Why healthy eating causes that uncomfortable feeling – Jan. 5, 2015 Globe and Mail

A Jan. 5, 2015 Globe and Mail article is entitled: “Why healthy eating causes that uncomfortable feeling.”

According to the article, when you switch to healthy eating, it will take your body some time to adjust.

I switched from a meat and potatoes diet well over 40 years ago to a vegetarian diet. It was a drastic shift, that I knew I would stick with no matter what. For several months, maybe half a year, my stomach protested. Then it settled down and things have been fine ever since.

The Jan. 5, 2015 Globe and Mail article notes:

“‘Probably the best advice is to make small, realistic changes one at a time and to build on that,” Verbowski says. “I think when we do those drastic changes, yeah, it might not feel so good … but also it tends not to be very realistic and not a long-term solution.’”

In my case, I made a drastic change and it turned out to be a great long-term solution. What works for one person will not work for another. Each person has her or his own way of proceeding.

Fewer people were vegetarians in the 1970s

I quit smoking at the same time.

It has never occurred to me that anybody should follow my example. I can think of situations where it would make good sense to be a meat eater – e.g., if you live in a part of the world where there is no access to locally grown vegetables.

In those days vegetarians were considered a rarity. I got many comments, sharp looks. As the decades went by the attitudes changed for the better.

At first I avoided eggs and fish but now I eat them on occasion.

I eat a bit more than seven portions of fruits and vegetables (more of the latter than the former) per day.

Recently I’ve been prescribed an iron supplement. Iron deficiency anemia can, in some cases such as mine, be an unintended consequence of a long-term vegetarian diet. I’m pleased I found out about that thanks to a first-rate family physician. It’s good to be aware of such things if you become a vegetarian as I did in my mid-twenties. If I was starting over I’d be eating more plant-based sources of iron such as leafy green vegetables right from the start.

Updates

A Jan. 7, 2015 CBC article is entitled: “Food purchases, calories go up after holidays:
Despite resolutions, consumers spent more on both healthy and less-healthy foods.”

A Jan. 12, 2015 CBC article is entitled: “What’s the secret to Japan’s slender population? Serious ‘eating education’: ‘We don’t just teach them about cooking; we teach them about the importance of eating local,’ teacher says.”

An August 1, 2015 New York Times article is entitled: “My Dinner With Longevity Expert Dan Buettner (No Kale Required).” The article notes: Not a lot of dairy products.