Why I've gone plant based...again

Take 2!

Five years ago I decided to go vegan, purely because it rhymed with Stephen. Jokes - the truth is I was knee deep into Buddhism and eating any animals that had been harmed in the process was not an option.

The Vegan Faux Pas Phase

But whilst ethically it made sense, looking back - health wise it was a faux pas. This was when the Beyond Burger hype train was at its peak and I was fully onboard for the ride. I assumed that because it was high in protein and tasted a close second best to meat, that it was healthy - but alas I now know that this was a fallacy. It's highly processed and contains added sugar and salt.

I’m not proud to say this, but it wasn’t only fake burgers I was munching on, it was chicken and sausage substitutes - soon I hit rock bottom and even tried a soya based donor kebab. This is a well trodden path that many former meat eaters take when they first go veggie or vegan. Cutting out animal products and replacing them with processed alternatives that have a similar taste but mostly lack essential nutrients found in whole foods.

Lockdown Comfort Food Diaries

In my defence it was during lockdown and I had turned to comfort food to see me through, whilst watching The Last Dance, imagining how Michael Jordan was spending his time, with his trophies and Air Jordans for company. My go to meals included alphabet chips, frozen peas and Heinz hula hoops - I was living my 9 year old inner child’s best life.

Sure, I ate lentils and veg - but the processed stuff was running the show. After eighteen months, I fell off the vegan wagon and slowly began reintroducing fish and meat into my diet - what can I say, I’m a bad buddhist. My rule was to cook and eat vegetarian food at home and relax the diet when I was out with friends.

The Chest Pain Wake-Up Call

But in January of this year I began to experience chest pains and so went to see a cardiologist. After some scans he told me that nothing unusual was showing up and that it was most likely due to a muscle strain from lifting an astonishing 100 kg bench press - his words not mine! But something didn’t feel right, so a friend recommended I see an alternative health specialist and take a bio-resonance scan, which uses a machine to measure the frequency of energy wavelengths coming from the body. Those measures are then used to diagnose disease.

After the scan, my holistic health guru looked at the results and told me that my left atrium wasn’t receiving enough oxygenated blood, which can lead to heart failure. For the next four house I sat with him as he went through every part of my body explaining what was going on in the cellular level. I’m sure it was fascinating, but tbh I lost focus five minutes in.

The outcome was putting me on a three month vegan diet, cutting out all processed food, meat, fish, milk chocolate and sweets. On top of that, I was instructed to take his home made herbal remedies up to three times a day and eat only organic fruit and veg. What sort of person actively volunteers to do such a thing? The kind that does psychedelics followed by a tour of Auschwitz.

At the time, when I wanted to eat away my feelings - Dairy Milk Oreo bars and salt and vinegar crisps were my go to. Despite my active lifestyle, I had developed unhealthy dietary choices. So when I was told to cut everything out, I was daunted by the task. Last time I went vegan I had my comfort food meat substitutes to fall back on, but now they were out of the equation.

Fresh AF Plant Based Life

After two weeks on the diet my chest pain, which I had been experiencing for the previous three months - disappeared. My energy levels increased and I began feeling lighter. My sleep also improved and I’ve now swapped Dairy Milk for dark chocolate as my go to treats. Yolo.

It’s interesting, as when I look back at my first attempt at going vegan, I genuinely thought I was eating a healthy diet. But this time round, the regimented structure of the three month programme has meant adopting a whole food diet and so everything I eat is fresh af.

What This Means for ADHD

In terms of ADHD, I’m less inclined to have mood swings, but it’s still early days (I’m 6 weeks in). Sticking to the diet has meant having a huge amount of discipline and ok, occasionally I’ll slip and munch on some old firm faves, but for the most part I have stuck to the programme and that has meant building will power and reining in the impulsivity horse. So in that respect, following the diet has helped me develop positive habits.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because diet plays a huge role in managing ADHD symptoms and is not talked about enough. You don’t have to go vegan or stop eating meat, but cutting out processed foods and artificial sugar products will go a long way.

ADHD isn’t just in our heads, it’s in our guts, too. If you’re feeling foggy or flat, try switching out one processed meal a day for something fresh af. You might be surprised what shifts.

🌿 Want to eat fresh af food in a beautiful setting?
Come join me for the Focus and Flow Retreat in Portugal, just an hour from Lisbon, September 20–25th. We’ll breathe, move, surf and cold plunge our way to feeling zen af.

Spaces are limited and selling fast - apply here.

Happy surfers eating fresh AF food after a day of catching waves 🌊