Happy Birthday, Stephen.

I've been plant based foods (vegan) for 5 weeks now!
Not struggled avoiding the stuff I ate before.
Opened some new horizons..

I eat a more varied fresh veg, pulses and grains diet than before.

The benefits I am in no doubt of!

I've had a painful big toe, for 10 years now. Came on quite suddenly.
Diagnosed as arthritis!
It was managing it. Some days more painful than others.. did not stop me playing tennis!
Last year it really flared up after a chiropractor did their usual joint crack routine.. I had told them all about it.. that took 3 long weeks to get walking and playing again..
During that time I was x-rayed, ultrasounded etc etc.
Was tested for all sorts, gout (NO), difficiences (NO) etc etc.
Only thing doc could offer was fusing it at some point down the line. That sounded pretty crap!
It got better but was not as good as it was before the chiro.

A few days into the plant based diet I said to Marie, hey my toe is feeling less painful when I walk.. the sudden pain that could wake me up at night, ceased.
I started pushing the range of motion more and more..
It was very limited indeed. Any kind of lunge exercise had hurt before..
It's continued to improve.
Lunges, press ups, plank exercises etc are all fine now.
The swelling around the joint (never that bad until that chiropractor), is going.
I can massage and crack it more and more without the pain afterwards..

This alone was a revelation..

My resting pulse is down to 48 beats per minute. That's athlete and below for my age!

I am doing more and heavier workouts for my tennis arm (golfers and tennis elbow prevention), and more weights than before.

I'm not tired after eating. I've general got not energy.

I can go through the whole night without needing to pee! Like being 20 again! - as long as had not been out on the piss😃

I've tested it and I'm more tolerant to achohol! Now I'm normally way below 14 units a week and don't drink every day, by any means! But if I drink more of an evening (binge fit me), I don't suffer the next day!

Basically the inflammation that was in my body before is going/gone.
It was manifesting itself in ways that I was slow to pick up on.

I'll let you know how things develop.

Right, time for a bean burrito for dinner.

Btw, this diet does not suit Marie. She struggles with too much variation of pulses and grains. Def. Not for everyone, unless you tailor.

Does anyone remember with fondness the days when they were allowed to eat Nutella?  I'd literally just bought a 1kg jar to make a cheesecake with when I got the news that it was time to watch my sugar intake.  Still, my next-door neighbour did OK out of it. 

I've now found a substitute.  It's from a company called Jim Jams and they make a chocolate spread and a chocolate and hazelnut spread.  The difference is that they advertise their product as having 83% less sugar.  Nutella has 57.5 grams of carbohydrates per 100g, of which a humungous 56.3g is sugars.  Jim Jams has 49.4g per 100g carbs but only 8.7g is sugars.  The sweeten their product using Maltitol.  They also use sustainable palm oil, Nutella  uses unsustainable.  I had a dollop spread on a couple of pancakes with a sliced up banana tonight and it was a great substitute.  Jim Jam's Spreads

Be interesting to see how you get on with Maltitol..

"Like other sugar alcohols (with the possible exception of erythritol), maltitol has a laxative effect, typically causing diarrhea at a daily consumption above about 90 g. Doses of about 40 g may cause mild borborygmus and flatulence."

I never liked Nutella, but I'm weird and been on a personal anti sugar campaign since the early 80's..

That's exactly the feeling Mike..
I think with me it's probably dairy.
I could probably eat chicken and fish no problem.

I've not gone organic.. could be the next step 😂

Just remembered a big difference.
My breathing is so much better.
No dairy helps me as a mild, low level asthmatic.
All happy accidents as I cut dairy right down, then found breathing better later diagnosed asthmatic.

That would be mineral wouldn't it?
End up like Julie on the Sci-Fi The Expanse.. mineral crystals coming out of every orifice 😱
She did merge with the alien (life?) force and sort of cohab with it though..
Wouldn't fancy my chances..

Having tested the alcohol thing I'm now going for 'maximum burn' (as they say on The Expanse), and cutting that out all together.
Will see what my body can really do..

I was at 3-4 bottled beers a week so 7 units or so..

We'll see.

Yes, my pleasure from social drinking dwindled once Marie gave up.
Never been a pub person, as you say esp when it was Smokey!

The times I've stopped all together I lost the taste for it. Thought it fairly unpleasant to taste. But it can reel you back in..