Purpose and Passion

I'm NOT ready to give up my MeAT!!!

Today it seems that more and more people are becoming aware of the health benefits of becoming or at least tying to become vegetarians or even a semi-vegetarian, ( to me, it's either you are or you aren't) but let's not get into the technicalities just yet.

Many years ago, I too, was a complete vegetarian. No meat whatsoever, no dairy, no eggs, not even fish. Needless to say I fell off the wagon. But as I look back, I remember how healthy I felt and how much energy I had and how radiant my skin looked, with no major health issues, of course I was a lot younger then, too. As the aging process is beginning to creep up on me along with a few health issues is not the only reasons why I returned to my vegetarian lifestyle. It was a bit of a challenge for me then and I wish I would have had more knowledge on the subject before I began. So I wanted to share with you the reader on how to get healthy, loose weight, (if you so desire), reduce high blood pressure, chronic pain and fatigue, etc., and restore you to optimal health.

First, let's get a better understanding and educate the mind on what being a vegetarian is along with a few definitions on the subject. There are a few reasons why many become vegetarians:

1. Compassion for Animals
2. Religion
3. Health
4. Environment

And, here are the different types of vegetarians, which by the way seem to be in the gray zone.

1. Lacto-Ovo:     No meat, poultry, fish but includes dairy, eggs.
2. Lacto:            Excludes all animals except dairy.
3. Ovo:              Excludes all animals except eggs.
4. Vegan:           No animals, dairy, fish, eggs.
5. Pescatarian:   A pescetarian diet excludes land animals and birds, but includes fish, mollusks and   crustaceans in addition to fruits, vegetables, plants, legumes, nuts and grains. Eggs and dairy may or may not be present in the pescetarian's diet. 
         

As well as:

1. Fruitarian:      A diet of fresh fruits and some vining foods, (foods that grow on vines).

2. Raw Foodlist:
                         All fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, soaked and sprouted grains & legumes.
                         Only eating them in their natural state, nothing is cooked.
                    
3. Living Food Diet:
                         Eats all of the above, but can cook food to between 105-115 degrees to                                                      the valuable enzymes.
          
  

Now that you are have a better innerstanding on the subject let's seem how you can begin to obtain the goal of becoming a vegetarian or at least eating a healthier diet.

I didn't say it was going to be easy but it will be worth it. Whether you stop eating meat gradually or suddenly is an important decision because for each person it is going to be different, what works for one may not be the best for another. It will be determined by your personality type, physical constitution, and the reason why you choose to go vegetarian, semi or something in between. Keep in mind for most people a gradual change is easier.

First, if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it! Second, start small. Stop eating the meat you like the least. Little by little, you might decide then to stop eating some other meat product, then another and another. Remember....small goals at first. Consciously decide to not eat meat a few days a week and work your way up slowly. You'll start to see the difference in how you feel.

Decide to slowly eliminate from you pantry some canned goods, foods with chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients or animal additives. Begin to buy products in glass jars. Leave the soda-pop on the shelf, it's nothing more than battery acid for your body. Try seltzer or Perrier instead.

Begin to plan your meals with larger quantities of fresh products (more fruit and vegetables, organic if possible).

Redefine your dinner plate- look at rices, pasta or a casserole as the main part of your dish. Maybe even take a vegetarian cooking class or visit vegetarian websites and blogs for recipes.

So even eating part-time as a vegetarian can benefit your health, remember, everything in moderation.

Here are some health benefits:

Vegetarian diets low in fat or saturated fat have been used successfully as part of comprehensive health programs to reverse severe coronary artery disease. Vegetarian diets offers protections from disease because of their lower saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein content and often higher concentration of foliate (which reduces serum homocysteine levels, antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals.) Not only is mortality from coronary artery disease lower in vegetarians than in non- vegetarians , but vegetarian diets have also been successful in curing coronary artery disease. Total serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are usually lower in vegetarians, but high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels vary depending on the type of vegetarian diet followed.

Vegetarians tend to have a lower incidence of hypertension than non-vegetarians. This effect appears to be independent of both body weight and sodium intake. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is much less likely to be a cause of death in vegetarians than non-vegetarians, perhaps because of their higher intake of complex carbohydrates and lower body mass index.

Incidence of lung and colorectal cancer is lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians Reduced colorectal cancer risk is associated with increased consumption of fiber, vegetables, and fruit. The environment of the colon differs notably in vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians in ways that could favorably affect colon cancer risk. Lower breast cancer rates have not been observed in Western vegetarians, but cross-cultural data indicate that breast cancer rates are lower in populations that consume plant-based diets. The lower estrogen levels in vegetarian women provides higher benefits.

A well-planned vegetarian diet may be useful in the prevention and treatment of renal disease. Studies using human being and animal models suggest that some plant proteins may increase survival rates and decrease proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow and histologic renal damage compared with a non-vegetarian diet.

Plant sources of protein alone can provide adequate amounts of essential amino acids if a variety of plant foods are consumed and energy needs are met. Research suggests that complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same time and that consumption of various sources of amino acids over the course of the day should ensure adequate nitrogen retention in healthy persons. Makes sense, right? Although vegetarian diets are lower in total protein and a vegetarian's protein needs may be somewhat elevated because of the lower quality of some plant proteins, protein intake in both lacto-ovo-vegetarians and vegans appears to be adequate.Side note: We really don't need too much protein, it taxes the adrenals and the kidneys).

One of the top benefits of having a vegetarian diet is that there is no cholesterol in any vegetable source of food. Great news, right? Even peanuts are rich in fat but have zero cholesterol. Coconuts are very rich in fat but no cholesterol. Any animal product has tremendous amounts of cholesterol. But our body does not really need the intake of cholesterol (LDL). Our liver produces healthy cholesterol (HDL). High cholesterol deposits in the body cause gallstones, gall bladder problems, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle, tendon and joint problems (not to mention heart-related diseases). When children are given cholesterol they become hyperactive or lazy; they get cancer, obesity, nervous and irritable at a younger age. It has been researched that you don't need anything more than fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates to provide all the nutrients in a perfect diet. If you eat three different types or varieties of complex carbohydrates per day you can get all the amino acids. So let's go back to the beginning, when there was only fruit, vegetables and nuts. That seems to be where we have lost our way somehow.

Find a Restaurant in your area:    http://www.vegguide.org  or  http://www.vegdining.com/Home.cfm

Now here are some Disadvantages of Eating Meat:           

There are many physical disadvantages to eating meat. Some of these disadvantages are:

1. A meat-eater not only takes in the animal cells and fats, etc. but also the waste products, e.g. chemically treated food fed to the animals, drugs injected into the animal in the slaughter house, intoxicants, coloring and tenderizers sprayed on the dead animal by the market suppliers. By the way, hamburgers are made from Cow with the four D’s (Dead, Dying, Disabled, or Diseased) This is why so many children and young adults have died from eating hamburgers. It's also the reason why hamburgers have the highest recall of E-Coli.

2. It is also suspected that meat-eaters are prime candidates for degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, arthritis, gout, etc. Meat is one of the major sources of internal pollution. When an animal is slaughtered, un-eliminated waste products remain in the tissue of the animal which often give the meat its stimulating flavor. Uric acid and adrenaline are secreted into the bloodstream, muscles of animals and stored. The fear and struggle to escape death stimulates the secretion of hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine. Most animals (especially cows) are injected with steroids before they are slaughtered. No edible plant product has similar toxicity. The human body has to work 15 times more to get rid of these toxin.
Which in turn, taxes the liver, kidneys, lymph nodes (inflammation), heart, all the vital organs and over time things can get backed up and cause DIS-EASE in the body. 

Please watch this video, WARNING: : GRAPHIC:     http://www.meat.org


Here is a list of a few famous people who have become vegetarians:

Natalie Portman
James Cameron
Ellen DeGeneres
Michael Dorn
Alanis Moressette
Casey Kasem
Bill Clinton
Dexter Scott-King
K.D. Lang
Daryl Hannah
Mike Tyson
Sinead O'Conner
Brad Pitt
John Sally
Russell Simmons
Ben Stiller
Jane Velez-Mitchell
Vanessa A. Williams
Paul Watson (president of the Sea Shepard Conservative Society)
Prince
Carl Lewis
Avril Lavigne
Cesar Chavez
Russell Brand
Erykah Badu
The Late Michael Clarke-Duncan

You are now armed to make an intelligent decision about your health. The rest is up to you!

We wish you OPTIMAL HEALTH!

Is it Really Organic? Consumer Knowledge

I wanted to write something to help in identifying and clarifying what is the true meaning of the word Organic.

The official meaning of Organic? It seems that the term is not an "Official" term here in the States. The "Official" term for Organics that meet Organics standards is "Certified Organic".

Ok, but with that said, the term Organic is not always well defined. The Webster's definition is as follows:

of food : grown or made without the use of artificial chemicals, not using artificial chemicals, or, relating to, or obtained from living things.of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides <organic farming> <organic produce>

 (1) :  of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds (2) :  relating to, being, or dealt with by a branch of chemistry concerned with the carbon compounds of living beings and most other carbon compounds.

Yet, in the States the term has been known to mean a plethora of different things, i.e., describing various sustainable agricultural and food items, textiles, toys, cosmetics, beverages, beauty, bath, and body products as well as many others.

Also, we seem to use the term as an action as well. Example: I live organically, or organic farming is better, etc. But I feel as though the word or term is sometimes used in an inappropriate manner. For instance, take a shampoo, or body care products, they are calling it organic, yet it contains some harmful chemicals that are normally allowed in organic products. Then, there is another exception because not ALL real organics are "Certified". I know, you are scratching you head with a look of puzzlement saying, "whatever do you mean?" I'll explain, if a grower or farmer uses sustainable growing methods yet chooses not to get certified, or maybe be exempt from certification because they sell less than $5k worth of products annually doesn't mean that the product(s) aren't organic. Allow me to further explain, just because a grower or farmer isn't certified, but truly grows organically doesn't mean it's not organic. As confusing as this might seem, simply "not" being certified doesn't mean it's not organic. This simply means the consumer may have a more difficult time of distinguishing the difference must become more educated in this area and to ask more questions to determine organic integrity.

Yet, it can become even more tricky because the certifying agents along with the USDA have come under fire for certifying organics when the organic products doesn't or hasn't followed USDA standards or guidelines. Seems that the 'enforcement' of federal laws governing organics is abysmal at best. Thus, poor certification standards seriously confuses the organic issue as well as the consumer. So if the organic industry can't trust the USDA's organic seal or it's agents, it seems to me to corrupt the integrity of the organic industry all together. 

So, this is why I decided to do my own little experiment/study. Three (3) months ago I took 4 apples, 2 from my local Wal-Mart and 2 from my local organic market. I sat them on my kitchen counter to see which would turn brown the fastest, to me that would be a tale-tale sign of which one breaks down the fastest in my body, as well as a sign of freshness. I felt that the freshest would most likely start to go bad the quickest. (naturally). Well, the results were astonishing! (not really because most of us already know). The organic apples took the shorter time to begin to break down while the other 2 from Wally World are STILL on my counter in almost pristine condition! Yes, 3 months later! Why on earth would anyone want to eat non-organic? Why would I want to put that in my temple? It's GMO'ed and undoubtedly laced with chemicals and pesticides. What ever happen to the good 'ol days when we didn't have to be concerned with this so much? Why does it seem to cost more to eat healthier when back in the day growing our own food was the norm. There were chemicals and DDT back then, but I guess not as much as today. Monsanto has come a long way and still growing strong, ahh, but that's for another blog post.

We the consumer must become more educated, demand better and clearer certification of our organics, and to create better guidelines.

I do my best to purchase locally grown organics whenever possible, and I hope this article has helped you to become better informed and enlightened. We'd loved to hear from you so go ahead and leave your comments below.

EAT ORGANIC 
and whenever possible support your local organic market/store.