Here’s to our health!

Before I decided to change my lifestyle and adopt a vegan one, I’ve been having a LOT of minor health problems that could lead to bigger ones in the future. You know, tell-tale signs that I’m getting old too fast for my age. I used to not be able to stand too long or walk too far because my feet hurt so much from the effort of holding up my weight. Yesterday Aljude and I were walking around in Quiapo from 9AM-3PM and we both didn’t feel too tired to do anything else by the time we got home. That was actually the first thing I noticed. With good diet and regular exercise, my feet don’t hurt anymore. I used to wake up every day at different times of the day because my stomach hurts. It’s highly acidic and very sensitive, so the pain I wake up to is often excruciating and radiates to my back. Now I don’t experience that anymore, I don’t wake up clutching my stomach, I don’t run to the bathroom to throw up acidic fluids, my back doesn’t ache anymore. I used to not be able to sleep well. Now I sleep better and when I wake up, I don’t feel unrested, I feel refreshed and energized.

I also wrote here about what I think is the biggest challenge for me when I turned vegan, that is satisfying my sweet tooth. That has always been my weakness. I love everything sweet. I love chocolates, cakes, etc etc etc. The creamier and sweeter, the better. I can go without meat because I didn’t like it anyway, but sweets and other dairy products, it almost broke my heart. Almost being the operative word.

That’s what Aljude and I had for dessert yesterday. That’s ripe jackfruit and its seeds in the middle. It’s so sweet and delicious, it immediately satisfied my craving for sweets. Boiled langka seeds was one of my comfort foods while growing up. My father used to make them for the two of us (since no one else in the house eats em) and we snack on them while watching TV. So Aljude bought a big bag for me for P20, and that’s enough to last me for a week. It tastes similar to castañas, only with a hint of jackfruit. Read the article also to find out the many health benefits of eating langka.

Everyone I know from my father’s side of the family died of diabetes and hypertension. So my genes are against me when it comes to this. As if that’s not bad enough, I inherited my sweet tooth from his side of the family too. Argh. It’s a good thing that I’m willing to try other sweet but healthy alternatives. It’s strange but it’s like a switch just got flipped in my mind and I just decided that I want a better lifestyle for myself. It’s an added blessing that Aljude made the same decision because you can’t really force someone to make the same decision as yours.

So far, the change in lifestyle is working wonders for me and Aljude. The only downside (if you can call it that) is that I spend more time thinking about what to eat and how to prepare our meals. Other than that we’re doing great. :)