Yup. I eat fish and other seafood.

I think I may have mentioned this fact before, but from the looks of things on this site, I really come off as a die-hard veg. Aaaaand… I am.
Let me explain:

The Hubs and I have an agreement that we will eat to live, eat for health, and also occasionally splurge on things that aren’t so healthy (like that homemade chocolate cake my grandmother makes). Personally, I don’t let my eating habits interfere with relationships.  For example, a veg cousin of mine once refused a butternut squash soup, made by our sweet, aforementioned grandmother, because it was made with chicken broth. Poor Grandmom thought she was making a perfectly fine veggie soup, and when Cousin said she wouldn’t eat it, “You should have seen Grandmom’s face. I’ll never do that to her again. I wish I would have just eaten it.”

Now, this is not to say that I’m going to partake in a traditional Thanksgiving, just for the sake of the matter, or that I’m going to give in when my mother says (even though she knows the answer), “You guys won’t eat chicken?” Or, “But I made a delicious pulled pork…” But I will enjoy myself when in the company of friends and family and not get too caught up in the ingredients of things (to a point) if it’s beyond my control.

And I will eat some fish. Wild caught. Not an over-fished species. And purely for the health benefits.

The last time I prepared fish (a few days ago), I thought about swearing off of it. It had been alive! I was cutting through something’s muscle and bone and veins. ::shudder:: I also made the mistake of wanting to show-off my raised-by-the-shore heritage by letting Hub’s friend bring over some freshly-caught crabs. I wanted to show Hubs how to pick one. So, I was placed in charge of overseeing the cooking. It made me sad. I can’t believe I allowed a live animal to be boiled alive in my kitchen. See how pride is a deadly sin? Never again.

This empathy is a fresh feeling for me, truly. When I began this diet, I sympathized with true vegs but had no empathy for the animals. However, after being pregnant, giving birth to a life, and being completely immersed in the process of the makings of life, it is VERY hard to consume something that once had life, or was meant to give life, or lost its life unnecessarily. It sounds a little batty, but I feel more in touch with that life energy having experienced it firsthand through giving birth.

So, little fishies, we shall see if you end up on my platter in the future. I know that the Omegas found in fish are necessary for building little Soy Sprout’s brain, but how can I counterbalance the guilt I feel eating it?

Yes, it’s allergy season. There are tons of over-the-counter allergy meds being marketed, but they’re not going to help solve the problem. Here’s what has worked for me:

1. DIET CHANGES. I’ll say it again and again and again. Diet is the root of our health. Change what you give your body and it will change what it puts out. So, eliminating dairy has made a huge difference in the way my body can handle allergens. Since the body’s not focused on digesting the dairy and reducing the inflammation caused by it (and other indigestibles), it has an easier time fighting off histamines.

2. NETI POT or SINUS RINSE. I’m not the first one to recommend this. C’mon, even Oprah thinks it’s a good idea!

3. ALLER-EASE. This stuff works! I’m currently not taking any such supplements due to pregnancy, but Hubs and I have had mucho success in the past with this product and others from the Buried Treasure line.

4. BLOWING MY NOSE. Sounds simple enough, but how many times have you seen someone sniff and sniff and sniff (and sniff and sniff) without eliminating the mucous? The body is trying to get rid of it! Help yourself out!

5. I also found some great information in this article found on Mother Earth News.

Good Luck and Happy Spring!

This book has been in print since the ’80′s but was recently updated for its 10th anniversary.  Food and Healing put all of the ideas I have about health, living, and eating into words. Sensible, interesting words. The book is not about veganism. It’s about maintaining balance in the body. Having a balanced body promotes a balanced life, and vice-versa. I will say that having an open mind about non-American philosophies is helpful in reading about what Colbin calls “the whole food health supportive” diet. She discusses the Standard American Diet (SAD) and how it matches up to her theories of health. It ain’t pretty, folks.

What I liked most is that this is a well-researched and well-written book. It isn’t a fad diet. In fact, it isn’t about a diet at all. It’s about using food to support health and, therefore, one’s purpose in life. (Good luck in figuring out what your purpose is, though. She doesn’t discuss that!) I was just blown away by how much sense Colbin makes. Her way of maintaining and reaching optimal health is ultimately how I would like to cook, eat, and live.

I’ve mentioned the book before on this blog in this post. I commonly refer to Colbin’s philosophies in explaining the choices for my diet/lifestyle, so I wanted to give yet another nod to the book that has such an impact on my life.

The biggest question I see (not hear, because I never hear it in real life) concerning veganism is, “How do I become a vegan?”  I am a regular poster and/or lurker on a few message boards that are geared toward eco-friendliness, and the topic comes up quite often, including issues of “safely” converting to a vegan diet and how to feed children in this way.

There are many, many resources online to aid in the transition to a veg diet/lifestyle, which I have listed at the end of this post. However, I’ll share my personal experience, too, in order to show how it can realistically happen. Our transition to this type of eating was certainly done in stages, so I’ll organize it as such:

Starting Out (Fall 2005)

We naively thought that eliminating animal products just meant substituting soy for dairy, veggie burgers for meat, and tossing any products/foods that didn’t comply.  When we found that all we were eating was a lot of soup, bread, and snacks (and gaining weight in the process!), we picked up a few vegan cookbooks and started learning more. One thing that made it tough was we tried to go, excuse the pun, cold turkey and ended up craving meat and cheese periodically. We called giving in to these cravings “meat cheats.”

Tip: Don’t try to go completely vegan right away. Start slowly, eliminating one thing at a time. For example,  start with soy milk in place of cow’s milk. Or, try getting rid of cheese but keep your eggs and milk for awhile.

Getting the Hang of Things (2006)

We began to understand how to cook without animal products and began building a small repertoire of dishes that worked for us, mainly using processed soy products (like soy “cheese” or “sausage”). We genuinely liked the taste of these products and didn’t miss meat. However, I’m pretty sure there were times when we were more vegetarian in our eating as we couldn’t totally get rid of cheeses.

Tip: Accept the fact that vegetarian/vegan processed foods aren’t always meant to exactly replicate the carnivorous version they represent. Enjoy these foods as they are. Enjoy a veggie burger as a veggie burger and not as a hamburger substitute. These products should make the transition easier, not painful, so choose things that taste good to you!

Really Learning, Really Eliminating (2007)

Here are some common questions (with my answers) about maintaining a vegan diet:

1. How expensive would it be in comparison to vegetarianism?  I really have to watch our budget.
I can’t really say much about cost in comparison. We spend A LOT of money on food and nutrition per month, but we also live in an area with limited options. We’re lucky enough to have an organic market that stocks many items, and there’s a chain grocery retailer that sells much of what we use, but we live in a resort area and pay high prices for everything, it seems. Like anything, there are ways of going cheap, and there are ways of going big. If you’re constantly buying processed, pre-made vegan food, it will add up. If you want, you could live off of rice, beans, and veggies and be fine!

2. What are the staples of your diet?
This is basically what we always have on hand, and consider it’s winter in the fruit/veggie dept:

Protein:
tofu (use this for everything, for any meal, including desserts)
nuts (not just for snacking–I use them in place of meat to make everything from stuffed cabbage to meatloaf to patties)
black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans,quinoa, soy milk, soy yogurt, avocados

Grains:
quinoa, long grain brown rice, cous cous, rice pastas, enriched pastas (the only thing we buy that’s not organic), hemp or other whole-grain breads, wheat tortillas, polenta

Fruits (right now we always have): apples, bananas,  citrus, papaya, mangoes, frozen berries

Veggies: Spinach (fresh and frozen), cabbage, leafy greens like kale, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes (technically not a veggie for us)

Supplementary items (this is where it adds up): greens drinks (for extra veggies), nutritional yeast (for necessary B vitamins), flax seed oil, good quality cooking oils, tamari, minced garlic, ginger, good spices, Earth Balance margarine, rice milk, etc.

Supplements: probiotics, enzymes, high quality multi vits, pre-natals, vit E, cal/mag/zinc liquid supplement (the only thing we take regularly is the vitamins and calcium; Hubs is better about taking enzymes and such–not really required for vegans, just something we do for good health)

3. What is a good place to start that is comprehensive but not overwhelming with vegan info?

The bottom of this post has a good list of places to start.

This is For Life (2008 to present)

We finally learned the right way to eat: we balanced our food groups, got the right nutrients, and eliminated processed soy products (which are no better for the body or the environment than any other mass-produced food).  A supportive and informed naturopath was essential in this process.

We started this diet together when we were dating, and I wasn’t in love with meat enough to hang onto it, so I supported Hubs in his quest to live a healthy, heart-friendly life, so I did most of the cooking. It was a learning process, for sure (still is). However, I advocate it not only because I learned about the horrible food-industry practices in this country, but because we have read SO MUCH about how a vegan diet is better for your health, hands down. The body cannot process all of the protein and dairy that generally comes along with a Standard American Diet, and it leads to other health issues.

Mainly, I found this: when I stopped eating meat (dead energy), my world got brighter. I believe it is because I stopped ingesting dead things. When we started eating more cleanly, more natural foods, we stopped getting sick. When I stopped eating dairy, my chronic sinus problems went away. And when I stopped eating things that most people eat, I was no longer tempted to buy into our consumerist society. Changing the way I ate changed the way I thought about life–and so much for the better.

Excellent Resources:
Veg for Life–excellent easy-to-read site about making the transition to veganism
Go Veg–in association with PETA; tons of info and their Vegetarian Starter Kit
Farm Sanctuary–a wonderful organization which is a wonderful reminder of why people choose to eat vegan

Books to Check Out:
Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet,  Davis & Melina
Food and Healing, Annemarie Colbin
The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
The Great Cholesterol Con, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick
Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer

Favorite Cookbooks:
Vive Le Vegan, Dreena Burton
Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Vegan Soul Kitchen, Bryant Terry
La Dolce Vegan, Sarah Kramer
Vegan Yum Yum, Lauren Ulm
Vegan Planet, Robin Robertson

The holidaze is through and, hopefully, the inevitable craziness of a marketing onslaught made everyone reflect on what’s really important. I generally don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I found an interesting site that makes creating and keeping resolutions much easier. The best part is that it isn’t so much about resolutions but life improvements.

This blog is The Happiness Project (great title-hm?). Read through to get the gist of the philosophy, then check out The Happiness Project Toolbox to put a plan into action! There is even a space for Group Resolutions where people can motivate each other for a common goal. If you’re interested in resolving to “Go (even more) Green!,” go to my user page and add yourself to the Group Resolution list! First goal: turn off lights when leaving a room. (We’ll start off easy, okay?) Look, as an known procrastinator, the fact that I’ve even created a profile and written ONE resolution is progress for me, so let’s support each other for change!

What are some future “go green” goals you’d like to add?

So, I’ve been lax in the blogging department. I took a trip to San Francisco to visit a friend who’s receiving some medical treatment there. Once I returned, I was still on California time and had developed a nice case of seasonal allergies. Read: my sleep schedule was off and I had zero energy, especially for blogging. I’m currently resting on my stomach with wet towels over the backs of my legs because I didn’t put sunscreen on them today and, you got it, I’ve got two long pepperoni sticks for legs. Since I’m indisposed, it’s a perfect time to type!

First things first: California. Ah….California. I got off the plane and there were FIVE recycling bins for disposables as soon as I exited the gate. That pretty much sums up CA. I had no problem finding veg options, there is ample recycling, and it’s clean and sunny. However, I was surprised that, as far as cities are concerned, I prefer New York to San Fran. The people in San Fran (and by people I mean the homeless, the cashiers, and the tourists) wanted to talk too much. When I go to a city, I want to disappear, be intent on where I’m going, not be bothered. In SF, everyone wants to converse, chit-chat, beg for change…. Goodness, I’m such an East Coast girl. (That experience will NOT stop me from eventually moving off the East Coast, though!)

Up second: allergies. I was getting the beginnings of some trouble before flying to CA. Apparently, the pollen was in full swing in SF, so I had an awful stuffy nose and post-nasal drip. By the time I arrived home, my throat was dry and scratchy from the plane and I developed the full-blown allergy symptoms a few days later: itchy eyes, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, sore throat. I don’t like taking drugs anymore, so I found something at our local organic market that is now my miracle cure: Buried Treasure Aller-Ease. We’ve used some Buried Treasure supplements before and they make quality products. This initially stinky liquid cured me of the sinus pressure I was having, and after the second day taking it, my allergy symptoms have disappeared. Glorious!

And, finally, sunburn. Sigh…. I haven’t tried any “natural” sunscreens yet, so I suppose that will be another post. I’ve read of a brand that makes biodegradable sunscreen that doesn’t destroy ocean vegetation. Hm, I’m thinking that wearing biodegradable sunscreen isn’t going to make a big impact when there’s literally sh*t floating in the ocean… . Anyway, today, I wore regular, traditional Coppertone and neglected to put it on my legs. My dermatologist warned me about my susceptibility to skin cancer, but after reading some research that skin cancer could have more to do with diet and less with the effects of the sun, I’m backing off on my use of the lotions and potions. Unfortunately, I’ve got a great pair of red legwarmers to show for it.  I’m sure I’ll continue to wear sunscreen to prevent burns (especially like the kind I got today), but what if skin cancer is simply the sun bringing to the surface all of the sugars, toxins, and free-radicals that the body can’t process [as per said research]? I like to think that by eating healthy and following a naturopath’s regime, I won’t have to totally slather myself with lab-produced chemicals.

But I’ll let you know how I feel after my next derm appointment.

Yeah, just try getting the song out of your head now.

Ah, Western medicine–it’s a topic I haven’t yet discussed on this blog. It’s bound to be a common one, though.

First, some backstory:
If you read the About section of this blog, you will read about how Hubs and I started a veg lifestyle due to some hereditary health issues Hubs has. To summarize,  his body doesn’t produce HDL (good) cholesterol, so in order to keep his cholesterol at a manageable and safe level, he has to severely limit his intake of ANY cholesterol, HDL or LDL. Years ago, his cardiologist told him to stop eating anything that contains cholesterol (read: animal products) which is why we went veg. In addition to a healthy diet Hubs was taking blood pressure meds, cholesterol-reducing meds (statins), niacin, and aspirin. Along the way, some anti-anxiety meds were prescribed. In an effort at brevity, I’m not going to go into a description of each med and its purpose.

At this point, I should also mention that I was chock-full-o’-drugs, too, taking birth control pills (since college) and anti-depressants.

 In recent months, Hubs and I decided that it was probably in our best interest to get off some meds. We visited a naturopath who helped get Hubs on the right path, and I just weaned myself off of my anti-depressants. (I had stopped taking my bcp earlier in the year.) Our experiences could be a book in themselves, so I think a listing technique might be best here. What we have experienced, thus far:

ME–after coming off of BCP
-Depression: My hormones were trying to get back to normal, and instead of letting it run its course, I went on anti-depressants. The meds weren’t hard to get; I asked my doc for some and he sent me away that day with samples. I no longer visit this doctor.

ME–after coming off anti-depressants
-Depression & Irritability: I was not horrible, but I wasn’t a great person to be around. Hubs commented, “I liked you better when you were on medication.” It took a number of weeks, vitamin supplements, and exercise, but I believe I am back to “normal.”  I feel as though I’m in the moment, I’m “me” again, and life is just jolly.

-Weight loss: Even at my “heaviest,” I was around 130 pounds. Now that I’m off all of the hormone-controlling meds, I’ve dropped back down to my natural weight of 120 pounds. This weight-loss prompted many comments about how “skinny” I looked, but really, I was just losing the bloating and fat that hung on due to meds.

Hubs has not had it so easy. A few examples:

Hubs on Niacin: extreme flushing of the face and upper chest. Hot flashes. Lower cholesterol, but not without physical discomfort.
Hubs on anti-anxiety meds: sent his heart racing so fast that he had a full-blown anxiety attack.
Hubs on Zoloft: chilled him out
Hubs coming off Zoloft: what he described as “zaps” in his brain; bouts of disconnectedness; fatigue; weight gain (all eventually faded after about 3 weeks)

He’s had a lifetime of trying new meds, trying to get the right combo, trying to do what’s best. Again, for sake of brevity, I’ll fast forward to today. Hubs went off of his cholesterol meds a few months ago. He’s been eating right, avoiding (for the most part) foods which raise bad cholesterol and intaking those that raise the good. He recently got bloodwork done and his cholesterol levels are high again!    Hubs was so frustrated, especially since most of his health decisions are based upon his own research. He felt like he had been doing a strict health regime for nothing and had spent time and effort on  research for no reason. We both immediately started researching his condition again but without a geneticist to explain some of the stuff, we’re burnt out.

So, this leaves us at an impasse. Does Hubs go back on cholesterol meds which lower his risk of heart attack but raise his risk of needing a liver transplant (plus all of the unknown variables)? Or does he continue as he has  been doing and hope for the best? His “regular” doctor said he should be taking meds since “all the research shows that’s what you should do.”  When Hubs replied, “but your research is done by the pharmaceutical companies. What about the research I’ve done that negates all that?,” the doc couldn’t respond.

For now, the decision is not to take meds and see another naturopath. We truly believe that healing can occur through food and natural remedies. Hubs has a hereditary (genetic) condition that can’t necessarily be fixed, but his chances of living a full life are much higher, we believe, through healthy diet, exercise, stress-relieving techniques, and love–lots of love

Oprah calls them ah-hah! moments. Some refer to the metaphorical lightbulb. Others say God spoke.  The collquial phrase is, “No duh.” Whichever usage appeals to ya, I experienced it.

I just finished Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin. She refers to various authors on the subject of the dynamics of living systems with this thought:

“The ‘natural’ plant world above [ground] carries life–things grown and change, are born and die. The ‘artificial’ oil world below is dead:  No change occurs in its elements without human technological minipulation. Substances from this realm, then, will not support life” (49).

My god. How did no one realize this? It’s so simple. One cannot manufacture life! And the attempt to do so leads to insurmountable problems. Colbin continues,

“It may be significant that cancer, that frightening epidemic of our time, is a disease in which the life process (the buildup and breakdown of cells) has become deranged” (50).

Without more research, I will not deny that this claim about the cause of cancer seems overly simplistic. But consider this:

“Plants give us food, fuel, shelter, construction material, fibers for clothing, oils, sweeteners, flavors, colors, aroma, and medicinal substances.
Interestingly enough, we get almost the same elements from coal and petroleum: fuel for heating, construction materials (plastics), fibers for clothing (nylon, Orlon, and so forth), mineral oil and cream (Vaseline), saccharin, artificial flavors, colors, perfumes, and synthetic medicinal drugs.
But coal and oil are what’s left of trees that lived millions of years ago–plants long dead, entombed within the bowels of the earth, paralyzed at a biological zero point… (49)”

It then becomes incredibly scary to consider how much of our society is artificial, and how much of that world is being ingested, breathed, swallowed, consumed, touched, and sadly, given to children. Along these lines, I encourage everyone I know to watch “The Story of Stuff.”

This 20-minute web video explains how all this “stuff” came to be and how it is impacting the environment, and therefore, the human body.  I was in search of a video which captured the “Paradigm of Processed Food,” but I think this vintage commercial (parodying a horror flick) is fitting:

Check out Food and Healing. It’s changed my life.