Sick-O's!

“But how do you get the nutrients you need?”
That would be question number two that I am almost always asked. Then it’s usually followed up with..
“But vegetarians and vegans are always sick looking!”
Really? I mean, I think that could be said for most people in general. True-there are some vegetarians and/or vegans who don’t get the proper nutrients that they need, and they do end up becoming malnourished..but it is more than likely because they aren’t really focused on the foods they are eating. People like to zero in on the the vegetarians and vegans who are malnourished because it seems to happen so fast. But it can take years for your body to really start kicking your ass because of the horrible junk you’ve been putting into it. So, you say I can’t possibly be healthy? I say call me in 20 years.
The truth is, if you are serious about living a kind life, choosing a plant based diet, then you should have no problem getting most of the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. Some people swear by supplements, that just isn’t me. I don’t feel I should have to supplement much of anything. Nature has this really kick ass way of knowing exactly what you need. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m against them...I just try to get as much as possible from my food.



Another questions I am often asked is how many supplements I take. I take a B12 tablet a few times a week. That’s it. For me personally, if I begin to feel run down or anything, I know I’m not eating the way I should be. If you eat the dark leafy greens, grains, and a rainbow of other fresh, organic produce...you probably shouldn’t have much to worry about!

Ever since I was a little kid, I got sick constantly. No matter what went around, I got it...and I mean I REALLY got it. Even through high school. Since becoming a vegetarian (now vegan), I’ve been sick once. In about a year and a half, I’ve been sick once. That is a miracle for me. And have I mentioned I live in a house with an 8 year old? Last November I came down with tonsillitis. IT SUCKED!!!! My tonsils looked like something not even Stephen King could conjure up. So I did some research and found that certain juices have been known to greatly help or eliminate tonsillitis. So because I don’t have a juicer (you have no idea how much I want one) I went out and purchased a bottle of organic carrot juice...downed half the bottle that evening...woke up the next day feeling amazing and my tonsils looked absolutely fine. Now I’m not saying that the carrot juice worked magic….but I really don’t know how else to explain it! My tonsils were horrible! My mother wasn’t convinced and took me to my doctor, much to my disapproval. I am very lucky to have a doctor who actually cares about my health and my beliefs. He knows that unless it is a life and death situation, don’t try to give me meds. I won’t even take them for a headache. He sat with me for an hour and talked with me about my eating and exercise habits. He then told me something that made me ecstatic. He told me that I seem to know what I am doing (duuuh!), that my body is perfectly healthy and that my body fought off the illness all by itself (which we concluded was stress induced). This was a huge sigh. Now my mother couldn’t get on my case about malnutrition.

I actually started writing this post about a week ago, but quickly became overwhelmed because there is just so much to cover! There are so many myths that people believe and so many facts that people don’t know about. I decided to hit up good ole Google, and just post a link to a site I found that pretty much covers everything on the nutrients category. I kind of feel like this is cheating a bit, but I would have an entire book written by the time I had finished with this post. If you are becoming a vegetarian or vegan, I would recommend hanging with your doctor and figuring out if you are lacking anything to start with. Brush off all of those nasty rumors about veganism causing you to become more sick etc. If anything...for me at least...it has saved me a lot of money in doctors visits!
Be kind to yourself and others. Till next time!

Why not?

I’m always asked about veganism.
“What can you eat?”
“How do you get your nutrients?”
“But you can’t get any protein!”
And the one question, the one word that is always asked…
“Why?”

And without trying to sound like a total smartass (ok so it’s hard sometimes!) I simply reply with…
“Why not?”
I then go on to rattle off some benefits.

You’re greatly reducing your intake of saturated fats..which pretty much benefits your health in every way AND helps you shed that pesky extra lbs you may have collected over time.

Vitamin world! No not that place at the mall where people go to buy 643 different supplements. By eating a plant based diet...you get a powerhouse of vitamins! When you’ve cleaned your body of all of the nasty animal products...a banana alone becomes an energy bar! Oh yea...and bye bye doctors visits! (Hello saving money! More on doctors later).


Disease prevention! Everyday we hear about diseases and other health problems. We all know people who have dealt or are dealing with these health problems. In my family alone...just about everyone who has died has died from a form of cancer. This scares the hell out of me. I’ve watched so many loved ones suffer. Here are just a few things that a vegan diet can prevent-
Cardiovascular disease
Type 2 diabetes
Many cancers including prostate, colon and breast
High blood pressure
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
And the list goes on!

Physical benefits!
As I mentioned..you drop the extra pounds!

A massive boost in energy! Before I was vegan..even vegetarian...I had NO energy. I was always tired! Now I have so much more energy and don’t get tired as easily! In today's world...who doesn't need more energy?!?!

Healthy skin- get rid of nasty animal stuff...get rid of nasty skin. As simple as that! My face looked like an italian entree in high school. While my face isn’t completely clear...it looks SOOOO much better than it did, and let me tell ya...there is definitely some added confidence there.

Bad breathe/ bad B.O.- getting rid of meat and dairy reduces the nasty odor rolling off of you AND your breath. Going vegan means smelling good!

Hair/Nails- Many people report that their hair and nails become stronger while on a vegan diet. While I have heard this from many people...I don’t pay enough attention to notice personally. Though I will say this...as a baby I had very curly hair, then from about the age of 4-18 my hair was completely straight...not a wave in sight. Now my hair looks like something straight out of the 70’s...as in mega wavy and curly. Now, this doesn’t mean it has anything to do with a vegan diet, but it does make sense!

PMS- Ladddiieeeees! This is for you. Apparently studies have been done that show women have much lower or no signs of PMS at all. Now there are a lot of women in my family and most of my friends are of the female gender...I have experienced the wrath….spare us.

Allergies-I have heard time and time again that switching to a vegan diet has greatly helped those who suffer from allergies...I am one of them. As a child I had tests run on me and the docs told me I was allergic to everything but dogs. I was pretty miserable at certain times of the year! But now I hardly have and problems at all! Sure a sniffle here or there...but that’s it!

Migraines- Just about my entire family suffers from migraines, including me. Or at least I did. Since becoming a vegetarian and now vegan, I have had ONE migraine, and that was stress induced. I had been given medications by doctors, and none of them worked. That is one of the many things I am greatly thankful for with becoming vegan.

As you can see...I could go on and on and on. Adopting a vegan diet not only improves your health and your life SO much, but it helps the planet in many many ways! (I will save veganism and the planet for a whole separate post.) When I tell people of all of these benefits, I usually don’t go into detail about all of them, I let whoever it is take control of the conversation from there. If they want to know more, I tell them...if not, hey I tried! I have talked to so many people who say
“I get it, but it’s not for me” or
“I could never do that” or
“It’s too expensive”
The excuses go on and on.
It is for everyone. Yes you can do it, you owe it to yourself, to your family and friends and to this planet.
And do some math...take what you spend on meat and all the processed nasties you buy...now add up how much it would cost you to buy nutritional, organic, cruelty/animal free products. It’s not that big of a difference. Trust me when I say I live on a very tight budget. I’m lucky if I can gather up $100 a month for groceries, but I make it work. I make it work because I don’t give myself any other choice.
Over the next week or so my posts will be focused on answering the questions I stated above, all of the concerns people have about being vegan and what all it really means. Usually by the time my conversation ends with the person asking me the question, they ask me where they can find vegan products and certain ingredients. This has happened many times at where I work, and it makes me feel amazing because I know they are doing themselves and the planet a huge favor. As always, thank you guys for all of the feedback you give me...keep it coming! I hope the next week or so proves to be at least a little inspirational! And if you have any questions, comments or concerns...fire away!
Be kind to yourself and each other...and ask yourself…”Why not?”

My Easter....finally!!!

So I'm finally getting around to posting about me Easter. This will be more of a picture post than anything. Here is a run down of the yummy food we had to eat.
The main dish was a "Tofurkey" like product. Now, I've never had Tofurkey or a similar product, so I was excited to try it. I have to admit though, I cheated and just purchased a cook and serve one. I know that Tofurkey like dishes can be made by hand...but I didn't want to run the risk of blowing the main dish. I handed this over to my aunt to pop in the oven. While it looks pale and boring in the picture, it was actually pretty tasty! I'm anxious to try it again and maybe come up with a sauce or glaze to put over it, though I try not to use a lot of pre-cooked/pre-packaged foods.
As a side dish I made shredded brussels with green apple. I'm usually not a huge fan of brussels, but the apple and maple syrup blended great together and the flavor turned out really well....not too tart and not too sweet. Now I want to point out that I used REAL maple syrup. Not the junk you usually get for your pancakes. And there is definitely a difference. Unfortunately I never got around to snapping a picture of these..they didn't last very long!
Another side dish was baby carrots in dill "butter". This was a recipe I found that wasn't vegan, but it was so simple to make is vegan! Instead of melting butter of the carrots, I melted Earth Balance instead...then sprinkled it with FRESH dill! Very simple and very very yummy!


Here's my sister with the carrots...she loves anything with dill!



Another simple side dish was cous cous with currants and nuts. This is another little thing I cheated with and bought pre-packaged. Again this was something I gave my aunt to do (hey..I did everything else!!!) so I wanted to take it easy on her. This is my favorite kind of cous cous and became the favorite of my sister and aunt as well! I snapped a picture...but since I was using my phone...the pic turned out looking a little less than appetizing...just picture it in your head. Looks amazing eh?

Here's our little feast. It doesn't look like much but it was very filling!


If you follow me on twitter then you know the night before Easter I was up until about 2am baking for the next day. And this is what I made!
Lemon-Ginger Cookies. These guys didn't turn out quite like I had hoped, but they were still tasty! Definitely a recipe I will be working with to perfect. I'm a sucker for anything lemon and/or ginger!


I also made a blueberry cake. It turned out something like a shortcake with blueberries. The recipe had called for frozen blueberries, but I opted for using fresh...and it made a big difference! There were some left overs so the next morning I threw a piece in a bowl..heated it up...and poured some vanilla hemp milk over it. Good grief was that good!


I also made a dairy free yogurt dessert. It was dairy free yogurt with numerous dried fruits and fresh apples sliced into it..then topped off with sliced almonds. I kind of tossed the recipe and through it all together until it looked how I thought it should haha. It was very light and refreshing! I'd like to point out that I used all organic/vegan ingredients. For those of you who think that there is no difference with organic produce...you are completely wrong. I won't go into a huge rant on chemicals...but the taste difference alone is proof enough!

This is my sister and my aunt...they didn't know I was planning on snapping a shot...


This last picture....my nephew Cameron wanted to leave some sliced strawberries for the Easter Bunny when he stopped by. I knew I was going to be up for quite a while so I decided to send him to bed and create a little surprise for in the morning. I left this letter, put it on the counter, dragged a stool over to the counter, then took a liitle cotton ball and made it like the Easter Bunny had snagged his tail on the cupboard handle. The next morning he freaked! He wrote the date on the back and said he would "keep it forever". It's little things like that that kids keep in their memories.


I hope everyone had a great Easter! I really enjoyed creating yummy dishes and not having the thought of what animals had to go through so I could eat. Even though the Peter Cottontail left a little of that cotton tail of his behind...I like to think his tail is bushy enough that it didn't hurt him at all ;-) Till next time..be kind!

Hippidy Hoppidy Easter's On It's Waaaay

Easter is upon us. It’s that time of year where there’s egg decorating, egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, jelly beans etc. For some it’s a little bit of spring time heaven. For vegans...it’s a little on the nightmarish side. I mean, think about it! I personally am not a religious person, so all I had going for me was the eggs and massive, deadly amounts of sugar and who knows what else! This is my second Easter as a vegetarian and first Easter as a vegan. Surprisingly it hasn’t been that difficult! The only thing that has been a little difficult is breaking with tradition. Every year for as long as I can remember I have been coloring eggs. Even when my nephew was too young and there weren’t many kids yet in the family...I colored eggs. I insisted on my mom getting me some eggs and I would spend all evening making cool colors and interesting patterns. So when my family gathered at my grandmas this past Saturday to color eggs, I was a little shocked with how repulsed at the idea I was. Sure I still wanted to decorate...but no way was I decorating eggs!!! So I went to Target. Enough said right? I found this pack of 6 clay (I think they’re clay) eggs. In the pack was also a tiny set of paints and a horrible little paint brush. I say horrible because the brush itself was made from plastic bristles...kind of hard to paint with. So while my family dunked and soaked their eggs in dye, I painted away. Some turned out pretty cool!





This will also be the first Easter I am not spending with all of my family. Last Easter was hard enough as a vegetarian. My family looks at my eating as “Well, that’s your decision, you deal with it.” So they don’t bother worrying about fixing anything I can eat. Last year I was left with potato salad and macaroni and cheese. This year...potato salad. So I am having a vegan Easter with my aunt! She stopped going to family functions a few years ago because she was sit of the drama and attitudes...don’t blame her! She’s also the one aunt (aside from my dear aunt Annette who died two years ago) that I can really get along with. And she’s interested in vegetarianism/veganism etc! So we decided we are having our own vegan Easter this year! I am so excited! The menu hasn’t been finalized yet...but it’s looking pretty good! I’ll be sure to post pics!

So what are you doing for Easter? Are you doing anything vegan? Maybe a cruelty free alternative? Let me know! Over the past month I have gotten many more readers, which I love! I truly appreciate all of your feedback! I do have one thing to ask...if you have any feedback (definitely encouraged!), please leave it below on the blog. This way I can respond easier and who knows...maybe it will start a new discussion!? Thanks for coming back to read another post...and for any newbies...welcome!

On my mind...

“Self-pity is easily the most destructive of the nonpharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.”

Relationships end. It happens.
I ended this one, the distance was proving to be too much for me.
I want to be able to see the person when I want and not have to plan out every single moment.
Learning.
Growing.
Selfish?
Curious.

I am a curious person by nature.
I want to know why? and how come? and explore every aspect of many things.
I have many interests that are yearning to be fulfilled.
I have places I want to see.
I have points I want to make.
Whether they will be fully understood or not.
I have breakthroughs yet to be discovered.
For myself and for every day things.
I have an awareness to tap into.
Selfish?

I’m not in college, and not a day goes by that I don’t get down a little because of it.
Money-I don’t want to be strapped to debts and panic and concern like my parents.
I want to learn what I need to learn, without being told how to do so or what it is I have to learn.
Few people understand where I’m coming from.
I dream big.
I dream bold.
I see the looks people give me when I tell them my hopes and future goals.
Unrealistic
Pointless
The look that says
It’s nice to dream but you have to be realistic.
It’s hard being raised in an area such as this.
Everyone grows up to be
Teachers
Nurses
Hair Beauticians
Warehouse workers
Construction workers
Extremely limited options for the
Gay
Vegan
Kid
Who fights for animal rights
Fights for equality
Struggles for understanding
Searches for a Higher Authority
Worth following/answering
I want more from life.
Life is too damn short to be unhappy
To become a stereotype
To walk a straight line.
My way of thinking?
Kick
Scream
Fight for what you believe
Fight for what you feel
Fight for those who can’t
Be courageous
Be kind
Be passionate
Be alive
Be a voice
Be a teacher
Be a student
Be yourself.
Selfish?

Overwhelmed In The Heartwarming Department

So I was going to blog last week but I knew that this past weekend would probably give me something special to blog about..and boy was I right! My guy J took us to the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville Maryland. J had emailed one of the owners, Terry (the sanctuary is owned by Terry Cummings and her husband), and was able to get us a tour of the place. We were told that they don't start tours until April, but this past weekend they were doing a special tour for a group of little girls, I'm thinking they were called Earth Scouts...though I could be totally wrong. So we arrived along with about a dozen anxious and excited little girls and their parents after traveling back a winding road that seemed to be hidden from any sort of main road. J and I were both a little nervous on our way there because we didn't know what to expect. Let's face it, people may create an environment for animals that they feel is a sanctuary..the animal though may have a different story. One more to add to their likely already horrific tale of survival. We came to the end of the little road and were greeted with dozens of geese wandering all around near the very large pondlake..yes I made up a word...near the road. I was even greeted by one that waddled right up to the car when we parked!

We walked over to the picnic tables where we were told everyone would meet and I couldn't help but marvel at how much space this sanctuary has. And what surprised me most was looking into the one large (extremely large) fenced off area and noticed that the cows and mules and horses were all wandering around together! I thought this was like illegal in the animal kingdom! Terry walked over and introduced herself and talked to us a little about what to expect on the hour long tour. At that time everyone else caught up and we began. J and I decided to stay to the back to give the kids a chance to really be involved in the tour and holding/petting the animals. Our first stop was to see the the chickens, turkeys, peacock, and guineas (hoping I'm not forgetting others). After that visit we wandered over to visit with the pigs. This may sound a little, but I never knew how HUGE they could get. We got to walk right in and pet them..3 of the biggest were taking a nap and just didn't seem to care about anything. After that we walked into the large field with the cows and friends. Yea, we walked right in...right past a guy with horns that could definitely do some damage. I kept glances over at him to see if he was annoyed or angry, but he just watched us all walk in and then went back to doing his own thing. I was impressed at how large these animals were without all of the hormones and whatnot. Our final visit was to feed the sheep and goats. They had such funny personalities!

Throughout the tour Terry made it a point to tell us the stories of some of the animals, all of which were so heartbreaking. She also was kind enough to talk with the kids and parents then come to J and I and talk a little more in depth with us. After the tour I wanted to thank Terry personally and we got to talk with her privately for about a half an hour or so. I was so impressed with everything about the sanctuary! Terry and her husbands house is right in the middle of the sanctuary so they can be with the animals at all times, but still give the animals plenty of space to do their own thing. Another thing that I absolutely loved was that they never take anything from the animals. They never milk the cows, they are allowed to naturally dry up as a cow should. I mean...after a human mother gives birth, does she continue to produce milk the rest of her life? No. The eggs from the chickens are taken far out into the woods and left for wild animals, so not only are they helping to feed the wild animals, they are also not wasting the eggs! Terry was so kind and told us stories about the animals, how they got started and some of the hardships they've faced. She is definitely a strong willed and caring person who is a true inspiration. She even had a farmer come after the sanctuary because he wanted his pigs back. She locked the gate to the farm and stood there making sure he couldn't pass. Oh...and did I mention he brought the police?! After we left, J and I both commented on how at peace we felt from being at the sanctuary. We can only imagine how wonderful it must be for the animals!

I would tell you more stories but that's not my place...go visit the sanctuary yourself...and this post is already huge. If you get the chance, please visit Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary . It is so important to help out these smaller animal sanctuaries because so many don't know that they even exist! It takes A LOT of money to keep these amazing places running. Poplar Spring has great events to raise money and to get people to come find out what an animal sanctuary is all about, like Thanksgiving WITH the turkeys! This is a place that animals can come and live out the rest of their lives in peace and comfort. Please do what you can whether it be donating, sponsoring or volunteering. I wish that I lived closer because I would absolutely volunteer. I live over 2 hours away in PA, and besides Poplar Spring, the closest animal sanctuary is in New York State. These places need our help. I am so grateful we had the chance to visit and I cannot wait to visit again!

If you made it through this entire post in one sitting...get yourself a vegan cookie :-)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

"There is no difference in what we're doing in here
That doesn't show up as bigger symptoms out there
So why spend all our time dressing our bandages
When we've the ultimate key to the cause right here
Our underneath..."


I can't believe it's March already! I have to say the first 2 months of the new year have been pretty great for the most part! I have myself a new guy, a great guy. A guy that puts up with all of my shit and still texts me from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed and visits every weekend. He lives a little over an hour away, and while it is a pain, it actually isn't too much of a problem. Not seeing each other just isn't an option. It feels good to be in a secure relationship. Oh and did I mention he is vegetarian turning vegan...just like yours truly!

Speaking of, I have been eliminating more and more animal products from my food and just about everything else. When I first read Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, I quickly realized I couldn't eat meat anymore...but I never really thought about becoming a total vegan. Now..I feel like it is the obvious, most practical thing to do. I feel confident and secure with my decision, knowing that I will be getting the nutrients and protein that I need. All it takes is some education and common sense. I will probably be focussing this blog more on my vegan journey and what not..because I hope that my journey could possibly help even a few people with their own journey...or maybe even just open some eyes about the practicality of living a kind life! But no worries, I will still be throwing in my two cents on random things and giving you little tid bits about my relationship. It's nice to not only have a partner in the relationship sense, but with becoming a vegan as well.

My guy, I shall just refer to him as J, has been a vegetarian for 4 years now and will be making the vegan transition next month. I have been a vegetarian for just a little over a year (January marking the anniversary). J has never read The Kind Diet, so I've been trying to fill him in as much as possible. It really is just opening your eyes and realizing that as humans we take SO MUCH from our planet and from other living things, and rarely give back! I could go into a huge rant right now, but I'll save that for a later date ;-) To my readers...however few you may be...look for some changes in the near future. I have become quite a passionate person... with the planet, animals, LGBTQ rights and many other random things...that I feel the need to share and hopefully enlighten some people or at least come some of you involved in things you're passionate about! Till next time!

So vegetarianism and veganism isn't for you? You may be surprised! Challenge and enlighten yourself!

The Kind Diet

The Kind Life
http://www.thekindlife.com/