So its been four days since my decision to become vegan now. I really am surprised how easy it has been to make the choice not to eat any animal products. It only seems natural already. I am honestly pretty glad about that because it makes it effortless for me. I don't feel like I am depriving myself of something I still want. I genuinely don't want to eat any meat at all anymore. There may come a day when I may consider eating ethically raised, free-range dairy or eggs again, but not right now that's for sure. My biggest dilemma has been with what to do about all the frozen fish in my freezer. I know I can give it to lots of people that would love it, but knowing what I know now makes me not want to encourage people I love to eat it either or to participate in the acquiring of it. Maybe one of you readers has a thought about that. I'd love to know what you think.
As for what I have been eating lately, well.. lots and lots of vegetables and some fruit too. The last couple days have been a medley of apples, bananas, berries, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, purple top turnip, scallions, green beans, spinach, and lots of cooking with coconut oil and lots of seasoning. Made a pickled type of cucumber dill salad with caramelized onions and dill that was really good too. Gonna probably make some of my curry potato salad for dinner tonight. That is one of my favs! Potatoes, onions, coconut milk, curry seasoning, and diced apples served cold. Yum!! I'll post the recipe when I make it. Anyway, I am honestly only writing today because I have woken up feeling pretty down today. I remember when my chiropractor had given me an anti-inflammatory diet to eat and the third day was so hard because of the symptoms of detoxing. I definitely am swimming in that state today. Just low. I will keep this brief because I am not looking to rant or complain and honestly don't have the energy for it. I am tired and cranky and just don't want to do anything at all today. I just have to remind myself that its only for a short time until my body acclimates to the clean food I am eating and then I will feel better. Right now, I just want a really really strong coffee. With coconut creamer of course! FYI, if you want a healthy alternative to dairy and don't like soy, the So Delicious brand of coconut creamer adds the same creamy consistency to coffee as traditional half and half. Yes, that's right! It is just as creamy and it comes in a couple flavors as well as plain, available in the health food section cooler at Stop n Shop as well as wholefoods market of course. Just FYI. Anyway, Thanks for reading!! :-)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Surprises
So far the reactions to my decision to be vegan have been overwhelmingly positive. And I must be honest, I am pretty surprised. I don't know what I was expecting. Everyone has pretty much been supportive. With the exception of one comment in reference to going out to eat that was something like "you aren't going to be all weird now are you?" I love the person that said it so I didn't take it personal but its funny because I guess that I figured most people would be that way and they weren't. The biggest surprise was that my chiropractor was actually opposed to the idea. He expressed concern that I wouldn't get enough protein and also that I might consume too many grains and foods containing gluten. He also seemed adamant that the points presented in the film couldn't be from reputable sources and that he had some information that was better and he would get that for me. I admittedly have much to learn still on this subject so I am looking forward to hearing the case he presents. I just don't think anything he might say would convince me to eat meat again, even fish. I may consider locally and ethically raised dairy or eggs at some point, but right now I don't even want those. He suggested that I "at least eat fish" and that is just not going to happen. It's actually surprising to me also that in the light of day, my pure disgust with the idea of consuming animal products hasn't faded in the least. Last night, the smell of cheese turned my stomach. Cheese!?!? I have LOVED cheese my whole life!! I am shocked that my body is jumping right on board with this decision. Those who know me well would know I have a tendency to jump in with both feet at the beginning of some new shiny idea that pops in my head only to bail on the whole thing a week later. What can I say? I have a short attention span!(lol) But when I set my mind to something for sure, there really isn't too much that gets in the way. And this feels like a decision that's going to stick from where I am now.
As for the arguments of my doctor, I have looked up lots of stuff about the protein issue online. It seems we have been misguided yet again folks! It seems the general public, myself included, have been led to believe that plants don't have protein in them. Even I would have speculated that veggies would be mostly carbohydrates prior to this coming up. I include here a page from a website that has the nutritional information of lots of vegan foods, specifically the protein grams in a serving.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm
One of the things to note is that when you remove the meat from your plate, you are not simply going to leave that space empty. You will fill that spot with more vegan foods. I think some people get the feeling they cannot feel full or satisfied off of a meal that only contains vegetables. That's just silly. If you are still hungry after eating a portion of food, you eat some more until you are full. If you do that with meat on your plate you can do it with veggies too! Surprise!! The best part is that it will all be much healthier, lower calorie by volume foods. So you can eat to your hearts content and still be getting a reasonable amount of calories. (That is if you do like I plan to and avoid processed foods and go with whole vegetable foods instead.) Now to be fair to myself, I am facing one other particular challenge because I already know going into this that soy and I do not get along. I also plan on avoiding gluten as much as possible so there will be no wheat-based meat substitutes included for me. That grosses me out almost as much as eating meat, by the way. If I no longer want to eat meat, why would I want to pretend to eat meat?? I also don't do corn products because of the genetic engineering issue. So there will be a few protein sources eliminated right away. But here was the other thing I found about protein in the diet. NO ONE EVER DIES OF PROTEIN DEFICIENCY UNLESS THEY ARE ACTUALLY STARVING TO DEATH. That's right kids, you don't need to fret. There is protein in almost every food that comes naturally from the plant kingdom. In varying amounts of course, but that's why varying everything I am eating as much as possible is going to help. In support of this position I have started looking up professional athletes that are vegan. Because, as true specimens of human potential, while I may never be a professional athlete myself, I want to aim high. And if its good enough for them, its good enough for me. I now include a link to a list of professional athletes who are vegan. A pretty long and yet incomplete list I might add. Names like 10-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis and UFC fighter and MMA world champion Mac Danzig are a couple that are listed here.
http://www.veganfitness.net/viewtopic.php?t=723
I don't know about you, but like a teacher at massage school used to say "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." And if that is how I can expect my body to look and perform on this diet, count me in!
A final note, dinner was so very satisfying tonight. A saute mix of sweet potatoes and purple top turnip in a Thai-style sauce of lime, coconut, ginger and garlic. Absolutely DELICIOUS! And filling!! So far, I am liking this whole thing quite a lot!
Until next time...
As for the arguments of my doctor, I have looked up lots of stuff about the protein issue online. It seems we have been misguided yet again folks! It seems the general public, myself included, have been led to believe that plants don't have protein in them. Even I would have speculated that veggies would be mostly carbohydrates prior to this coming up. I include here a page from a website that has the nutritional information of lots of vegan foods, specifically the protein grams in a serving.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm
One of the things to note is that when you remove the meat from your plate, you are not simply going to leave that space empty. You will fill that spot with more vegan foods. I think some people get the feeling they cannot feel full or satisfied off of a meal that only contains vegetables. That's just silly. If you are still hungry after eating a portion of food, you eat some more until you are full. If you do that with meat on your plate you can do it with veggies too! Surprise!! The best part is that it will all be much healthier, lower calorie by volume foods. So you can eat to your hearts content and still be getting a reasonable amount of calories. (That is if you do like I plan to and avoid processed foods and go with whole vegetable foods instead.) Now to be fair to myself, I am facing one other particular challenge because I already know going into this that soy and I do not get along. I also plan on avoiding gluten as much as possible so there will be no wheat-based meat substitutes included for me. That grosses me out almost as much as eating meat, by the way. If I no longer want to eat meat, why would I want to pretend to eat meat?? I also don't do corn products because of the genetic engineering issue. So there will be a few protein sources eliminated right away. But here was the other thing I found about protein in the diet. NO ONE EVER DIES OF PROTEIN DEFICIENCY UNLESS THEY ARE ACTUALLY STARVING TO DEATH. That's right kids, you don't need to fret. There is protein in almost every food that comes naturally from the plant kingdom. In varying amounts of course, but that's why varying everything I am eating as much as possible is going to help. In support of this position I have started looking up professional athletes that are vegan. Because, as true specimens of human potential, while I may never be a professional athlete myself, I want to aim high. And if its good enough for them, its good enough for me. I now include a link to a list of professional athletes who are vegan. A pretty long and yet incomplete list I might add. Names like 10-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis and UFC fighter and MMA world champion Mac Danzig are a couple that are listed here.
http://www.veganfitness.net/viewtopic.php?t=723
I don't know about you, but like a teacher at massage school used to say "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." And if that is how I can expect my body to look and perform on this diet, count me in!
A final note, dinner was so very satisfying tonight. A saute mix of sweet potatoes and purple top turnip in a Thai-style sauce of lime, coconut, ginger and garlic. Absolutely DELICIOUS! And filling!! So far, I am liking this whole thing quite a lot!
Until next time...
Monday, July 25, 2011
The First Day
So today I have made what I am certain will be a landmark decision in my life. I could never have predicted, even just yesterday, that today I would be calling myself a Vegan. I mean, I knew I could benefit from eating more vegetables. Who couldn't really? And I gave up beef and pork a long time ago. Well sort of. See, when I was about 12, my grandmother had a heart attack and bypass surgery. It wasn't the last time she would be hospitalized because of heart disease before her premature death from that very same thing. And it really struck a chord with me then. Somewhere around the same time I heard that red meat consumption was linked to heart disease and I started to avoid eating it as a result. I saw what heart disease could do and I wanted no part of that! I did eventually include it back in my diet periodically over the last 20 something years, but not often. Recently, after a devastating disc injury and subsequently lots of unplanned time out of work, my doctor suggested an anti-inflammatory diet plan and I took his advice. Eating more vegetables than ever in my life, I was feeling amazing after just two weeks. I was still consuming some fish and chicken but much much less than was typical. I was trying to fill up on veggies for most meals and maybe one meal a day included animal protein. No dairy, no eggs, but the fish and chicken were ok on this particular plan. I was NOT planning on eliminating those things. In fact, after 2 weeks, I could hardly wait to have cheese and eggs, cream in my coffee, and butter to cook with again! Eventually I was back to eating just as I had been before the injury. Only now I had a taste of what it felt like when my body was getting more plant nutrition. The affect was undeniable. I was glowing. I had more energy than I can remember having. No hint of that afternoon slump in energy that always sent me straight to Starbucks for a venti latte. My skin was clearing up. My digestion was comfortable and effortless. I felt WELL HYDRATED for the first time maybe ever in my life. And yet, I returned to eating the way I was before. Even after numerous compliments and feeling amazing. Why?? Because old habits die hard. Or at least, they do unless you suddenly get some harsh and real perspective. And that is what the video from RaveDiet.com has given me. I suddenly see the link between my diet and the symptoms I have experienced in my body. From the break down of my very spinal column to the smaller symptoms most people think are a natural part of aging. I know better. The noises in my joints because they aren't properly lubricated, feeling winded after climbing stairs too quickly, heaviness in my legs just walking sometimes, spider veins, acne and eczema, and something even scarier than all these. CHEST PAIN. That's right. I have been experiencing intermittent, mild chest pain on an increasingly frequent basis. I am only 32 years old. My grandmother had her first heart attack at 38. Her husband, my only living grandparent, has a pace maker. My other grandmother died of cancer, as did two of her children, my aunt Lori and my uncle Casey. My immediate family members also suffer from many chronic symptoms that I now know are a direct result of the eating habits we all have been raised to believe are good for us. This film has demonstrated for me not only the way my carnivorous diet is harming me, but also how it contributes to the disintegration of the ecosystem of the planet that sustains me.
There were two things that I took from the film that never really hit me before. One, that congested arteries were not only responsible for the cramping and pains beneath my chest bone that I have been trying to ignore, but it was probably the leading reason why my disc was weak enough to be forced out of its place and to compress my spinal nerves causing pain the likes of which I would not wish on an enemy. The other is a somewhat tangible for some and a bit ethereal for others I am sure, but nonetheless pertinent to my decision, maybe even THE deciding factor. The fact that the cholesterol of the animals I have been consuming is building up in my arteries. What that means to me...well it disgusts me in a way I may not be able to find words strong enough to describe. Let me put it the way it really feels. To do this I revert to my experience with my work. When I do massage, there is a clear cut energetic exchange with my clients. Some of what they come in to the room with in their energy (or mood, if you will) transfers to me. And without a doubt, what I bring into the room rubs off on them. (forgive the pun, I couldn't resist) At the end of the day, I take a shower or have someone rub my back and I can literally feel an energetic residue of them coming off. It takes the form of sensation in my solar plexus and flashbacks of them as the energy leaves me. (Some massage therapists would say I just need to "gaurd" myself better but that is not the issue here. Plus to me it seems mostly inevitable anyway.) Now when I take that degree of exchange to the level of CONSUMING another living breathing thinking and feeling creature, not only is there an energetic residue left behind, but it is literally leaving a cholesterol based residue in my very blood vessels, blocking my arteries and slowly killing me in return. They are killing me back. They died, often in unimaginable ways after horrible, painful lives, but now they are staying in my blood and taking my life with theirs.
This may come off as melodramatic to a great many people who read this. I am certain I would have thought it to be so myself a few days ago. But the seeing is believing sometimes. I want everyone I know and love to see this film. I want them all to share it with everyone THEY know and love. I don't want to watch someone else that I love die a slow and painful death because they just didn't know. And I had heard of a lot of the information in this film before, but hearing about it and seeing what it really means are two very different experiences. Once you know, you can never go back to not knowing. You may be able to suppress the knowing and try to eat like you did before, but it just can't ever be the same. I don't know about you, but I would like to have the freedom to LIVE my life well while I am here and to stick around for as long as I can. So I am now a vegan. I am a vegan. Its a weird word with a lot of baggage. Let me rephrase, I am a plant eater. I am an herbivore. I like that one the best. I am an herbivorous animal. Heehee :-) Okay, I like it. it sounds good. So now, I am going to blog my transition for all to see. And I am going to order copies of that DVD and share them. I hope you will get a copy for yourself. Go to RaveDiet.com and order yours today! Because if you are reading this, the universe is trying to tell you something and so am I!! You deserve to feel healthier. Let's explore the world of plant-eating together. Since I love to cook I plan on sharing recipes too, so check back! I love to experiment in the kitchen. This could be fun!! I'd love your feedback! Let me know your thoughts on ANY of this. Its all new to me!
There were two things that I took from the film that never really hit me before. One, that congested arteries were not only responsible for the cramping and pains beneath my chest bone that I have been trying to ignore, but it was probably the leading reason why my disc was weak enough to be forced out of its place and to compress my spinal nerves causing pain the likes of which I would not wish on an enemy. The other is a somewhat tangible for some and a bit ethereal for others I am sure, but nonetheless pertinent to my decision, maybe even THE deciding factor. The fact that the cholesterol of the animals I have been consuming is building up in my arteries. What that means to me...well it disgusts me in a way I may not be able to find words strong enough to describe. Let me put it the way it really feels. To do this I revert to my experience with my work. When I do massage, there is a clear cut energetic exchange with my clients. Some of what they come in to the room with in their energy (or mood, if you will) transfers to me. And without a doubt, what I bring into the room rubs off on them. (forgive the pun, I couldn't resist) At the end of the day, I take a shower or have someone rub my back and I can literally feel an energetic residue of them coming off. It takes the form of sensation in my solar plexus and flashbacks of them as the energy leaves me. (Some massage therapists would say I just need to "gaurd" myself better but that is not the issue here. Plus to me it seems mostly inevitable anyway.) Now when I take that degree of exchange to the level of CONSUMING another living breathing thinking and feeling creature, not only is there an energetic residue left behind, but it is literally leaving a cholesterol based residue in my very blood vessels, blocking my arteries and slowly killing me in return. They are killing me back. They died, often in unimaginable ways after horrible, painful lives, but now they are staying in my blood and taking my life with theirs.
This may come off as melodramatic to a great many people who read this. I am certain I would have thought it to be so myself a few days ago. But the seeing is believing sometimes. I want everyone I know and love to see this film. I want them all to share it with everyone THEY know and love. I don't want to watch someone else that I love die a slow and painful death because they just didn't know. And I had heard of a lot of the information in this film before, but hearing about it and seeing what it really means are two very different experiences. Once you know, you can never go back to not knowing. You may be able to suppress the knowing and try to eat like you did before, but it just can't ever be the same. I don't know about you, but I would like to have the freedom to LIVE my life well while I am here and to stick around for as long as I can. So I am now a vegan. I am a vegan. Its a weird word with a lot of baggage. Let me rephrase, I am a plant eater. I am an herbivore. I like that one the best. I am an herbivorous animal. Heehee :-) Okay, I like it. it sounds good. So now, I am going to blog my transition for all to see. And I am going to order copies of that DVD and share them. I hope you will get a copy for yourself. Go to RaveDiet.com and order yours today! Because if you are reading this, the universe is trying to tell you something and so am I!! You deserve to feel healthier. Let's explore the world of plant-eating together. Since I love to cook I plan on sharing recipes too, so check back! I love to experiment in the kitchen. This could be fun!! I'd love your feedback! Let me know your thoughts on ANY of this. Its all new to me!
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