Week negative one

I've decided that as a project for my Stable Isotope Geochemistry course I'm going to use myself as a lab rat for the semester term paper that we have to write on a research project we concoct. I've read that the nitrogen isotopic signature of a vegan human is drastically different than that of an omnivorous human. As such, I think it would be a good project to see just how long it takes for my N-isotopes to turn from heavy (meat eating) to light (exclusively plant eating). I plan to use this blog as an easy way to document my progress. I will be keeping a food diary and I'm scheduled for a physical and full blood work up next week, then I'll do one at the end of the experiment. The funny thing is, completely coincidentally the first day of this month long endeavor will begin exactly one month before my dreaded comprehensive examination. So, that means that if I do well then I can reward myself with a big steak dinner (one that will probably make me sick at that point). Something to look forward to, I suppose.

The facts:
* I currently eat all manor of meat, including pork and red meat.
* I have an aversion to milk, so I'm not sure if my current isotopic state will be a bit biased in that regard, hopefully not too much because I do eat cheese.
* I'd say that my diet probably doesn't represent the average American's, as I sort of keep nutrition as a hobby so I tend to try pretty hard to incorporate the right amount of fruits/veggies in a day and I limit myself to meat at only one meal. I guess I'm not as isotopically heavy as I could be.
* We'll be using my hair to track the changes, hoping that my hair will be a nice tape recorder (I'm too squeamish to take my own blood and I think my friends who work in the lab would be grossed out if I bring in urine samples...)


That's me!

I have been vegan before. I made it about three weeks over the summer, but I was living in a progressive California town where I had easy access to many farmer's markets and the like. I currently live in Albuquerque (the Q) and will probably have a harder time with this. I remember feeling very tired and hungry all of the time, which will also be difficult because I am a graduate student with a demanding work load. Any advice on how to stave off the low iron drowsiness is welcomed!

In addition to my nitrogen isotopes, I plan to look at the change in my cholesterol, iron levels, and overall health (via a beginning and ending physical). Also, the last time I ventured into the vegan realm I noticed that my eyes changed color. With a little research I found that this was not an isolated experience, so I am going to take pictures of my eyes in the same light with the same camera settings once a week to see if my baby blues change.

I will follow up with a post about what strictly will define my diet for the next month. I have 10 days until I begin... I'm excited!