A pain-free ‘Bugs Bunny’

I’m sure the title of today’s column has caught your attention.

As many older people may remember, Bugs Bunny is the cartoon character who loves to be a wise-ass while chomping on a carrot. Yes, Bugs Bunny is undeniably a vegetarian and that is why I used him to lure you in.

In a manner of speaking, I can now relate to Bugs Bunny after passing the one-year mark as a vegetarian. There was no special reason for becoming one: my wife Karen and I simply figured that since our meals had slowly become 80 percent plant-based, we might as well try to be 100 percent vegetarians.

To be honest, the shift to plant-based diets is no big deal, given all the available plant-based meals that are now sold in supermarkets. There is even a very popular store called the Vegan Grocer in San Juan City, so anyone who wants an easy shift can simply go online or go to the grocery.

The only thing that can make becoming a vegetarian difficult would be people and friends who are unable to respect or understand the value of trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Instead of being encouraging, most people think it’s license to make fun of the real sacrifice and discipline required to be a vegetarian. But don’t worry, you’ll have the last laugh.

Based on all the stuff we read and heard, the most we could expect from becoming vegetarians was easier digestion, less gas, better sleep at night and maybe, just maybe, some weight loss. We were worried about having less energy or becoming weaker, given our lower protein intake as well as vitamin B-12 deficiency, so we took supplements as a precaution.

But on the contrary, I seem to have sustained energy instead of bursts and the recovery time from being tired is shorter. I definitely felt lighter and stopped worrying about indigestion at night, which improved my sleep quality just a little bit. Karen, on the other hand, has observed that she rarely experiences hyperacidity or acid reflux and no longer has to take medicines or antacids before bedtime.

I thought that the shift to plant-based would bring my weight down significantly, but it did not because I was actually eating more. I eventually had to go back to my intermittent fasting, where I would eat dinner no later than 6:30 p.m. then have breakfast at 9:30 or 10 a.m. then lunch at 1 or 2 p.m.

Quite honestly, becoming a vegetarian had started to become “ho hum” or so ordinary as we hit the one-year mark, until one day people I was working with noticed that I was no longer manifesting or talking about back pains or joint pains. In fact, I was surprised that when I did two 10-hour trips by land, first on a pick-up and then by bus, I did not experience any major pain.

After that I suddenly realized that I had also stopped taking OTC painkillers like I used to almost daily or at night due to joint and muscle pains. When I shared the observation with several physicians, they all surmised that having gone vegetarian, my body may have consequently rid itself of various inflammations in the muscles and joints and nerve endings.

That conversation reminded me of a couple of documentaries I had watched before becoming a vegetarian about people who were previously dependent on maintenance medicines and painkillers and had limited mobility that they needed walking canes or walkers. But when they participated in a plant-based diet program, they were able to regain quality of life after losing all the aches and pains and swelling they had. Some even managed to be rid of maintenance medicines.

At the time that I watched those documentaries, namely “What the Health” and “Game Changers,” I was quite skeptical about the alleged outcomes or benefits. But since then and in the past year, I have come across numerous reports, talks and claims about life-changing benefits from plant-based diets. And now, I find myself experiencing the same and sharing it with whoever wants to try it.

Being pain-free is the unexpected payback and benefit that I got from becoming a vegetarian and whenever I go “What’s Up Doc?” it’s just a social greeting and not a hospital visit!

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Since last month, I have been hearing of reports about thieves crawling into different farms all over the country to steal anything they can steal. The most popular targets have been chicken farms or gamefowl farms and, on a rare occasion, cattle. On the average the thieves steal five to 20 roosters, which they simply stuff into sacks and crawl away under the cover of darkness.

While most people simply write it off as an operational cost and see no point in reporting to the police because no one is ever caught, there is the problem where someone gets caught, gets shot or gets killed. In the few occasion that thieves get caught or end up electrocuted “accidentally,” they have been found to have guns and knives in their possession.

If you happen to have security concerns in your backyard, open lot or farm, you’ll probably get dogs, but dogs are not as effective when it’s raining. In that situation, a dog’s best friend is a pair or a flock of strategically located geese or “gansa” in Tagalog.

I remember a time when geese were deployed on the perimeter fence of army bases to deter intruders because they honk so loud. You can also add a few well-placed LED spotlights on timers to go off at different times late at night, midnight or early morning. In the rainy season or foggy places, yellow LED spotlights are ideal. All cheap online.

Then install one or two large fire bells you can ring from inside, to rattle thieves and alert neighbors of a possible intrusion. Stay safe everyone.

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