6 Big Ways Going Vegan Improved My Health
Weight Loss
Before I went fully vegan I was 214 pounds. I had stopped eating dairy but was still eating eggs and meat in 2017. I’m not super tall so 214 pounds was a lot for me to carry around. In July 2017 I started having pain that ended in the removal of my gallbladder. Having an organ removed was a major wake-up call with regards to my diet. I lost a lot of weight and KEPT IT OFF. I’m now around 165 pounds. I’d like to lose 20 more but losing and keeping 50 pounds off is a big deal!
Decreased Joint Pain
I’m sure this is closely related to losing all that weight, but I rarely have knee pain these days. I’ve had knee pain since forever and have had a surgery on each knee to try to get relief from the arthritis pain. Did you know each pound equals 4 pounds on pressure on your knees? For me that’s 200 pounds off of my knees!
Improvement in GERD Symtpoms
GERD came before my gallbladder troubles back in 2017. I started eating TUMS and other heartburn relief pills in 2016. I kept taking ranitidine until CVS recalled it back in September 2019, mostly because I was scared that my heartburn would flare up again. But it didn’t!
Rosacea Symptoms Decreased
I started getting rosacea when I was pregnant with my second child in 2008. It kept getting worse until around 2014 when I quit dairy. It got better but it still wasn’t great. For some reason it got really bad last winter and I finally gave in and asked my dermatologist for help. She prescribed a pill that I ended up not being able to tolerate and a cream that I still occasionally use. My face isn’t red or cracked or painful. I use the cream maybe once a week now instead of twice a day.
Lowered Cholesterol Levels
A handful of years back I went for my first physical and one of the more important findings was that my cholesterol was high. I was still eating meat and eggs and maybe I was still eating dairy, I can’t remember. Anyway, I was eating a crappy diet and my bloodwork showed it. Now you might say cholesterol is predetermined in my genes, but it’s more like families have similar disease patterns because of shared diet and other bad health habits. Just after I went vegan, I had it checked again and it was already decreasing. I haven’t had a physical in nearly 2 years but I am curious how much it’s decreased.
Fewer Doctor Visits
I haven’t been to the doctor much since I got things settled down after my gallbladder surgery in 2017. I qualify this with “much” because I’ve been to the dermatologist and to my main doctor for suspicious mole removals. Four were precancerous and one I had to go back to have more removed because they didn’t get clean margins. But *knock on wood* I haven’t been for any health issues in 2 years.
Disclaimer – I am not a doctor and not licensed to give medical advice. This is just my personal experience. Do your own research and make your own decisions.
