Hi! I’m Liz and I’m just a Southern girl who is trying to be a good vegan. I’m originally from Georgia but I now live in Alberta, Canada. I’ve lived here since 2006 and I love it. Although, I ask myself why I moved here when the winters are bad.
I was born and raised in the South, so I love all things fried or deep fried, all kinds of meat, and all kinds of cheese. However, I decided to go vegan in May 2014. In 2008, I had been experiencing strange, unexplained hives that would develop at any time and work itself up my body. You could see the rash develop on my shins and then slowly move it’s way up my legs. I didn’t know what was causing it. I’d use Calamine lotion and antihistamines. The antihistamines would work quicker so that’s what I stuck with. I’d normally have cereal for breakfast (if I ate breakfast), and then later on my stomach wouldn’t be happy.
I’d gone to the doctor and told him about the hives and he thought I might have Celiac’s. That wasn’t the case. We couldn’t figure out what the cause was, so he just advised me to continue taking the antihistamines whenever I needed to.
Come December 2012, I discovered I was pregnant with our son. I’d always had hives and kept a steady supply of antihistamines on hand. During the whole pregnancy I’d still develop the hives and sometimes they were worse than before. I’d scratch and scratch and just wanted to be rid of my skin. I’d still take my antihistamines throughout the pregnancy though. They provided me with much needed relief from the itching.
When our son was born in September 2013, he was a colicky baby after a few months. I did some research online (or as my husband calls it “self-diagnosing”). So, at one of our son’s checkups, I mentioned to the doctor about him being colicky and read that dairy could be the cause. The doctor said I could cut out all dairy and see if that would work. At that point, I think we were willing to try anything to try to save our sanities. So, I cut out all dairy.
The next day, I started to feel better. I felt less bloated (and I wasn’t even six weeks postpartum yet) and I hadn’t developed any hives. A lightbulb went off and I realized my body didn’t agree with dairy.
Several months later, I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives and Earthlings. I’d already cut dairy out of my diet, so I decided to go vegan. That was May 2014. I’ve been trying to be a good vegan with the foods I consume. I don’t always follow the rules. I might fall of the wagon a few times, but I get right back on. I sometimes call myself a “chegan,” but I am striving to be a good vegan and this is my journey.
You can always contact me at beingagoodvegan@gmail.com
Trying To Be A Good Vegan 