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(d-11)
Mid-Hudson Vegetarian Society, Inc.
38 East Market Street, Rhinebeck, New York 12572 USA -
845-876-2626
Vegetarian - Vegan - Animal Rights - Health - Nutrition - Environment
The mission of the Mid-Hudson Vegetarian Society, Inc. is to promote the vegetarian ethic in the Mid-Hudson (New York) region, educate the community and aid anyone in the pursuit of a totally vegetarian (vegan) cruelty-free and healthful lifestyle.
Newsletters - Winter 2005 Issue
Vegetarian Journey: I am NOT a Carnivore
By Darlene RosenbergHi, my name is Darlene and I am a herbivore. I didn’t know that a year ago. In this, our land of the free, I have been taught and conditioned to acquire a taste for the flesh of other living, breathing, animals.
Where is the freedom in that?
Like millions of others, I fell into the mindset of the masses. Like them, I believed that consuming a lot of animal flesh and limiting fruit and vegetables would benefit me. Maybe this short-term insanity was what it took to save my life and the lives of innocent cows, pigs, and chickens.
My personal experience with the popular Atkins diet put my body into shock and despair. Wanting to lose my 40 pound, post pregnancy weight gain, I was desperate for a solution. Eating meat my whole life, I decided to go on the Atkins diet. Little did I know of the bodily damage that lie ahead.
In my first three weeks of dieting I lost ten pounds and thought, “Hey, this is for me!” As time went on, I started feeling sad and depressed for no reason, with terrible mood swings. I had daily headaches and was so tired that all I wanted to do was sleep. To counteract my headaches and depressed sleepy state, I used caffeine in the form of tablets and coffee to get me through the day. This overuse of caffeine caused me to have stomach problems.
Feeling so ill, I went to the doctor, who performed blood tests.
We discovered a total cholesterol of 385, triglycerides a whopping 719, and slightly elevated liver function test. Being in the medical field, I knew this wasn’t good. Frightened, I went off the Atkins diet but continued to eat meat and drink coffee.
Then a few months later I had to be taken by ambulance to the ER. The culprit – gastroenteritis; my whole digestive system was malfunctioning.
This experience opened my eyes to the dangers lurking behind my ignorance. I have since stopped eating meat and have included fiber in my diet. I am learning as much as I can about vegetarianism and have started exercising. I no longer need to use caffeine to keep me awake. I have more sustained energy throughout the day, and I feel calm and happy. I am also raising my 16 months old daughter as a vegetarian.
I am so grateful that I have had this awakening and that I can give this precious gift to her.
Return to Winter 2005 Issue
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