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Plant Based Diet – Anticlimactic Meeting

on Sunday, March 10, 2019

Well my doctors visit was nothing short of an anticlimactic meeting.

I started this plant based diet for a few different reasons, and one of the main reasons was that I want to get off the blood pressure medicine that I currently take.

I know that I cannot just stop taking the blood pressure medicine, and I do agree that my doctor needs to help me decrease the dosage until I can stop taking it. So I was hoping my diet change would help my blood pressure.

I have been actively measuring my blood pressure on a somewhat regular basis for about 3 months now. With the help of fasting I have been able to release weight and lower my blood pressure. I have also added different vitamins to help with my cardiovascular system. (Dr Ohhira’s probiotics, RegActiv, Kyolic, and magnesium)

Armed with my documentation and new diet that is making changes with my body I was looking forward to seeing my doctor. I was hoping that he would see my hard work in documentation and dietary changes and would rave at my efforts. I was even hoping for a good conversation about what dietary disciplines would benefit by blood pressure and overall health.

The day of my appointment I was at the doctor’s office a bit early – I was anticipating this visit. I came into his patient room and the nurse took my weight and blood pressure – both which had improved since the last visit! So I just knew this was going to be a good meeting with my doctor.

Then he finally comes in and asks the normal questions. I start to talk about my new diet habits and he continues on with checking BP and heartbeat. I show him my documented weight and blood pressure chart and within 30 seconds he hands it back to me. He says looking good – keep up the good work. Reduce my blood pressure medicine by half and come back in six months.

Anticlimactic! All that I hoped for in the visit was just a flash. No substantial talk about diet over medicine. No talk of diet at all.

To be honest, I didn’t really expect a lot from my doctor. Today’s American doctor is trained to diagnose the symptoms and prescribe a medicine. No direction for diet is addressed – that would be for a dietician – not a doctor.

Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” But Hippocrates is not a modern day American doctor. I don’t fault my doctor, he is just working within the guidelines that he has as an American physician with our current healthcare system.

My takeaway is to invest my efforts in improving my own health. No one cares anymore for my body than I do. So, my search for knowledge and understanding of the human body continues!

Adventure Positive Attitude Toastmasters Wisdom

Plant Based Diet – Intermittent Fasting

on Thursday, March 7, 2019

I need to come clean about something. My success so far with the plant based diet has been augmented with intermittent fasting.

So what is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is an eating style where you eat within a specific time period, and fast the rest of the time. My intermittent fasting schedule is 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating daily. I am not able to do it every day, but I certainly have been trying to the past 2 weeks.

The first thing every morning I drink 16 ounces of water. I will then take my vitamins and blood pressure pill, and a shot of a apple cider vinegar and juice mix. I might take a cup of coffee next, or just off to work with water.

I will drink water and coffee right up to 10:30 or 11:00. I will eat a snack at that time, and will continue to eat as I want or can until 6:30 or 7:00.

I am still learning about fasting. I have discovered it hard to find good information on fasting, and I believe simply it is because it is difficult to make money from fasting. People eat less – not more or even any specialization foods when you fast. You just don’t eat. There is no money in that you see.

I have found some good research and reporting from a Dr Fung. He has several videos on YouTube. One that I have learned from is here. If you are even half way interested in what I am saying about fasting – then take some time to listen to him and keep learning from others.

I am also a fan of multi day fasting, but I will save that for a different post. But just want to say that you have to learn to get past the pain of hunger at times knowing that you will not die or starve to death. I now understand that hunger pains let me know that I am on the right track. Feeling bloating from eating too much would be at the opposite end of the spectrum of sensation.

I will continue this regimen for at least two more weeks.

Adventure Toastmasters Wisdom

Plant Based Diet – Week 1

on Monday, March 4, 2019

One week down with my effort in a plant based diet!

Results are pretty good to me:

released 5 pounds
blood pressure down 3 points
feeling lighter and healthy

I strayed from the diet only one time the first week. I had a hamburger (no bun) on Saturday night. It was from a local grower so I felt good about the beef, but it was not plant based of course.

So one variance in a week is a success in my book. Especially for the first week.

The first part of the week I felt good most of the time, but found a need for something more in the afternoons. I ate all I wanted, but my body was saying that I was missing something. I believe it was sugar. It is a weird feeling to describe – not so much a hunger pain which I am familiar with, but a feeling of there is something more my body says it is missing. Gotta fight that sugar monster!

I ate all the fruit, nuts and veggies I wanted, but no starches. I am going to adjust that this week by adding some starches to my diet – but no sugar. I also may eat meat a couple of times because of the planned events this week. We will see….

Adventure Positive Attitude Toastmasters Wisdom

Plant Based Diet

on Wednesday, February 27, 2019

I watched a documentary over the weekend that really spoke to me about my eating habits. I tend to think I eat good, but in reality I have let my eating habits slide since Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I watched a documentary called PlantPure Nation. These next few posts from me are not to promote the movie, but tell what I learned from seeing the movie. However; I would suggest you watch it for your own education because there is a lot to be learned here, but these posts are to reflect how the documentary has motivated me to action.

The movie provides details on how control groups of people ate nothing but a plant-based diet for 10 days and how their health improved. Some lost weight, some were able to get off medicines and it seemed all were motivated to change their eating habits. The movie talked about people improving their blood pressure, sugar and how it can cure diseases. Lowering my blood pressure and weight are my two main motivators.

That is the main thing I want to do with this information I have learned – improve my health. I don’t pan to live the rest of my life eating nothing but plant based foods. I am a BBQ guy – I have to eat meat! And I love meat. But for a season I am going to try to make all my meals consist of plant-based foods.

My wife and son think I am crazy. She says I need protein. He just thinks I need to eat like normal. They are not on joining me yet, but will support me nonetheless.

My goal right now is to eat this plant-based diet for the month of March. I actually started on February 25, 2019. I already know there are upcoming events that will require I eat certain meats, and I am ok with that – I will make those exceptions. But for the most part I will eat daily from a selection of food and drink that I can determine is derived only from plants.

Let the eating begin!!

Blackberry Wisdom

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