Love is Veggies.
April 7, 2013 § Leave a Comment
What if you could achieve love and happiness just by shifting your perspective? What if your dream life was right in front of you and you didn’t even know it? What if you could live the life you wanted–or thought you wanted–just by following a few simple guidelines that you found within yourself?
Sounds pretty awesome, right? I’m not talking about religion. I’m not even talking about spirituality the way you’ve probably been taught to view it. I’m talking about truth.
We all have truth within us. A way to override the system that defines us, creates who we are. If your brain was a computer (thank god it’s not), truth would be software that can override your old software commonly known as the subconscious. By updating it with some new snazzy iOS on a continual basis, you effect your very hardware that is you by default: Your beliefs, thought patterns, emotions/vital energy, and physical being. This leads to a life that is filled with more love and happiness.
Now I’m not advocating for any one thing in particular, except for maybe love, but even then you can only do what you are comfortable with. You can only live in your flow today, in the present. So what choices can you make today that will lead to a tomorrow filled with more love and happiness?
Just do one thing: Eat more veggies.
I know it sounds stupid to some, but just think: what you put into your mouth effects your entire being! So if you could simply replace some of your animal based products with plant based one’s, such as kale, which has a hefty amount of vitamin K, C, A, B’s, fiber, folate, iron, potassium, and so on in 36 calories as compared to chicken’s tryptophan, B6 and B3, selenium, protein, chlorine, and phosphorous for 187 calories in 4 ounces.
Kale is also love and happiness going into your tummy, while I cannot consciously say the same for chicken. I only want to put love and happiness into my body, that is why my life has brought me to a place of veganism. I chose it.
If you would like love and happiness beyond what my blog offers, please feel free to email me at jenny lvoe at gmail dot com.
Xx
Jenny
Vegan: Feeling and Spirit
April 2, 2013 § 1 Comment
Welcome! If you’re reading this, you are part of the conscious effort to bring about love here at Jenny L’voe, as well as locally and globally. We are beginning Week 2 of our Katarsis cleansing and this couldn’t be more exciting. This week we will be Rebel Evolving our food habits and transfiguring them into awesomeness. If you missed Week 1, no worries. Just go back to last Tuesday’s post Yoga: Movement and Repose.
Before we dive into it, as was stated on the post-Weekly endeavor, Rebel Evolve: Katarsis on veganism is all about cleansing the vital energy (feeling) to connect to the soul to connect to God. So…
You’re probably wondering, “What could I read about the vegan diet that’s new?”
You’ve probably heard about health benefits, weight benefits, scent benefits, and the like. And those are all great on the physical plane. But what about on other plane’s like the mind (mental and emotional)? Or on the spiritual plane (if you believe in that, and I do)?
What benefits have you then?
Well, in this seven week Rebel Evolve series, I promise that this will be the week that you remember. That you remember:
Yes, that is when I woke up.
In our materialist, physical-focused ultra consumed world–although that’s shifting–we are constantly focused on the material. Even in places that speak of consciousness, we are focused on material aspects of consciousness and not everything else that’s out there! Our diet is no different. We are looking at what will make us “look” a certain way and yet throw out emotions, mentality, and spirituality. Okay, the world is beginning to catch on to “mentality.”
So what if we viewed it from the bottom down view (Divine to human) and not human to human? What then?
Well. I’ll tell you. Here’s the good and short of it (make a graph of it if you’re a graphic designer and plaster it all over FB, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. As long as you give jennylvoe credit, I don’t care!):
Omnivore Diet = Dead = Omnivore Human = Dead
Vegetarian = Dead/Live = Vegetarian Human = Dead/Live
Vegan = Life = Vegan Human = Life
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Hear me out. Before you go clicking onto something else, don’t judge me and just listen.
What I mean–and more importantly, what Jesus meant–by “dead” is asleep in every planes other than physical. You just can’t see or hear, unless you have complete and blind faith to do so. That is called belief. It all starts with belief.
The Omnivore Diet is Dead because you mainly eat dead things. With those dead things comes death, or death energy, as well as all of their issues along with it and some cholesterol for you. This diet causes you to not see or hear, which is dead which is sleeping. If you want to wake up progressively, start adding more life-giving foods. Remember: the consciousness of animals are alive, so when they die and you eat them, you are putting dead consciousness into your being.
Dead foods include but are not excluded too: beef, chicken, turkey, pork, duck, shrimp, fish, shark, clams, kangaroo, crocodile, et cetera.
Processed foods of every and all sorts are also dead. No matter how organic or delicious it may look, it is still dead if it is processed. Sorry, (she says to herself).
A Vegetarian Diet is a Dead/Live diet because more vegetarians eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. They are putting both dead foods and live foods into their bodies. These may include cheese, yogurt, eggs of all sorts, milk, whey, casein, lactose, and any other product or food (totally different) that is designated vegetarian. Foods that contain cholesterol are not vegetarian, as they contain cholesterol which is only a byproduct of the meat industry.
The Vegan Diet is Life because only living foods are eaten. Preferably one would eat a plant-based vegan diet. This includes a majority diet of vegetables, fruits, and water from nonplastic sources.
If you stayed with me till now, THANK YOU. Let us continue.
Plant-sourced food is live. Like animals, plants have consciousness. When you pick a plant, the consciousness stays with that item until days after. Greens have their life–that which we call vitamins, nutrients, aminos, omegas, etc. Its energy force–for up to three days. Yes. Any green. Fruits and veggies with a tough exterior can last longer. Some up to a week or two, others like root vegetables even longer.
So after reading the above, you can see how a local (preferably your backyard) plant-based diet is the most sustainable diet of all three. Sustainable meaning life giving meaning forever meaning for you meaning for me meaning for us meaning for our spirit meaning for God meaning consciousness. Doesn’t that sum it up nicely?
This weeks challenge is to add as many fruits and veggies to your diet as possible. Local plant-based grown plant-based organic foods are best. They are the most alive. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
• Add a strawberry/banana smoothy with added flax seeds and hemp or oatmeal with raisins for breakfast
• Add a kale salad with grapes, apples, and soaked almonds with a vegan protein shake for lunch
• Add quinoa with very lightly steamed bell peppers, asparagus, and mushrooms for dinner
That’s a typical day for me. I’m also a huge fan of the Green Grasshopper–a wheat grass/barely shot mixed with light apple juice and a dash of lemon–for a great morning kick or afternoon jolt. If you’re wondering, “How do you get enough of this or that?” then
Mom, please stop reading my blog.
No, seriously. Follow a regimen or weekly vegan menu like that found on Lindsay’s amazing blogsite Happy Herbivore.
Yet here’s the goal:
To wake up. Which is to be fully alive. To be in consciousness. To be fully present. To see and hear. To having the full availability of your feelings (mind) and spirit (heart). Thus the goal is to know in that minute what your being needs in all planes, not just in the physical. And what effects the collective consciousness–all of truth combined–not just YOU right NOW. See what I did there?
If some greens can do that for you, then why not? Message me at jenny lvoe dot com for more assistiance. That’s French for “assistance.”
Muah,
Jenny
Yoga: Movement and Repose Jenny Update
Oh my goodness! I had crazy revelation last week opening me up to consciousness about my movement (how important it is to me and how I was slacking until recently), repose (what I could take out of my current diet to improve it: caffeine and sugar), and being present (sometimes we have to feel the emotions of the past for hours or a day or whatnot of funk to bring them from unconsciousness to consciousness and be capable of being more present = more awake = life = light). That’s from adding a few poses in the morning and at night and perhaps a few during the day on the grass, with it sticking between my toes. If you missed week 1, no worries. Add a few veggies and poses and you’ll be golden!
The Gut Source.
July 30, 2012 § 4 Comments
When I was in my early twenties I got this real bad itch. Figuratively. During my college years I wasn’t searching for nor did I find “The One.” I wanted to travel, go places, see the world! It didn’t matter that I had college debt, I knew I would figure out how to pay that. I didn’t even care about my minimal material possessions, I was dreaming about living out of a suitcase and taking advantage of public transportation.
As the years went on, I did travel for about eight months or so, I married, had kids, and somewhat lost myself. Deep down inside, the itch went on itching and I couldn’t help but feel hopeless.
For whatever the reason, things have happened to us. Stupid financial decisions, material possessions that cause us debt, heartache in the form of health problems. The stress kept piling up over the years. Trever and I are in love, indeed, yet have felt drastically more stressed about life than one should be.
Enough with our woes.
At the onset of this year, we put out three main goals to focus on: spiritual, physical, and dream-job-oriented, which I outlined in my post A Family Overview in review of 2011. Our hopes have been to connect more spiritually, get my tummy and his heart and back issues in order, and do something fabulous together to make mula.
Crazy how when you put that out in the universe, she listens.
My tummy, as many of you know, has given me major troubles. Especially since my pregnancy with Edric Fane (born January 31), I haven’t been able to digest food properly. Or so I thought.
Gluten seemed to the be issue since about 2007 when I cut it out of my diet. And then I tacked on dairy, which had been a struggle since my toddlerhood. As well as animal protein, post-Eddie pregnancy.
Shoot, I didn’t even feel like eating, let alone raising two children, dealing with mold issues and legal battles, going on a spiritual pilgrimage, or starting a company with Trever (more on that another time). Nothing sounding appealing and everything felt overwhelming. And I mean everything.
…That’s what happens when you can’t eat.
I was about up to my wits end on existential looping when I decided I needed some talk therapy or something. I asked around on FB. Texted some friends. (This was right after I spent two weeks living on rice and kale, thinking I had an ulcer, and was in a fender bender in my new-to-me car with AC whilst turning into my homeopathic doctors office. I had had it up to here!)
My good friend, Crystal, in particular wanted to share her magicians, uh hum, healers information with me. She had helped her become pregnant with her fabulous little man Rane 3 years prior-to.
I needed a little magic. I figured it was worth a shot.
I had Trever call the healer because on this particular Thursday night I was curled up in a ball with “stomach” pain. That night we would set an appointment for the next Monday to come.
As the weekend passed, I was filled with excitement in anticipation. Someone who could possibly actually possibly help me. A miracle.
Monday came and Trever and I jaunted down to meet said healer with the kids. In an hour and a half of amazingness, she discovered the problem, diagnosed the issue, and recommended a supplement to be taken breakfast, lunch, and dinner 3x a day for 13 days.
My pancreas has been operating at almost nothing, meaning I haven’t been digesting food. My mom confirmed this when I relayed the news and she told me of a gut instinct (no pun intended) she had to get my pancreas checked when I was eight! 8! 8!
It was also my spleen. It hasn’t been creating enough red blood cells, thus it hasn’t been transporting enough oxygen to the rest of my body. Hence the exhaustion.
That Monday is best day of my life that I can think of to date (okay, minus my graduation, marriage, birth of children, and a handful of others). Learning the possible source of my issue and, in turn, allowing my body to heal itself through the usage of supplements has been the greatest gift I could give myself.
Many of you have probably heard me complain about my stomach, wheat-free gluten-free vegan diet, and thus have seen me not in my best form. For that I apologize. I’m on the up and up.
Discovering the gut source has allowed me to become a better person. A better wife, a better mom, a better friend. And it marks the beginning of an adventure that we, as a family, are about to embark on called Life.
Here’s to better today’s. And happier tomorrow’s. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Xx
Jenny
Forty Things.
January 4, 2012 § Leave a Comment
According to Dr. D’Adamo, author and researcher of the Eat Right For Your Type Diet, the average person eats 40 different foods a week. The same foods, over and over and over again. Which is totally cool, but it’s important that those forty foods are awesome! Whole foods are more choice than food products (something we discussed in this previous post).
As my due date of baby number two comes closer this month, I’ve began writing down all the meals (quick and easy as well good make-beforehand-and-freeze) and snacks we eat the most to help jar Trever’s memory when he heads to the store and to avoid the question, “So what should we get?” from occurring every week. Or at least making the answer more simple. Ha!
“The list is on the fridge dear.”
So I know you’re all dying to know–this list is subject to change based on what’s available for the season, as we shop for our fruit and veg mainly at Farmers Markets–here’s our list of forty foods:
1. Cashews
2. Almonds
3. Walnuts
4. Pine Nuts
5. Pecans
6. Apples
7. Oranges (& other citrus fruits)
8. Grapes
9. Bananas
10. Pears
11. Cherries
12. Strawberries
13. Blueberries
14. Blackberries & raspberries
15. Avocados
16. Tomatoes
17. Carrots
18. Bellpeppers
19. Celery
20. Mushrooms
21. Brussel sprouts
22. Eggplant
23. Potatoes (all types)
24. Kale
25. Spinach
26. Mixed greens
27. Romain lettuce
28. Beans
29. Dried cranberries
30. Raisins
31. Spelt noodles
32. Rice
33. Sprouted bread
34. Rice cakes
35. Goat cheese
36. Goat plain yogurt
37. Eggs
38. Tofu
39. Onions
40. Nut butters (almond and peanut)
Once in a while, we’ll stray from our path of 40. Trever and I also have different favorites and/or foods that the other doesn’t eat. I don’t eat very many eggs, much cheese, or any peanut butter, while Trever eats more carbs and less tomatoes and bellpeppers than I do. Mainly because we each have our respective digestive issues with these foods.
As you can see from our list, we eat a lot of real food. I use our list of 40 to combine them together to create meals like spaghetti, burrito bowls, salads, lasagna, stir-fry, soups, and tons of healthy snacks. Speaking of, hummus should be on the list.
I encourage you though to have a good sit-down and ponder your top 40. It’s a great New Years resolution. Think about what you put in your body. When it really comes down to it, you only have so many calories to spend per day to allow your body to run at optimal performance. We have to make each of them count. Be honest with yourself and see what you come up with. The answer might surprise you!
Photo: Having a little birthday cake. Not on the list. Hehehe.
Food vs. Food Product.
December 16, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I’m gonna be quite frank with you and let you in on a little secret. During this past year of diet/food changing habits, I’ve never really thought about why the food that I was putting into my body was so much better for me than what I was doing before. At the very strong chance of sounding dumb, I never thought it was so simple:
Food vs. food product.
Why hadn’t I thought of this before? It really comes down to how many food items I’m putting into my body daily, weekly, monthly that come, not only in a package, but with an ingredients list. Versus those that don’t.
When I became conscious of this fact a few weeks ago, my buying habits changed once again. Instead of buying veggie broth or pesto in a jar or hummus ready made, I began rethinking what I was buying and asked myself,
• How easy would it be to take this from a food product to a food?
• Would it be cost effective?
• Can I make it time-efficiently?
• Is there an alternative that is a food or foods rather than this food product?
• If none of the above, do I really need it?
When I started becoming more aware of the ingredients list, I made different choices of what I purchased and put inside of me. Not only did I begin to buy fewer food products when I asked myself this series of questions, but I decided to cut out some foods altogether and make my own from scratch–like homemade crackers! Mmmm!
It’s not an easy choice to make. I must admit, there’s a mentality that goes along with food products that come in boxes, jars, cartons, and so on. They’re marketed as “easy”; as something that will make cooking a breeze. I’ve had to break that perspective and say to myself, “Homemade is not more difficult than a box. It’s a lifestyle shift. And a good one at that.”
I want the food that I put into my body to allow me to live longer. And happier. I want to feel confident that I’m giving my family foods that will give them health when they are feeling sick, depressed, tired, or stressed. And that’s what food is to me.
Try it this week. Take 3 food products on your list and find recipes to turn them into foods. Ask yourself the above questions and start feeling better about what you’re putting inside of your beautiful body. Food vs. food product: it’s as simple as that.
Reading A Recipe.
December 2, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Reading a recipe. It’s not about reading it properly or following completely along. It’s about taking the idea that someone had and making it your own. They came up with something good, but that doesn’t make it perfect. I often find quite the opposite. Why’d they add that? Why’d they cook it so long? Why didn’t they wait till the end to throw that in? I ask myself these silly questions and more before I start on a recipe.
If it’s not to my liking after the fact, I write down my changes and do things a bit differently the next time. I can usually imagine what it might taste like before I eat it and that helps. I also have herb preferences. I just know when an herb or spice won’t be good in a meal or when Trever won’t like it.
Pepper is a good example of this. We don’t own pepper and I always omit it from recipes. If I think it really needs a spicy kick, I add a pinch of chili pepper, turmeric, or peprika. And that seems to do the trick.
I remember when I first started cooking and all of my food tasted the same. Ha! Then I realized that I needed to add different combinations of herbs and spices and that would make all the difference in the world.
I guess that’s where the reading and changing a recipe began. If it was too close to my “usual” just by looking at it, I knew it would taste similar nonetheless. How often do we do that in other areas of our lives? We repeat the same pattern in hopes of a different result. We follow what worked for other people, wanting the same outcome. And we attempt to mimic verbatim the pictures we see in books and advertisements.
We all know it doesn’t work that way. Life isn’t a recipe that you simply look up and read. You have to discover your own ingredients, cooking time, and even company by trial and error. It’s not what you find written down or by a quick Internet search. It’s the time and effort you put into figuring out what life really tastes like. One recipe at a time.
Just One Week.
November 18, 2011 § Leave a Comment
A friend recently asked me how I keep my fridge so clean and organized, lamenting that she would like hers to look the same and asking about my system. It got to where it’s at through a few simple lifestyle changes and then I’ve just kept it the same. Trever, of course, has jumped on bored to my zen fridge style. And thus, our Weekly Eating began.
1. Start Here: Start with what you have. The problem most people encounter in the first place is overbuying for the week. Go shopping in your own cupboards and fridge. Create a meal plan list. Use up every last jar of pasta sauce, jam, dressing, etc. all before you shop again for more. Obviously, buy fresh fruit and veg when yours goes bad. Buy and use only fresh for the week.
2. Clean it Out: After you’ve taken inventory of your non-perishables, throw out the stuff that’s no good and expired. If you have items that are good that you never liked–like that dressing you didn’t care for–give it to a neighbor.
3. Keep Using: I know you still have stuff in your cupboards and fridge you haven’t used. Create a meal plan list. Buy fresh fruit and veg. Repeat as necessary.
4. Diet Plan: Once all the old is gone for the most part–condiments, spices, etc. should be left–figure out how you want to eat. You’ve given yourself a second chance to start from scratch. Decide what food you want to put into your body and stick to it. Put the list somewhere you’ll see it. Make it a family plan, if necessary. Start researching recipes that fit what you want to eat. Create a meal plan list.
5. Now the Shopping: The key to a clean, organized fridge is to shop for the week. Just the week and only the week. It’s a perspective change. It’s removing the bulk buy mentality or the that-looks-good point of view completely. You just buy what you need. For the week.
And that’s it! “What about if we run out of this or that,” you ask? You add it to the list for next week. You make do with what you have. You wait a few more days for it. I keep a running list of what I ran out of (usually spices) for my next shopping day. I shop for groceries at the store on Wednesday’s and at the Farmers Market on Thursday’s.
If you’re concerned about having food and water in an emergency, create an emergency kit. Store non-perishables that you can use for two or three days in that. Then you won’t have to fret any longer.
It’s simple enough. And it’s just one zen way to shop. What you eat should not be stressful. It should give you energy, make you feel good, and keep you from getting sick. That’s another food blog in itself.
Community Discussion: How will your cupboards and fridge change? What dietary updates would you like to make?
Photo: Fresh homemade tomato soup. 8 tomatoes, 1 yellow onion, 2 apples, 1 quart of veggie broth, and salt to taste. Blending till creamy: Optional.
Eat More Veg.
October 17, 2011 § 2 Comments
Okay, this blog is really about how to eat more fruit and veg, but I simply couldn’t help myself with the title. I believe that nutrition is the cornerstone everything else that goes on in our body–our thoughts, emotions, physical appearance, health–all rely on a support system of food and drink that acts as a medicinal property that best promotes our well-being.
For many people, eating fruit and veg can seem daunting. Yet what are we telling ourselves that make it feel so? If I made myself eat what I didn’t like, my body and my mind would be unhappy.
Here’s a few easy tips to getting you started towards the right diet–and I don’t mean “diet” in a bad way, I mean it as what you put inside your body.
5. Journal It: Think about what you eat on a daily basis and write it down for 3 days. Don’t try to eat anything special. Just eat.
4. Don’t Judge: Now that you’ve got your 3 day diet written down, pick out your carbs/grains, proteins, fruit, veg, and liquids. Oh! And don’t forget “other” like sweets.
3. A Choice: Make a conscious choice to add a bit of fruit and veggies throughout your week. We don’t usually eat everything on the food pyramid in one day, we eat it throughout the week. That’s normal and that’s okay.
2. Give In: Eat the healthiest version of what your body is craving. Often times we stop ourselves from eating something because we think or know it’s unhealthy. If you’re craving carbs, eat whole grains, brown rice, or the like. Still hungry? Think about your water intake for the day.
1. More Fruit and Veg: I saved the best for last. How do you eat more fruit and veg? You eat what you like. When you think about whole foods, what gets you excited? Brussel sprouts? Raspberries? Cucumbers? Bananas?
Make a list of five fruits and five vegetables and incorporate them into your diet over the next week or two. You don’t have to eat them all at once. You don’t even have to put them into recipes. Just choose to eat more fruit and veg.
I’ve added more and more colorful foods into my diet by doing exactly that. I don’t eat what I don’t like, but I try everything. When I go to Farmer’s Markets, I ask how to prepare new foods I’ve never tried or personally cooked with.
It’s not about eating things that make you go, “Yuck!” It’s about eating what you like. No one ever said you have to eat from the whole gambit. So try it this month and share your story with us. We’d love to hear it.
Refrigerator Revelation.
September 30, 2011 § 2 Comments
I’m a firm believer in the fact that revelation comes in all shapes and sizes, from anywhere in life. Although recently it has come from, you guessed it, the fridge. An odd place to gain a bit of insight, but vivid and pertinent nonetheless.
After starring at my own fridge and the fridge of a handful of friends (I apologize to those if you know who you are), I realized that our refrigerator can say a lot about who we are, what we eat, and what our current mindset relatively might be.
I’m one of those weird constant-fridge-organizers. I can’t have my fridge in any state of disarray. I have to have it neat and orderly, clean and tidy. It mustn’t be overstuffed or too busy. This is in a nutshell a reflection of my organizing personality. I like to have my mind free of clutter as well as the living space around me.
If someone looked in my fridge they would think it sparring, with very little exciting or pre-prepared food. Although you might find some leftovers. And, of course, you’d see that we had no meat or preservative-filled food. Trever used to say that he couldn’t find anything in it. What he meant by that is that my fridge style was so simplistic that he didn’t know how to out snacks or meals together from whole foods. My solution? I wrote down an entire list of good things to eat that were filling, fresh, and on-hand. It’s still hanging on the fridge. And he still insists that my snacks and meals are more fun than what he creates.
So, that might very well be true. I love food. I like picking it out at the Farmers Market on Thursday and I love preparing it. Often times it feels like my creative expression of an artful medium. It says about me: I am simple, I’m silly, I’m a mom, I like color, I enjoy flavor, and I’m currently eating from week to week. I only store what we can eat, nothing more, nothing less.
Community Discussion: So, what does your fridge say about you? Is it reflecting your true current state of mind or does it need some adjusting?
I believe all aspects of our lives can reflect who we are. Our kitchens, our living space, our bathroom, our bedrooms. It’s important that they do so appropriately. Even if that means working towards it little by little. For you, that might mean having company over to decrease the amount of food, donating food to others or organizations, or taking a serious look at your meal planning and weekly food budget. It’s never too late to have a Refrigerator Revelation.
Photo: Our fridge.
Food Relativism.
September 21, 2011 § Leave a Comment
When I think back on my youth, there is so much that I cannot remember. Much of which Trever and I look at each other say, “I don’t remember that, but we must’ve done it!” Some things, dumb and wise, I missed all together. For instance, I was very aware of my ability to memorize and took advantage of that skill tremendously during my college years, yet 100% unaware of my dorky haircut and style, out-there wardrobe, and interesting choice of make-up. It’s funny how some things make it on your radar, while others do not whatsoever.
Food was a topic that I constantly thought about and tried to make good choices within. This was all pre quick-and-easy Internet searching and the wealth of information that’s now out there. I can clearly remember one thing for certain: in my early twenties, I was a Food Relativist. That is, I used food as a way of being able to relate to others. I would eat where others ate, I would partake in what they put in front of me, and I did not allow myself to refrain from the purchase of anything food-wise.
While I still connect dearly to many relativist thoughts, this perspective has gone out the window–for the most part–since I have discovered the roots of its beguilement.
At some point, Food Relativism snuck its way into my brain pattern by squeezing itself in between “The more neutral you are, the more you can relate to others” and “You don’t want to live by a specific set of rules.” You can see how it would be easy to begin writing off eating habits by telling yourself: People who have a list of particulars are not as relate-able as those who don’t (i.e. Vegetarians, Vegans, those with allergies or food issues), besides I want to be able to eat anything, anywhere, with anyone…Food Rules would keep me from that.
As time pressed on, so did the button against my tummy flab. My highest weight-point was during a eat-what-we-offer stint abroad in 2006. During that time, I also spent countless days with tummy issues. Okay, that’s putting it lightly. With stomach pain so great that I couldn’t stand up without throwing up. The fetal position was best.
When I returned from that six months overseas, I discovered that beyond the parasite that was eating away at my internal organs, I had an intolerance to gluten and much cow-related dairy. “Great, my Food Relativism is over. Now I have to be picky about what I eat.” But did I let that stop me? Oh no, I kept eating everything. It wasn’t for another year and a half and a serious 3-day battle with stomach issues that I realized: This is just another perspective shift that I can either get used to or suffer regardless. I chose the former.
At first, I felt bad for Trever to have to deal with my new dietary habits. He married a girl that would cook and eat anything. Now here I was changing. My shopping habits changed, I started buying higher quality organic food. I stopped getting mac and cheese and top ramen. It was more costly on our budget, yet we started feeling better. Healthier, skinnier, happier, and more satisfied with food and with life.
I’m sure Trever can tell you clearly, that food change also sparked a new lifestyle change towards more sustainable practices. I read books, websites, and even started writing for a “green” site on a monthly basis. All because of food and my acceptance to change. No one wants to live with a sore tummy every day. Or fatigue. Or continual sickness. Or a gabillion other body, spirit, and mind issues that are directly correlated with food.
It’s been quite a journey since 2007. Even the last year has felt like a whirlwind of food change. You’ve heard me say it before in previous posts, I’m now a vegetarian by my stomach’s choice. She has also recently decided that she prefers grains like rice, millet, and live sprouts over anything else. So I’ve had to adjust to that as well.
I’m so thankful that our brains have the capability of updating themselves to align with what is best for us in the current moment. Food Relativism would not work for me any more. If I do give in to the old habits–it’s so hard to say “no” to the mom–I suffer for it later. I’m no food expert, but I have realized after all this research, two nutritionists, and dozens of dietary adjustments, it does matter. Drinking your daily intake of water, taking vitamins, eating whole foods. It all makes a difference in allowing you to be you, whoever that may be, today.
Photo: My fruit-and-veggie-eating-walnut-and-almond-loving-bean-destroyer-of-a-daughter, enjoying the park with some of her daily intake of water on her shirt.
