Tag Archives: vegetarian

10 Tips to Begin Transitioning to a Healthier Lifestyle

16 August
Fruits

Fruits

I believe health has many meanings and we all have a different definition of what being healthy is. At every stage of my journey I felt I was healthier than before. I believe that being healthy is a cycle of different parts of one’s lifestyle. I believe it’s not just about food and exercise, but also about state of mind and the environment we live in. However, food and exercise have a huge impact on the other elements of one’s lifestyle.

Therefore, I will start with answering one of the most common questions I get asked, what are some of the things a person can begin to do to change their lifestyle to a healthier one? I’ve summarized what I believe are the top 10 first steps to start transitioning.

Eliminate

I read and did tons of research when I started my journey. I began by eliminating the following from my diet and lifestyle.

High Fructose corn Syrup

It’s almost in everything! Reading labels is very important and you will find that high fructose corn syrup is in everything you are used to eating and drinking. Why is it bad for you? Well I will need almost another page to write about that, but instead, I would suggest to read Dr. Andrew Weil’s explanation

Trans Fats and Hydrogenated Oils

Once again, reading labels is very important. Even though some packaged foods may say “No Trans Fats,” they may have hydrogenated oils. They are not the same, and I will let Dr. Weil explain that in his article.

Coffee

I loved coffee! It took me two weeks to quit. I replaced it with black tea, green tea, and white tea. These teas have caffeine but lack the toxins that coffee has and will help you begin the transition from coffee. How is that something so tasty can be bad for you? Well the studies conducted recently contradict each other leaving us with only the side effects to judge. Side effects according to Dr. Weil may include “anxiety, insomnia, tremor, irregular heartbeat, irritate the digestive system, bladder and prostate.”

Junk and Fast Food

Have you ever wondered why fast food is so inexpensive? Why junk food is so addicting? Well if you read the labels you can see the answers to those questions. Most contain trans fats, hydrogenated oil, and high fructose corn syrup. If you eat it everyday, start small by cutting any fast and junk food two days a week the first week, three days the next week and so forth.

TV

Why is TV bad for you? Well not all shows are bad, but the more time we spend on the couch watching TV, the more time we loose on other activities that can contribute to a healthier lifestyle. I would suggest cutting down the amount of time spent on the couch watching TV and playing games to 30 to 45 minutes a day and begin replacing that with other activities. This is one addiction I’m still battling.

Add to your Lifestyle

So we remove bad things and replace them with good things. Here is a list of things one can begin to add to help the transition.

Whole Grains and Foods

Replace white rice, white bread, white pasta, with whole grains and foods such as brown rice, whole wheat breads and pasta. I developed a love for Soba noodles, rice noodles and past as well as long brown rice and whole grains.  Most grocery stores carry these nowadays and have reasonable prices.

Vegetables and Fruits

Organic Vegetables

Organic Vegetables

Probably one of the most important things to add to one’s new healthier lifestyle. At the beginning I would recommend to start with frozen vegetables that way you can experiment and find what you like and then replace them with fresh vegetables. Many times, if one is not used to eating certain veggies, buying fresh and not using them in time can be discouraging. Replace the afternoon snack-machine-candy-bar for a fruit or the morning on-the-go frozen-breakfast for a fresh fruit smoothie. You will be adding tons of vitamins to your diet without having to spend money on additional vitamins.

Water

Drinking Delicious Ionized Water from Reusable Bottle

Drinking Delicious Ionized Water from Reusable Bottle

Drinking water is very important to help the body eliminate toxins. Start small if you are not used to drinking water. Replace two of your preferred drinks with a bottle of water everyday until you are able to drink water without thinking. I prefer Essentia water because it has the highest pH available in bottled water, but I also rather carry my reusable bottle and fill it up with water from my own filtered kitchen sink. I later bought a water Ionizer which I prefer.

Spending Time with Nature and Doing Outdoor Activities

So even though I’m a TV addict and can spend up to 6 hours straight in front of the TV without even blinking, I feel much better when I go outside and spend time with nature. I don’t pay for being outdoors; I find activities or recreational sites that are free. For example, going to the beach, taking a walk in a park, hiking in local parks, going for a car ride, riding a bicycle around the block, or simply sitting in my backyard reading. Even if you live in a city, there are parks and sites. If not, use your balcony or roof to spend time outside your living area away from the TV.

Exercise for 30 minutes three times a week

I know… I know… this is the hardest thing to do! I love and hate exercise. I love it when I’m doing it, and I hate it before I begin. I can come up with all sorts of excuses to getting out of exercising. So I’ve decided now that as creative as I get with the excuses, I can be creative on how I get my 30 minutes of exercise a week. I recently started going to the beach and swimming in the ocean three times a week after work and swimming for 30 to 45 minutes a day. I also have a rebounder that I moved near my computer and started to jump for 15 minutes before I begin to check my email or go on Facebook, etc. While Denis works on the computer I may do some yoga poses while I wait for the computer or lift some weights. I belonged to a gym and loved it, but we had to cut out our budget for the gym to save money. Now, I look for ways to exercise for free.

Walk on the Beach

Walk on the Beach

Every person is different and I suggest beginning very small. Pick one thing from each list to begin with and see how it works for you. It also helps to have the support of others or people who can do it with you. I’ve read many books and done research before I started. I also do a general check up every year and get my blood work done too.

It’s important to have the help of a doctor before making any changes to your lifestyle.

Here are some of the books I would recommend reading before getting started:

8 Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body’s Natural Healing Power by Dr. Andrew Weil

Eating Well For Optimum Health: The Essential Guide to Bringing Health and Pleasure Back to Eating By Dr. Andrew Weil

The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health by Robert O. Young
The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World by John Robbins
Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples by John Robbins
The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life: Simple Measures That benefit You and the Place You Live by Nell Newman

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman

For more books on health, food, and exercise, visit the Books Tab.

Our First Raw Party

09 August
Raw Party

Raw Party 7/31/09

Last Friday we hosted our first Raw Party! Not a potluck or meetup… a party!

After the Raw Spirit Fest 2008 in Sedona, I realized that what we were missing in our lifestyle was entertaining our friends.

When Denis and I fist moved in together, we used to have parties every weekend. I would cook all sorts of dishes (beef kabobs Russian style was a favorite), and friends would bring beer and such. It was lots of fun to entertain our friends and enjoy their company. As we got older, the parties stopped. Not because we didn’t want to or because our eating habits changed. Life just got busier with all of us graduating, moving away, working full time, getting married, and having kids.

Last year, Anthony Anderson of Rawmodel.com wrote a touching blog post that has stayed with me everyday. It was about friendships and judging others that are different from us. People believe we judge them by what they eat because we eat raw vegan food. We didn’t have any friends that were raw vegans when we started and all of my friends were not even vegetarian. I feel that most friends thought that any socializing that revolved around food was out of the question. Even now most of my friends think that we can only eat in “special” restaurants.

In fact, a few weeks ago one of my coworkers confessed that for months she thought that she could not go out to eat with one of her friends who has been a raw foodist for over 15 years. I was astounded! And I don’t know why because after years of being vegetarian/vegan/raw foodist I still get emails from friends and family members asking me what we can do that doesn’t involve food. Or if there is a party (and recently a wedding), they always call and ask what can they make us so that we can eat. We love all our friends and food is not going to change that.

I also noticed that people feel like they cannot eat their regular food in front of us. I have a “don’t ask don’t tell policy.” I don’t ask or tell anyone anything about their food or my food because everyone is different and only one knows what is good for oneself. We are all different and being a raw vegan is good for me but I won’t tell anyone is good for them because I strongly believe that everyone is entitled to live their life the way they want to. I won’t judge anyone for what they eat. My brother sits in front on me and eats a steak and I don’t judge him.

So I wanted to have a party to entertain all my friends… beef eaters and fruit eaters, babies and adults, single and married, black, brown, white, yellow, small and big, they all were welcomed! It was not about the food and it was not about converting anyone, simply to have a good time with great people. And that’s what we did! The energy was amazing and the live music was awesome! Kids were running around and adults were enjoying a night of much needed fun. Drinks and food were provided and many friends brought other delicious dishes to share. There was no plan agenda but to have fun all night and get to know each other and enjoy the company of everyone.

Thanks to all my friends that came out to our first raw party!

For the recipes see the party menu.

Raw Party Menu

09 August

Appetizers

Zucchini Rolls

10 Zucchinis sliced in a mandolin slicer (for two people use 2 or 3 zucchinis and reduce the marinade)

1 cup of your favorite marinade (see recipe below)

2 cups of your favorite pate (see recipe below)

Slice zucchini using a Mandolin slicer and marinate the night before (I place them into a lasagna pan as if they were lasagna noodles and pour the marinade over each layer). When ready, prepare the pate to fill the rolls. Line up the zucchini slices and put a spoon of pate at on the slice and roll the zucchini and put in the dehydrator sheet. Repeat process to use all slices and pate. Dehydrate for 2-3 hours.

Marinade I recommend

Namashoyu

Braggs

Olive Oil

Italian Herbs

Pate I used for party

1 cup of hemp seeds

¼ cup of pine nuts

½ sun flower seeds

Olive oil

Salt to taste

2 Tbs. water

Italian herbs to taste

Crackers and Pate

White Crackers

1 cup sunflower seeds soaked for 1 hour

½ cup hemp seeds soaked for 1 hour

¼ sesame seeds soaked for 1 hour

¼ pumpkin seeds soaked for 1 hour

1 cup ground yellow flax seeds (I used yellow to make them light)

½ shredded zucchini

Any seasoning to taste (I often alternate between Italian herbs or Mexican Seasoning)

About 1 cup water

1 Tbs. salt

I soak all the seeds in the same container and after 1 or 2 hours I drain them and rinse them again with ionized water. I them put them in the food processor and grind. Put the grind mixed seeds in a bowl and add the flax powder and seasonings as well as salt. Mix well and then add the shredded zucchini. I add as much water as I want and continue to mix until I have the desired consistency and that way the crackers won’t have to dehydrate for a very long time. After mixing and making a “dough”, press them flat onto a teflex sheet and dehydrate for approximately 4 to 8 hours. Serve with any pate, salsa, or guacamole.

The original recipes is from LifeFood Recipe Book by Anni Padden Jubb and David Jubb

Main Dishes

Indian food

Indian Dish

3 zucchinis diced small

1 small eggplant diced small

1 broccoli cut in mini florets same size as the other vegetables

1 cup of diced tomatoes

1 yellow zucchini diced small

1 cup peas

1 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. olive oil

Curry powder to taste (I use about 2 Tbs. of curry)

A pinch of garam masala

A pinch of cumin

Salt to taste

Curry Sauce (see recipe below)

Mixed all the ingredients in a bowl and let the marinade mix well. Transfer to a teflex sheet and dehydrate for 1 to 2 hours.

Curry Sauce

1 red pepper

1 cup of sundried tomatoes soaked for about 2 hours

Garlic to taste (I use about 2 cloves or more)

1 Tbs. lemon juice

Ginger to taste (I use about an inch cube)

½ cup of cilantro

Curry powder to taste

1 Tbs. Coconut oil

Salt to taste

*To make it spicy I add about 1 red or green jalapeño

Blend all the ingredients in the blender until smooth (you may want to add a little bit of water or oil to make it more liquid). Bring the vegetables out from the dehydrator and put in a glass container and add the curry sauce. Mix well and return to dehydrator for another hour or so.

The original recipe is from Get Fresh Magazine by Russell James

Salad & Raw Nut Tofu

 

Salad and Tofu

 

I made a big salad and one of our friends brought another salad which everyone loved! I often use lettuce to replace rice and serve with any dish.

Raw Nut Tofu

1 cup Irish moss paste

¼ cup water

½ lemon juice

2 cups of Cashews soaked for 2 hours

1 Tbs. of unpasteurized light miso

Salt to taste

Blend in high power blender until smooth. Use a plastic wrapped container to pour the mix. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve. Another variation on this is to actually marinade the tofu in the kind of sauce you want until it soaks the sauce. I put the marinade in the blender from the beginning and refrigerate longer.

The original recipe is from Get Fresh Magazine by Russell James

Drinks

Ice Tea & Watermelon Juice

Ionized Water

Desserts

Chocolate Pudding

1 Avocado

¼ cup raw cacao

2 Tbs. maca powder

¼ cup raw agave

1 Tsp. of Mesquite powder

Salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth. Set in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Vegetarian vs. Vegan

26 July
Vegan Sandwich

Vegan Sandwich

Many of my friends and family members often ask us what is vegetarianism and veganism, difference between them, and the benefits of changing to these lifestyles. So I’ve decided to write about these three commonly asked questions and explain what I have learned in the subject of vegetarianism and veganism.

Definitions and Difference

Vegetarianism means to me to exclude all animals (meats and fish) from one’s diet. There are three subcategories within the definition of being a vegetarian. Lacto-Vegetarian includes dairy, Ovo-Vegetarian includes eggs, and Lacto-Ovo vegetarian includes both eggs and dairy. Veganism excludes all animals and animal byproducts not only from one’s diet but also one’s lifestyle. For example, vegan will not buy leather goods, or soaps that contain animals, etc. Therefore, the difference between being a vegetarian and a vegan is that vegetarians still consume some animal products (eggs, cheese, butter, honey, etc) even though they don’t eat the flesh. Vegans don’t eat, wear, or buy any animal products.

Benefits

Some of the benefits I found by transitioning to a vegetarian and later vegan diet included improvement in my health, increase in money savings, and decrease in environmental impact.

When I first started in the whole-foods/health journey, I was obese. Once I started fading out the amount of flesh I consumed, I started to loose weight. In addition, I saw changes improving my skin, energy level, mood swings, and productivity. I made sure to transition carefully and visit my doctor regularly to run blood tests to ensure that the process was not damaging to my body.

As we stopped buying animal products, I noticed that we were spending less money on food bills and eating out. We were also spending less money on energy drinks, extra vitamins, and restaurants as we found that vegetarian dishes are usually the least expensive in restaurant menus.

When we became vegetarians and later vegans, we were not aware of the impact that consuming animal flesh has in the environment. Always being an environmental conscious person, I was blinded about the effects that animal consumption has on our earth. I was glad to find months after the complete transition to veganism that we were helping save the planet by not consuming and not buying any animal byproducts.  I strongly believe that one cannot be an environmentalist and still eat animal flesh.

I don’t judge people for what they choose to eat. I have many friends and family members who will eat a steak in front of me while I’m eating a raw vegan meal. I believe every person has the right to make their own decisions when it comes to their lifestyle, and therefore, only one knows what is good for one’s self. I do not recommend anyone to change their lifestyle without doing the appropriate research and getting the advice of experts. I strongly believe that every person is different and what is good for me may not be good for another person. So here are some resources that can direct you to find answers.

Books

  • Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner’s Guide by the Editors of Vegetarians Times
  • The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health by Robert O. Young
  • The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World by John Robbins
  • Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples by John Robbins
  • The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life: Simple Measures That benefit You and the Place You Live by Nell Newman
  • Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman
  • The Great American Detox Diet: Feel Better, Look Better, and Lose Weight by Cleaning Up Your Diet by Alex Jamieson
  • If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit by Hale Sofia Schatz (Halé Sofia Schatz, Shira Shaiman)

Movies

  • Super Size Me (2004)
  • Crazy Sexy Cancer (2007)