Diet Results

In high school, I didn't really know anything about diet, except that I wanted to be muscular so I could attract more female attention. It's sad, but true. I ate tons of candy, had protein shakes often, etc.

I first started thinking about diet after attending an Anthony Robbins seminar where there was a whole six hour portion on diet. The part of the seminar that affected me the most was watching how the animals are slaughtered and what they're fed. I won't go into that, but I decided to become vegetarian for a mixture of health and moral reasons.

Over the years, I've gone on and off a vegetarian diet. Things went up a level when I decided to go on a 100% raw food diet. In addition, I did a four day fast.

I stopped the raw diet after six months and went back to being a vegetarian. Now, I'm just a vegan. I don't drink and very rarely eat sweets.

Here's what I've learned from this whole experience:

1. I will be very careful to be a part of an "extreme diet" again. After reading many books and attending many meetings on raw food, I saw a lot of circular thinking and putting the ideal experience over people's actual experiences. I still feel that a 100% raw diet can work well for people, if they're very careful, but I don't think one has to be 100%. I probably eat 60-70% raw food.
   
2. Not eating sweets probably has had the largest impact. I very rarely crave sweets and as a result, I don't have ups and downs like I used to. I have a much more balanced feeling, not to say that my mind doesn't throw that off.
   
3. Fasting was interesting. After a day of it, the desire for food became much less and I realized how little food the body needs. However, after the fast, I gorged myself on food. I couldn't get enough even if I was already full.
   
4. I'm a vegan now not because I think meat is innately bad for health. However, after learning how animals are raised, what they're fed, and how they're killed - it doesn't seem like the best choice for me in terms of health or ethically. I think there are other options I could pursue such as open-range chicken and grass-fed cows, but I don't think these things are regulated very heavily and I don't feel like spending the time to research companies.