My Mostly Clean Week

I have mostly been consuming the same foods I posted previously throughout the day. I have enjoyed them immensely and have gained complete satisfaction from their consumption. I did consume some non-vegan food items yesterday which included some Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mints) and some baked Cheetos. I had a bad day and I wasn't feeling good and I had a moment of emotional eating. I read somewhere that when your upset you should not eat. I wish I had practiced that but it's okay, I am still in transition.

One product I have become obsessed with is...
Synergy Organic & Raw Chia drinks!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 8 fl. oz.
Servings Per Container 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories 30
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 10mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 8g (2%)
Sugars 3g
Fiber 4g
Protein 2g

ADDITIONAL NUTRIENTS (per bottle):
Folic Acid 25%
Vitamin B1 20%
Vitamin B2 20%
Vitamin B3 20%
Vitamin B6 20%
Vitamin B12 20%

PROBIOTIC CONTENT:
Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086: 1 billion
S. Boulardii: 1 billion

ANTIOXIDANTS & ORGANIC ACIDS
EGCG 100mg - Glucuronic Acid 10 mg
L(+) Lactic Acid 25mg - Acetic Acid 30 mg

These drinks contain Chia seeds which are a super nutrient dense food. Top benefits Include:

1. Help Stablize blood sugar and reduce junk food cravings - The gel forming that the Chia seeds produce when soaked in water is due to soluble fiber in the chia. In your digestive system, this gel actually slows down the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar, thus helps to stablize blood sugar. By eliminating the peaks and valleys of your blood sugar, you get a more consistent energy level and reduced cravings.
   
2. Help your concentrate and improve your mood- Chia is an excellent source of Essential Fatty Acids, which are critical for concentration and other brain functions.
3. Energize now, Sustained energy later! -Chia has great nutrients like proteins, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber, and complex carbohydrates to energize you. Chia can provide good stamina and energy over time due to its slowing of the sugar conversion mentioned in point 1. In fact, it has been called the runners food and was used by the Aztec Indians for long distance runs and endurance.
   
4. Fills you up - Chia seeds actually swells in water and help to make you feel full and potentially eat less. Take a look at the chia seed picture again and see how much each seed actually swells in just a ew minutes
   
5. Lower your cholesterol and heart health - Remember what is causes chia to swell in water? Chia is high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber has been shown to help lower cholesterol.
   
6. Digestive Health - Chia has both soluble fiber (which forms the outer gel), and insoluble fiber. Both types of fiber are healthy for the digestive system. The insoluble fiber helps cleans the intestinal tract. The soluble fiber can act as a prebiotic and help feed the good bacteria in your digestive system.
   
7. Help build lean muscle mass - Chia is high in protein and helpful in a weight loss or muscle building diet. It is even low-carb and vegetarian.
8. Get Better nutrition from other foods - Remember the gel in point 1? Well, by maintaining the proper level of hydration and electrolytes in your stomach you actually optimize your bodies ability to effectively absorb other nutrients. Also. the essential fatty acids in chia help the body emulsify and absorbs the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
   
9. Build strong bones - Chia not only contains calcium, but it also contains the trace mineral boron, which speeds the rate at which calcium is absorbed and utilized by the body.
10. Healthy nails, skin, and hair - Remember that chia seeds are loaded with over 60% essential fatty acids? Not only are they good for your mental clarify, those same essential fatty acids help skin, nails, and hair grow strong and healthy. They are also a great source of protein, which is essential to grow healthy hair, nails, and skin.
11. Maximum hydration - Chia is said to help maintain hydration which can be helpful for endurance athletes. Presoak chia seeds before your workout and consumption(http://blog.thrivefoods.net/2009/07/chia-seeds-top-10-benefits.html)

Chia Nutrition Information

1. Super Soaker - Chia seeds can soak up to ten times their weight in water! Look at the picture above and you can see how in just a few minutes chia swelled to several times it size. If it were to soak for a half an hour or so, the gel effect is even more dramatic. The gel is actually soluble fiber that is swelling in the water into hydrophylic colloid that has a medicinal affect for many digestive health issues.
   
2. Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds are the best plant source of omega-3's known. They contain over 60% essential fatty acids. They contain more omega-3's than flax seed. Omega fatty acids are important for concentration and brain health as well as other metabolic processes.
   
3. Easy access - Flax seed is fantastic (if you don't know it's benefits, you should do a bit of research or give it a try). However, Chia seed is even better than flax in in terms of ease of access to the nutrition. Chia seeds do not need to be ground for their nutrients to be available to the body. Plus, chia is very shelf stable without the need for fancy packaging or concern of rancidity.
4. Antioxidant protection -Loaded with antioxidants
   
5. Vitamins and minerals - Chia seeds provide calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, zinc, and even boron (which helps the absorbing of calcium by the body).
   
6. Gluten Free - Chia is a gluten free source of fiber and nutrition. If you have food allergies, check with your doctor, but chia is generally beneficial to the digestive system.
   
7. High source of protein - Chia is composed of over 20% protein, which is about 2 to 3 times higher than other seeds and grains. If you are a vegetarian looking for protein sources, check out chia! Plus, the protein source in chia is readily digestible and available to the body. So, if you are pregnant or a weight lifter, chia can provide benefits.
   
8. Low glycemic index - Chia has an extremely low glycemic index of 1, and actually helps to lower the rate at which other carbohydrates are converted to sugars.(http://blog.thrivefoods.net/2009/07/chia-seeds-top-10-benefits.html)

For anyone wondering how I would obtain my omega 3 and probiotic nutrients without consuming fish or yogurt now understand that I can obtain those nutrients and more from consuming this product. Chia seeds are also delicious when baked into foods or added to oatmeal. I prefer to consume them in a drink as the gelatin substance that they form inside of a liquid behaves like a sort of sticky gum substance in the body that sticks to toxins and carries them out as it naturally passes through. The consistency of the Synergy Chia drinks takes some getting use to but the flavor is wonderfully fresh and delicate.

Check back again for more posts!

Monday Yumday!

I woke up feeling very excited to prepare and try some of the foods I bought at the grocery store yesterday. I overate last night (on non-vegan foods) and so only had a banana and a cup of black coffee to begin my day. Side note- it is important to always begin the day with something to eat/drink in the morning because it is what breaks your sleeping fast and starts your metabolism. It is important because it is a way of waking up all of the body's organs and processes so it can preform at it's optimal level. Even after slipping up as I did and pigging out on junk food the night before and waking up full and nauseous, it is still important to get something in the body. I did feel significantly better after eating the banana and coffee. I don't mind black coffee, I actually have preferred it ever since I spent a summer in Spain and became accustomed to it there.

This is what I had for lunch....and I LOVED it! Spicey refried beans with tortilla chips! The beans were made with jalapenos, garlic, pinto beans, and sea salt. I have been eating Garden of Eatin' blue corn chips for years now, they are organic and made with 3 or 4 simple ingredients. I love them and the combination of the chips and beans were out of this world.

For tonight's dinner which will also last me 2 more meals for the week I prepared....


a brown rice, bean sprout, broccoli, and tofu combo. For seasoning I used garlic, lemon juice, and lemon & pepper salts. This is a recipe I completely made up, I love it but I am not sure it would win any taste tests for the general public. I fried the tofu and boiled the broccoli and of course the rice. I threw in the bean sprouts just as they were without adding anything to them or cooking them. It's very light and delicate in taste with an extra zing in it due to the garlic.

Fun Fact Time: "Garlic is nature's wonder drug. Its medicinal value has been understood by herbalists for at least 2000 years. While modern research is confirming this ancient tradition, don't expect to hear much about it from the pharmaceutical companies or their puppets: allopathic doctors (i.e. "conventional medical doctors"). Garlic cannot be patented and exploited as such. They will attempt to find an "active ingredient," derive a drug from it, and patent and promote that. Vitamin and supplement companies, on the other hand, are extolling some of the virtues of garlic and promoting their "deodorized" products. But these products are not nearly as effective as raw garlic. Once again, the best source for proper nutrition comes from food itself. "
Consuming it as a food can:

• Prevent cancer
• Lower your cholesterol level
• Reverse high blood pressure
• Boost your immune system
• Overcome fatigue
• Resist colds and flus

(http://quanta-gaia.org/reviews/books/powerOfGarlic.html).

For snacks today I prepared...



A mixed bowl of cucumbers, grapes, raspberries, apples, and clementine pieces. I also cut up some celery that I plan to use for dipping in hummus. Not featured is a bag of unsalted pistachios that I also plan to munch on throughout the day.

No, I am not timing out meals or snacks and no I am not worried about the amount of calories I am consuming. Whatever I don't finish I'll save for the next day and if I find myself feeling hungry I'll add more healthy snacks. I am eating when my body feels hungry and choosing the sweeter or more salty items, or the softer or more crunchy items to munch on whenever my body calls for it or a craving strikes. Part of eating healthy and naturally is listening to what my body desires and when. I am not doing this to deprive my body, to punish it, or to make it fit into smaller clothes, I am doing it to nourish it and show it love (a little hippyish I know but true!).

That is all for now folks! Questions and comments are always welcomed!

Hungry For Change - Part 1

The Start of The Beginning!

I will be updating this blog much more frequently as my diet begins to shift more drastically but over the last week I only managed to make a few changes worth describing. Because I had already purchased a lot of items that contained dairy in it, I didn't completely eliminate it from my diet yet as I do not want to be wasteful. I haven't consumed any meat since march 17th but I did eat a piece of salmon in a Mediterranean Salmon Salad that a good friend of mine bought for me at Panera. I was shocked at the lack of veg choices at Panera. Most of them contain some type of dairy in it which is depressing for me because it was one of my favorite places to grab a quick bite.

I did go out for sushi with my sister this past Friday night and instead of ordering Spicy Tuna & Salmon Rolls I ordered Avocado Rolls and Vegetable Rolls in addition to some yummy Miso Soup. I felt extremely satisfied after the meal and surprisingly did not crave any more food.
Fun Fact Time:
"The undeniably most medicinal soy food is miso. Current scientific research now supports its historical health claims. This delicious food is an effective therapeutic aid in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, certain cancers, radiation sickness and hypertension. Miso soup consumption is linked with up to a 50% reduced risk of breast cancer according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute." (http://www.rebeccawood.com/food-as-medicine/miso-a-delicious-and-healing-food/)

Saturday I went out for lunch to a new Chinese/Japanese restaurant that opened up down the street from my home. I ordered Miso soup and mixed vegetables with bean curd and rice. I learned that bean curd is another term for tofu. It was delicious and again I felt completely satisfied. I did not suffer from any gastrointestinal issues that sometimes occur when I order other things on a typical Chinese food menu, and I did not feel sluggish or tired. I actually noticed that I felt more mentally alert and content.

I went grocery shopping today and stocked up on even more vegetables and fruit than usual. I also picked up some rice noodles, hummus, edamame, non-salted pistachios, refried organic "vegan friendly" beans in a can, a dairy free frozen pizza made by Amy's Kitchen, and some other dairy free frozen meals made by Amy's Kitchen that are mostly bean and vegetable base. I will be reviewing some of these items and the recipes I follow on this blog. I am terrible cook hence the presence of frozen meals in my grocery list. It is something I plan to work on though and hopefully master at some point. Whether Vegan or not, frozen meals are not healthy to live on and should only be used when necessary. While I am in transition I think frozen meals might be my life savors as I experiment with new foods, new recipes, and with just cooking in general.

That's all for now Folks, I promise to post more updates as I continue on my journey! Please feel free to post any questions or comments.

A little plug for Amy's Kitchen:
Check out their website to learn more about their products and the philosophy behind them!

I also urge anyone reading this to check out this free online movie:
Hungry For Change
All you have to do is enter a name and an emailing address into the registration box and you will instantly be granted access to the movie. The film is life-changing and full of easy to understand critical information. I have also included a trailer to the movie posted above.

Socially Responsible & Committed to Feeling Great!

So! When this blog was originally created it was titled "Plants For Life" and it cataloged my 6 day juicing challenge. After I finished my juicing challenge which consisted of consuming nothing but 74 ounces of juiced plants and vegetables for 6 days I returned to eating grains, a fair amount of sugar (but not as much as before), some fast food again (significantly less then before), some meat (about once or twice a week), and a LOT of dairy (all day, every day).

What I learned was the juicing fast was a temporary fix for my not-s0-temporary problems which include the following:
Oversleeping
Periods of exhaustion that come and go all day long
Mental Fog (difficulty concentrating/focusing, having difficulty articulating my thoughts at times, forgetting things frequently, etc)
Lack of sustained energy when working out & running
Debilitating menstrual cramps
Periods of irritability

I am convinced these problems are associated with my diet more than ever because during the 6 day juice fast and for about 14 days after I felt amazing and completely "symptom free". I enjoyed less sleep, sustained energy, mental clarity, amazing work out sessions & long runs, a menstrual cycle completely absent of pain (!!!!), and mood stability.

So why VEGAN?

I have been reading a lot of research on the benefits of a Vegan diet which include experiencing everything I have listed above. Additionally, I have learned more about the devastating impact that meat (and dairy) consumption has on the environment, and animal cruelty in agriculture. I have also ready a number of research articles that not only identify known carcinogens in meat (and dairy) but also connected the consumption with an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, dementia, and autoimmune disorders. I have even read that countries with litte-no meat (and dairy) consumption happen to have little-practically no rates of cancer or obesity and significantly reduced rates of heat disease.

One easy to read book that really explains everything I have mentioned cohesively and with supporting evidence is Alicia Silverstone's book titled: "The Kind Diet". I was a little skeptical at first, after all she is a celebrity and I was almost expecting some crazy antidote for how to become skinny by following a restrictive diet that claims to help the environment. That is not at all what this book is about. It is a genuine case for becoming a Vegan supported by case studies, empirical research, and exploitation of the ways in which media manipulate American Society into consuming meat (and dairy) after being funded by meat and dairy big wig providers. It does not suggest that meat and dairy consumption is destroying our precious Earth, it proves it to you.

In no way do I believe I could jump right into becoming a full-time Vegan overnight. Being the cheese, egg, and ice-cream junkie that I am, I know it is going to take some time. I plan to blog about my transition, and hopefully cultivate support. I also plan to share articles, quotes, other blogs, and books that I come across that are relevant to this journey.

I thank you in advance for coming on this journey with me! As a little disclaimer I'd also like to add that in no way do I intend to push a Vegan diet on anyone else.

Links:
Purchase The Kind Diet Here!
The Kind Life . Com