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Saturday, July 2, 2011

No, Not the Soy, Too!!! Another Loss of the Familiar

Woke up today, drank a glass of water with lemon juice, and then made a cantaloupe smoothie with soy milk (organic) and soy protein powder. I've been drinking protein shakes like this for years, and assumed I'd be able to do so for a while as a move to a more raw food life. Not so.
My stomach began to bloat a few minutes after drinking it, and I immediately felt slowed down (and--TMI ALERT!--farted a fart that smelled less than pleasant. I don't think this has happened before).
Now, my friend Alex told me that protein powder was a processed food, and so I'd want to stop consuming it. But denial is a funny thing. Somehow I heard, "For most people soy powder is too processed,but you'll be able to have it."
I'm feeling some loss, and fear more feelings of loss as I continue down this path. Well, a better way to put it: That I will suffer because of these losses and these feelings.
And I may need to let go of soy milk, too. That's gonna be a biggie. I've been mostly off dairy for years, and using soy milk in smoothies, on oatmeal, in my coffee. So this will be a big loss. Hmm. Maybe I can let it go in the detox period I'm moving toward (which will include a juice fast), and consider reintroducing it later. I'm hoping I'm not allergic to/have trouble digesting soy, though.
I just got up and ate a banana.

2 comments:

  1. Do you know about goat milk? My relatively unscientific understanding is that cow's milk is a very complex molecule, but goat milk is a relatively simple molecule. That makes goat milk easier to digest (much less gas). I suppose some people don't like the taste (goaty?), but I find it works well in coffee (I use 6 teaspoons of evaporated goat milk). Otherwise, what I use in tea is fresh (refrigerated, not packaged) soymilk (Silk, the unsweetened variety -- it's crazy how sugar is added to so many things that don't need it).

    I admire and support you in what you're doing here. Love the variegated green background. It's a process, and the journey may well be more interesting and valuable than any particular destination.

    Jan (@HealthCulture)

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  2. Jan,
    Hello, and thanks for your comments.
    I haven't had goat milk, tho I do eat goat cheese (and am still eating it, though I've let go of all cow's milk products). Thank you for the suggestion; I'll get some on today's shopping trip.
    And I do use sweetened soy milk: the unsweetened doesn't taste good to me but, then again, I like sweet things. I'm toward being sugar free, but not there yet. I'm going to let go of all soy (except tofu, tho that may go, too) for a while. If/when I do reintroduce it, I'll use the unsweetened type.
    Last, but certainly not least: Thank you for your support; it means a lot. I've been honored to exchange ideas and info w/you via Twitter, and am pleased you'll be sharing some of this (much more) personal experience and journey with me, as well.
    Angela

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