Soyagera journey into healthier living

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…

This post speaks for itself!

‘Veggie Love’: PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad

Hubs and I went bike riding on the first warm day of spring. Leaving our house at 11:30 with no food in tow, we knew we’d need some lunch by the time we got to our state park destination. We stopped at a local organic market to get some goodies. Now, we hadn’t been to this market in awhile, and their shelves were fully stocked with new items; we went a little crazy. What was supposed to be a quick stop for a bite on-the-go turned into:

-1 package of flatbread (4)
-1 package of Field Roast deli slices (yum!)
-2 avocados
-1 bag of Mary’s Gone Crackers! Twigs and Sticks
- 1 block of raw cheese (for Hubs–he can’t quit cheese)
- 2 bottles of Kombucha (so addicting!)

The total was around $30.00. Ouch!

I’m not complaining, because Hubs and I have made a deal that we will never feel bad about doing good things for our bodies, but we could have easily bought a loaf of white bread, a package of bologna, 2 avocados, 1 bag of pretzels, a package of cheese slices, and two bottles of soda for oh, I’d estimate, $12.00. 

Another example: a few weeks ago, Hubs and I were doing a “cleanse.” We fasted on a Friday night and then all day Saturday. We drank a fiber&scillium-rich drink mixture and juice. Hubs went to the store to buy two bottles of juice for our “meals.” As he waited in the check-out lane, the woman in front of him bought a Banquet frozen dinner, two frozen pizzas, and a two-liter of soda. Her total: $6.49. Hubs bought one bottle of organic apple juice and a bottle of organic grape. His total: $8.99!

We’re pretty good at figuring out how to make cheap and healthy, quick meals. However, a cheap AND healthy meal is ALWAYS more expensive than a cheap, NON-healthy meal.  Add in the fact that most people don’t know how to cook anymore, and there you have it, the disappearance of a healthy diet.

I’m hoping that as organic food becomes mainstreamed the prices on it will continue to drop. Until then, we’ll have to cut out those $30 unplanned lunches…

Try to ignore the fact that the fireman is nervous, but calm, and the factory-brand morning-show host is, ironically, rushing him through the segment (as they always do). THIS IS THE REAL DEAL. The fireman, Rip Esselstyn, and his fire company buddies got healthy by averting themselves from the Standard American Diet (or, SAD–coincidence?). So, I’m a little miffed that it takes a bunch of “manly” firefighters to have mainstream media take note of the concept of –gasp!– not eating meat nor dairy. But, if it gets the word out there, so be it. But don’t buy the book; spend your money on research from people who have been doing this longer and aren’t necessarily trying to make a buck. Unless you’re a manly-man who needs a fireman book to help you feel more secure in your manlihood when not eating meat…

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.