Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

Preparing for surgery can bring a lot of uncertainty. Many people wonder if there is anything they can do ahead of time to improve their chances of a smooth procedure and recovery. While we can’t control everything, one thing we can control is how we take care of our bodies leading up to it. For me, years of following a whole food plant-based lifestyle have helped transform my health in ways I never imagined. As I recently completed my pre-operative physical, lab work, and EKG, the results served as a powerful reminder that the daily choices we make truly matter.

Last Wednesday, I met with my surgeon to review the details of my upcoming knee surgery. I’m now fully prepared and ready to move forward.

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself ever since I tore my meniscus.

It just occurred to me the other day that I have been officially vegan for over 8 years now. On September 6, 2016, I had my final meal with family and friends. It was Chicken Marsala. It was the beginning of what I thought would be a 13 week challenge, where my original intention was to go back to my old diet. I never went back to the old diet as I became an ethical vegan in the process.

I have learned a lot over the years of being vegan and would never choose to knowingly have animal products. There are so many plant based products out there that there is no reason in our society to not be vegan.

I used to be an addict and would eat tons of candy, so you might be surprised that I no longer crave those foods at all. The other day, I walked down the candy aisle while trying to increase my steps for the day. I saw a bag of Skittles and thought to myself that the old me would have eaten the entire bag without even thinking about it.

I picked up the bag to look at the ingredients. As someone who follows a whole food plant-based diet, I wanted to see what kind of ingredients were used in foods I once consumed. The first ingredients listed are sugar and corn syrup. Other ingredients include modified corn starch, water, gelatin, and less than 2% of citric acid, malic acid, natural and artificial flavors, sunflower oil, colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1), and carnauba wax.