When It Comes To Food – Its Not About Good or Bad – It’s About Compatible…

http://www.yumsugar.com/Why-I-Stopped-Being-Vegan-35306835

Okay – Here’s my 2 cents or more:) I do something called “Food Compatibility Testing”. It’s an intuitive gift. Something I now teach others how to develop and use on their own. Through this process it has become very clear how different each and every “body” is, which shouldn’t be a surprise since our DNA is completely unique. Our nutritional needs change constantly depending on our physical, mental and spiritual health; even on what we ate the day before. Not one good food is good for everybody all the time; Not one good diet, not one good supplement, etc. After testing a load of people over the last year, it’s apparent that becoming a fully evolved vegan is a process. Eating meat is embedded in the human DNA from generations of meat consumption. Changing DNA is not something that happens overnight. It needs to be done gradually.

I became very curious about how many vegans had totally evolved vegan bodies and testing all the vegan athletes from the Winter Olympic Games this year. Out of the 10 I tested, only 4 were fully evolved. That means, either they are eating animal products on the sly or their body has a deficiency that can only be met by an animal. Does this mean an animal has to die – NO! The good news, this evolution is happening fast and even unconsciously. Some of my clients were surprised they had made the vegetarian Shift. I often hear after a session, “Wow – That’s why I just stopped wanting meat”. These are people without any concept of what a CAFO is. We have moved into a higher vibration and our bodies want to become lighter to ascend into this lighter energy. Animal protein is heavier than plant protein. Everyone can get along very well on a vegetarian diet now, which allows for cruelty free animal choices if one is inclined to look for them. For instance, local farm fresh eggs, yogurt, butter and cheese from animals raised humanly and lovingly will lovingly give back to us. I have neighbors with beloved chickens and goats. With our inborn intuition, we can learn how to test for cruelty free, GMO free, pesticide free, freshness, etc. When it comes to food, it is not about what is good or bad only what is compatible to our bodies. Can you feel the non-judgment in that?

First and foremost we should be loving towards ourselves and take the best care of our bodies. We cannot love anyone or anything without first loving ourselves. That means giving our body the nutrition it needs for optimum health, whatever that is and do it in a loving non-judgmental way. Judgment will not help any cause. We will always be judged by how we judge others. What I am talking about here is not a conflict of interest. Every being has the right to life, health and happiness. We can take care of ourselves and still insure this right.

On another note, let’s talk about balance. The over consumption of animal products has caused a major pH imbalance in this country which has led to chronic health issues in this country and others. All things happen for a reason. Every challenge we face is knocking on our door of awareness. As we become awakened and aware so does the world. If we can approach this collective experience in a non-judgmental fashion we can heal a nation, we can heal the world. If you want to know more, or would like to know if you are a fully evolved vegan, send me a message. Peace…

Hospitals Can Be Dangerous Places……

I recently had my own “Suzanne Somers like” hospital experience and I’m still reeling!  Don’t get me wrong – I totally believe in the necessity of good hospitals and medical doctors and that they save many lives everyday.  Unfortunately, I also believe that the situation below, probably happens way to often.

Scene 1:  Emergency Room Saturday 7:30 a.m. I had gotten in the middle of a dog fight the night before and suffered several deep wounds on Friday evening.  FYI – Never, ever put your hand between fighting dogs and NO – A dog’s mouth is not cleaner than a human’s. Anyway, long story short – I woke up Saturday morning with 102 temperature – NOT GOOD. I drove myself to the ER.  I’m told within just a few minutes,  I’m being admitted and IV antibiotics are started.  I can understand the concern and the preventative measures.  This is what hospitals are for.

Scene 2:  About 7:00 Saturday evening, the hospital attending on duty shows up.  She pulls up a chair very close to my bed and with a grim, serious face, proceeds to tell me, “The x-ray of my hand in the ER revealed a disturbing finding”. Exact words folks, “You have a bone lesion in your hand and unfortunately, it’s the kind consistent in people with lung cancer. It has nothing to do with the injury, trust me I questioned the radiologist. I want to get some chest x-rays right away”.  And, depending on what the hand surgeon says, we may also need a MRI to get a better look at the lesion”.  I am away to x-ray within 30 minutes.  Not kidding!  I said out loud –  “OMG! Did my dog just save my life?”  And, I’m thinking, “I guess I’m going to get the opportunity to live what I believe (not that I really want to)”.  I’m convinced that destroying the cancer with toxic chemo you also destroy the body’s ability to heal itself.  A body that can heal itself can survive cancer (the short story).  You see – I believe everything happens for a reason.  (I had the MRI the next morning).

Can you imagine! Here I am in the hospital with a dog bites and this doctor is sitting in front of me seriously telling me she thinks I have cancer.  She doesn’t know anything about me.  After delivering the bad news, she tells me, “The good news is – all my blood work looks great and I’m healthy, which is a big plus” (except for the cancer thing).  She doesn’t ask me if I have any family members are friends there.  She doesn’t say, “This could be nothing”.  She leaves telling me she’ll be back early in the morning.  Wow – I got a great night’s sleep!  After going plant-based, I’ve been able to totally come off the blood pressure medicine I had taken for 10 years. It’s been almost 2 years now.  I thought I was handling the news pretty well, but my blood pressure said otherwise.

Scene 3:  The doctor enters the next morning to tell me my chest x-rays came back clear, (I swear, she seemed disappointed).  It took her about 2 minutes to deliver this news along with, there is still a chance the lesion is malignant, and the surgeon will be in later to talk to me about it.  About 3:00 p.m., he shows up to confirm I have a bone lesion in my hand.  I ask if the MRI confirmed malignancy.  “Oh no! (he said), We won’t know that until we remove it.”  So the MRI was unnecessary and useless?  “Oh no – it gave me a better look at what I’m dealing with”.  I am instructed to make an appointment with his office for Wednesday (3 days later).  I did not.

Scene 4:  Nurse shows up a few minutes later and I ask if I can go home now.  She goes and asks the doctor and I’m released with prescriptions in hand for pain and antibiotics (or so I thought), I couldn’t seem to find them – that’s a whole other blog!

Okay – so I don’t have lung cancer and I guess there is a small chance that have some kind of malignant thing in my hand – but I doubt it.  I’m pretty sure if I wanted to pursue this, which I don’t, I would find out the location of the so-called lesion, is in the exact same spot where I received a really bad cut when I was a girl. It severed nerves and still sends pain up my arm if I hit it.  I’m sure there was some scar tissue left over from that healing.

MORAL OF THE STORY – Stuff happens and sometimes the hospital is unavoidable.  If you do wind up in the hospital:

1.  Question everything! Speak up!  Try to have someone with you taking notes and asking questions when the doctor visits.

2.  FACT – Hospitals are the best place to pick up a bug or infection.  Get out of there as soon as possible!

3.  Do your best to avoid doctors and hospitals. Take responsibility for your health through diet and exercise.   “The REAL solution to America’s “Healthcare Crisis” is to “GET HEALTHY”!  Good Food For Thought…..

4. When pharmaceutical antibiotics are unavoidable.  Began taking a heavy duty probiotic (good bacteria) immediately.  Along with killing the bad bacteria, the antibiotic destroys all your good bacteria (your natural immune system).  Without the good stuff available in your system to fight the bad stuff, you have a good chance of contracting a viral, bacterial, and fungal infection when the antibiotics are stopped.

FYI – Try “Antiseptine” natural antibiotic ointment for cuts and scrapes. (I’m allergic to the ingredients in common over the counter chemical ointments).  Antiseptine has all of my favorite anti-fungal and anti-bacterial solutions in one jar (coconut oil, aloe vera, tea tree oil, etc.). Find it online or you can make your own.  The web is full of  effective natural remedy recipes.

Plant Based Food for Real People – Really!

Plant based does not mean the end to flavorful, soul satisfying food as this well-meaning author would have us believe.  The variety and flavors are endless.  Just add a pinch of imagination and an ounce of knowledge.  Even many fast food restaurants have included vegan and vegetarian options.  If you don’t see an option on the menu, most restaurants are more than happy to accommodate just for the asking.  Do we need another excuse to avoid responsiblity for our food choices and health?  Good food for thought……

Eating vegan a good idea for your heart

By DAPHNE HOWLAND

DAPHNE HOWLAND The Dallas Morning NewsSpecial Contributor

Published: 06 February 2012 06:48 PM

Related

• Growing number of celebrities go vegan
• Quick cooking tips to make any recipe more heart-healthy
• Eating foods like tofu, nuts may be the best medicine for lowering cholesterol

The vegan diet may be the yoga of the 21st century — a once-freaky practice that is spilling into the mainstream.

Cookbooks, news articles and attention-getting signs at grocery stores tout the benefits of eating only plant-based foods. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the physician and CNN journalist, went so far as to declare that an animal-free (and oil-free) diet makes the human heart “heart-attack proof.”

Former President Bill Clinton is now a vegan and says that he has lost weight and is protecting his health after quadruple bypass and stent surgeries in recent years.

Such high-profile testimonials, combined with strong medical evidence, might have many people considering veganism, which involves no meat, no diary, no fish, not even honey, as a prescription for heart health. Clinton, after all, is famous for his love of fast food and fried chicken, and if he can do it, maybe anybody can.

But simply eating more plants, rather than eating only plants, may be a path that more people would stay on, some doctors and nutritionists say.

“For most people it’s probably easier said than done,” says Dr. Sreenivas Gudimetla, cardiologist at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. “Clinton has his own cooks and chefs making meals adhering to the vegan diet, meals that are very palatable.”

If the change to vegan is difficult to keep up, people might think eating heart-healthy is impossible. “It’s hard to enjoy yourself because you’re so limited in what you can eat and it can be pretty bland unless you spice it right,” he says. “It’s so extremely limited, to the point where it’s almost no fun going out to dinner.”

Thousands of happy vegans might take issue with that idea. But Lona Sandon, professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agrees that a vegan diet can be daunting for most people raised on an American-style cuisine.

“When it starts interrupting your ability to have friendships, when you can’t go out to dinner with friends because they don’t have a vegan item on the menu, or you can’t participate in a potluck, it gets to the point where it affects socialization,” she says.

These experts, like most, know well that diet is an important defense against heart disease, and that the problem is critical. Each year 785,000 Americans have a first heart attack, and another 470,000 who have already suffered at least one will have another, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By contrast, in areas of the world where people eat mostly plants, heart disease is hardly known, researchers say.

Clinical and survey studies also consistently show that restricting animal products in diet can improve cholesterol levels and lower rates of heart disease, and experts agree that a strict vegan diet is heart-healthy.

Whether you are determined to become a vegan or otherwise want to greatly alter something as ingrained as daily eating, a nutritionist can help you understand your current habits and how to change them, Sandon says. There are now many cookbooks and websites (see accompanying list) that help make vegan and other vegetarian fare quite enjoyable, and that provide information and cheerleading as you make the changes.

“If you’re going to give up meat, then you’d better start eating more beans and legumes and nuts and seeds,” Sandon says. “You need to eat a good variety of plant-based foods to make sure you’re getting all the essential amino acids and iron.”

It’s possible to overdo, even as a vegan. Gudimetla says nuts and seeds, like anything with a high fat content, are some of the most enjoyable vegan treats, and some people eat too many. “You shouldn’t really eat more than a handful a day,” he says.

Adhering strictly to a vegan label is not the only approach to a healthy heart, say Gudimetla and Sandon. Aim, they say, for making significant changes to be more healthy that will still allow you to enjoy life.

“I tell my patients, it’s an 80/20 rule,” Gudimetla says. “I myself now have the habit of eating healthy every day, most of the time, and occasionally I indulge. People do need to realize that heart disease is the number one killer of everybody in this country — exceeding cancers, accidents and infections. I have to commend the breast cancer societies for really getting the message out about their cause, but heart disease kills far more people than breast cancer and other conditions combined.”

Some people are genetically prone to some factors in heart disease, such as high cholesterol levels, but moving toward a plant-based diet can help them, too, Gudimetla says.

“We can’t control family history, so we have to focus on the things we can control,” Gudimetla says. Medications might be part of the solution, he says, but diet and exercise must be in the mix. “Start now, eating low-fat, low-cholesterol, lots of vegetables and fruits, limit red meat. I recommend going on a walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes every day. You can do that.”

Daphne Howland is a freelance writer in Portland, Maine.

healthyliving@dallasnews.com

 Recipe of the Week:  Enjoy!

Hoppin’ John with Basmati Brown Rice

• 2 cups black eyed peas, soaked for 6 hours and drained.
• 4 cups of water more or less
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 ½  medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 stalks celery chopped fine
• 2-3 clove garlic, chopped fine
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or tbsp of fresh thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 ½ cups cooked basmati brown rice (use rice package instructions)*
• 2 tbsp light miso
• Louisiana Hot Sauce to taste (start with 2 tsp – optional)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place soaked peas. In large pot, add water, bay leaf, pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Simmer 30-40 minutes, or until tender.
   1. Remove ½ cup seasoned water from peas and set aside.   Add oil to large skillet over medium high.  Add onions, celery, garlic and thyme (in that order) and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until onions are becoming translucent.
   2. Dissolve miso into hot reserved pea broth and add to peas.  Reheat only (do not boil).
   3.  Add cooked rice and hot sauce, toss well (or add hot sauce to peas and serve over rice).

*For a more traditional flavor, use Uncle Ben’s Long Grain rice (not as much fiber).   This is a complete protein.  Just add a colorful salad for a delicious heart healthy meal.   Freeze some for later.

 

 

5 Vegan Diet Myths Debunked!

This is worth sharing from “One Green Planet”

 

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Ginny Messina: Vegan Dietitian & Nutritionist

• 

Although plant-based diets are seeing a surge in popularity, they’re still outside of the mainstream; it’s no wonder that there is so much misinformation about what happens when you drop meat, eggs, and dairy from your meals. Unfortunately, many of the myths about this way of eating could deter people from giving veganism a try, especially if they fear that plant-based diets fall short on nutrition or are unappealing and restrictive.  Here are five issues that no one should worry about when they start eating vegan-style.

Myth #1: You’ll feel awful when you first go vegan because your body will be detoxing.

Fact: It doesn’t matter what you eat; your body is constantly producing harmful compounds and working hard to neutralize or excrete them. Complex systems involving the liver, kidneys and other organs are part of a very effective detoxification system that operates continuously in both vegans and meat-eaters. Although healthy eating may help these systems function at peak performance, there is no such thing as a “detox diet.” You won’t start shedding huge amounts of toxic material when you go vegan. As long as you are eating a well-balanced diet based on whole plant foods, you should feel just fine from day one of your vegan experience.

Myth #2: Plant foods are incomplete because they’re missing essential amino acids.

Fact: All plant foods that provide any protein at all—which includes all grains, legumes, soy products, nuts, seeds and vegetables—contain every one of the essential amino acids. Except for soyfoods, they are all a little low in one or two of them, but it doesn’t actually matter. Eating a variety of plant foods that includes a few servings of legumes every day—no special food combining at meals is necessary—supplies plenty of the amino acids that are essential for health.

Myth #3: Vegan diets are low in fat

Fact: Vegan diets are somewhat lower in fat than those of the average American, but not by a lot. Expert perspectives on fat have shifted over the past couple of decades and nutritionists recognize now that super-low-fat intake isn’t necessary for good health. The type of fat in your meals matters much more than the amount. And since the fat in vegan foods is the healthy unsaturated kind, vegans don’t need to worry about higher fat foods like nuts, seeds, soyfoods, avocados, and olives. Even vegetable oils fit into healthy vegan eating plans. Most vegans enjoy salad dressings, nut butters, veggies cooked in olive oil, tofu, hummus, and sometimes veggie meats and cheeses — all foods that provide the culinary benefits of fat without the health risks.

Myth #4: Vegan diets are boring and restrictive

Fact: It’s true that vegans drop whole categories of food from their diet, so yes, they have fewer food choices. But the reality is that many people experience greater variety in their diet when they start exploring vegan options. Had they not gone vegan, they might never have tried roasted vegetable pizza, grilled tempeh with spicy peanut sauce, barbecued seitan, or fruit crumble topped with cashew cream. Vegans eat burgers and fries, grilled vegetables, spicy curries, Asian stir-fries, veggie sushi, macaroni and cheese, and pasta with sundried tomato pesto. They drink wine, beer and hot chocolate, and snack on tortilla chips and dips, popcorn, and potato chips. Vegan desserts include rich chocolate cakes, doughnuts, and ice cream made from coconut milk. There are great cookbooks for every vegan eating style, too, including entire books devoted to vegan cookies, vegan parties, vegan barbecues, and vegan burgers. Plug the words “vegan recipe” into an internet search engine and you’ll see that vegan diets are anything but boring.

Myth #5: A vegan diet requires vitamin B12 supplements, so it’s not a natural diet for humans.

Fact: Who knows what the “natural” diet of humans is — or if there even is such a thing? As humans evolved, so did eating habits based on availability, genetics, and climate. Simply moving around the globe changed diets and dietary needs. For example, our ancestors used to get all of their vitamin D from sun exposure. Now, populations that live far from the equator often need supplements or fortified foods to get enough. It doesn’t really matter that this isn’t the way we evolved to get vitamin D.  Given the wide range in eating habits throughout the world, and the evolution of food choices, it’s not likely that there is some single natural way of eating. Vegans aren’t the only ones who need to supplement with vitamin B12, either. The Institute of Medicine—the group that establishes nutrient recommendations for Americans—says that all people over the age of 50 should supplement with B12 since many older people can’t absorb this vitamin well from animal foods. Rather than worry about what’s “natural,”—  a question that’s impossible to answer — we should focus on choosing a diet that supports human health and nutritional needs while doing the least harm possible. A vegan diet supplemented with vitamin B12 makes the most sense in today’s world.

Virginia Messina, MPH, RD: Ginny is a dietitian specializing in vegan nutrition. She is a former co-author of the American Dietetic Association’s position on vegetarian diets and of the first textbook on vegetarian diets written for health professionals. Ginny was a dietetics instructor at Central Michigan University and a dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Her goal is to share the best and most up-to-date information on vegan nutrition and to make ethical eating easy and realistic for everyone. She writes about a variety of issues related to health and animal rights on her blog TheVeganRD and as the National Vegan Examiner at Examiner.com.

Carrots Image Source

Well Said!

Here’s my recipe for the day – Test drive this delicious recipe for Thanksgiving – sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Roasted “Rooters” and Mash                    400 degrees – 45-50 minutes (serves 8-10)

 

1 Large turnip                                       1 tbsp of fresh chopped lavender leaf & flowers*

1 Large sweet potato                           1 tsp dried lavender or rosemary

1 Parsnip )                                               1 tsp sea salt

1 large russet potato                             1 tsp cracked pepper

1 golden beet                                          1 tsp dried thyme

1 leek                                                        3 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Butter

1 garlic whole head                                2 dashes of cayenne pepper

½ cup (more or less) plain Soy Milk*   1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

3-4  tbsp olive oil

 

1.      Spray cooking oil on a large shallow baking pan or  large cookie sheet.  Clean and peel  all root vegetables and chop into large 1” cubes (except garlic).  Peel outer layer of garlic head and cut off pointed end to expose tops of cloves.
2.       Combine olive oil, dried lavender, thyme, salt and pepper in very large mixing bowl.  Add vegetables, and toss until well coated.  Pour into prepared pan (leaving out the garlic) and spread evenly.
3.      Place in preheated oven on middle rack.  Roast for 20 minutes and then stir vegetables and add garlic head to pan.  Roast another 25 minutes until vegetables are fork tender**.
4.      Place roasted vegetables into large pan or dutch oven with tight lid (to keep warm).  Add butter, lemon juice, cayenne and fresh lavender (save flowers for garnish).  Use potato smasher to mash adding milk a little at a time until desired consistency.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.   (*If making potato cakes, remove 2 cups of veges before adding milk).

 

*If using all dried herbs decrease by half.

**Vegetables can be microwaved in large bowl for 3-5 minutes to decrease cooking time.  Then toss in oil spice blend.  Roast for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. 

 

Also note:  This recipe is can be made more sweet than savory.  Use 2 sweet potatoes instead of russet and large carrot instead of leek.  Add ½ tsp coriander in place of rosemary and 1 tsp of ginger (fresh or jarred) instead of thyme.  Use coconut milk in place of soy.  Add a dash of cinnamon – yummm!

Vegan Pot Luck

  Catering  Fresh “caters” to all tastes, with the focus on clean, fresh foods.   However, for me, my personal choice is  vegan/vegetarian  fare.  I had the pleasure last Saturday of attending my first vegan pot luck.  I met some fun, passionate people (hi  Teresa (sp).   It seems everyone has their own reasons for eating vegan; to save the animals to save the planet, to save their bodies or all of the above.  I became intrigued with the idea years ago and it’s been an entertaining, satisfying  journey.   My mission is to create healthy recipes that everyone enjoys (even carnivores).  Everyone knows that eating more fruits and vegetables is good for us.   If the palate is convinced that vegan is delicious, then no matter the cause, everyone and everything benefits.  

 For those who need another reason, how about the “bottom line”.  To raise a cow to slaughter, you have to water and feed the crop and then water and feed the cow.  Doesn’t it make more sense to just water and feed one time?  Not only would medical cost plummet, but the family grocery bill could be slashed in half just by decreasing the amount of animal products consumed by the average family.  “Food for thought America”.    Here’s a great summertime gazpacho for that left-over watermelon from  your Labor Day picnic. 

“SMOKEY” WATERMELON GAZPACHO    (Makes 8-10 servings)

 8 cups of seedless water melon (1/2 cubed small)            1 ½ tsp sea salt

2 tomatoes diced                                                                       3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow or red bell pepper diced                                            3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced                                   1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

2 jalapenos seeded and diced                                                   ¼  tsp ground chipotle pepper

¼ cup purple onion diced (sweet)                                            Juice from 1 large lime

½ cup chopped cilantro                                                              2 garlic cloves minced

1 cup diced and peeled mango or peach                                 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

 

For a pureed version,  throw all ingredients in processor except cilantro and basil. Puree in batches.  I like it chunky.   Leave out about ¼ of the fruits and vegetables to stir in after processing.  Add herbs last. 

Enjoy! 

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