Happy Thursday my lovely readers. I’ve been absent from the blogger-verse lately because life just seems to be speeding by at a pace that won’t allow for a blog break. My best friend gave birth to her first child (sweetest baby ever!) which I spent most of last week soaking up. I’ve been elbow deep in tootsie kisses and nose nuzzles. I’ve also been researching/making some personal lifestyle changes to improve my health …which is quite time consuming when you want to absorb all the info available. That’s not to say I was unhealthy before but I’m always open to new information or as lady O would say: “living my best life”. I’ve been a vegetarian for about 8 years now and always had the goal in the back of my mind to give up animal products altogether (ie. milk, cheese, eggs, honey etc.) I wanted to do this for several reasons and trust me when I say there are countless reasons but I won’t preach about it because it’s a personal choice for every individual. Back to my original point, I finally achieved my goal of living on a plant-based diet and I’m pleased as punch about it! (Sugar free, 100% juice punch, but punch none the less.)
I love to spread the health-wealth to everyone and because we all deserve long happy lives I thought I’d share with you some of my current discoveries, cravings, and must-haves for my new lifestyle. Whether you consider yourself a carnivore, a herbivore or you just like to try new things, these are all neat ideas worth checking out for yourself:
One of the most interesting and exciting parts of taking up a whole new diet is the recipes. I should mention when I use the word “diet” I don’t mean it in the same way as when you hear, “The Atkins Diet” or “The South Beach Diet”. This is a permanent lifestyle change which is why it has a permanent and positive effect on your health. You don’t give this up in six months when you’ve reached your weight goals just to gain it all back and then some. But as I was saying, there is a whole world of yummy recipes to try. You also get to try foods you’ve never eaten before and have fun just being creative in the kitchen. I’ve honestly never enjoyed cooking as much as I do now. These are three recipes I highly recommend for you to try over this exhausting summer heat. They’re indulgent (in a good way; it’s difficult to gain weight on plant-based foods), super fresh, and soooo delicious:
Mint Tahini Pineapple Kale Tofu Wrap

These are a few of the super “health foods” I’ve found while browsing my local health food stores that I have rather enjoyed the effects of:
Maca powder is a super food that is said to increase stamina, boost libido, and combat fatigue. All fabulous and greatly appreciated effects right? It has a slightly nutty taste that I use to sprinkle in my oatmeal and smoothies. This is not cheap stuff but you only need about a teaspoon a day so it does last a long time.






Before I decided to make this change in my live I did a ton of mad-scientist reading on the subject of plant-based diets. I don’t like to make decisions lightly or from an uneducated perspective about anything let alone my health. I wanted to know why these diets are beneficial, what they will do for me and my body, and how it’s all put into action in a reasonable and manageable way for my everyday life. I feel like it’s important to know your stuff especially when you meet aggressive people -and you will, should you go down this path- who jump to conclusions about your choices and challenge your views. This has happened a lot to me even as a vegetarian so I knew I’d be up against some “discussions” soon to come. I’ve found that these books were hugely instrumental in my decision to make a change. Even if you know you will never give up your steaks and ice-cream there is still some pivotal information here and making healthful choices isn’t an “all or nothing” decision. Aka: You can have your cake and eat it too!
Alicia Silverstone has been getting a lot of flack for her parenting style lately but I choose not to judge. (Maybe because I grew up in the nineties utterly addicted to her movie “Clueless”? But who can say for sure?..) Whether you like her or not, the girl knows her stuff. The Kind Diet is loaded with information that is helpful to everyone, from those who are just emerging into this new world, to those who are pros at it. It walks you through the entire process with such a calm non-judgmental tone to it that you feel like it really is possible for some of these options to work into your lifestyle and you don’t have to feel guilty if you can only make small changes because hey, that’s better than nothing. The Kind Diet is broken into three branches of vegan-ism. There’s “Flirting” which is for the newbies who are considering incorporating this diet into their lives and want to dip their toes in the water. “Vegan” for those that have decided they’re ready to fully commit to cutting out all animal based products and lastly, “Superheroes” which is a section all about the best of the best food for you to eat. Check it out from your library, order it on Amazon, or borrow it from a friend because it is an awesome read.




So I hoped I shared some helpful information with you folks. This is just where my life is at right now so it’s kind of the focus of my day-to-day. I’ll never force unsolicited preaching on anyone or a wag a finger at their diet choices because that isn’t my place but I can tell you that since making the switch I personally feel so incredible compared to where I was at and I considered myself a normal healthy twenty-something woman. I’ve got more energy than I’ve ever had, excess weight is falling off, and my conscience is clear of all the grim discoveries about what the other foods were doing to my body and my animal friends. I’ll leave you with that and bid you adieu until my next post.
Much love!
3 comments:
Well, I'm no vegetarian or vegan but I am always up to try new things! You should link up on Wednesdays and share some new recipes you've found and loved!
Thanks for the tip Shelley! I'll have to check that out for sure.
Congrats on finding this new journey! I love how inspired you are!
Post a Comment