sunshel
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Some photos from VegFest!
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Fact: I didn’t have my first salad until I was 19 years old
I grew up on chicken strips, french fries, pizza, icecream, candy, you name it. In fact, the only vegetables I really ate as a teenager were tomatoes—largely in the form of ketchup—and canned corn. Cheese was also one of my favorite foods (seriously, I used to put 4 slices on my grilled cheese sandwiches) and I’ve had my share of steak-eating contests with my brother. Not to mention, I lived on candy and Oreo’s my freshman year of college.
So believe me when I say that I know what it’s like to make an enormous life change by introducing healthy food into your diet, and believe me, it is totally and completely worth it. Taste buds change; you just have to give them the opportunity.
Conclusion: “I can’t be vegan because I hate vegetables” or “I could never give up cheese” or “I don’t have the self-control” are excuses.. all of which I could’ve said myself. But I ignored the part of my brain telling me that it was hopeless, because in the end, I have control of what food goes into my body.
If you think it’s impossible to eat a vegan or a raw vegan diet (or even just a little healthier!), hopefully this little post about my life will change your mind. :)
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Salad (lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and carrots) with hummus. YUM.
Not pictured: Sunflower sprouts
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Just put some bananas in the freezer in order to make you-know-what, and now eating one of my favorites: GF Noodles and Marinara Sauce!
What did you eat for dinner?
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The Power Plate
Check out the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine website.. They have a very helpful resources page with example shopping lists, meal plans, recipes and steps for going vegan.
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ei3:
one thing that annoys me is when I’m browsing peoples profiles, doesn’t matter what website, but one of the first things they say about themselves is that they are vegetarian. umm… I didn’t realize your eating habits were that special that you had to broadcast it so suddenly? same thing with people who are vegan. I’ve never seen people who eat both meat & vegetables, etc. who do this.. O_O
WTF.Being vegan isn’t just about what type of food you eat or don’t eat. It’s a way of life and a way of viewing our place among every other living thing on the planet. My being vegan speaks to many values of mine: Animal rights, environment, health, etc. It is an enormous part of me, that effects nearly every decision I make. Perhaps most meat eaters don’t put ‘meat-eater’ in their profile because they don’t think consciously about their diet or it’s repercussions. (Which also says a little something about one’s character, don’t you think?)
(Source: iamnot12)
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A Blue Zone is a region of the world where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years. Scientists and demographers have classified these longevity hot-spots by having common healthy traits and life practices that result in higher-than-normal longevity.
Five Hot Spots:
- Sardinia, Italy: Demographers found a hot spot of longevity in mountain villages where men reach the age of 100 years at an amazing rate.
- The islands of Okinawa, Japan: Another team examined a group that is among the longest lived on Earth.
- Loma Linda, California: Researchers studied a group of Seventh-day Adventists who rank among America’s longevity all-stars.
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
- Icaria, Greece: The April ‘09 expedition to the island of Ikaria uncovered the location with the highest percentage of 90 year-olds on the planet - nearly 1 out of 3 people make it to their 90s. Furthermore, Ikarians “have about 20% lower rates of cancer, 50% lower rates of heart disease and almost no dementia”.
Common Lifestyle Characteristics:
- Family - Family is put ahead of other concerns.
- No Smoking - Centenarians do not typically smoke
- Plant-based diet - The majority of food consumed is derived from plants.
- Constant moderate physical activity - Moderate physical activity is an inseparable part of life.
- Social engagement - People of all ages are socially active & integrated into their communities.
- Legumes - Legumes are commonly consumed.
Yet so many people insist that we “need meat!”…
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Quick & Easy Vegan Meal Idea: Gluten-Free Pasta with Marinara Sauce
I make this quite often because it’s delicious and it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. It’s high in fiber and protein, and free of additives and other harmful ingredients. Pair it with a side of fruit or a salad and you have a healthy, complete meal!
The brands I suggest (after much searching!) are Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta and Organicville Marinara sauce. Both brands offer many different flavors of sugar-free sauce and types of pasta. For one serving: Boil half a box of quinoa pasta and heat up 1/2 cup of marinara sauce.
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Is Fish Healthy?
“While some people imagine that the fats in fish are “good” fats, anywhere from 15 to 30 percent of fish fat turns out to be nothing but artery-clogging saturated fat, and fish is easily one of the most chemically contaminated foods people eat.”
Neal Barnard, M.D. Breaking The Food Seduction
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I’m watching the Forks Over Knives Livestream question and answer session. Very useful information, had to share!
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Recent studies confirm vegans least likely to develop diabetes; meat eaters most likely
…a study of more than 200,000 people that found a strong and consistent relation between intake of red meat and of processed meat (ham, bacon, deli meat, etc) and the risk of developing diabetes. Even such a simple step as replacing one serving of meat a day with a serving of nuts or whole grains was estimated to reduce diabetes risk by more than 20%.
Over a 2-year period, about 0.5% of vegans developed type 2 diabetes; 2.1% of meat eaters developed diabetes. Lacto-ovo vegetarians and low meat eaters also were at lower risk than those eating meat more than once a week.
One interesting part of this article was when it mentioned that “the risk of developing diabetes in fish eaters was similar to that of heavy meat eaters.” I’ve heard many people put meat on a scale.. red meat being absolute worst and fish being “okay”. But this study says otherwise.
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Here’s a link to the ginormous-sized version (so you can read the list of food!)
Note: If I were you, I’d steer clear of a large majority of these foods.. ie. Chili Cheese Fries and Marshmallows. ;) -
Think all vegans are skinny and weak? Here’s an article reminding us how wrong that misconception really is.
*This especially might be something worth sending to athletes, male friends and family members who are skeptical of a meatless diet.
