brava! I'm in pretty much the same boat; I'll share what little I know
Date:
January 21, 2008 at 10:43 am PST
In Reply to: menopause posted by Bonnie on January 19, 2008 at 6:16 pm:
I'm just turning 50, and after watching my mom go through breast cancer treatment after less than a year on HRT....nope, I ain't doin' it! HRT has been proven to increase cancer risk. Not only that, most women are never told how premarin is made...it comes from the urine of mares who are kept alone in stalls, never let out, and are forced to watch their foals being killed in front of them so they can be impregnated again to make more of the drug. I have two lovely mares rescued from that horrible situation. Each now has a sweet little foal, so she can know what it's like to keep one of her babies. Good for you for walking away from that!!! you go!
Now... you've totally come to the right place to get information. THere are two schools of thought about going veg: some people do better with a gradual transition. They just start by replacing one meat-centered meal each day with a veg meal. Others just spend time reading, shopping, learning about HOW to replace meat, and then do it all at once. And then, some folks call themselves flexitarians, and never go entirely veg, but are mostly veg. I'd start with reading The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America. That will give you some background as to just what is going in your food. vegcooking.com is a wonderful site for recipes and shopping info. It does have a particular political bent which you may or may not want, but seriously, the recipes are well worth it. They also have sample menus that will make your mouth water, take any thoughts of a boring diet and smash them, and give you an idea of what a balanced, nutritious, and tasty - and doable - veg diet would look like. You don't want to fall into the trap of having just a couple of things to make and getting bored, or sick, from lack of variety. In terms of your own eating, start with a food diary. Remember that it's not just about what you DON'T eat, it's also what you DO eat. Before you cut anything out, look at how many fruits and veggies you consume each day. How much is fresh/unprocessed. How many WHOLE grains you are eating. You can be a really unhealthy veg person if all you do is cut out the meat, and don't fill in with the right healthy stuff. Too many processed meat substitutes are not good for you. I use them, but in limited quantitities. Junk food may be veg, but it is not want you want to be eating, and if you don't plan, you're going to get hungry and head for the vending machine. Also, if you're vegetarian but not vegan, you can pile on the fat and calories with too much dairy, and that stuff's loaded with hormones and chemical pesticides in the feed grain that can be carcinogenic too. So you want to limit, if not eliminate, dairy foods, not eat more of them to replace meat. You might want to begin with just adding fruits and veggies to your diet for a couple of weeks, to substitute for desserts, snacks, or dairy. Reduce the number of times each week you eat any meat and experiment with a new veg meal. I love my crock pot, and make a vegan soup or stew with a salad several times a week. Stirfry on the weekend, when I have time for that stuff, and lots of veggie hummus wraps and bean wraps, and I'm set. Now, as to weight loss and menopause symptoms, exercise is your best best to start for BOTH of those. Yes, exercise does limit the intensity of menopause symptoms! Start walking on our lunch break, if that's the only way to work it in. Just taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a start. There are nonpharma menopause aids; I am sceptical of any sweeping claims, but topical progesterone creams, black cohosh, dong quai, vitex, all have some research to back up their effectiveness for at least some people. If you can find a source of fresh herbs rather than capsules of dubious origin, so much the better. Go on up to the main homepage menu for vegsource, and check out some of the other boards. Come by the Elders board, it's for veg women 50 and up, and you'd find tons of info and support - and fun! Come by the veganism board, you don't have to be totally vegan to ask questions and get support there. We have lots of "transitionings" and "undecideds". Lots of people there have done weight loss and fitness programs. Lots are much older than we are! I've been vegetarian since I was 11, gosh, that's 39 years now, and vegan the last 24 years. I'm also the only woman in my entire large family not to have had cancer by age 40, and to be still wearing the same size I did in high school, and despite dire warning about the need for dairy for bone strength, I'm the only one with a normal bone density scan....because animal protein metabolism actually leaches calcium out of your bones. Eat your greens, skip the animal products, and you won't need Fosimax. THis works for me, and I hope it'll help you too. Glad to meet you! keep in touch, and I hope I see you in the Elder's Tent!
