my vegan february: a health confession

If you know me, you know that I’ve been a[n ovo-lacto] vegetarian for a few years now. First more “pescatarian,” and more recently, full vegetarian.

Today I started the YumUniverse Plant-Powerful 30-DayChallenge. Why? Because I wanted to kick it up a notch. Because it's February and I'm 31 and what else is there to do? 

I have been a fan of YumUniverse for a couple of months now, so dinners have been leaning toward the vegan side more often than not. (And they are freaking delicious.) As a self-diagnosed lactose intolerant person, consuming less dairy has made a difference. (A delicious difference.)

People sometimes ask me why I’ve chosen a plant-based lifestyle. My answer has evolved over time, but the heart remains the same: It’s for my health.

The truth is, I have a digestive health condition I can’t do anything about. (Don't worry, that link contains zero pictures, unlike the Wikipedia article.) I don’t talk about it very often, because most of the time it doesn’t affect me. And who likes talking about their colon? But I’m coming up on my annual screening, and a combination of age and a meeting with a genetic counselor has driven a few things home. This condition—and my future with it—are very real. There is only one way to prevent FAP from transforming into colon cancer. You can’t get cancer in something that isn’t in your body, right? It’s a scary future, and as much as I can hope that medicine will make great advances before I have to face this, it’s in my future.

No amount of eating the right things or taking pills or alternative therapies can change the mutation in my genes. I can’t prevent this future. Maybe I won’t be able to eat the way I like (oh, leafy greens!) because I won’t be able to digest them. Some people might take this future as a cue to enjoy eating all the foods they like while they can. In my own way, I am. I have never felt as good as I have on a plant-based diet. FAP isn’t something you suffer from. You don’t feel it. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you were screened for it. There are warning signs, and perhaps your digestion works a little bit differently than everyone else’s.

I know mine does. And I know I have never felt as good as I do on a plant-based diet. Over the past few years I’ve started listening more closely to my body. Our bodies talk a lot more than I ever realized. My body has told me that it likes a plant-based diet. Maybe my condition makes it harder to break down animal-based protein. Maybe I think it does. Whatever the case may be, I feel better eating plants.

I have done a bunch of scary online reading about the operation I will need down the line, and the way it affects your diet. Sadly, it may affect how much I can eat the things I truly love.  So I’ll spend the next 10-15 years eating all the kale, beans, and seeds I can just in case I won't be able to enjoy them down the line. Those things are my Big Macs, people.

It’s a little terrifying to put this out there into the world, but at the same time, I know I’m not the only person with this condition.  Three quarters of my nuclear family is struggling with different stages of this thing. Thanks this delightful condition being a dominant gene mutation, the chances our future children have a 50% chance of inheriting this from me. (And I was worried about my bad vision and bunions being passed down.) So maybe if I learn how to deal with it in my way, I can help others. Maybe my plant-based diet isn’t therapeutic at all. Maybe I just think it is. Is there really a difference? I know I can’t change this condition, and I certainly can’t change genetics, but I can change the way I feel.

So that’s the real reason I’m kicking my plant-based diet into high gear. Since cutting out fish entirely, the only hanger-on has been dairy (and eggs, but they are easier to leave behind since vegan baking is easy, moist, and delicious). And I don’t feel the best when I eat dairy. I feel amazing when I don’t have it, perhaps owing to the fact that I’ve been incorporating more healthful and interesting grains and vegetables into my diet. Husband always thought it was a matter of time until I went vegan, but I didn’t want to be that strict, even though diary has never wholly agreed with me. He thought I had a secret plan to make us vegan. It's not my fault he has an adorable obsession with non-dairy milks! I do agree with the hypothesis that cheese is addictive. It’s hard to quit something that actually does make you feel happy. But if my mind is happy but my stomach isn’t, how long can my mind stay happy?

Not indefinitely.

So there you have it. I can’t actually change my health by going fully plant-based, but I can change how I feel. Perhaps I’ll prevent other health problems from manifesting. That in itself would be a great byproduct. I have enough on my plate as it is.

Note: Yes, Husband is participating in the challenge as well. He is committing to 30 days of ovo-lacto vegetarian eating, which he's been doing for the most part anyway. I'm so thankful for his support!