WEEK 2 - CASE STUDY

Well I am so proud of my two case study participants! To date Mandy has lost a total of 5 pounds. She is doing so good and has eliminated all dairy products from her diet There was an interesting thing that happened this past week at work. Our company had an employee BBQ and even though they served vegan burgers Mandy decided to eat a regular hot dog. This was the first meat she had eaten in a week. 

As you know, Mandy suffers from Crohn’s disease which is an inflammatory bowel disorder. Since she has started the Case Study and is eating a mostly plant-based diet she hasn’t had any problems with her bowels. But after eating one hotdog she immediately began experiencing cramping abdominal pain. She came in from the BBQ and told me what she had eaten and how she was now in pain. I quickly found some information from Dr. Michael Greger and shared it with her:

“We’ve known for 14 years that a single meal of meat, dairy, and eggs triggers an inflammatory reaction inside the body within hours of consumption. This results in a stiffening of our arteries…”

Now Mandy knows! And to top it off, the very next day she suffered from a migraine and couldn’t make it in for work. 

Sherry on the other hand has been experiencing excessive bleeding and has finally gone to see a specialist. They have determined that she is low in iron and suggested a high iron diet. Guess what?! Everything that is part of the Case Study eating plan was on the diet the doctor gave her. I just had to chuckle a bit and tried to give Sherry some ideas of what she could eat this week. She’s doing good and has bought whole wheat bread, brown rice and lots of fruit. 

Because of her health issues this past week has been very difficult for Sherry and she really hasn’t felt like eating. However, I have advised her that to build up her blood she needs to eat. She didn’t lose any weight this past week but she has lost inches around her waist and hips. Hopefully, within the next 2 weeks she will be feeling much better and her bleeding will have stopped. 

Both Mandy and Sherry are doing good considering their health issues. They are still motivated and moving more and more toward a plant-based vegan diet.