My Chiropractic Journey (+ The Reason Why I Eat Vegan)

Why did I go vegan?

The question of the century. This is the background on my vegan journey, and it starts with one thing – my chiropractic care.

It seems that everybody wants to know: Why on God’s green earth did you go vegan? How do you get protein? How do you live without Chick-fil-a?

Sometimes I ask myself the same questions, honestly. I see many influencers on Instagram who seem to adore eating vegan – they are friends with every vegan on the planet and every cow and chicken has a name. The vegan eaters tend to be ethical vegans in all aspects of life. This is a beautiful, healthy way of living. However, my story is not the same. Whatsover.

It all started back in 2013, when my knee and back pain did not mesh well with my active volleyball lifestyle, and my metabolism was a slow as a turtle. No, I was not obese, but I had to work really hard in order to maintain the weight I was at. Nothing was working, and I was tired all the time. Where did I turn? A chiropractor. (Do you not want to read this part of my story? Click here to go to the ‘Why Vegan’ post!)

Now let me clear some things up for you about the stigma surrounding chiropractic care. Most think it is for those with scoliosis who need specialized spinal care. Heck, I even did too. This is NOT the case! Let me describe to you the experience that changed my life.

I walked into an office expecting a lecture on how I wasn’t working out hard enough (which I was, two hours a day) or how I wasn’t eating the right nutrients (which I was by eating paleo and filling in all the nutrient charts). After my consultation, I was told to get blood work done and return in two weeks. Thinking I had a thyroid issue, I was determined to prove that I was in tip-top health and truly just needed something to regulate it. Two weeks later, I returned to a full nutrition and lifestyle report just for me.

Long story short, I was pre-diabetic, my metabolism and hormones were completely out of whack, and my vitamin D levels were so low that I was comparable to a hospitalized, clinically depressed psych patient. There was no reason that I should have been able to keep my high school 4.0 while playing intense sports, holding a job, and constantly participating in community theatre. There was something beyond me that was keeping me going at a rate that my physical body would not allow.

Let me just say, when I was put on supplements, my entire bodily function changed. Sure, it was hard to renovate my body, and I’m nowhere near where I need to be (mind you, this is 6 years later), my work-in-progress health journey is getting closer to my goal each day. Chiropractic changed my life – and that’s why I’m pursuing that occupation.

Becoming vegan erased my diabetic predisposition and leveled out my blood work. No, this is not hippie witchcraft! My body works at a higher caliber when I’m fueling with veggie energy sources and feeding my body the most natural, plant-based nutrients. When working at my chiropractor’s office this past year, I brought in my new blood work (after a few months of vegan eating) and she was thrilled at the results I was receiving. I am focused on being healed from the inside out. I align my body with natural vitamins and supplements to ensure that my body is conforming to a healthier way of living INSTEAD of just pumping it with medication as my first priority. There is nothing wrong with taking medications that correct your body – but consider that there may be other alternatives you could turn to first that could heal you once and for all.