Hi guys!
I've been toying with the idea of going vegan for awhile now and would greatly appreciate any input or suggestions. I'll tell you my story so you can get a better idea of my motivations and health concerns. I am warning you now, that I am going to be very honest in this post, so if you are offended by bodily functions, please don't read this. Thanks in advance!
I feel like there is something very unbalanced in my body. I have some days where I will relieve my bowels twice a day and some weeks where I will only relieve my bowels once a week. I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) when I was little and have been battling it since. I'll eat something and not have any problems with digestion and then the next time I eat it, i'll have violent diarrhea. I've been to several doctors to do allergy and intolerance tests, but everything that comes up as a potential allergy or intolerance is mild at the most. Mainly, gluten and dairy.
Even though my dairy allergy is very minimal (according to 3 different doctors), I am believe it's causing me to have scalp irritations. I have severe seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp. I tried a dairy free diet for a few months and it nearly cleared up completely, whether coincidence or not. However, I caved and fell off the dairy free wagon.
Another concern is my weight. I am about 40 lbs overweight (my own standards, not the doctor or a magazine). While my diet is not terribly compared to that of a normal American's, it is not great. I need to change this for my health. I am 25 and I have barely any energy, I wake up in the morning and I immediately want to go back to sleep. It's taking a toll on my mental health for sure, I don't want to feel so sluggish anymore. (I should add here that I do NOT drink coffee, but I love tea).
Ideally, I would like to get to the point where I am eating/juicing vegan 6 days a week and have one day a week be a cheat day (at least at first). Now my main question to the vegan community is: would you suggest going cold turkey? Or would you suggest slowly integrating the new diet into my current diet, maybe start a day or two of purely vegan and slowly increase the amount of days?
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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