Soyagera journey into healthier living

From what I’ve read ABOUT this book (I haven’t read the actual text yet), it seems that the title is purely for attention-getting. And it works pretty well, no? The Vegetarian Myth is written by Lierre Keith, a former vegan, who conjectures that veganism/vegetarianism isn’t any better for the planet than a typical omnivore’s diet. Her argument is for sustainable communities, sustainable living, sustainable eating. And maybe wants to knock a few vegs off their high horses?

::putting tack and saddle away::

I’d like to read this book to see if Keith gets into a deeper argument or rouses any larger points beyond the obvious. In my personal experience, eating a meatless diet can certainly be just as harmful to your body as to the environment, and I’m not just talking about getting one’s vitamins and mineral intake down properly. I mean that there is a lot of processed vegan food out there contributing to the environmental problems just as readily as a bologna factory. This is why I have such a hard time explaining my diet to those who ask or think they understand. It’s not just about eliminating meat and cheese (though sometimes that is how to say it with brevity). It’s about eating organic, WHOLE foods and, when possible, locally produced foods.

I have a feeling that I’ll agree with many of Keith’s musings, and now I’m off to my state library’s website to see if it’s available (what’s your guess?).

…that will take DECADES for Americans to even wrap their heads around.

I recently read the following article in UTNE Reader mag and it made me think more about WHY this concept of granting the Earth constitutional rights (I know–sounds funny. Read the article!) sounds, well, sounds funny to Americans.  Hubs and I were discussing animals, creatures of this Earth like us, and how many people fail to see spiritual and emotional similarities between humans and animals. Hubs conjectured, “most people don’t understand things unless it’s in their face. ..” Mistreating or disrespecting animals isn’t something they can comprehend because it’s not affecting them directly. “It’s the same reason why people aren’t concerned with genocide or bombings,” he said, “they care only if it’s happening directly to THEM.” Ah, my wise husband, right again.

And it’s the same with the Earth. A dog craps on someone’s lawn, he’s angry about it. A power plant dumping toxic substances into natural waterways? Fuh-get-about-it!  Whether it’s apathy or ignorance, it’s annoying and enraging, and part of the reason I get frustrated living where I live. The majority of the population is in the “fuh-get-about-it” category. Or, more appropriately, the “I ain’t care” category.

George Orwell says in 1984, “the hope lies with the Proles…” Where do we go from here?

Check out this article: The Emancipated Earth

Nothing is more exciting and, truly, invigorating than getting the first big bag of fresh veggies from the CSA to which we belong. Where we live, year-round produce beyond eggs and certain lettuces just isn’t possible. (And at some point, the lettuce doesn’t grow and we don’t eat eggs so…) When those full, bountiful bags start rolling in, we’re ecstatic and we know it’s summer! This week, we picked up our harvest at a local farmer’s market so we got to sample other farmers’ wares.  We ended up with only a beautiful bottle of herb-infused vinegar, but I think that as the summer wears on we’ll find more to please us. Our CSA picks this week included: red and golden beets, lettuce, arugula, salad mix (with beautiful edible yellow blossoms!), sugar snap peas (mmmmm), broccoli, and carrots. We were honestly in heaven sitting down before dinner to a plate of just-picked veggies sprinkled with herbed vinegar. FANTASTIC.

Eating food that came from the Earth (not a lab or greenhouse), farmed with good energy, sunlight, and water (not pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers) and picked by someone’s good hands (not ripped out by a machine) is one of life’s blessed experiences.

I had some computer malfunctions and password losses for a few weeks, but now I’m back in blog business.

As I approach the summer months, I will find myself with oodles of free time. My job allows me incredible vacation time in the summer in exchange for parenting 150 teenagers for nine months of the year. It’s a pretty good gig most of the time, but I definitely look forward to the vacation. Generally, in the summer, I do a lot of cooking. Fresh, straight-from-scratch cooking and baking. I’m talkin’ fresh breads, organic CSA veggies, and delicious wheat-meats. Mmm-hmmmm!  Anything that takes longer than thirty, forty-five minutes tops during the school year just ain’t happenin’, especially as I see the light at the end of the cement-block tunnel. Hubs and I have been taking Kashi microwaveable meals for lunches the past few weeks because we’re just so…. SPENT. As I stand in line for the microwave at lunch time, with all the other microwaveable meals, leftover pizza slices, and take-out in styrofoam boxes, I think, “My god, how will I eat well when I have kids? How will I do this for the remaining—gag—twenty-five years of my career?  ” I know I can do it, but honestly, am I up for the challenge?

You know, eating well on a small time schedule is no simple feat. And just shut your little yappy mouth before you start to form the words “Rachael Ray.”  One, ol’ Rach has a team of people to come up with ideas, and two, when in doubt, she adds cheese and butter and it’s all easy-peasy-cheesy. The quickest meal I’ve conjured is: grain (rice/quinoa/cous cous) + veggie burger (Dr. Praegers or Sunshine) + seasonings (curry paste/olive oil/tamari/mirin/whateverislayingonthecounteratthemoment) + microwave = quickest meal ever. But there’s that microwave which I don’t believe adds any value to food. It’s most likely zapping my mind so I forget the password to my blog admin.

And so, I’m nervous. Quick, easy food is never the best for the body. Did I also mention that I’ll be on the road for much of the summer in a cross-country excursion? Hubs and I KNOW how to cook easy meals for camping and such. But, in most cases, it’s still chock full of sodium. Or sugar. Or (shiver) soy protein isolate. The good stuff goes bad, and the good stuff ain’t great for road trips or crazy weeks when my students rebel against me in a fit of pirate-like mutiny because of a computer error on their progress reports or when Hubs’ students get arrested for drug traffiking (again). True story.

So, what do you do? I can’t eat pasta or veggie burgers every night for the rest of my life. And I refuse to be one of those tater-tot and “chikin” fingers moms in the future. Oy.  I need ideas.

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

I generally don’t drink alcohol anymore. Everytime I do, it hits me hard and I have either a headache or a total lack of energy the next day. (And I’m not talking about getting blitzed here, people, I’m talking about 3 drinks max.)  So, it was out of the ordinary for me to get some wine tonight. The liquor store close to my parents’ home has an organic section, so I checked it out. I’ve had an organic Syrah from this store, but I honestly don’t remember the vintage. Tonight I found Yellow+Blue organic Malbec in an eco-friendly carton. The wine was smooth, with delicious notes of fruit, and had a quick but tasty finish. I had three glasses and felt buzzed for a brief amount of time, but not flagged like I would have been with any other wine. I’ll definitely buy it again! Hubs mentioned the fact that it can’t be very eco-friendly if it’s imported from Argentina. So true, Hubs, so true. But the packaging takes less energy to produce and ship than glass bottles and, like I said, the wine was great! For something I don’t buy often, I think it’s worthwhile. And I like their tagline: Yellow+Blue=Green!

We ordered some sunchokes from our CSA this week. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, so I simply roasted them as per a few recipes I found online. I roughly peeled them, chopped them, tossed them with some olive oil, placed them on my pre-heated pizza stone, and roasted for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees. They were awesome! Raw sunchokes are very similar in appearance and texture to ginger root. However, the skin of sunchokes is completely edible. Hubs thought they tasted like french fries and stopped mid-bite saying, “Mmmmmm! I think I need some ketchup with these!” I thought they were a bit like a parsnip in taste. Either way, they were (are) delicious and chock-full of minerals! Yum!

A veg friend and I were giggling over the guilt we feel about certain items in our life that do not fall in line with our worldview. She feels guilty about not cloth-diapering her kid; I was embarrassed to step into my (albeit small) gas-hog SUV. So, since my last post was about perfectionism, I’ll debunk all that.

Non-eco friendly/non-animal friendly/non-health-friendly/non-my-agenda-friendly items Hubs and I still use:

-Our 2006 Jeep Liberty: 2 years left to pay; lost its value; it’s not going anywhere soon
- Razors; sometimes disposable ones!
- Swiffer Wet Jet: I’d like to think I’m going to get on my hands and knees every week and clean the kitchen floor. Like I said, “like to think…”
- Ibuprofen: in the land of chemical pain-relievers, this one is probably the “least harmful”
- Regular ol’ batteries: not the rechargeable ones
- Plastic wrap, plastic baggies, plastic cutlery: I try to remember to bring my own fork & knife to work, but usually just use the plastic stuff provided there…
– Pizza & Mexican food: about once every 5-6 weeks, we make concessions and just eat some damn cheese
– Traditional household paint: probably one of the most toxic things to bring into the home, but I can’t afford $30/can for the non-toxic stuff. Opening windows is free…
– Leather shoes/jackets/gloves: I haven’t bought any new ones but I’m certainly not throwing out the old ones.
– Paper towels & napkins: might switch to cloth napkins, but recycled paper towels is what works for us
–Trashbags: there are bio-degradable trashbags, recycled trashbags…nothing breaks down in a landfill anyway but I suppose we could use something that isn’t made of petroleum. One day, when we have a yard, we will compost and have minimal trash production.
–Tampons: my husband experiences enough of my bodily functions without throwing wearable cups and reusable pads into the mix.

I’ll add to the list as I think of more. This has actually been a good exercise for seeing what changes we have already made!

I’m a perfectionist.  So, if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it RIGHT. Take my lifestyle, for instance. I made the decision to be more eco/world/health-concious, and so, that influences every choice I make.  So, to use house-cleaning as an example, when I realized the harmful effects of chemical detergents and cleansers not only on the air quality of my home, but on the environment as a whole, I stopped buying those things. I found other truly natural options (like Dr. Bronner’s; vinegar; baking soda). Therefore, it’s very hard for me to accept small changes. I want change NOW! I want the Barack-Obama-campaign-poster-sized CHANGE in everyone! Yes, this is impossible (is it?) but I still can’t let it go.

An employee of the small, organic market where we shop said to me last week, “What if everyone just made one change–like even changing from whatever cleanser they are using to that new Clorox stuff  that is more eco-friendly? Just imagine how much of an impact THAT could have.” And she is totally right. I just have a hard time finding peace.

If someone says, “I just stopped using traditional makeup. Now I use minerals!” I want to know if they have switched all of their other cosmetics to natural/organic products. I want to know if they buy their minerals from an independent company versus a big box store.

I was on an “eco-friendly family” forum, where the main topic is cloth diapering. (I admit, that is what drew me to the forum in the first place even though there are no thoughts of children at the moment.) Women discuss the process of cloth diapering, the spraying, the soaking, the washing, the bleaching, the ammonia… I wanted to scream, “What about the water you’re using?!? What about bleach you’re inhaling?!?”  And by the way, there really is no answer as to which is the “better” method in the disposable vs. cloth debate. (And if you’re really bored, find one of these forums and post a message entitled, “Your method sucks because…” then wait for the mob to attack.)

If someone says, “we recycle,” I’m happy, but want to know if they continue to buy products packed in unnecessary plastic…

What is my deal? I’ve set the bar too high, perhaps even for myself. I didn’t create this petroleum-based world but I somehow feel like I can fix it. Perhaps that is the heart of the matter. Small changes are unacceptable to me because there is so much to do. I want everyone to make it her priority. My agenda is huge, my hopes high.  And so, I am constantly searching for peace with this idea…