What IS healthy?

Normally I don't like to whine and give a pity party for myself, but this was a straw that broke the camels back! Grrrrrrr.
So here it is.. my pity party out for the world to see how frustrated this makes me!
Have you heard about this? ........ This is Horrifying!

There is a new "fad" out for brides to loose 20 pounds in 10 days, by using a FEEDING TUBE! What?! Seriously?!

Read about it here:
http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread/brides-8217-extreme-wedding-preparations-nose-tube-diet-173800919.html

They are given a very low calorie diet by nasal tube in an attempt to loose those unwanted pounds by their big day.  Now- if they want to do something stupid- go ahead! Go right ahead and make yourself look sick before the world. Although be warned that every pound and more will come right back when the wedding is over. I wonder what the groom will think of that? But, I felt myself loose my temper when the TODAY show yesterday did a story on this and "made fun" of having a tube and using a bag to carry your food around with you all day.  Well - my kiddo uses a backpack to carry her food around all day to sustain her life. Now- we get to deal with those people who will wonder if we are trying to get our daughter to loose weight instead of gain it. Grrrrrr. yep- thats my rant/ pity party, Now I can get over it.

On the other hand, this truly isn't healthy! I personally have tried a lot of different diets in my days, but nothing I felt would do more harm than good. But, also nothing that I felt lasted or was sustainable. The last three weeks I have been eating a "mostly" vegan diet. (I eat meat once or twice a week, and avoid other animal products like eggs and dairy) For a multiple of reasons:
1- I having been coming to a realization that Brooklyn will not get everything in her diet she "needs" to get off of her feeding tube if I don't understand the nutrition myself. She is very allergic to eggs and dairy, and each time we have trialed a meat so far it has ended up very badly. The very high concentrations of the protiens in meat are very hard for her body to accept. Fruits and vegetables of course have food proteins, and even grains have good protiens, but there is something about the meat that is worse for her.  I don't want her limited to a feeding tube forever because of this technicality. I personally need to understand a vegan diet and nutrition first so I can give her the best chance possible.
2- I have been trying to focus on what the word of wisdom tells us we should be doing as well as what we shouldn't. In my interviews I always answer "yes" when asked if I keep the word if wisdom.  I have no desire to drink alcohol/smoke/ or drink tea or coffee. But, the word of wisdom is so much more! It lays out that we should eat fruits, vegetables, and grains of all kinds. and Meat should be eaten sparingly, in times of winter or famine, in times of excess hunger.
If the wild beasts like lions will be eating grass, and even the child can play with the wild beast when Christ returns... What do we think We will be eating? Hmmmm Food for thought. Dairy and eggs is a no brainer at my houe- we rarely use them anyway for allergy reasons.
3- This is a personal choice! I don't consider this to be extreme when it is so close to our regular diet anyway. I feed my family normally.  If they eat what I am eating for dinner- great! If they want something else - great! For example- Cristine eats more meats, because of her limited diet I think she should be eating whatever she can, although we have always tried to get her to eat more fruits and veggies- hopefully a good example will help. I have family on both sides that have been trying this.. I welcome any and all recipes or ideas!
4- I feel GREAT! no- really-- I really really feel good inside! THis is good for me! I haven't been weighing myself at all because I don't feel a need. I have more energy and motivation during the day. I have been sleeping better at night and wake up better in the morning.

So the next time you get "tempted" to try something "extreme" (aka feeding tube) please remember there are others out there with a true need for them. Think about your own self, your own HEALTH and think - is this truly helping? Is it a lifestyle change I can keep up with after I loose weight? How does this make my body and spirit feel?  Am I still following the word of wisdom to best of my ability?
Wow - so there ya go - my rant and rave and my new diet all in a nutshell.