Interviews With Migraine Sufferers

A few weeks ago, I set out to get some information about migraines.  I've been casually researching them since being diagnosed, and have found that though they are not necessarily misrepresented on a massive scale, I'm not generally satisfied by the way they were presented.  I wanted to hear the stories of real people with real migraines and real solutions, and I wasn't finding them.

So I took to my nine hundred and thirty nine Facebook friends, and tracked down five people who were diagnosed with migraines and willing to share their experiences.  I didn't really know what kind of information I was looking for, but I was excited to hear what they had to say.

Jeremy Marchese, the University Scholars Senior Staff Assistant at Stony Brook University, reported getting migraines since he was eight years old.  I was surprised by the young age, but found the same to be true for Kenna Dearborn, a high school senior from Southern California, who mentioned getting her first CT scan as a ten year old.  And Gerilyn Brault, a graduate acting student at Purdue University, tracked her migraines back to the fourth grade!  Craziness.

"I tried pretty much everything," Jeremy told me, "except prescription medication."  The only thing that really worked for him was acupuncture, which simply became "a little too costly."

I feel like this is the case for so many migraine sufferers.  If you asked me what I have tried to prevent my migraines, I would have said the same thing: pretty much everything.  Kenna gave me a lengthy list of things she's tried as well, including dietary restrictions, oral medication, injections, etc.  So far, none of them have been 100% effective, so she sticks to recognizing and avoiding her triggers: sugar, soda, white bread, and meat.

Gerilyn had a similar opinion: "I was initially prescribed medication," she said, "but I had them too infrequently to find any use in refilling."  She did, however, have a clear knowledge of her specific triggers: allergens and lack of sleep.  She takes Ibuprofen and Pseudoephedrine to lessen the symptoms, and "steam, pressure, and sleep tend to help too."

Jeremy found stress to be a trigger.  Isn't that the best one?  "Try to be less stressed" they say.  I remember thinking, 'I'm stressed, so I get migraines, so I can't do my work, which makes me stressed, which gives me migraines.  Yeah that should be pretty easy.  Oh also I'll completely change everything I eat and eliminate everything on this list from my diet.  But yeah I won't get stressed.'

Danielle McClure, a student at Hofstra University, never did track down a specific trigger.  "My mom always thought that my migraines were sugar induced," she said, "but I would keep track of when I had sugar and when I didn't, and it didn't seem to matter what I had eaten." She also mentioned stress, but found that ultimately it wasn't consistent.  "They would occur randomly, with no warning whatsoever... I think we eventually chalked it up to puberty, " she told me.

Her main method of treatment was ibuprofen, which was not completely effective.  Her doctor proscribed medication later on, and it "didn't make it go away completely, but it made it so my migraine lasted about three hours instead of the whole day."

Unlike the others, Danielle hasn't gotten a migraine in years.  "When I think back to getting migraines and getting blurred vision, it makes me shutter because they were pretty much debilitating... I'm so glad they are, hopefully, gone for good.

Samantha Schmitt's situation was unique in the group.  "The cause of my migraines is a combination of two different heart conditions that I have.  The first is called Dysautonomia with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, the second is Mitral Valve Regurgitation.  I also have a disorder called Mast Cell Activation which is known to contribute to migraines."  It was a lot to take in, but I think it helped her have very specific methods of prevention.  She ingests almost twice the amount of sodium of the average person in order to increase her low blood volume, and takes Nadolol, a beta blocker.

She has seen some improvement in severity since administering these treatments, but still gets migraines three to four times a month.  "Unfortunately," she said, "until doctors find a way to actually treat my conditions, my migraines will never be controllable."

I'm so happy that these people were willing to share their migraine stories with me, because I think this stuff is really interesting.  I wish I could say that through interviewing people I found an easy solution to migraines, but I didn't.  What I did come to consider, though, was that the diagnosis of migraines is a condition that, I think, you have to deal with every day, and not just when you have a migraine.

If you read this hoping to have some information about how to cure your own migraines, consider this: it's really different for everyone.  Every random person will have the definite way to cure you and most of them will be wrong.  Try focusing on your general health: for me, that meant eating better, for some, it means dealing with emotional and mental health issues.  But whatever it is, making small and large changes every day can put you on the road towards feeling better (also definitely consult your doctor while you do this).

Thank you for reading!  Let me know what you think about all this.  Have you experienced something similar to one of these people? Do you have any really strong opinions about migraines?  The internet is the place for them!

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Daily

In my last blog, I answered some questions.  In this one, I'm asking you!

There are lots of ways to be healthy, and there will always be someone who thinks you're doing it wrong.  Should I go gluten free? Vegan? Paleo?  Is this just a fad diet?  The fact is, many people feel that we don't have enough information to truly define the most ideal diet.  With all the opposing opinions out there, how are you to know which one to follow?  That's an issue that stopped me - and seems to stop a lot of people - from getting healthy.  It's so easy to get overwhelmed in the world of information.

Don't let it stop you anymore.  With my small but dense experience with diet and lifestyle improvement, the first piece of advice that I give to anyone is to take control of your own health, and be willing to try things.  Doing research and consulting professionals is extremely important, but the most vital piece of the puzzle is paying attention to yourself and your journey.

With that said, I present my guide to keeping on top of your health:

No matter how you choose to be healthy or what practice you're following, you can't go wrong if you ask yourself these things every day.  As you're waking up or falling asleep, take five minutes to pay attention to yourself and nothing else.  You deserve it.

1. Are you reaching your goals?
   First, you have to ask yourself, is this even working?  While you shouldn't expect immediate results, some things don't work for everyone.  If the answer is perpetually "no," it's time to start thinking about switching it up. 
2. Are your goals healthy and obtainable?
   I don't like to get too bogged down on "goals," because I feel that they often lead to unsustainable choices.  But they can be a motivating factor to becoming healthy, as long as you make sure they are healthy, sustainable, and obtainable.  Checking in daily will help you be more comfortable with your progress and more understanding of your obstacles. 
3. What do you physically want?
   Are you always hungry? Do you want to just stay in bed?  Are you DYING to eat something in particular?  This is normal when you consciously change your diet.  Take a second to think about your specific cravings and what they actually mean.  For me, what I've noticed is this:  Salty = Dehydrated.  Sweet = Hungry in general.  It's a bit more complex than that, but that's a great starting point. 
4. How much energy do you have?
   It's important to ask yourself this question specifically because our energy level is something we choose to ignore very often.  You may not be feeling sick, but do you feel like getting up and moving?  How has your diet affected that?  When I went vegan, this was a benefit I had that I didn't expect at all, and a good indicator that I was doing the right thing.
5. How do you feel?Okay, maybe you're getting thinner, stronger, or prettier, but is it actually good for you?  Yes, your appearance is sometimes a representation of your health, but there are a lot of unhealthy shortcuts out there.  Whether you're working to improve your health or not, it's important to pay attention to your physical and emotional health every day.  Are you achey, stiff, sad, or sick?  There are obviously a lot of factors that can cause all of these things, but we often forget that diet is one of them.  Keep checking.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think.  Have you paid attention to these things before?  Did it make a difference?

I'm excited to finish up my interviews for next week's Migraine Blog, so stay tuned for that!  I'm off to Croatia for the weekend, and excited to hear what you have to say when I get back.

Fooding Q and A

Hello again!  Haven't seen you in a while.  I gave myself a week off during Spring Break, and then had a long, difficult few days coming back.   I think posting this will make me feel a little better, even if it's not quite the length of my normal articles.  Still informative, none the less.

I managed to pull this little bug together in my post-Spring Break I-can't-remember-how-to-function state.  I compiled a list of questions from readers (people I begged to come up with questions), and answered them! Hooray.  There were lots of questions, all of which I hope to answer in the near future, but for now I picked my four favorites.

What kind of diet did you have for most of your life?

Before becoming vegan, I ate whatever I wanted, but I have always been at least a little careful about what I was eating.  I exercised really frequently and had an active lifestyle.  I paid attention to what I ate, and I very rarely ate fast food, drank soda, or prepared meals (like Hot Pockets and Ramen).  I was never that impressed by meat, and when I was in charge of what I ate, I rarely ate it.  With that said, I was a big fan of dairy.  Ice cream, cheese, big glasses of milk, baked goods - I indulged in all of them fairly frequently.  I have always been one of those "I could be vegetarian but I don't think I could ever be vegan" people.  It wasn't until my health slapped me in the face and told me to change that I even considered being vegan.  Now that I am, though, I keep finding more and more incentives to do so.

Is anyone in your family vegan, and do they support your decision?

I love this question.  First of all, no.  No one else in my family is vegan.  But everyone in my immediate family (we don't have time for my extended family) is conscious of what they eat and informed about their nutritional needs.  They also have very strong opinions about the optimal diet; some of which are similar to mine, and some of which are quite contrasting.

Each one of my four brothers has given me their uncensored opinion about what they think of my diet as only an older brother can.  I mean, there were very few significant decisions I made growing up that from which I didn't receive their uncensored opinions.  Needless to say, I have become quite good at defending my positions on things.  While it can be pretty tiring to have four geniuses giving input on the entirety of your childhood, it has made me very confident and motivated to be informed about what I do.  They agree with me on varying levels, but make sure to give me a hard time anyways.  :)

It was more important to me to make sure that my parents supported my decision, and I think they do.  They didn't jump on board immediately, and they still have hesitations, but I've done what I can to make sure they don't think I'm crazy or dying.  When the whole family is home for dinner, my mother accommodates both me and my Paleo brother, which is quite a feat!  She's very nice and also very good at cooking.  And both of my parents have began incorporating more plant based meals into their diet (which makes me so happy).  They're really supportive of what I do, as long as I assure them I'm thinking carefully and that it's making me happy.

I think I'm going to write another blog going into more detail about what I did to make sure they were on board, because I think it is a problem many people face.

Is it hard going to restaurants?

Is it hard going to the mall if you don't wear jeans?

Of course, it's not quite as simple as that; some restaurants are more accommodating than others.  I went to Chili's once, for example, and had one option: a salad ("with no chicken, please").  I had to eat again when I got home, and it wasn't that good.  (Off the record, why are you going to Chili's anyways?)  I have gone to sooooo many other restaurants and had a lot of options that were really good.  It all depends on the type of restaurant.  Really nice restaurants usually have plant based options because plants are delicious, and a lot of unspecialized places will have vegan and vegetarian options because they try to appeal to a large audience.  I have basically no problem in Florence, because every authentic restaurant has Ribolita (vegetable soup) and other vegan recipes that are always awesome.  It's the really specialized restaurants that are hardest; obviously there are not many options for me at a steak house.  However, there are many new restaurants that specialize in vegetarian and vegan food, so it can even out if you have an open mind.

The only times I feel limited in my options at restaurant are when I am traveling (and can't read the menu because I don't speak the language), or when I am with friends.  People get really touchy on this subject, but let's use the mall metaphor again.  If you don't wear jeans, you never have to go into a jeans store (let's pretend that jeans stores are a thing).  But if you're at the mall with your friends and they want to go to the jeans store, you don't protest.  You follow along, maybe check out the keychains, and you buy your things elsewhere.  If you are with your friends and they all want to go to a steak house, you can follow along, eat the free bread, get a drink, and eat somewhere else.  It doesn't sound convenient or fun, but it works.  Hopefully your friends won't make you go to the jeans store too often.

I love going to restaurants more now as a vegan than I did before.  If you have food that I want to eat, you are impressing me.  Though being more selective may seem like extra work, it also raises your standards.

Do you also not eat gluten?  Did you ever try going gluten-free to cure your migraines?

I still eat gluten.  I mean, sheesh, the craziness has to end somewhere, right?  It really wouldn't be that difficult to go without gluten, but it wouldn't be particularly fun.  And I feel really good about where I'm at with my diet/health without eliminating it completely.

I do, however, try to keep the amounts of gluten in check; it's really easy to overdo it when you don't eat animal products, and I definitely feel better after eating other cereals/starches/grains than I do after eating wheat.  It's also easy to overdo it in Italy.  It's so good here.  I have a lot of self control: I don't eat meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products.  But when the grocery store smells like fresh bread and a baguette is eighty cents, I have no choice.

If you are experiencing health issues, I would encourage you to try giving up gluten as an experiment.  It's easier than you think.  But I never did that for my migraines, because my first test worked so well! :)


Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for some interviews, recipes, and healthy habits, and as always, share your thoughts in the comments!

What to Do When You Know a Migraine is Coming

Hi everyone.

This post may not be up to par.  My brain is protesting my bad choices and giving me a lot of trouble.

Yeah, after three months of being totally migraine-free, those lovely little angels have decided to grace me with their presence once again.  It seems that I accidentally slipped some dairy into my system a few days ago.  During midterms week.  IT'S FINE.

:)

Not to worry, though, because it has inspired a very useful blog that I've actually wanted to write for a long time.

What to do in the early stages of a migraine:

You know what's coming.  Maybe the little silver lights have shown up, maybe you feel a mild headache and stiffness in your neck.  Whatever it is, you know that you're in for it now, and you're hoping to figure out any possible way to make your next few days a little less awful.  I'm very sorry and I empathize.  You'll be okay, I promise!  Here, I got you some puppies that look uncomfortable.

1. Prioritize.  You're not always going to be able to turn off the world when you have a migraine.  But it is important to recognize your migraine as your physical self telling your mental/emotional self that it needs a little attention.  So if you have to keep going with other responsibilities, it's okay.  You will be able to do it.  But make sure you put yourself higher up on your priority list, and at least address the problem minimally.  You deserve it.
2. Eat so much food.  This is my favorite part.  When you feel a migraine coming, eat all the food in your house.  During a migraine, your brain is burning calories just by being in so much pain (isn't that disgusting? I know).  So give your body the calories it needs to heal.  That's more important than your diet.  Simple carbs and sugars are especially effective quick-fixes, for me: fruit juice, starchy veggies, and grains.  Overestimate the amount of food you'll want to eat and then prepare it while you still feel okay.  There's always the possibility of nausea, so don't overeat or eat things that are too rich, but your body needs energy.  
3. Numb your brain.  Of the food you're eating without regret, give yourself something cold to reduce the inflammation in your head.  Ironically, I discovered this method very early on in my migraines, before I had discovered the cause: dairy.  I would eat giant bowls of ice cream when I felt a migraine coming.  So don't do that, but maybe try a popsicle or frozen berries, just to be sure.  It sounds weird, but i'm telling you it really does help.
4. Make yourself at home.  Whatever environment you're in, try to make it as comfortable as possible.  Lower the lights, get under blankets, eliminate the unnecessary noises.  Also, wearing sunglasses at night is completely acceptable during a migraine.  People might think you're on drugs, but that's not the worst thing.  Your body is probably sensitive to light, sound, temperature, and basically everything, so don't feel bad laying in bed as long as you need to. 
5. Get moving.  Though you may be cozy in bed, it's important to avoid getting stiff.  I do some simple yoga when I feel up to it, which keeps me limber and also helps me to relax more.
6. Stop googling.  I know you want to figure out why you have migraines, but trust me, do it later.  The internet is a dangerous place.  One time, I asked WebMD why my feet were cold and they told me to go the hospital, so just do something else.  I know that bright lights are not good, but I often watch movies at the beginning of a migraine because it keeps me from thinking about scary medical problems I don't even have.  The most important thing to do is keep yourself away from the things that stress you out, so just worry about that another time. 

So, I'm sorry this blog isn't as shiny and perfect as my others, but I promise I'll revise it when I'm feeling better.  I'll be in Paris and London next week, and definitely feeling better, so I'll have a lot to write about when I come back.  Happy Spring Break!  

London is the Best Place

I don't even know where to begin.  I just loved London.  So soon after my trip to Zurich, I felt like I barely had time to prepare for the trip.  So I hit the ground running on Thursday night and didn't stop until about two AM Monday morning.  Needless to say, Monday was a pretty pointless day when it comes to being productive.  It's hard for me to care, though, when I had such an amazing time all weekend.

It was really nice to be in a place that was so modern and urban - Florence is neither of those things, and it can get tiring if you're not used to it.  London seems like a really efficient place.  And I hate to say it, but it was really nice to be able to speak English again.  I think that the language barrier her is really good for me, but it was nice to be able to communicate easily.  

Hagrid is a fake robot. No seriously.

I had to write out a list of all the things we did to start working on this blog, because we were so busy the whole time that I might forget something.  On Friday, we went to the Warner Brother's Studio and did the Harry Potter tour (amazing), then went to see Once, the Musical (more amazing).  On Saturday, we visited Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park (beautiful), went to Portobello and Borough Market (delicious!), did the London Eye (spectacular), and saw Big Ben, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament (overwhelming).  Then on Sunday, we visited the Tate Modern (crazy) and Shakespeare's Old Globe (fascinating) before doing some last minute shopping on our way out.    

At the Stage Door with The Guy.

The best part of the weekend was seeing Once.  As I mentioned on Facebook, I cried three times during the production, then came home wanting to learn to play piano and the violin, then learn to speak Czech.  Friday morning, we went to Leicester square and scored tickets for twenty pounds.  It was so nice to have everything be a surprise that I really don't want to tell you that much about the show, but I will say that there is a certain quality you can only get when everyone involved in a production really loves what they are doing.  I am always the most inspired by people who love what they do, and when what you "do" is Once, I guess you're bound to love it.  It was an amazing work of theatre and I encourage anyone within a forty mile radius of any production of it to stop what they are doing and go see it right now.  Right now.  I'll be back to see it in New York, I'm sure.

But let's talk about what really made this weekend awesome.  Look at all the food!

I know that a few weeks ago, I called the Avocado Sandwich my favorite meal ever.  That was careless wording, I think.  Avocado sandwiches are my favorite thing to eat, but my favorite meal is the kind that lasts hours, spans neighborhoods, and includes food from numerous cultures.  That was the kind of meal I had on Saturday afternoon, and it made me so happy.  As I mentioned before, we hit both Borough and Portobello Market on the same day.  So I started eating lunch at the beginning of Portobello and didn't stop until the last of the stands at Borough Market.  It was amazing.

I ate Falafel, a Waffle, Fresh Orange Juice, a Vegan Burger, Thai Coconut Pancakes, and countless samples of fresh fruit, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, you name it.  So happy.  It was all right there and they were happy to give it to you!  I budgeted myself fifteen pounds for the meal, which is excessive, but I was indulging... I just wanted to.  That night, I was able to get a tiny dinner, so it worked out - I felt like I wouldn't be able to eat for a few weeks, but unfortunately to my wallet, it doesn't work like that.

Now, the British are not known for fine dining.  In fact, quite the opposite.  My impression of British food has always been unhealthy and, in the words of my mother, also "just not good."  In addition, not particularly vegan friendly.  But judging by the feast I just described to you, it's easy to see I had no trouble.

The truth of the matter is this: excluding the cider, I ate very little authentic British food.  Though I usually aim for an authentic experience, I am no Anthony Bourdain (yet).  Boy, was I happy to see a Chipotle.  I didn't only eat American food though: I ate Thai, Korean, Mexican, Irish, Japanese (is that what Mochi is?), and Italian food.  All coming from people who really knew the food they were preparing.  Along with that, I had an amazing amount of access to really healthy options: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, all readily available.

I think big cities are great places to eat if you know what you're doing.  They have so many options, and some of them are not healthy at all, but some of them are quite healthy.  I guess the large population demands variety, which can open up opportunities.  They also have access to knowledge and resources from around the world, which can be both good and bad.  So I took two things away from my trip to London that I think are important to share here:

1. Taking advantage of the largest variety of food available will help you stay healthy.  From the ingredients you use to the cultures from which your recipes originate, eating a variety will help you get a variety of nutrients and avoid excesses of particular additives or unhealthy ingredients.  Chances are, other cultures practice healthier food habits than your own.  Find out what they are and adopt them when you see fit.  With that said, in some ways, it is important to stay close to home:
2. Becoming a "locavore" will help you in many facets.  I know it seems difficult at times, but with the right knowledge, you can do it from wherever you live.  Moving to New York from California really opened my eyes to the difficulty, but I do it anyways, whenever I can (I know, Long Island isn't Siberia... but to this California kid it sure seems like it).  Now, from Florence, I really have no trouble at all.  Quite often, local food is the only food available.  Find out ways you can eat locally by searching for the Farmer's market, or even creating relationships with local farmers.  It helps the environment by eliminating some of the fossil fuels necessary for transporting food.  It will help the financial environment in which you live, by contributing to the flow of currency within your own community.  And the food you'll eat will be richer in vitamins and nutrients because there will be less time involved between picking and eating.  

This weekend I'll be taking it easy, maybe visiting some places around Italy.  Maybe studying for midterms, but if we're all being honest here, probably not.  Hopefully I'll be able to get some good writing in, though, because I will be spending the following in Paris, other cities in France, and maybe London again because I didn't see enough of it yet.  As always, I hope you let me know what you think of this article, and leave any questions, comments, and suggestions in the comments below.  My goals are to do more talking to and less talking at, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Vegan Challenge #2: No more Dairy! + My Weekend in Zurich

The inspiration to write this blog came from my visit to Zurich, where dairy is really a big deal.  It was an interesting opportunity to observe how even something that is considered a staple can be avoided completely if you have the drive and the knowledge necessary.

Now, I am no expert on travel in Zurich.  The language is insanely difficult for me to grasp, the economic inflation hard for me to accept, and I had little knowledge about the culture before arriving.  This made it a little difficult to me to be as carefree in my eating as I would have liked to be, but I had an amazing time, and also got to eat some delicious food.

Unlike in Zurich, though, I have very little trouble living without dairy in America.  There are so many resources out there, and I was reminded of this when they were taken away from me.  So I thought I would give you a few guidelines on how to live without dairy.  If you have already decided to eliminate dairy from your diet and would just like to know how, keep reading.  If you'd like to know why I think experimenting with your dairy intake is important, click here.

Vegan Challenge #2: 14 Days Without Dairy
How much dairy do you consume in fourteen days?  From your morning coffee to your midnight snack, it might be a staple to your standard diet.  Fortunately for us, it is so easy to replace and eliminate!  Here are the rules:

1. Eliminate the dairy products that aren't necessary.  For the next two weeks, avoid pizza, ice cream, and other foods that are inherently high in dairy.  Try some healthier options based on whole foods wherever you can.  Remember that getting rid of dairy means including something else; often people fail to achieve their health goals because they get rid of one thing and don't find something else to eat instead.  Your body needs food, and I will never suggest calorie restriction as a way to go.  I only suggest the things that I can do, and there's just no way to get me to stop eating. 
2. Break down your cravings.  But Katherine, I just can't live without cheese.  Wrong.  You can and you will.  :)  Dairy products are among the foods we often crave, for many reasons.  Firstly, they are convenient, nicely packaged, well-advertised and flavorful products that we are accustomed to.  They are also often calorie dense and high in simple carbs, so they make us feel satisfied quickly.  As with any food group, I think it's important to break down your dairy cravings and decide whether they are legitimate instinctual desires for fuel, or if they are motivated by other things.  Try to be more specific about what you are craving: instead of craving cheese, you may be craving something salty, creamy, and warm.  The good news is you can have things that are salty, creamy, and warm without consuming dairy products. 
3. Where you can't remove, replace.  I ask you to do this only where the first two steps were insufficient, because often the things we use to replace dairy and meat are just as unhealthy as the original.  However, there are so many options out there that as long as you continue to focus on whole foods and variation, I don't think they will do a huge amount of harm to your body.  Read up and decide what your nutritional needs are, and make your choices accordingly.

This chart can be used as a basic guideline in how to replace dairy in your diet, based on your culinary, craving, and nutritional needs.  The main time to implement the rules of the challenge are at the grocery store, so consider the following before you hit the aisles. 

You want:	You actually want:	You can have:
Milk	Something creamy and refreshing.   Something to add liquid to a recipe.   Calcium and Vitamin D.	Rice Milk, Nut Milk, Coconut Milk, and Soy Milk are found in many normal grocery stores and your local health food store, and will blend seamlessly with many recipes.  They’re also good on their own.  I will be writing about the different options in more detail soon. Get your calcium and Vitamin D right from the sources, and eat your leafy greens and get out in the sun.
Cheese	Something salty, creamy, and warm.   Another layer of flavor in a recipe.   Protein and Calcium.	There are many brands of vegan cheese that taste very similar.  They are often nut-based or soy-based, and will melt, grate, and spread just like the cow stuff.  And again, go to the sources for Calcium and Vitamin D.
Butter	Something salty. A means of cooking another food. Fat.	Earth Balance makes a very convincing vegan butter and can be found at Trader Joe’s and other health food stores.  Wherever you can, though, try to use fats that are plant-based for cooking, or avoid using fats altogether by steaming, boiling, and baking.
Cream	Something really creamy. Liquid and fat to bring form to a recipe. Fat.	Coconut milk and soy milk seem to be the thickest of the milk replacements, in my opinion, so try those if you need to.  Also, refrigerated coconut milk will whip up just like cream does, and you’ll need less added sugar.*

*Trader Joe's also sells this amazing coconut-based ice cream that will really help you out.  Give it to your friends and don't tell them it's dairy free - they'll never notice.

And that's it!  Take advantage of the resources available to you and add some variety to your diet.  Even eliminating the smallest things can have an impact on the health of your body, some cute little farm animals, and the planet.  Remember that planning ahead and keeping the calorie count up will keep you from caving in, whenever you're dealing with dietary restrictions, and that the best diet is one based on whole foods.

Let me know your thoughts on this idea.  How difficult would it be for you to get rid of dairy?  Do you think this would be the hardest part of going vegan, or would it be something else?  What kind of meals do you make without dairy?

* * * * * 

For those of you interested in my travels, my weekend in Zurich was amazing!  I had very few expectations and few plans, but I had a really good time there.  It was a very interesting change of pace, and contrasted the culture of Florence pretty drastically.

Being in that city felt like visiting an amusement park for three days: everything was clean, every person fit, happy, and beautiful, and every location easily accessible.  I felt extremely safe there, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a place to travel to alone.

With that said, I can barely afford to breathe there.  There was no spontaneous spending, but I managed to have a nice time in an affordable manner.  I had packed many of my meals ahead and then visited the grocery store for food so that I could splurge on a really good meal once or twice.  I paid for a Zurich Card, which gave me unlimited access to public transportation and many museums and attractions in the city.  At twenty four francs for twenty four hours, it was definitely a good investment.

I hiked on Mount Uetliberg, did a boat tour of the lake, visited many of the parks, saw the university, and went into a lot of posh clothing and furniture stores.  It was such a beautiful place and had so much to offer to travelers; I'm quite happy with my first out-of-Italy destination.  Check back next week for what happens to me in London.

Dairy Facts

If you've read my blog or been updated on my current life in any other form, you know that dairy is not my friend.  I used to consume it daily without any immediate negative side effects, but my tolerance for it has plummeted to a point where even small quantities have me feeling sick.  No matter how much I wanted it to be, dairy is not good for me.  But I have a secret: dairy isn't really that good for you either.

I always try to make it clear that while I believe that a vegan diet is the healthiest for my body, other choices are acceptable too.  I didn't create this blog to publicize why I have made my choices or rope other people into a vegan diet.  With that said, I feel pretty strongly that the amount of dairy consumed in the standard American diet is not good for us.  If you're interested in the nutrition facts about dairy, I encourage you to do your own research and to click here for my opinions on it.  But for now, I'll just give you my two cents.

1. Consuming dairy is weird.  When you get to the end of The Grapes of Wrath, nobody is sitting there thinking, "yeah that would really hit the spot right now."  So we agree that drinking human breast milk after infancy is strange, right? But it's okay, because we get it not from our mothers, but from other people's mothers.  Nope, still weird.  Well, the mothers we get it from are animal mothers.  Yeah, that's cool, right? That's definitely not weird.
   
   I think that many people are very detached from the primary sources of their food, so that argument may not really get you on board.  Even though you know where dairy comes from, when you see it packaged up all nicely in a bottle of low fat milk or a block of cheese, it doesn't really bother you.  But what really got me thinking was when I learned that the human body naturally stops producing lactate, the enzyme that digests lactose, after infancy (because that's when we're supposed to be done with it).  When someone develops lactose intolerance, their body is just functioning naturally.  The abnormality is actually the lactate persistence that many people develop by continuing to consume dairy through adulthood (Patrick-Goudreau).  Fascinating.  So it's weird to consume dairy, but people do a lot of other weird things.  There's a lot more going against dairy, though.
2. Diary consumption is linked to a variety of health issues, like mine.
   Migraines, acne, and asthma are three health issues that I did not have to research to link to dairy consumption; in my own body, these three things nearly disappeared after I stopped consuming dairy.  However, in eliminating dairy from my diet, according to the Physician's Committee of Responsible Medicine, I have also lowered my risk of Osteoporosis, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and types of cancer, and eliminated sources of contaminants (Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products).  Other side effects people have claimed to be related to dairy include constipation, arthritis, and insomnia, but I have no sources that provide scientific proof.
   
   So unless you sleep like a baby, have beautiful clear skin, poop twice a day, and don't get any of the other health issues I've mentioned, it might be fun to try out a dairy-free diet.  I am a firm believer that the best way to find out if something works is to try it yourself.
3. The benefits do not outweigh the risks.  What are the benefits of dairy products?  The one that they are most known for is Calcium.  Let's break that down: Calcium is a mineral that comes from the ground.  When cows eat grass that is grown on calcium-rich soil, the calcium is processed and excreted in their milk, along with whatever else they have consumed.  Some argue that our bodies cannot process the calcium once it has been processed by the cow.  But when cows don't eat grass, their feed must be artificially supplemented with calcium (Patrick-Goudreau).  Therefore, most of the calcium consumed in dairy products is hard to digest and unnatural.
    
4. It's really easy to stop consuming dairy.  Nutritionally, there are many other sources from which to get the benefits of dairy products.  Beyond that, there are so many substitutes and resources out there for you.  Just try it, and you will surprise yourself.  

Works Cited

Patrick-Goudreau, Colleen. "From Excuse-itarian to Vegan." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Oct. 2011. Web.        1 Mar. 2014. 
"Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products." NutritionMD.org ::. Physician's Committee for              Responsible Medicine, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.