Does Vegan Diet Change Emotional State
I’ve noticed that since becoming a vegan (I was vegetarian for 11 years before) I seem to be a little calmer and more peaceful. It is not a huge change but noticeable to me. I teach middle school and drive on LA freeways, neither of which are places of calm or peace. And it just seems like I haven’t been getting nearly as aggravated or upset. I don’t know if the change is due to the fact that I now listen to vegan podcasts, read vegan blogs, books, and cookbooks, and read this vegan discussion board. Or maybe it’s because I am turning 50 – as I get older am I just more philosophical? Or does a vegan diet not only change your physical state but also your mental and emotional states? Is this change just a coincidence or has anyone else experienced this? (By the way, it’s not like I don’t ever get upset especially if things go really wrong – it’s just that the small stuff doesn’t seem to bother me as much.)
Wow what an interesting topic!
I was just thinking of this myself this morning on my way into work.
I commute about 25-30 minutes to and from work and I realized just this morning that traffic/bad drivers used to bother me much more...
Not that I'd honk or give them the 1-finger salute...but I'd get frustrated and crabby on my way to work & back. >:(
This morning I actually thought, "what is different? Why am I so....calm?".... ::)
I agree with you, although I'm still going to be upset when something majorly bad happens, I can definitely tell the little stuff isn't as big a deal anymore.
One of my good friends is veggie & he says you're more calm because you're not ingesting all the suffering & despair that is inherent in animal products.
Hmmmm.
I can't wait to see what others' experiences/opinions are!
I've thought about this a lot - I agree with Carrieyesmile's friend - that on a macro level, omnivores are eating meat that has been raised solely to be killed. If you really are mindful of all the negative levels of energy that penetrate the community of living beings within that environment, you can see how all that is certain to impact the person who uses those products to "feed" their body.
I don't know that I would say becoming vegan can take all the credit for your increased calm, viatrix, but manifesting your values into daily action has got to have a significantly intrinsic impact on ya! Yay for vegans!
...imagine if everyone driving the LA freeways had such a mindset ::)......
hmmm, for me I think it's the fact that I feel more in tune with myself, mentally and physically. I know exactly what I am putting into my body and reading/learning about all these good foods makes me feel good about it. Also I think its what veganism encompasses as a whole; being compassionate for animals and humans. :)
Back in the 70's there was a theory that all the growth hormones etc that meat ranchers pump into the animals would affect the consumer, causing greater aggression, emotivity etc. Whether or not there's any truth in it, I can't tell you. But a lot of my friends went veggie because of it. I certainly feel better in myself without meat.
i was going to mention something about raw as well... ::)
i don't really know for sure, because it has been years since i ate dairy/eggs, let alone meat, but i do believe in comparison to others i am less stressed (that is a big one), nicer towards other people (more accepting, i guess?) and just tend to be 'in the moment,' i don't really worry about how i'm going to format my life or what i am doing next, i just try to make every moment and day as good as it can be.
I became "nicer" when I went vegan, which kind of bothers me because I was so good at being edgy. It got really bad when I gave up caffeine - I've become pleasant to people who could really use a stern telling off.
I became "nicer" when I went vegan, which kind of bothers me because I was so good at being edgy. It got really bad when I gave up caffeine - I've become pleasant to people who could really use a stern telling off.
HH - You should use this as your mentor - you'll be crabby again in no time :)
http://muttscomics.com/cast/crabby.asp#
I became "nicer" when I went vegan, which kind of bothers me because I was so good at being edgy. It got really bad when I gave up caffeine - I've become pleasant to people who could really use a stern telling off.
that's when we need to pull out the 'angry vegan' in us all.... it has made a bit LESS nice. oops :-X :-\ :D ;)
HH - You should use this as your mentor - you'll be crabby again in no time :)
http://muttscomics.com/cast/crabby.asp#
Nope. Didn't help a bit. I coo-ed at da cute little grumpy crab-sie.
that's when we need to pull out the 'angry vegan' in us all.... it has made a bit LESS nice. oops :-X :-\ :D ;)
Today is a potluck at work and I tried to pull out "angry vegan," but I walked into the room where the appetizers were this morning and I could eat half of what was there and I forgot about my committment to be an angry vegan and waxed poetic about the variety of fruit.
I think, clearly, my problem is a lack of focus.
I need to show you my mean face. It's like this: >:( But for some reason, anyone I give it to just laughs!
I have not noticed any difference in my emotional state.
Actually, my partner who does eat meat is FAR more calm than I am when it comes to certain irritating matters, lol.
To pinch a quote from the FR Farming thread -
Some people may not be able to tolerate lactose, a milk sugar. One hundred percent of humans are allergic to casein, a milk protein. Eighty percent of the protein in Horizon's organic dairy products is casein, the same glue used to adhere a label to a bottle of beer. Eat casein and your body produces histamines, then mucous. This sludge congests your organs. Give up all milk and dairy products for just one week and an internal "fog" will lift from your body.
I totally noticed the physical effects of this. And I truly think emotional, mental, spiritual AND physical states are interlinked... so it's not surprising that cleaning out our bodies by removing emotionally/chemically tainted 'foods' would have a positive effect on how we feel.
I remember thinking a few times (years ago) that "I could never be vegan..." (mostly because I thought it meant eating weird-tasteless-hippie-type food) ... and now, after the few months since I made the switch, every now and then it hits me... how well I've done at changing my life! how happy it makes me & my conscience, and how PROUD I feel. I'm sure you'll understand this. :)
So apart from better body chemistry making us happy, there's also the thought that we are all doing a very good thing for ourselves and the world. Let's all stand in a circle and pat each other on the back! ;D ;) :D 8) :-*
Hmmmmm very interesting topic. I definitely have noticed a difference in my behavior since going vegan. Whether or not I can attribute it to veganism or not I am not sure. Over the summer I was living in an apartment with no tv or internet and did a lot more reading and writing than normal. Since then I have been uninterested in sports, and find them mostly to be a little pointless. Right now I should just be getting into college basketball, but I really could care less. I'm spending my time doing other more stimulating activities. I can't attribute this change to veganism, but maybe it had something to do with it??
Oh, and people have commented I have been much happier recently....I don't know why that is.
To pinch a quote from the FR Farming thread -
Some people may not be able to tolerate lactose, a milk sugar. One hundred percent of humans are allergic to casein, a milk protein. Eighty percent of the protein in Horizon's organic dairy products is casein, the same glue used to adhere a label to a bottle of beer. Eat casein and your body produces histamines, then mucous. This sludge congests your organs. Give up all milk and dairy products for just one week and an internal "fog" will lift from your body.
Not to jack this thread, but...
100% of humans are allergic to casein? ??? I think that is likely not true--most people don't even know what casein is and I ate tons of dairy prior to becoming vegan and never had any said mucous problem. Not to say that dairy is healthy, but 100% of people allergic to milk protein? I dunno...
To pinch a quote from the FR Farming thread -
Some people may not be able to tolerate lactose, a milk sugar. One hundred percent of humans are allergic to casein, a milk protein. Eighty percent of the protein in Horizon's organic dairy products is casein, the same glue used to adhere a label to a bottle of beer. Eat casein and your body produces histamines, then mucous. This sludge congests your organs. Give up all milk and dairy products for just one week and an internal "fog" will lift from your body.
Not to jack this thread, but...
100% of humans are allergic to casein? ??? I think that is likely not true--most people don't even know what casein is and I ate tons of dairy prior to becoming vegan and never had any said mucous problem. Not to say that dairy is healthy, but 100% of people allergic to milk protein? I dunno...
Hmmm, I wouldn't know for sure, not being a scientist or nutritionist. I only know what I've read. (Damnit, the website I read it on has recently fallen off the face of the web. ???) But like in the above quote, I was informed that after the age of abround 4-5 years, humans stop producing the enzyme needed to digest casein - in human milk OR cow's milk, or any other. In some people this shows up noticeably as lactose intolerance, where it's as strong as an allergy. I can't help but think that this 'allergy' exists more or less in ALL people. I only know how much better and cleaner my body felt after eliminating dairy.
There's a word in Ayurveda that could be used to describe this: okasatmya, which means "an unbalanced diet that has become nonharmful to the body through habitual use." 'nonharmful' being the debateable word... *shrugs*
To pinch a quote from the FR Farming thread -
Some people may not be able to tolerate lactose, a milk sugar. One hundred percent of humans are allergic to casein, a milk protein. Eighty percent of the protein in Horizon's organic dairy products is casein, the same glue used to adhere a label to a bottle of beer. Eat casein and your body produces histamines, then mucous. This sludge congests your organs. Give up all milk and dairy products for just one week and an internal "fog" will lift from your body.
Not to jack this thread, but...
100% of humans are allergic to casein? ??? I think that is likely not true--most people don't even know what casein is and I ate tons of dairy prior to becoming vegan and never had any said mucous problem. Not to say that dairy is healthy, but 100% of people allergic to milk protein? I dunno...
Hmmm, I wouldn't know for sure, not being a scientist or nutritionist. I only know what I've read. (Damnit, the website I read it on has recently fallen off the face of the web. ???) But like in the above quote, I was informed that after the age of abround 4-5 years, humans stop producing the enzyme needed to digest casein - in human milk OR cow's milk, or any other. In some people this shows up noticeably as lactose intolerance, where it's as strong as an allergy. I can't help but think that this 'allergy' exists more or less in ALL people. I only know how much better and cleaner my body felt after eliminating dairy.
There's a word in Ayurveda that could be used to describe this: okasatmya, which means "an unbalanced diet that has become nonharmful to the body through habitual use." 'nonharmful' being the debateable word... *shrugs*
Hmm...interesting. I know that my skin cleared up quite a bit after cutting out dairy--I had attributed it to the absence of all the hormones that are found in milk, but perhaps it was mucous ;D Such a gross word... :P
OK, back to vegan emotional state changes...Go!
needless to say, i don't like eating "angry" foods. i got home last week and made some miso soup in the last clean pot in the kitchen and one thing after another went wrong and it ended up with me spilling soup all over the counter/floor. i was soo pissed of and upset (it had been a long day regardless) and i refused to eat. DR understood. so i ate some pudding that was in the fridge i had made the day before.
I agree completely. there's something about the way food's prepared and who it's prepared by. for some reason, I feel good eating what my veggie friends/acquaintances make - maybe simply because we share similar mindsets, values, etc. and also because they have qualities that I want to have. and when I eat the food they've prepared, it's as if I'm taking in those values and qualities. make sense?