{The follow-up to this post: eating to control blood sugar + the gestational diabetes vegan diet}
Yesterday I asked a question on facebook: are you vegan? vegetarian? gluten-free? omni? etc.
Though I wasn’t looking for a right or wrong answer (I certainly don’t aim to make my blog a “only vegans allowed” club), I get the feel that most of my readers are interested in feeling good, being healthy, & making informed food choices, vegan or not. I think that desire comes from a certain level of self-awareness, & to know that I have readers who are open & seeking for the best ways of eating & living, well, it’s an honor. It excites me to know such people are taking the time to read my blog & join in on conversations about food choices & living in a compassionate, purposeful way.
I mentioned in yesterday’s {MM} post that I had some pregnancy news to share. I do. I’m not quite sure to go about it. It’s one of those awkward things, though I don’t think it needs to be. And when I contemplate what I ought to share in this space, & what I ought to keep private, it’s a constant curation process. One that includes a lot of pondering, & often discussion with Joseph.
So when I learned I had gestational diabetes, my immediate reaction (other than crying), was to turn inward. To keep it a secret. Though, the more it sank in, the more I learned about it, I realized–there is no shame in this. I didn’t cause my gestational diabetes. For reasons that go beyond explanation here, I have it & it is what it is.
Feeling sorry for myself, feeling shame, these things do nothing to change the situation. Further, as someone in the vegan blogging community, I feel I owe it you to live with a certain amount of transparency. I have chosen to put myself out there, & with that choice comes a trust between you & I. A level of greater responsibility on my part to be honest & at times, vulnerable.
You see, there’s a pervasive belief within the natural food movement that nearly everything can be cured & prevented by diet. That if we have health issues, it’s a result of our food choices, or the fact that we’re not using the right essential oil, herb, supplement, air purifier, or we simply need to just balance our chi. Though that may be true in some cases, maybe even many cases, it’s not true in all cases. And, to perpetuate this idea of righteousness, purity, or even our own morality/goodness based on the cleanliness of our diet, or our health regimen, is one that I don’t think is right. This is not to discount the value of our dietary choices, or the use of essential oils or other natural ways of maintaining health, but only to say that these things are not an absolute cure-all, nor does following an uber strict regimen make us more righteous or holy.
I’ve been vegan for over 7 years now & in that time I’ve gone through a lot of changes in my own thought processes. You may have even noticed these changes as you’ve read the blog over the years. I no longer feel comfortable associating myself with any one group or movement within the vegan community (ie. nutritarian, whole foodists, low fat crowd, ect.). I find that what is preached from the leaders within these movements can be at times dogmatic, rigid & (gasp!) simply not correct.
This is not to say that much of what is sold by them (via nutrition advice) is not worthwhile, but only that I myself do not find their level of particularity especially helpful. I think there are a good number of healthful ways to eat, depending on a person’s health history & background. A one-size-fits all approach to diet is unnecessarily constricting & often furthers this idea that there is only ONE way to eat for good health (which is not true). Does this mean I don’t think a low fat diet is not good for anyone? No, just not for everyone. To make cut & dried recommendations for everyone regardless of age, gender, healthy history, &/or activity level is not taking the whole nuanced picture of diet & health into account.
Please don’t get me wrong. I love eating vegan. I have no desire to go back to eating meat or cheese, or highly processed fast foods. But it makes me sad when people are turned off, or away from a plant-based diet because it seems so all or nothing. It’s not. For some, like myself, the choice is an obvious, natural one. For others, it may be difficult to ever become completely vegan or vegetarian, and that’s okay, because again, it does not have to be all or nothing. If everyone would just eat more plant foods, less animals, the world would be a much better, healthier place.
It makes me happy to hear when friends tell me: “I eat 3 vegetarian meals a week” or “I’m trying really hard to incorporate more plant proteins (like beans) into my family’s diet.” Awesome! I love that. Progress is progress, & for me, getting people to shift their attitudes, though it be in small ways, is something to celebrate.
People have asked me what I think of PETA. Truth be told, I don’t have much experience with their organization (a deliberate choice), but what I know of their work, it’s not something that fits with my philosophy or bedrock belief of choice. I believe we’re all here to make choices, & the best way to spread truth is to live it & not be ashamed, though at the same time, to respect others decisions, though they may be contrary to my belief system. I think this stems in large part from my LDS background, as we believe deeply in tolerance & choice, without compromising our own personal values.
I don’t believe in shaming people into making good or better choices, whatever they may be. Show people goodness, & they will make the choice whether or not to follow it. The way PETA & other organizations have gone about spreading veganism focuses on extreme, shocking measures. That’s just not my style, & I feel there are better ways of going about implementing positive change. As it relates to diet, I think focusing on principles, showing the joy that comes from following those principles, is the way to go.
My feelings about PETA are similar to, though not the same as, my feelings toward the low fat plant-based movement. I began there, and through time & experience (I explain more in this post), I have realized that I no longer belong there. Nuts, seeds, avocados, higher fat foods, higher protein foods, some soy, even refined foods & some oils, desserts, all of these things have a place in most people’s diet. To recommend that everyone should avoid these things, is unnecessary. Some people may need to avoid some of these things for a time, or for longer, but this does not mean that everyone should always avoid these foods.
I know this is a round-about, somewhat rambling way to get to my thoughts on having gestational diabetes.
I’ve only recently found out, a little later in my pregnancy than most women, but since I’ve made some significant changes I feel so much better–lots more energy (which as you know, makes me happy), more balanced. The biggest change is eating 6 times a day (rather than only 2 or 3), controlling the amount of carbohydrates at each meal, & eating a bit more protein & fat.
When I attended the gestational diabetes class, I felt a little like fish out of water. Not that it wasn’t helpful, but I got a taste for how diabetes (though, I should note, gestational diabetes is a bit different than diabetes, though they are very similar) is traditionally managed–through a high animal protein diet. The dietitian was not aware that I was vegan so did not offer any advice or instruction in that regard, though I was able to figure out what foods I should be eating that would fit within the prescribed parameters.
I have to check my blood sugar 4 times a day & eat in a very specific, controlled way. This new pattern of eating is absolutely helping me control my blood sugar, & because of it, I feel sooooo much better (remember this post?).
I’d love to share with you a few sample days of how/what I eat & more thoughts on this whole experience, which I will in Thursday’s post.
Further reading:
American Dietetic Assocation’s paper on vegan/vegetarian diets
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