Busting Myths...The Raw Way

For the past couple of weeks, I have been posting pictures, of friends who inspire me. Some for their wisdom, some for their commitment to health and fitness, raw veganism, or walk a peaceful yogic life.  I am grateful to these kind souls who so freely share their light and positive energy with me.  Recently, as I began to decide who I would post next, I suddenly stopped searching and posted a picture of myself.  I decided that day, that my inspiration would be ME.  Please do not think this is a vanity move.  It is far from it.  That day I posted self inspiration because it is important to continue to believe in who you are, as you are, where you are and what you represent.

"You will never succeed if you don't first believe in yourself"

As I rejoice in the euphoria of support from those on a similar walk, I still hear echos of the voices of those who are not.  It their voices which propel me to stand strong to believe and accept the inspiration that swells within me.

"Uneasy is the head that wears the crown" from Shakespeare's play Henry IV,  is a warning to take heed -  when you accept a greatness and enjoy all which comes with it, be aware and be responsible of the opposite which lurks as well.

Yin and Yang

Co-existence:  Yin and Yang 

Throughout this walk, many positive, wonderful experiences have showered my path.  You may ask why would I choose to dwell on anything not positive.  Very simple, while focused on forward movement, it isn't healthy to acknowledge it presence, however, you should recognize that which may harm you in order to reinforce and strengthen your stronghold against it.   In this instance, for every yin, there is a yang, every positive, a negative.  They co-exist.   Yin and Yang isn't always positive and negative.  Many times yin and yang are simply opposites.  They oft times need each other. For example, yin represents senses, yang the air.  You need both in which to enjoy a warm wind blowing across your face.  So, I choose to see these sometimes negative experiences as simply....opposite.

Constructive Criticism
The "opposite" experiences received come often in the form of "constructive criticism" and "concern".  Instead of feeling defensive, I have decided to welcome comments and advice from those with genuine health or nutritional education content whose intent is to improve the manner in which I ingest nutrients.  In this instance, it would be true constructive criticism as defined by Wikipedia:

"Constructive criticism aims to show that the intent or purpose of something is better served by an alternative approach. In this circumstance, the target of criticism is not necessarily deemed wrong, and its purpose is respected; rather, it is claimed that the same goal could be better achieved via a different route."

So, ok.  We agree to disagree or to at least respect one another.  I find however, that in most cases, the source of "advice" comes from a viewpoint contrary to healthy tips.  It is usually unwarranted linked to words like "obsession",  "anorexia", "compulsion".  Hmmm.  Each one of these words are associated with illness.  So, if I understand correctly, I am suffering from ailment or soon will be because I decided to work towards improving my health.  These comments overall, are almost accompanied with criticisms disguised as "facts" which I'll call "myths", for although they have some truth, they are presented as if they can not be achieved through a raw vegan diet.

Myth # 1 - You need some carbohydrates.  You need to eat bread, potato, pasta or starch in order to get proper carbohydrates.

A good carbohydrate

True: Our bodies need carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the source of energy and is found in all of our food.  The myth is thinking we need to get them from breads, pastas, or potatoes.

Myth Buster -Actually, the best sources of carbohydrates is fruit.  Yes, fruit.  Our bodies were designed to consume naturally sweet fruits. Sweet fruits also contain water and the combination satiates the body. Cooked starches likes breads and pastas are water deficient causing the body to retain water and bloat.  These types of carbohydrates are "refined" and are actually considered "bad" for you because they increase the glycemic index (blood sugar level). Excess blood sugars become stored as fat.   Naturally sweet fruits which contain "good" carbohydrates are full of fiber and actually lowers the glycemic index.

Myth # 2 - You need to eat some sort of protein with every meal. If you give up meat, then you need to eat beans and nuts regularly.  True:  Our bodies need protein.  The myth is how much we need and where we should obtain it.

Amino Acid/Protein-filled  Simple Salad

Myth Buster - First, it must be realized that protein is not needed for energy.  That's what carbohydrates are for.  Our nerves, tissues, and bones are made up of protein.  As we age or damage these crucial body components from poor diet, we need protein to repair and replace them. Protein also helps on the cellular  level because it produces the antibodies we need to fight disease and viruses.  The amount and source of protein needed is key.  Proteins are made up of amino acids.  It is actually the amino acid that our bodies need.  There are twenty three standard amino acids. Of that, eight are crucial or "essential" to cellular health. Many argue that plants and vegetables do not provide complete amino acid.  That is because in this instance one plant or vegetable does not provide all twenty three.  That is why it is essential to eat a variety of vegetables to get all of the amino acids. You can find overlap of the amino acids in amongst many vegetables.  For example, if you ate a simple salad of  tomato, cucumber, celery, kale or lettuce with an avocado dressing you would have eaten a sampling of the eight essential amino acids...and a burst of protein.  It is not necessary to eat all eight in one setting. Some fruits, vegetables and nuts such as tomatoes, bananas, or almonds contail all eight.  It is important not to overdo it.  Only 10% of your daily caloric intake should be protein.  Too much protein can harm your kidneys.

Myths # 3  - You shouldn't skip meals. Just drinking juice isn't healthy.

Power Packed Nutrient Filled Beet Juice

True:  You shouldn't skip meals.  This reference is to juice fasting/feasting.

Myth Buster - Just drinking juice if it is raw or cold pressed in conjunction with a cleansing fast is very healthy.  Juice fasting gives the digestion process a break.  Keep in mind that the juice isn't the same as the one on store shelves with additives or preseratives.  Juices in fasting should be made with proper food combinations for their nutritional, mineral, and vitamin content to ensure energy and vitality. Juice fasting also provides detoxification of the kidneys and liver, delivering fiber, mineral balance, cell regeneration, restoring clear skin, alkaline balance and immune system.  Juice fasting cleanses the body and restores health.  A proper juice fast provides nourishment, does not leave you hungry, it replaces a meal instead of skipping one. The purpose of juice fasting is to improve health...not destroy it.

Myth # 4 - You need a "complete" breakfast to start your day.
You shouldn't eat just one thing for breakfast (a reference to mono-eating)

A Complete Meal

True:  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is key to starting off on the right track .

Myth Buster:  Eating one thing for breakfast is fine if you are mono-eating. The definition of "one-thing" is the crucial component here.  For example, if your one-thing for breakfast is eating 5 bananas, then it is perfectly normal to eat one thing.  In this instance, the criticizer sees just bananas without understanding how mono eating works. Mono eating gives the digestive process a break.  Digestion is one of the most labor intensive processes our bodies must perform.  Mono-eating allows the digestive system to focus solely on utilizing and breaking down one specific food.  Different foods breakdown differently in our bodies and requires different enzymes. When we combine foods, our digestion system must split resources to address each item.  Our bodies work harder to digest nuts than it would piece of soft fruit.  Eating them together does not allow the body full realization of the nutrients of each item.  Eating each one as a mono-meal provides full benefit of the nutrients and minerals of the food source.  If not mono-eating, keep it simple - eat "like" or similar foods in the same meal, foods with the same digestion time frames. Mono eating can be defined as one food for one meal or the same one food all day.  Food consumed in this manner also doesn't "stay" with you and moves through the intestinal track more quickly than combined meals.  Disclaimer: Of course, mono eating is only beneficial if it is with raw, fruit and vegetables.  It is detrimental if cooked foods are mono consumed.

So, for those yang to my yin...I thank you for your concern and I  hope this provides a little clarity so that we may all continue to evolve harmoniously.  Consider a few myths and the busting thereof.  If you see me, then feel and  flow with me as all yin need all yang.  We can ebb and flow together in unison. We can co-exist.

"The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves." ~ Pema Chodron

For those who eyes remain closed and shall never see or feel me, this too shall pass for I will continue to seek  inspiration and belief from within and from around, removing focus of accepting difficult times that do not to have to be received.

Yoga: Vaja Guru Mantra

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum - the mantra for peace, healing, transformation, and protection.

Namaste.

The Brick Wall

Day 230 - Facing the brick wall.   After a strong run, the brick wall has found me... Somewhat.  No, I haven't fallen off the vegan bandwagon and with enthusiastic strength, I am confident I shall remain vegan for the rest of my days.   I am however, human with human emotions, feelings, and actions.  My number one challenge has always been comfort eating.  I used food as a cushion to soften blows of hurt.  I would just treat myself to some decadent “thing” and gorge.  It was the one thing I could control at times when I was not able to control that which hindered me.  I was so swept up in my new vegan world that when I opened my eyes and ears to my former world, I received a heartfelt blow that caused me to revert to old ways..to seek comfort in the very foods I had to get away from.  I ran head first into that wall and gave up eating raw for about a week.  I stopped sharing with my vegan friends, and just ate things not good for me:  white potatoes, breads, beans, rice, pastas, peanut butter.  All the while, I was able to give advice to others, I did not seek any for myself.  I let the brick wall crush me. 

Poisonous words - another set of bricks

You may ask, after all this time, what happened?  I realize now that the wall had been slowly building a brick at time.   It’s no secret that over the past seven months, I have experienced a great amount of weight loss.  I don’t know how much because I refused to be a slave to a scale as the objective of this journey was not about losing weight.  Never considered “obese”, my last check-up two years ago revealed that , I was at the top of my weight range for my height.  At 5’9”, my weight was always distributed evenly and people always thought of me as slender.  Despite this, I easily fit double-digit sized clothing.  As I mentioned in, "Sad vs Glad", the purpose of this shift is to improve the quality of life, to avoid "death by diet".  If a little weight loss due to purging of animal products occurred, then so be it. 

Unfortunately, all do not see this as I do.  Now that I wear single-digit clothing, people who physically “see” me (family, friends, associates)  have begun to make remarks about my weight loss and it feels negative.   Some consider this a “hobby” and fear I am becoming obsessed, some have called me puny, skinny, a few have poked me or placed their hands around my arms or legs as if to “measure” how small I have become.  No one notices or mentions that I am strong as an ox, that I have energy, that I am… happy.  As my body transitions, and as I learn, I realize that I must continue to build muscle and healthy tissue.  But, alas, no one sees the finish line as I do.   Outside of my vegan world, in my physical world, all I seem to hear is remarks about the juices  and the raw dishes and “I don’t know how you eat that stuff”.

Bunk the “stick and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt” adage.  Words do hurt and we must be mindful of them for each word becomes another brick in the walls we build for ourselves or others.

Soulmates and Sledgehammers

 I paid the price of my week of eating badly.  Lethargy, skin breakouts, no desire to work out, and depression.   I kept it to myself.  With a big sigh, I slowly started over and decided to do what was right for me not other people.  Funny thing happens when you hit the brick wall, most of those who drove you to it don’t even realize their part in helping to create it and that you are carrying your bricks "around your neck like an albatross* (from the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”©1798,Samuel Taylor Coleridge) .  In the poem, an old mariner is forced to see, deal, and profess his indiscretion.   It is only after he confesses, that he is given a chance of hope.  This same rang true for me.  On my own, I confided that I had not eaten well and that I would start anew by completing a detoxifying 5-day juice fast. 

Soulmates are the sledgehammer
needed to break down walls.

On day three of the fast, a friend from the other side of the world, Jo Hazelhurst, spoke of similar food experiences, unbeknownst of my own transgression.  Speechless, I realized just at that moment, we were soulmates.  I was at the same place in the same time as she.  This isn’t the first time we’ve been parallel.  In, "Breaking Fast", I mentioned that she was “Vegan Girl goes Yoga”.  We use the same quote by Gandhi as our personal motto, and we’re both on the path of raw living,  positive coaching, to give more than we receive, to practice yoga, to live peacefully.    While words that hurt build brick walls, the strength of soulmates become the sledgehammer needed to break them down.  I realize that no matter what, I really am not alone.  My physical world is only one aspect of many.  I learned not to be afraid to reveal my wall, my vulnerabilities, and to ask for help.

Trying Again  (if at first you don’t succeed)

Kale, snow peas, squash, tomato, granny smith apple, sprouted raw beans
Topped with nutritional yeast and a splash of Bragg's amino acid

I know what I had to do, I had to pick myself up, dust off and try again.  I looked to the foods that were successful and realized that I have learned a lot from beans.  I learned take it slow and to practice patience. Now, I have learned to try again. A month or so ago, I attempted to sprout raw garbanzo beans with dismal results.  After a great start, they decayed and went foul.  I walked away from it.  Two weeks ago, I tried again with fantastic results.  The beans were delicious and I made this salad with them.

The lesson here is that like me, sometimes, you too will soar, but “sometimes you won’t...sadly, it’s true that Bang-Ups and Hang-Ups can happen to you... when you’re in a slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done…yet, somehow, you will escape..” (from the book: Oh the Places You’ll GO” ©1990 Dr. Suess aka Theodore Geisel)  

So, discover a new way to comfort yourself:  find a soulmate,  grab a sledgehammer, break down your wall, and try again.

Yoga: Tadasana -  Mountain Pose

The starting pose in most yoga practice.  The purpose of mountain pose is to strengthen or improve posture, to signify that is time to begin.  You can stand in mountain pose in meditation, as long as you need to.  According to The Expanding Light, the mountain pose “has a very special purpose, it sets the tone for all that will follow.  It is the neutral pose between other poses.”  

For me, it signifies deep cleansing breath, standing still, on strong feet, in alignment, releasing all prior negativity, ready to try again, ready to begin anew. 

Evolution

The Inquisition - Day 75

When I tell an omnivore that I'm vegan, I'm usually bombarded with a series of questions.  We all know by now that the number one question on the top ten list of vegan questions is  "where do you get your protein?" I'm all for inquiries and genuine questions for you never know, there may be an opportunity to learn something new on behalf of both the person answering and the person asking the questions.   I find those questions which are borderline judgmental and accusatory are those which irritate me most.  Between each cleansing breath, I feel as if I have to defend myself and vegans everywhere.  As unrealistic as that is, the feeling is still there.  I'm finding that there seems to be a group of questions that almost immediately follow the first one:

"Have you always been Vegan? "

"How long have you been Vegan?" 

or my favorite, "Don't you MISS meat?"

The answers are "no", "not long", and "heck NO!".   In an instant, I'm transformed into some sort of creature for inspection.  If I hadn't said anything, would I look, act or be any different?  In my effort to remain positive, I go into the same explanation of how I became vegan.  For me, it was not a hard decision.  It was my destiny.

History

Know where you come from: My mother's
Sweet Potato Pie
Vegan Version - "NO!" dairy

"You don't know where you're going until you understand where you've come from".

The statement is really powerful.  In just a few short words, your entire life history, present, and future are captured.  As I've said, I feel destined to be vegan.  Meat has never been at the top of my list of favorite things.  My earliest memory of rebuking meat was at the mere young age of five years old.  As I've mentioned my post last month,  "Back to Basics", my family grew up on a farm.  Well, my father and uncles were quite comfortable with hunting and preparing "fresh killed" meats.  When I was five, my uncles had gone hunting complete with blood hound dogs and guns.  They brought back their "bounty" and eagerly shared with my parents who, now living in the city, were ecstatic for memories of "home".  My uncle presented my father with a rabbit.  My father took it into the basement.  I was curious and asked to join him.  My father was happy to see my interest - maybe I was going to be a second generation country girl after all... I watched in horror as my father skinned the rabbit and how the blood slowly dripped onto the floor.  I asked him why was he doing that to the rabbit and he informed me it would be our dinner that night.  "NO!"  I told him I was not eating that rabbit.  To this day, although I've consumed other meats, I am proud to say rabbit has never crossed my plate. To add salt to the injury, later that year, someone in my family gave me a "rabbit's foot" key chain as a gift.  I remember feeling the toes, and bones under the fur and hated it.  I threw it away and lied to my mother that I had misplaced it.

At twelve, I stopped eating all animal-organs and baby animal meat after I began to question my mother about every piece of meat that was presented to me.  "What animal did this come from?  What part of the animal is this?"   I just couldn't "stomach" eating liver, veal, or lamb.  It was also the age that I started cooking.  I remember feeling nauseous when I smelled raw eggs and could not eat them if the little white connector between the yoke and the white hadn't been removed.  I remember the shock and "gross-out" experienced when I went to a delicatessen with a friend and she ordered a beef "tongue" sandwich and it was really sliced tongue! By age 19, I could not eat a piece of chicken if I had to butcher an entire carcass into legs, wings, and breast prior to cooking it. I hated the feeling of the organs squishing in my hands as I reached in to clean out a turkey.

"HECK NO!" - Whole head fish dinner

Same for fish.  The idea of an entire fish on a platter with the mouth open and eye "looking" was disgusting to me.  I was well into my thirties before I even learned how to clean a fish because I could not bring myself to cut the head off.  I could only eat meat if it had been objectified - skin removed and all hints of life as a being had been removed.  I never ate a rare steak with the blood running all over the place.  In my early twenties, I became a vegetarian.  When I was expecting my first child,    being young and uninformed, I began to eat meat again after my I obstetrician told me I needed to eat meat for "protein" and for the baby. Fast forward to my late forties, prior to officially becoming vegan, I can't  honestly remember the last time I had a sandwich made of luncheon meat (little slivers of flesh-ugh!) or a glass of milk.  I am proud to say that I've never had nor desired to eat oysters, caviar, tripe, or any raw meats (lox, sushi, etc). I've been making vegetable stuffing for years and salad has always been my best friend.  So you see, when you hear my detailed history, you understand why I was destined to be vegan.

What's Next?

The next step is to continue to evolve with decorum and civility. Let's look at the meaning:

ev·o·lu·tion  (v-lshn, v-) 
A gradual process in which something changes

 into a different and usually more complex or better form 

Hmmm...better form; more complex.  Translation: to evolve is to develop or achieve a style of one's own gradually.  I am ready to evolve.  I am ready to move forward.  Everyone realizes that we, as a species have evolved.  Although we don't always act like it, we possess intelligence, the ability to have empathy, and compassion for our fellow animal beings of this earth, and we grow plants;  why is so hard to realize that we no longer need to consume meat to continue to evolve. 

Intelligence, empathy, compassion for all beings,
sole consumption of plant-based diet....
the need to evolve still exists

I can answer questions with a simple "no, not long, and heck no" and leave it at that because most people really don't want to know my real history, my true gradual development, my authentic evolution.  Only those with an expressed interest in becoming vegetarian or vegan or care for me wish to hear the history.  Knowing you can survive the inquisition, the need to have that cleansing breath before each answer disappears for you can't punish true ignorance or the lack of information.  An an evolved being, I must show empathy and compassion in the face of accusation and judgment and become an example of intelligent complexity.

The next steps for me are to continue to learn, to grow and to forge deeper into this new wonderful experience.  Taking the time to remember where I came from and helps me to know where I'm going.

Yoga: Anusara Style.  Individually based, soft practice - to "follow your heart" with emphasis on balance, alignment and respect for personal limitations; to gradually evolve; to focus with organic energy.  

Hunting Harmony

It's been ten days since my last post.  In the world of the Internet, I'm sure that's a lifetime.  I've been inside a self-created "circle of safety",  experimenting with recipes, cooking, posting pictures of the results, and corresponding with experienced vegans.  It feels good there.  While I've been enjoying the transition "inside", the issue plaguing me has been my life "outside" of the circle.  I made the decision long ago not to respond to "artificial deadlines" so, I chose not  to post until I could grasp exactly what has been nagging me.  Sometimes the best way to analyze a situation is to stand still.  I thought about Day 45 - the Six Week Point.   It was such a glorious day.  I spent quite some time that day chatting on-line with a new found vegan friend.  I found her to be such a wonderful, positive spirit filled with great suggestions, advice, and support. Soon after I started to snuggle in to the embrace of the vegan community,  I encountered a negative, questioning being. I was hit with judgment, as if I had done something wrong.  As if I weren't normal.

Ground chick pea (veggie tuna) sandwich & tofu salad
Vegan or Normal?

I bound my tongue until I could write without absorbing or passing this energy. I thought, "Wow! If I had been eating something that most people eat like a sandwich or a salad, this person would have ever raised an eyebrow".  Now that I'm announced vegan, all of the sudden, it's some sort of an abomination.  I wondered, "Is it possible to co-exist? Where is the understanding?  Can't we all just get along?"  Thus, for the past ten days, I have been on the hunt for harmony.

Tolerance

One thing that stuck out during my conversation was the suggestion my friend made:  to check out the website The Kind Life by vegan,  Alicia Silverstone.  I remember watching the actress promote her book, "The Kind Diet" on a talk show just last year.  I gave it little attention.  At that time, of course, I was still consuming meat on a regular basis.  Today, as I perused  the website, reviews, and personal testimony of how the elimination of meat changed her life, I thought with a different perspective with feelings I gained from other side of the imaginary line ... the line which exists between those who consume meat and those who do not.  There seemed to be a annoying tolerating attitude of omnivores towards vegans.  Having been one myself, I can attest to it.  I was guilty.  Lack of information and ignorance lead to assumption and judgment.  I thought of vegan as a just a diet choice, extreme vegetarianism, and did not realize the link to animal rights and the environment.  I politely "tolerated" vegans, never once realizing that there is emotion and feeling behind the choice, that it is a lifestyle, that vegans also tolerate meat eaters.

Where's the Beef?

I've lost count of how many times I've been asked in just six short weeks "Where do you get your protein?" Vegans get protein from the same place as meat-eaters do:  from amino acids.  The difference is the source of the acids.  Meat also has fat and hormones meant for the sustainability of the animal...not man.  I couldn't help but laugh at the irony, judgment, and contradiction the last time I faced this question.  The person could not grasp the idea of not eating meat.  As she asked me this question, she proceeded to tell me how I needed meat for protein all the while she was devouring a greasy, fast food meal of fried beef, cheese, and fried potatoes.  Even when I ate meat, I did not eat such an unhealthy concoction.  It was like garbage to me. After getting over my initial feeling of anger and resentment, I exhibited tolerance, realizing I had no beef with this woman.  I showed the compassion she failed to show me.  It was the lack of knowledge or worse, reliance of limited knowledge that causes people to say or do the things they do.  We all make decisions and judgment based on "what we think we know".  I decided to find a way to exist in the midst.

Co-Existence

Harmony:  Sandwich made by my non-vegan husband
Yellow squash, zucchini, mushroom, tomato, onion

When we are hurt, we often seek refuge with those who are able to provide comfort because they share our point of reference.  These people become our cheerleaders.  While that is good, the opportunity for growth can become limited for true challenge comes from the diversity outside of your comfort zone.  We must learn to live amongst those who are not like us. This can be global or as minute as your own home.  When I made the decision to become vegan, I informed my family who have remained omnivore. My husband has increased his vegetable intake and has contributed to some of the veggie recipe ideas.
We have however, both excluded each other for some meals as I am no longer joining him for a big hunk of meat on the grill in the same manner he is not first in line to eat some of my vegetarian inspirations.  This exclusion doesn't mean we can't live together in harmony.  Our home is still happy, we still love each other, we continue to prepare meals together, and we still sit down to eat dinner together.  We now exist in two different worlds, side by side.  It doesn't always pan out perfectly, but it is harmonious. 

No one can change the whole world in one swoop but each of us can work to affect harmony within our small piece of it.  If we all did just that, then with each of our pieces linking together, with cohesiveness, the hunt would be over.

"Become the change you seek in the world" ~ Gandhi

Yoga:  Anahata or the Heart Chakra meditation for internal harmony and emotion