At first, it felt like I’d tweaked a muscle in my back. I thought I could stretch it out as I ran on the treadmill. But that just seemed to make it worse.
I packed up and left the gym.
By the time I got home, I was in pain like I’d never felt pain in my life.
I ended up having to call 911.
Turned out I’d developed a kidney stone. I spent the night in the emergency room, hopped up on morphine.
Fortunately, the stone passed painlessly the following day. But the pain had been so bad I was left with a nagging fear that it might happen again. So I signed up with a nutritionist. I wanted advice on changes that would minimize the risk of another stone forming.
The week before our first meeting, I kept a food log. I recorded my food intake down to the last peanut. Doing this was a real motivation to eat clean and avoid overeating.
About to eat another slice of cake? You probably won’t if you know that later in the week, someone will ask, “Did you really need a third portion?”
I was sure she would be impressed with my log. I didn’t eat meat, dairy, or fast food then. I was convinced she would think my diet was a moderate and healthy eating model.
But not so!
My diet was a shit show. My healthy lentil and tofu-ready meals contributed significantly to my 5,000 mg of salt daily. My regular evening pasta and marinara sauce plate sent my carb intake rocketing. My protein intake was miserably low.
I expected a minor change to my eating habits, but the nutritionist recommended a significant overhaul. No more vegan meals or faux deli meat. After nine years, my vegan diet reverted to one full of white meat and fish.