Vegan is such a loaded word. It means no meat or dairy, for sure, but also no leather purses or shoes, and a generally conservationist lifestyle. I fall so far short of this ideal that it’s not even worth considering myself a vegan. Mostly plant-based is more accurate. That way, if I have pasta with clams once in a while, the vegan police are not going to harass me. I also try for whole foods only, but with an occasional pastry or garlic bread. I really don’t care about perfection any more.
For one thing, I’m a reformed compulsive overeater. For many years, I binged on sugar or chips whenever I had an emotion. The next day I would try to starve to make up for it. In recovery, I was taught to eat three meals a day with vegetables and protein. I still need to do that. Every day. No fasting for me. Likewise, no overeating for me. That keeps the compulsion to eat the refrigerator in the background.
For another thing, in spite of my imperfection, my blood pressure and cholesterol are down, and I take fewer medications. However, my blood sugar is not down, due I think to too much white processed pasta. And probably too many sweet snacks after dinner. I aim to slowly and gradually improve. I just cannot snap my fingers and change.
In my experience, radical changes lead to huge binges. Any change at all is difficult. For me, that is the nature of compulsive overeating. This has been a difficult change, and trying to be perfect gets me worse eating. Every time. So that’s over.
I’m a good-enough plant-based whole-food vegan. Mostly.
