I am very interested in what you found with nutrition; what was effective? I am reading research on yoga/meditation, excersise, bio-feedback. Have you tried some of these?
Hula hoops and a mini-trampoline are my favorite forms of exercise, along with nature stuff. I haven't tried bio-feedback. I was catapulted into my current whole foods plant-based mucus-lean mucus-free lifestyle via an ER visit for gall bladder pain. I like to be more specific than just "vegan" since veganism is pretty broad. There's vegan junk food just as well as regular junk food. I've spent the last 5-6 years trying many different things/diets/plans/etc. and finally feel I figured it out as it best benefits my biology. I found we've been misled and misfed for a long damn time.
I no longer knowingly ingest any meat, dairy, eggs, alcohol, caffeine, or gluten. Prior to the ER visit, I'd already eliminated gluten, sodas (minus ginger ale - until I found kombucha), and beer. I had already switched to eating much less meat, and when I did eat it, I'd only choose locally raised vs. factory raised, only ate local eggs, and only chose local dairy. I still drank coffee as if it were the only lifeline to my ability to function, often wishing I could have it intravenously. But I was still miserable, over 300 lbs., and was practically bed-ridden more often than not due to the severe pain and inflammation, followed by the emotional turmoil of dealing with it all.
After that scary ER visit, luckily escaping surgery, I called a hardcore highly healthy vegan friend, who used to get on my nerves when she mentioned how good she felt and what she ate, and got some intense one on one help. I jumped in head first and had to painfully learn a few lessons, but glad I did. I now realize slow and rational transitioning is the most helpful and sustainable way to make such a huge change. I was also getting the support of acupuncture, chiro, iridology, and massage therapy along with some tinctures and such from master herbalist friends, so it was, and still is, an entire village helping me through. All bartering to make it possible, otherwise, who knows where I'd be. These folks have helped me more than all the others combined, no doubt about it.
I learned more about what happens behind the scenes to get my food to my fork and how we don't only digest the product, but the energies from the journey it took from birth. I then learned of the lymphatic system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the elimination system, the endocrine system, and how it all connects to the nervous system, how important it is to be sure that what we choose as our fuel is also being expelled as it should be, and which foods form heavy mucus and pus and such. I even learned we haven't been using the bathroom to our best advantage as far as releasing the maximum amount of waste possible. We turned it into a comfy chair whereas we should be squatting to allow healthier elimination. Foot stools can aid in that venture.
Then I discovered the art of food combining. No one ever told me we aren't supposed to mix starches and meat, hell, I was raised on meat and potatoes. It wasn't natural to have one without the other. I never knew how fast fruit digested and that it shouldn't be eaten after other food groups. Chewing everything until it's practically liquid helps a great deal, as our stomach has no teeth to finish chewing what we woof down. Drinking with our meals isn't recommended, either, but rather 15-20 minutes before or after..
Well, shit. How come no one ever mentioned this critical information in all those years of schooling I took? None of the medical professionals ever dropped any of that knowledge, either. How come these alphabet agencies who supposedly have our best interest at heart aren't teaching us this helpful stuff and instead, heavily marketing all these things causing so many of our ills? It's been interesting, eye opening, life changing, and maddening all rolled into one. I got much of my health and sanity back as a result of the drastic changes and painful lessons, but found a whole new set of problems and hurdles.
