You know there is something I think is amuck in this country other then the politicians! Every time I see it, read it, hear it or experience it I cringe. People have a way of assuming just because something is right in their eyes, everyone else should be seeing the world through their glasses.
I can understand standing up for what you believe in but what about the people who don't believe the same way as you? It is right for you or justified for you to look down upon them and their beliefs and positions?
I personally don't think it is, nor do I condone that behavior. This is why I try to use a little more tact and an informational approach then preaching my beliefs! Whats right for me isn't right for everybody.
I believe I have made the right choices, (and this is where I think it gets sticky sometimes) FOR ME and my life. That is not to say it is right for any other Joe out there and conversely its not to say it isn't right either. I still see some in the veggie/vegan community who are adamant and very vocal about their personal beliefs. Like I said it is ok to stand for what you believe in but chastising another for their personal decisions may not be the best approach to use to get your point across!
I believe the world will be much more sustainable for a longer period of time should more people adopt a plant based diet however if you choose to eat meat then so be it. Its your decision, your still entitled to it and who am I to tell you your wrong for doing it? I did it for 40+ years!
This is probably more of a rant then anything else on my part but some things I just like to get off my chest and then move on to the next project! All I ask from anyone is respect my decision to live a plant based lifestyle and I will respect your decision in kind!
I still think there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding out there about the veggie/vegan lifestyle. The other day I am picking up some leeks in the grocery store for another batch of my famous potato leek soup. A very nice woman was in the same section I was and politely asked me "Now, what do you do with leeks?" I began by telling her I make potato leek soup with them and started to give her more information on how to do it. I told her I was vegetarian so I didn't use butter or milk in the recipe but instead used soy milk and butter substitute. I did get a somewhat strange look from her but just kept telling her how easy it was and how delicious it comes out! I certainly do not hide behind my choices and I am not afraid to converse about them or promote them when the issue arises. She was super nice and thanked me for the information.
There is something to be said for good old fashioned politeness and niceness. I really think this has been lost in todays current society. To that point it is hard to even find good customer service anymore and that is another blog all in itself!
Just remember our lives are based upon our individuality and each persons decisions. Just because we don't agree with something isn't grounds for war. Maybe if we took more time to understand each other with kindess and niceness we might just learn something we don't know!
Thanks for visiting my blog! Until next time,
Kel
Check out my other blog and follow my journeys as I transform and old overweight, unhealthy body into slimmer, stronger, lean mean machine! Weight Loss HQ
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Living Veganetarian (Veggie-Vegan)
Adopting the lifestyle of vegan I thought was going to be just another "phase" of trials and errors that my wife and I would go through. I was convinced it was going to be too tough, expensive, not doable and we wouldn't have any clue how to go about transitioning in to the lifestyle. Turns out that wasn't the case at all!
I find it easier being veggie-vegan everyday that passes. I realized that instead of spending more money on groceries we are spending less overall. I found the conversion very easy and it gets easier everyday however the first couple weeks were a little rough figuring out what to eat. I honestly can not imagine going back to a non plant based diet now.
Having said that I was a strict carnivore for 40 years. I never dreamed I would not eat meat in my meals a minimum of once a day. There isn't anything I didn't like, I loved steaks, fish, pork and chicken and personally make killer burgers, my family will attest to that! Having now made this transition and having eliminated all animal products from my diet I have to tell you what I have found.
Energy - my energy level has easily doubled and some days I would say it has tripled. I haven't had this kind of energy in twenty years. I literally feel stronger and after going to the gym for the past several weeks I can tell you I am performing activities and exercises that I haven't been able to complete before switching to a non meat diet.
Weight - I have lost considerable weight since switching to a non animal diet. Yes I have added exercise but there is no way I would have dropped the same amount of weight by just going to the gym. I know this because I have done it before ( a few times) on an animal based diet. By eliminating the fats and chemicals found in animal based food I am naturally slimming down.
Eating habits - I eat more now then I have in years. Maybe not in the calorie sense of eating but in sheer quantity yeah, I eat! I find myself eating every few hours, and rarely do I find myself actually "hungry" anymore. I'm a food lover. I love to eat and I love food. Eating this way has definitely helped to keep me from continuing down the road as a prime diabetes candidate.
My thoughts - now this is a slow process but my thoughts, mind and thinking has changed. I find myself much more positive about the day to day cycle of life then when I was eating meat all the time. I can't say this is due to my diet changes but it sure is a welcome change!
Lethargy - When I was a heavy meat eater I was pretty lazy especially right after a meal. My stomach always felt heavy, I was tired, I didn't feel like doing anything after eating! Now when I eat I want to go do something, anything! I never feel that uncomfortable overfull brick in the stomach sensation anymore even when I eat more then I should!
I feel really, really healthy. I felt healthy before making the switch but now I feel so much better. Some of that comes from losing weight, some comes from fueling my body correctly and some comes from my diet changes. I can tell you it is awesome to feel healthy everyday!
The above are what I experienced. It doesn't mean everyone will experience the same but by reading about what others who have made the switch to a non animal based diet have written there are a lot of similarities.
If you thinking of switching up your routine I suggest adopting a minimum of once a week committing to a veggie-vegan day where you eat no animal products. There are so many resources for incredible meatless recipes and the food is amazingly good! Try it on for size, you'll be helping yourself, your family and the environment!
Thanks for visiting the blog! Until next time,
Kel
Check out my other blog tracking my progress on my personal journeys of weight loss Weight Loss HQ
I find it easier being veggie-vegan everyday that passes. I realized that instead of spending more money on groceries we are spending less overall. I found the conversion very easy and it gets easier everyday however the first couple weeks were a little rough figuring out what to eat. I honestly can not imagine going back to a non plant based diet now.
Having said that I was a strict carnivore for 40 years. I never dreamed I would not eat meat in my meals a minimum of once a day. There isn't anything I didn't like, I loved steaks, fish, pork and chicken and personally make killer burgers, my family will attest to that! Having now made this transition and having eliminated all animal products from my diet I have to tell you what I have found.
Energy - my energy level has easily doubled and some days I would say it has tripled. I haven't had this kind of energy in twenty years. I literally feel stronger and after going to the gym for the past several weeks I can tell you I am performing activities and exercises that I haven't been able to complete before switching to a non meat diet.
Weight - I have lost considerable weight since switching to a non animal diet. Yes I have added exercise but there is no way I would have dropped the same amount of weight by just going to the gym. I know this because I have done it before ( a few times) on an animal based diet. By eliminating the fats and chemicals found in animal based food I am naturally slimming down.
Eating habits - I eat more now then I have in years. Maybe not in the calorie sense of eating but in sheer quantity yeah, I eat! I find myself eating every few hours, and rarely do I find myself actually "hungry" anymore. I'm a food lover. I love to eat and I love food. Eating this way has definitely helped to keep me from continuing down the road as a prime diabetes candidate.
My thoughts - now this is a slow process but my thoughts, mind and thinking has changed. I find myself much more positive about the day to day cycle of life then when I was eating meat all the time. I can't say this is due to my diet changes but it sure is a welcome change!
Lethargy - When I was a heavy meat eater I was pretty lazy especially right after a meal. My stomach always felt heavy, I was tired, I didn't feel like doing anything after eating! Now when I eat I want to go do something, anything! I never feel that uncomfortable overfull brick in the stomach sensation anymore even when I eat more then I should!
I feel really, really healthy. I felt healthy before making the switch but now I feel so much better. Some of that comes from losing weight, some comes from fueling my body correctly and some comes from my diet changes. I can tell you it is awesome to feel healthy everyday!
The above are what I experienced. It doesn't mean everyone will experience the same but by reading about what others who have made the switch to a non animal based diet have written there are a lot of similarities.
If you thinking of switching up your routine I suggest adopting a minimum of once a week committing to a veggie-vegan day where you eat no animal products. There are so many resources for incredible meatless recipes and the food is amazingly good! Try it on for size, you'll be helping yourself, your family and the environment!
Thanks for visiting the blog! Until next time,
Kel
Check out my other blog tracking my progress on my personal journeys of weight loss Weight Loss HQ
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Carbs Are The Enemy - Or Are They?
Low carb diets never worked for me and after learning more about the body and carbs I have to disagree with the overall philosophy of low carb diets. Being an individual who rode the roller coaster of weight loss and gain for many years I have tried it all. High protein (thought I needed to do that to gain muscle), Low fat (made me literally unhealthy), high carb (made me fatter because my carb choices were poor) etc, etc. The quick fix "diet" crazes just do not work long term, plain and simple.
Heres a tiny overview to how carbs work in your body. Complex carbs, which are grains, oatmeal, brown rice, pasta, potatoes, dark breads etc, take longer to digest which also leave you feeling fuller longer.
The body breaks down carbs in to glucose which is used for energy. Understand that carbs are needed to promote muscle growth as well. Here is the skinny, in the past few years carbs have taken a bad wrap and I am not immune to this train of thought but I know better now. Carbs are needed for the energy to exercise and are your muscles first choice for energy fuel. When you eat carbs the body releases insulin which transports amino acids and glucose to the muscles. Glucose is what your body breaks carbs down to. So in a nutshell if your not ingesting enough carbs your essentially asking your body to utilize other sources (protein, muscle & fat) for energy. That is the basis behind low carb diets. The premis is to utilize the body as a fat burning machine by limiting its carb intake. The problem is its not very efficient for the body to do so and the human body was designed to burn muscle and fats in a state of emergency or famine NOT as a weight loss fix. Here is the trick (there is a trick for everything!) A well balanced diet should include complex carbs, proteins and fats in the right ratios. The trick is to give your body enough of these three nutrients to function as it was designed. Eating too much or the wrong kinds of any of the three of them is going to contribute to weight gain.
The fact of the matter is your body wants to utilize carbs for energy and for muscle growth so why would you deny your body what it needs? If your looking to gain muscle, have energy, exercise harder, perform better and / or lose weight enlist the bodies help by feeding it correctly!
It took me a long while to truly understand that if you want maximum results out of your body you have to feed it and you have to feed it correctly!
Thanks for visiting my blog - Until next time,
Kel
Vegan Fitness & Bodybuilding is my daily Twitter driven news post - check it out! http://bit.ly/oVhN0q ▸
Heres a tiny overview to how carbs work in your body. Complex carbs, which are grains, oatmeal, brown rice, pasta, potatoes, dark breads etc, take longer to digest which also leave you feeling fuller longer.
The body breaks down carbs in to glucose which is used for energy. Understand that carbs are needed to promote muscle growth as well. Here is the skinny, in the past few years carbs have taken a bad wrap and I am not immune to this train of thought but I know better now. Carbs are needed for the energy to exercise and are your muscles first choice for energy fuel. When you eat carbs the body releases insulin which transports amino acids and glucose to the muscles. Glucose is what your body breaks carbs down to. So in a nutshell if your not ingesting enough carbs your essentially asking your body to utilize other sources (protein, muscle & fat) for energy. That is the basis behind low carb diets. The premis is to utilize the body as a fat burning machine by limiting its carb intake. The problem is its not very efficient for the body to do so and the human body was designed to burn muscle and fats in a state of emergency or famine NOT as a weight loss fix. Here is the trick (there is a trick for everything!) A well balanced diet should include complex carbs, proteins and fats in the right ratios. The trick is to give your body enough of these three nutrients to function as it was designed. Eating too much or the wrong kinds of any of the three of them is going to contribute to weight gain.
The fact of the matter is your body wants to utilize carbs for energy and for muscle growth so why would you deny your body what it needs? If your looking to gain muscle, have energy, exercise harder, perform better and / or lose weight enlist the bodies help by feeding it correctly!
It took me a long while to truly understand that if you want maximum results out of your body you have to feed it and you have to feed it correctly!
Thanks for visiting my blog - Until next time,
Kel
Vegan Fitness & Bodybuilding is my daily Twitter driven news post - check it out! http://bit.ly/oVhN0q ▸
Monday, July 25, 2011
Simple Steps To A Healthier Approach
There is a wealth of information about the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles on the web but if your looking for simple steps to tweak your day to day routine its sometimes hard to find what you looking for.
There are plenty of things to try if your thinking about the lifestyle or just testing the waters.
The easiest would be to plan to make one or two meals a week meat free. When you really put your mind to work its not as hard as you think. Something simple and delicious would be a veggie lasagne. Load that bad boy up with cauliflower, broccoli, tomatos, green and yellow squash, peppers - just about any vegetable works and trust me lasagne does not need meat to be delicious! If your using real cheese the recipe wouldn't work so well if you wanted a vegan meal but its a step in the right direction.
On the BBQ grill up your favorite veggies for a special treat, make them the focus of the meal and the meat secondary. For breakfast dice together a fruit salad, try some oatmeal or better yet banana nut pancakes or whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana!
Don't underestimate the power of beans. Kidney, black, pinto, garbanzo, great northern etc are all excellent sources of protein, energy and are seriously filling treats! Try a half can of beans and add some chili powder, a little cumin, salt and pepper and make some chili beans. Way good!
If your looking for a nice refreshing lunch, how about a CLT? Cucumber, Lettuce & Tomato with hummus spread on whole grain bread. Guacamole is a great treat as well, loaded with healthy fats and very satisfying. Have it with your favorite blue corn tortilla chips. Make a lunch out of it instead of an appetizer!
Veggie pizza is another winner. My blog has a recipe for rosemary garlic pizza crust and top it with your favorite veggies and sprinkle Daiya cheese replacement shreds on top. Very, very good!
Pasta is always a winner. There are many brands that are whole wheat or multigrain now. Just make your favorite sauce minus the meat or meatballs. The flavor is definitely still there! Substitute vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef broth and try using soy milk instead of cows milk in your recipes. Instead of real butter try Smart Balance, for someone who loves the flavor of real butter I have found a very respectable replacement with Smart Balance.
Once you start tackling the basics and putting more emphasis on the fruits and veggies in your diet the transition to less meat becomes easier. You become more creative when cooking and the possibilities are really endless.
Make sure you become a label reader. Know what is added to your foods. I read every label now, its actually kind of fun, there are so many additives that really have no place or use in the human body so check your labels. Your may be alarmed to find animal products in the craziest places!
Jumping head first in to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is a daunting task but if you do some research, gather up some recipes to try and wade in to the veggie pool it becomes easier. Your body will thank you! Why do you think Mom always told you to eat your vegetables!
Thanks for visiting! Until next time,
Kel
Check out my other blog Weight Loss HQ to track my progress on my total body transformation and doing it naturally!
There are plenty of things to try if your thinking about the lifestyle or just testing the waters.
The easiest would be to plan to make one or two meals a week meat free. When you really put your mind to work its not as hard as you think. Something simple and delicious would be a veggie lasagne. Load that bad boy up with cauliflower, broccoli, tomatos, green and yellow squash, peppers - just about any vegetable works and trust me lasagne does not need meat to be delicious! If your using real cheese the recipe wouldn't work so well if you wanted a vegan meal but its a step in the right direction.
On the BBQ grill up your favorite veggies for a special treat, make them the focus of the meal and the meat secondary. For breakfast dice together a fruit salad, try some oatmeal or better yet banana nut pancakes or whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana!
Don't underestimate the power of beans. Kidney, black, pinto, garbanzo, great northern etc are all excellent sources of protein, energy and are seriously filling treats! Try a half can of beans and add some chili powder, a little cumin, salt and pepper and make some chili beans. Way good!
If your looking for a nice refreshing lunch, how about a CLT? Cucumber, Lettuce & Tomato with hummus spread on whole grain bread. Guacamole is a great treat as well, loaded with healthy fats and very satisfying. Have it with your favorite blue corn tortilla chips. Make a lunch out of it instead of an appetizer!
Veggie pizza is another winner. My blog has a recipe for rosemary garlic pizza crust and top it with your favorite veggies and sprinkle Daiya cheese replacement shreds on top. Very, very good!
Pasta is always a winner. There are many brands that are whole wheat or multigrain now. Just make your favorite sauce minus the meat or meatballs. The flavor is definitely still there! Substitute vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef broth and try using soy milk instead of cows milk in your recipes. Instead of real butter try Smart Balance, for someone who loves the flavor of real butter I have found a very respectable replacement with Smart Balance.
Once you start tackling the basics and putting more emphasis on the fruits and veggies in your diet the transition to less meat becomes easier. You become more creative when cooking and the possibilities are really endless.
Make sure you become a label reader. Know what is added to your foods. I read every label now, its actually kind of fun, there are so many additives that really have no place or use in the human body so check your labels. Your may be alarmed to find animal products in the craziest places!
Jumping head first in to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is a daunting task but if you do some research, gather up some recipes to try and wade in to the veggie pool it becomes easier. Your body will thank you! Why do you think Mom always told you to eat your vegetables!
Thanks for visiting! Until next time,
Kel
Check out my other blog Weight Loss HQ to track my progress on my total body transformation and doing it naturally!
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