After contributing 30 viles of blood in the last four months, it was determined that I am Anemic.
This was no surprise to me as I haven't eaten red meat since 1999. Prior to this, I was a huge meat eater. I mean, I grew up in Santa Maria - home of the famous tri-tip BBQ, cow meat was unavoidable!
The story of my 10 year red meat sabbatical isn't too intriguing. I was studying abroad in Italy the summer of 1999. The summer during the war in Kosovo and also the time when John Kennedy Jr. and wife Caroline died in a plane crash. Simultaneously, there was an epidemic case of salmonella in Italy. My roommate at the time, who will remain anonymous, was stricken with it (twice) amongst the three months we were there. We were in beautiful Portofino, having our very first authentic Italian meal. Her choice was veal - and boy was that a very bad choice. Without being too graphic, let's just say there was projectile involved at the table. After witnessing such atrocity, I refused to eat any sort of meat the remainder of my study abroad. I lost ten pounds while in Italy - a very untypical situation. Even upon my return to the US, I couldn't bare the smell or sight of red meat.
Flash forward 10 years later, anemic and jeopardizing the health of the baby. As a quick anecdote, I had my re-initiation to a carniverous diet - an In N Out burger. I did this at the start of my long three day weekend, just in case I needed to keel over and die. However - the experience surprised me and it tasted so delicious. No sickness at all invloved! I continued my new endeavor and the following day, devoured a filet mignon at Matt's graduation BBQ. Next, on my to do list, Mr. Cecil's Ribs. I really hope this helps both mine and the baby's iron deficiency.
