check my blood pressure a few times a day.
It is so hard for me to admit any health issues, even a cold. I am always worried that someone will blame it on being vegan. I so very much want to be a good example of a happy, healthy, vegan. I’m actually tearing up while typing this. I feel like a failure. I feel like I let “team vegan” down. I feel like I’m letting the animals down.
So then why post this? Because my whole intent of this blog is to provide an honest look at what going vegan is like, for me anyway. This is my experience and I want to be honest about it. I don’t want someone else who may be having a similiar experience to feel alone or to think that going vegan is all roses for everyone else but them. Life is life, vegan or not.
But I’m devastated. I have my first 7k run this weekend (Cosmo 7). I’m not sure I will be able to run it (but I WILL complete it if I have to crawl). My doctor said to take it easy and not over do it but still participate. I so love her!
So what happened? The fact is that after a few months of being vegan I lost a huge amount of weight. I started exercising daily and my diet was filled with veggies, grains, and nuts. However, I think my ego got in the way. I believed that being vegan was enough. “I have a healthy, compassionate diet so take that fate…I’m immune to health issues! HA!” Not that I ever said any of that out loud but part of me did really believe it.
Slowly over the past year I have put back on 12 pounds (again I HATE admitting this). I still eat lots of veggies but I discovered vegan convenience food. I let my career take over my life after I got a new position in May of last year and now I work insane hours. I use that as an excuse to not exercise every day.
The bottom line is that going vegan was great for my health but for me it takes a bit more. I so very much want to be a good example of what a vegan life is like and I fell a little short. But I didn’t go vegan for health reasons and I don’t believe that my experience is in any way a confirmation that going vegan is bad for a person’s health. My cholesterol is still amazing and my blood pressure is no higher than it was before I went vegan.
So I have admitted it. I’m vegan and I’m not perfect. I’m not completely immune of health issues because I’m vegan. However, I do not contribute to the suffering of innocent life and that is enough for me.
I just need to grow up and realize that we all, vegan or not, need to take care of ourselves. As many have said before me, potato chips and French fries are vegan but that doesn’t mean they are healthy.
Sigh…
It’s awesome of you to be able to say this stuff out loud. So many people (myself included) want diet to be the sole part of health, but you’re right, we have to continue to take a wholly holistic view of it.
Totally, separetly, have you considered a juice fast? My wife and I are talking about it before school starts again and I have to deal with a room full of snotty teenagers. It might help.
And props to you for running a 7k. You’ll be great!
By: VegansHusband on August 8, 2012
at 6:33 am
It is funny you mentioned juicing. The same day I posted this I picked up a NutriBullet. I have a juicer but felt bad about all the pulp I was tossing out. I have now started my days with a veggie smoothie. Don’t know if it has helped my blood pressure yet but I do have more energy
By: Debbie on August 14, 2012
at 6:57 pm
We started the juice fast yesterday. It’s really more like a smoothie fast, but today was hard. Especially for my wife. Headache, hunger, and the desire to chew something, you know? Tomorrow should be fun, as I have to go into work. . .
I just figure, it’ll be worth it before school starts. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
By: VegansHusband on August 14, 2012
at 7:21 pm
Thanks for bringing up this issue. I find it very frustrating when vegans proclaim veganism to be a cure for everything – even looking old (I wish!), but our health isn’t just about what we eat, but our genetics too, which we can’t change. Job stress can also negatively impact health – I know it has in my case. Ever since starting a stressful job I now get acne and have to take medicine to control my stomach acid. I do what I can – work out, eat a healthy vegan diet, but there are many factors at work determining health.
By: Sarah H. on August 8, 2012
at 7:26 am
I do agree that we don’t have control over all of our health issues. For me part of it is that I did so much damage to my health for so long that I need to understand that I can’t fix it over night or even in a year of going vegan.
But as I have said before, I’m not vegan for my health. I’m vegan because for me it is the only way to live true to my values.
By: Debbie on August 14, 2012
at 7:00 pm
Thanks for the openness and honesty! You bring up two excellent points: first that a vegan diet is just one important part of overall optimal health. Most vegans I know have, just like you, become fascinated with their diet’s impact on their health, and that has made them both more active and more open to alternative therapies. The vegan diet, tweaked towards a raw, whole foods diet is great. That combined with exercise, other lifestyle adjustments as may be personally needed, and some naturopathic/herbalist treatments added to the routine can really help.
Second, MDs no longer address the causes of a patient’s illness, they simply prescribe drugs that will manage the symptoms. This is important, because it means that illnesses aren’t cured; we feel better simply because we’re no longer aware of the illness’ warning signs. I’m glad that your doctor was open to an alternative; I hear that most are not.
Your story reminds me of a friend who had been taking birth control pills and hypothyroid medication for years. With the help of an osteopath she stopped taking those meds, and found that the excessive levels of hormones in her system for years had impacted her blood pressure. Her higher-than-normal BP turned out to have been a side-effect of the medications. If I remember rightly she began taking a D3 and magnesium supplements at the same time (I take those too) which also had a positive impact. Whatever the cause of your BP levels, know that your diet has a positive effect on BP, so it’s helping!
By: Know Thank You on August 8, 2012
at 1:17 pm
Your comment is very interesting. The reason I see my doctor every few months is because of my thyroid condition. I just assumed and accepted that my hypothroid issue was just something that I could never change. Just a fact of life. I don’t even really know what an osteopath is but I’m thinking it is worth checking in to. Thanks!
By: Debbie on August 14, 2012
at 7:03 pm
Interesting! An osteopath is also a doctor, but one that recommends ways the patient’s body can heal itself rather than immediately prescribe a pharmaceutical. Hope you can find one on your medical plan nearby!
By: Know Thank You on August 15, 2012
at 4:02 pm
I think it’s so great that you’re posting about this! While being vegan CAN be healthy, veganism is NOT a panacea and I wish some of us would stop presenting it that way. I’m one of those folk who actually gained weight after becoming vegan (while I’ve always been slim I also have a huge appetite and found that I needed to eat more to feel as full, plus I tended to reward myself with goodies more often, snort), and even though I want to be relatively healthy, it’s the least important reason for my activism and I’ll probably never be a health fanatic just as I’ll never be a foodie as such.
So please don’t feel like a failure — because you’re not! You’re not letting “team vegan” down, and you’re certainly not letting animals down. In fact, think of yourself as a success if only because you’re helping to dismantle not-always-useful vegan stereotypes!
By: Have Gone Vegan on August 11, 2012
at 8:56 am
Thanks you so much for your feedback.
I sincerely appreciate the support. Sometimes it is scary to admit any issues with going vegan. So much really is riding on our success.
By: Debbie on August 14, 2012
at 7:11 pm
Guilty too – Though I eat well with the right amount of fruits and veggies… I like my vegan snacks too! Just goes to show how really abundant our (good) choices are!
Good luck with your juicing (smoothies) – Next time I decline to drink the whole pitcher full I’ll have the reminder of your wisdom of restraint to thank! Time to let go of the thought that my extra 7 pounds are “age related”! Ha!Ha!
By: Provoked on August 16, 2012
at 3:57 pm