I originally started this blog in the fall. I only got through a few posts before I gave up. Life happened and I started to go for what was easy as opposed to what I believe is right for me and my body.
I want to remind everyone that this is a transition for me. Some people are able to make a change instantly and never look back. Others need to move in the right direction. Whatever type of person you are is okay. When you make a "mistake" on your plan, don't throw in the towel. I've always been an all or nothing person. This has meant that when I went off course, even once, then the goal went out the window completely. Even if you can start by making one vegan meal a day, you're going to enjoy the benefits.
One thing that I KNOW helps me find success but I struggle with A LOT is planning. When we plan, it's much easier to stick to the plan than when we have to make decisions on the fly. I know this works for me but I often fail to do it. That's someone I'm working on changing.
This weekend I failed to plan and I allowed myself to get too hungry (against the wise advice from my vegan friend, Stephanie). Being vegan is not always the easy choice. I ended up choosing non-vegan options in a few different settings. I'm going to have to be sure I have vegan snacks on me at all times in order to prevent this. It can't get any easier than packing some nuts and an apple or orange.
I noticed how these decisions affected my body pretty quickly. I felt lethargic almost instantly and had stomach aches. All I wanted to do was sleep. My allergies are always bad during a weather change and they're worse than they would be if I were eating better nutrients.
If you're feeling lethargic, like me, and plan to rest tonight, check out the film Forks Over Knives which is available for live streaming on Netflix.
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Monday, April 8, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Ear Infections and Dairy
A lot of my Facebook friends have small children. I've noticed that most of these small children suffer from recurrent ear infections. This means these kids are getting tons of antibiotics at a young age to battle the infections and many end up needing tubes in their ears to prevent further infections.
As I mentioned in my post "About Me", my son suffered from recurrent ear infections after I stopped breast feeding and started giving him cow's milk. It seemed like every few weeks he would get a fever and end up having an ear infection. He stopped responding to the usual antibiotics and started needing something stronger. My mom (an RN) suggested eliminating cow's milk from his diet as a trial to see if it was contributing to his ear infections, allergies and asthma issues. I didn't eliminate dairy completely but he stopped drinking cow's milk daily.
Most pediatricians recommend that children begin drinking Vitamin D cow's milk around 1 year of age. It's considered a "superfood" and a staple in young children's diet. I researched information on the link between dairy and ear infections/asthma/allergies and was surprised that no pediatrician had suggested I try eliminating or reducing his milk/dairy intake. It seemed like the number of people who found success by making this simple change in their child's diet should be reason enough to make it a well known "treatment" for kids who struggle with these health concerns.
My son has not suffered from a single ear infection since removing cow's milk from his diet (he still consumes it in other foods but stopped drinking it). He still struggles a bit with allergies during certain times of year but I am confident if we continue eliminating dairy, he will experience these symptoms less and less.
I find it troublesome that this isn't information that is regularly shared in the medical field. It's crazy to me that almost every small child I know of suffers from these issues in some way. It has to be linked to something common in their diet. I urge every parent who's battling these issues to give it a 3 month trial. Eliminate cow's milk from your child's diet for 3 months and see if you notice a change. An easy internet search will give you tons of information on the subject so you can research it for yourself. You've got nothing to lose except a lot of visits to the pediatricians office!
As I mentioned in my post "About Me", my son suffered from recurrent ear infections after I stopped breast feeding and started giving him cow's milk. It seemed like every few weeks he would get a fever and end up having an ear infection. He stopped responding to the usual antibiotics and started needing something stronger. My mom (an RN) suggested eliminating cow's milk from his diet as a trial to see if it was contributing to his ear infections, allergies and asthma issues. I didn't eliminate dairy completely but he stopped drinking cow's milk daily.
Most pediatricians recommend that children begin drinking Vitamin D cow's milk around 1 year of age. It's considered a "superfood" and a staple in young children's diet. I researched information on the link between dairy and ear infections/asthma/allergies and was surprised that no pediatrician had suggested I try eliminating or reducing his milk/dairy intake. It seemed like the number of people who found success by making this simple change in their child's diet should be reason enough to make it a well known "treatment" for kids who struggle with these health concerns.
My son has not suffered from a single ear infection since removing cow's milk from his diet (he still consumes it in other foods but stopped drinking it). He still struggles a bit with allergies during certain times of year but I am confident if we continue eliminating dairy, he will experience these symptoms less and less.
I find it troublesome that this isn't information that is regularly shared in the medical field. It's crazy to me that almost every small child I know of suffers from these issues in some way. It has to be linked to something common in their diet. I urge every parent who's battling these issues to give it a 3 month trial. Eliminate cow's milk from your child's diet for 3 months and see if you notice a change. An easy internet search will give you tons of information on the subject so you can research it for yourself. You've got nothing to lose except a lot of visits to the pediatricians office!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)