noun
1. A Shanna eats a mainly plant-based diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, etc. She does not eat dairy, eggs, or poultry products. She occasionally eats freshwater fish and sometimes chows on some bacon. She adjusts accordingly as needed.
It has been a year this month since I began the bear of a process of managing my Sarcoidosis with my nutrition. Because my auto-immune disease was triggered by food allergies this process was of the utmost importance unless I wanted to have permanent damage to my organs and to take powerful pharmaceutical drugs with terrible side effects. That just seemed downright dim-witted being I could remove the triggers and alleviate the inflammation and symptoms naturally.
It has been a long process with ups and downs. It took me a long time to figure out the main triggers. The last trigger that I found was poultry. Now that I have removed poultry, I am feeling healthy more often than not these days. I dare to say that on some days I feel like my old self but healthier. I occasionally unknowingly eat something with an allergen in it that I was told was allergen free, but that is okay. I can handle that.
People often ask me if I am vegan or vegetarian. There are many different types of vegans and vegetarians. I had no idea there were so many different types until I started researching. No, I am not a vegan. While a vegan dish is always a "safe" dish for me to eat I still enjoy my honey and occasional meat. I guess that I am a flexitarian vegetarian, but I don't like the whole labeling and putting myself in a box thing. I follow my own specific diet tailored specifically for my body for optimal health. What works for me may not work for someone else.
I have learned so much about various types of foods and their direct relationship to various diseases. In all honesty, I basically caused my auto-immune disease because I didn't listen to my body. I didn't realize that at the time but hindsight is 20/20. I have been humbled by my body and I am listening now.
I am grateful to report that over the past year I have been able to dial in my nutrition, running/cardio, stress management and sleep needs. I now know what works for my body to keep it happy and healthy. I have the occasional flare ups but can almost always pinpoint the exact cause and rectify it.
I wrote this blog post because people ask me questions and I hope that this helped answer some of them. Anyone can reach out to me if you have questions out of curiosity or because you are going through something. We each have to find our own way to navigate this crazy thing called life, but in the meantime it is always comforting to know there are others out there who understand.
