Veganism: How did I get here? I guess the journey started with my childhood, because everything does, right? I feel like I’ve always known in the back of my mind, even as a child, that one day I would at least try vegetarianism. The allure of knowing that there were people who chose not to eat bacon, steak and rotisserie chicken fed my curiosity. Part of me knew that these herbivores had to know something that we did not. The other part knew that my affinity for meat would be a temporary affair that I would eventually outgrow and move on from. Thankfully, at that time, I had no idea what the word “vegan” meant, and that cheese and dairy were off the table for them. I don’t think I would have been able to process that quite yet— I just knew I loved veggies.
Growing up in a household in the suburbs of Atlanta with parents from South Georgia and Florida, you may think that my childhood was filled with delectable southern delicacies and heavy home-cooked meals that would give you the “itis” after you finished (if you don’t know what the “itis” is, phone a friend). My mom rarely fried foods, though, and in fact tried to give us a very “American” or balanced diet. Her favorite quick-stop grocery spot was a small, family-owned market with fresh vegetables straight from the farm. My father, who worked out mostly every day with former bodybuilder as one of his many previous professions, often brought us snacks from the health food store. Remember eating those sugary cereals with the cool slogans? I don’t. We got Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes (no frost to be found) Honey Bunches of Oats, and if we were lucky, Honey Nut Cheerios. “Everything in moderation” was the motto my parents lived by and it worked for us.
When I got into college (HU, U KNOW!) I was active, waking up at five am every morning for rigorous cheer practice for the first 3 years, then dancing my final year. My diet became dependent on food from the “caf”, the “punchout” and take out when I couldn’t get that. I told myself I was still eating healthy, denouncing McDonalds and eating meals at my college boyfriend’s parent’s house. His mother was hell-bent on feeding her family healthy, balanced meals almost every night. But after graduating and navigating the world through trial and error, I picked up a few bad habits. I’m gonna’ blame it on youth and the restaurant industry (they should be blamed for something so there it is). I was drinking every day, eating at the restaurants where I worked and eating (and drinking) very late. I was having some digestive issues, which wasn’t new for me, but it got to the point where I felt nauseated most of the day. I decided, then, to cut out all land animals and stick with our friends under the sea. My first stint as a pescatarian was short lived, though. I spent the next 2 years without red meat, purposely avoiding plans for future lifestyle changes. I felt “healthier”.
I wanted to feel good from the inside out. It just seemed that my body, nearing the end of my 20s, never really felt 100%. I needed more energy, especially because I had made the decision to teach full time-ish and train/perform during whatever hours were left in the day. After my 30 birthday and a year’s worth of traveling on-and-off tour, nothing was sitting in my stomach right. I would travel and not be able to use the bathroom for days. It was tough, man. By then, I stopped drinking milk most of the time but was still consuming milk products (I really was not trying to give up cheese). Not to mention I was eating any and every animal you got. You name it!
It was July 4th, almost a month after my birthday, and I decided to treat myself to some wine at lunch and pizza for dinner. I loved acidic things. Wine, beer, tomato sauce, especially. I remember sitting on the bed with my play brother watching a movie when I started to feel dizzy and unsteady. My bro looked at me with concerned eyes. I got up and tried to make it to my door frame when I got the sudden urge to barf my guts out. I had no idea what was going on. A few days later, I couldn’t shake the lump in my throat that I felt after the episode with the pizza.
I googled my symptoms (don’t pretend you don’t do it too) and came up with acid reflux. I wasn’t having “heartburn”, so I was confused. I had always seen heartburn ads growing up and it looked like the worst thing ever; I had never experienced that sensation. I didn’t know about G.E.R.D. and how acid can climb up your esophagus. It was uncomfortable and it was relentless. That next week I would be in California for a performance and I needed to feel better before then.
I grabbed some OTC reflux meds and hoped for the best. After about a week of taking them, I developed flu-like symptoms and couldn’t continue with the allotted 14-day period required for the medicine to work. It also happened to be the day before I was to travel to Cali for a tour performance. I really didn’t know what to do. I always relied on medicine to remedy any health issues I had. My mom was heavy on doctors because she knew from experience that doctors save lives. Her own life was saved from cancer in the 90s. The only natural remedy I grew up with was aloe and that was for topical use for us only.
There I was, in Cali, so sick that I felt like I couldn’t move— let alone dance full out in front of hundreds of people. My boss offered to get me a massage to help release some toxins that night. After the masseuse set up in my room, we started talking about health and wellness. She was clearly informed on natural remedies and conspiracy theories. She’s what we call in the black community “woke”, but in a very matter-of-fact way. She shared that she thought some fresh ginger brewed into tea (using my hotel coffee pot) would knock my sickness out. She instructed me to keep drinking it until I felt better. I was desperate to feel even a little better by the morning (aka show day). So, I got up the next morning and went to the local grocery and bought some ginger, threw it in the coffee pot and downed it. 3 cups later, my fever broke. By the time it was time to perform, I felt confident that I could pull it together on stage and deliver.
The Great Ginger Save of ‘19 was all I needed to tip the scales in the way I thought about nutrition. As a child, every time I got sick my mom would immediately take me to the doctor. In my late 20s, it seemed like doctors were solving less of the few ailments I had and prescribing more pills that induced fever and flu-like symptoms. I was tired of that shit. I was like, “Fuck it, I'm a vegan now.” I wanted to see if a plant-based diet was the answer to my digestive/health problems, like many plant-based advocates claimed. Here’s how switching up my diet changed my life.
One of my very favorite bosses is a big-time vegan and had a transition guide that really helped. I tried for a vegan alkaline diet to cut down on the reflux and start my new journey as a non-meat eater. I went to the grocery store and scrutinized the ingredients in everything I picked up. The nerve of my favorite tater tots to have milk in them! And like... everything else. I immediately wondered how I would legit keep myself from starving.
I turned to fruits, veggies, beans and nuts for a good start. The first thing I noticed was that my frequency issue was no more. Let’s just say... it was smooth sailing from then on. I also noticed the amount of mucus that I had in my chest decreased significantly. There hadn’t been clarity in my voice for a long while. I had long since given up on singing, something that I had loved from childhood but had been difficult to do well in adulthood. I started hitting notes I hadn't Along with that, my energy increased, and I didn’t feel tired in the mornings, which was usually part of my daily anemic struggle. Best of all, I had been eating so frequently that I drove my metabolism to a place where I could burn off my food quickly throughout the day. I perform often, scantily clad as they say. In the past, I hated carrying my breakfast, lunch and dinner with me on stage. Bleh.
After changing my diet, there seemed to be a ripple effect in my life. Not only was I determined to nourish my body properly, but I started to become more aware of what I was feeding my spirit as well. I started to delve into books by Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson. That’s another blog for another time, though.
9 months later, I’m still going strong. After taking 6 months to figure out what I could eat that worked for my super active lifestyle, I got into more than just the dietary side of veganism. I’ve expanded my daily intake of plants to include natural supplements straight from Motha E., like spirulina (a great source of amino acids for vegans) sea moss, and moringa. I’ve since switched to natural products for my skin and I can objectively say that sans chemicals, Sis is glowing! This might sound cliché, but there is a ton of guilt that comes with eating animals that honestly, I didn’t realize that I was suppressing. I don’t know, maybe I was always subconsciously aware that meat wasn’t the best thing for my body.
Now, I feel more confident about maintaining a healthy lifestyle because I’m simply putting better things inside of my body. I haven’t been sick, not even so much as the sniffles, since I’ve gone the plant-based way. Turns out that there is something to a plant-based lifestyle after all— A lot, actually.
—SA
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