Sylvia's Manifesto

You want to know why I don't want to eat meat anymore???

Because I don't want to eat fear.  I don't want to eat fear, pain and suffering.  I don't want to support the billion dollar corporations that are placing greed before human/animal rights and compassion.  I don't want to unknowingly support an industry that tortures and hurts and terrifies animals any longer just so that I can satisfy my hunger for a juicy steak that will invariably clog my arteries, raise my cholesterol and ultimately lead me closer to a heart attack. 

If I had known about all this sooner, all the horrors of the "animal food industry" that are hidden from view, I would have changed my habits sooner.  But now I know.  And now is where I start.  Today continues this change. And every hour and every minute I remain steadfast and continue to make these choices that will affect everything around me exponentially, animals/humans/nature/the planet alike.

I no longer want to be a part of something which uses electric prods, screaming, and beating to get animals to go to slaughter or to get animals to go to the trucks that will transport them to slaughter.  I no longer want to be a part of something which cages animals so tightly that they are unable to move and they go insane from their lack of basic animal needs for comfort, safety, freedom, companionship, food and water.  I no longer want to support a system who steals a cow's baby from the cow immediately after birth, only to cage the baby and fatten him up for veal and, in the process, to cause psychological trauma for both the mother and the baby.  I no longer want to support a system which keeps a cow pregnant, so that we can keep drinking her milk. (And the residual of drinking her milk is that the cow will give birth again and again... only to produce more "veal calves".) I no longer want to support a system which uses animal slavery and animal cruelty to feed humans.  I no longer want to support a system which creates pain for billions of sentient beings daily.  I no longer want to support a system, which doesn't care. 

I care.  I don't want to cause harm as much as I possibly can. 

I want to be more compassionate and loving and caring.

I want animal suffering to end.  I want factory farming to end.

Here are some photos of the animal slavery of which I speak.  I do have a dream... and that dream is the ending of this horrible method of producing food.  It really is a horribly, unkind system.  There's got to be a  better way.  And it's in our power as humans to change this.  We CAN take care of all sentient beings while taking care of ourselves.  I have a dream and hope for this change in my lifetime. It is possible.

In general, pigs are clean, intelligent, social animals. However, factory farms frustrate their natural desires to exercise, explore, play, root, stay clean, and socialize normally.

The large amounts of blood suggest that this animal was still alive when abandoned outside in the Minnesota winter. The way the blood is splattered also suggests he was unable to move, yet struggled, flinging his head around before finally dying. (these two photos are from Compassionate Action for Animals)

 

 

 

 

Female pigs used for breeding (breeding sows) spend most of their lives confined in gestation crates so narrow that they cannot turn around. (the next 11 photos are from the ASPCA website with captions from www.green-blog.org)

As you can see, a female pig in a gestation crate has no freedom of movement, and barely even has room to lay down.

Although not confined in cages like egg laying chickens, chickens raised for meat are packed so tightly in grower houses that each chicken is alloted about half a square foot of space. If that isn’t bad enough, because broiler chickens have been bred to grow so quickly (twice as fast and large as their ancestors) the organs and skeleton don’t always keep up with this growth. The heart and lungs can’t support the unnatural body mass, resulting in heart failure and large numbers of deaths a year due to health conditions.

At the slaughterhouse, chickens are hung up by their feet fully conscious. Although some slaughterhouses stun the birds by passing them through an electrified bath of water, US federal law specifically excludes chickens from the Humane Slaughter Act mandating that animals be stunned before being killed. However, often times the birds are not rendered unconscious by the shock and proceed, still hung by their feet, to have their necks cut by a mechanical blade. Unfortunately if the bird is not sufficiently stunned, the blade may not actually kill it and the animal proceeds to the next stage in the process while still alive. The birds are then submerged in boiling water to scald them and remove feathers. It’s estimated that millions of chickens a year in the US are ultimately killed in the slaughterhouse by this last step, being boiled alive.

Due to the severely overcrowded conditions they will face, baby turkeys have the upper part of their beaks seared off so that injuries caused by pecking one another can be minimized.

Add captionAt chicken hatcheries, chicks enter the factory farming world packed into huge drawers.

Behind a hatchery for laying hens, unwanted male chicks–which are of no economic value to the egg industry–are simply tossed into a dumpster with shells and other waste.

Confined in metal and concrete pens with slatted floors, these pigs will live in these conditions until they reach slaughter weight of 250 pounds.

 

Dairy cattle make up the largest percentage of downed animals in factory farming, 75%. Too sick or injured to walk, this dairy cow is left in the stockyard while a calf looks on.

To raise calves destined to be slaughtered for veal, the calves are confined in crates about two feet wide and are tethered to the front of the crate with a chain around the neck. These calves will be slaughtered when 4-5 months old.

Though there have been moves in Europe to phase out battery cages for hens, in the US the vast majority of egg laying chickens are confined in battery cages such as these. These cages have wire floors and four or five hens are commonly packed into each cage. Obviously they cannot stretch their wings or exhibit any normal chicken behavior. 

 

So these are just a very small amount of photos of some of what goes on in factory farms.  These photos aren't as harsh as others I've seen.  But you can imagine.  Also, if you watch the film "Earthlings", you get a better idea of what goes on in factory farms. It's really an eye opener because you get to see undercover videos of what really happens in some of these big, meat industry companies.  Check it out; it'll save your life and the lives of animals by just learning more about this major social issue of our time.

Hugs to all, and may everyone tread kindly as they walk through their life.
~Sylvia

Meetup!!!

Yes!

So I went to my first veggie meet up tonight! Yes! Fun, awesome and great way to meet new people that one can really relate to.  So awesome!

This is me feeling happy after the meetup...

So, where did we go???... And what do vegans/vegetarians do (especially those from the planet Vegan)? lol... I will write more when I get done with work tonight....

                                                                   to be continued....

Spices!

June 14, 2012

What I've noticed with this new vegan diet is that spices are ESSENTIAL. Essential, I tell you!  The first time I cooked up some beans and rice, I thought, "Wait, this is it? Bland beans? This is what I will be eating for the rest of my life???"  Little did I realize, or even know, that it isn't necessary to have a bland, unexciting diet in order to be vegan.  Actually and surprisingly, it is exactly the opposite.  Food gets even better once you navigate how to cook. (Yes, I’m actually learning how to really cook for the first time too! Woohoo!!!)

So today, I went out food shopping with my nutrition "mentor" and I spiced it up, baby!!! Actually, to me, it felt like I spiced it up; but it was probably more like I was buying spices for the first time in my life.  Lol.  I've always used salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and that was always the extent of it.  So funny that I didn't realize that there are sooooooooooooooooooo many spices out there.

So this week, my mission (if I choose to accept it… hehehe…yes, my food experience IS mission possible)… So anyways, my mission this week is to experiment with and explore the wide world of spices…. Even if I’m just experimenting with the basic ones…. Mmmmm…

Soooo, this is me with spices...


  This is me with 21 seasonings (care of Trader Joes)...

This is me with All Spice.  I always thought all spice was a spice you put on hot chocolate.  lol. But really, I thought that!










Random.  This is me with Miso.  Yes, I will be making up some miso soup soon!!! Yes, up in here!!!

Some of the prelim stuff I did (& am doing) as I transition into veganism. Woohoo! High Five! Let's do a wave, or the robot, or an enthusiastic cheer for my persistence in establishing a new healthy habit! Do it. Now. :)

Hi everyone!

So I haven't been able to blog much lately due to the fact that my computer wasn't completely fixed and I've been unable to go online regularly.  I feel like perhaps I've lost a bit of momentum.  And it seems as though my enthusiasm for this new endeavor of changing my dietary patterns kinda halted whilst my computer halted.  Boo! But the good news is that my computer seems to be fixed again (at least for now), and I'm back to blogging (and eating better :)).  Yay!

So over the past few days, I decided to start a paper "blog" since my computer was taking so long to be fixed.  It's funny because I realized, as I scribbled rapidly in my notebook, how much faster I type than write. lol.  Anyways, I wanted to post my "writings" (aka paper bloggings) over the past couple days and then go from there!  Oh, and I also want to post the various things I've done over the past couple months to progressively change my eating habits and become more plant-based :).   ~Sylvia, June 4th 2012

So this is me... Sylvita la del barrio over the past few days... :)

Me regaining enthusiasm about changing my diet...

My blog paper posting from May 29th...

I'm pumped! Doode! Sweetness!!! (Can you tell I like exclamation marks??!?!?)

Anyways, I have to say that the past couple weeks threw me for a loop: e.g. with getting so flustered because of a negative encounter with someone who didn't understand veganism (see the Haters Rant from May)... And then with my own disappointment in myself for not being "perfect" at veganism, slipping up here and there, making mistakes, and then trying again.... Besides these two items, I also had a general sense of uneasiness, malaise, and confusion as to how to go about this dietary change.  It was a rough patch to say the least.

 Some of the things I did that made me disappointed with myself were that I gave into my impulses.  Grrrr.  I ended up having cheese a variety of different times at work when they were serving it up.  I realize that when I don't plan ahead for my day and I am hungry at work, AND people serve up some "delicious looking" fixings, these are the "perfect storms" for me to cave in.  I've caved in a few times, joining in with the excitement of "sample land" by partaking in the food. Boo!  It makes me especially mad at myself because I've recently found out that cheese contains a lot of pus in it. Ick!  But I also have to remember that cheese contains chemicals that are similar to morphine. Whew, no wonder I'm having a tough time quitting the cheese addiction!... And then, ultimately, I have to remind myself that the main reason I'm making this change is because of the horrific animal cruelty that goes on in our current "meat industry".  I re-watched "Meet Your Meat", and was visually reminded of how my food choices affect life on earth... Until a couple months ago, I didn't think that the animals suffered much.  I figured that they lived pleasant lives and then their demise was swift and painless.  Plus, most of the meat that's on the shelf is packaged in such a way that I didn't even think of animals when I purchased the product!  Now that I've seen quite a few undercover videos & read a variety of literature, I realize that the conditions in which the animals exist are Animal Auschwitzs.  And I don't believe I'm over-dramatizing it.  Watching videos about this, makes it very clear to me.  These are the conditions the factory animals live in.  And I don't want to support it any longer!!!  I have to remind myself of this when I forget about these things and the hunger in my belly makes me want to reach for the "easiest" items which surround me.  I have to remember these things when I'm about to make a choice that won't be for the betterment of myself and others. (Ok, I needed to state that to remind myself and to, once again, tighten my resolve!)  Re-watching Meet Your Meat and Earthlings reminded me the main reason why I'm doing this.  Yes.  It really isn't right what big businesses and factory farms are doing to animals... And what big businesses are doing to us, for that matter!!!

Yes, I'm a poser...& I do great off-key kareoke

So what I'm finding out over the past few weeks (that is, the past few weeks prior to May 29th) is that my desire to eat a lot of non-vegetarian/non-vegan foods (e.g. cheese and junk food and processed foods)is directly related to how powerful my old habits are.  It really makes me realize the POWER of my former food habits, the power I give to certain foods, and how much my body seems to crave cheese.  Weird, huh? Yeah, I thought so too!  It also seems as though cheese is and has been the hardest thing for me to give up over the past two months.  I mean, I haven't eaten any beef, pork, fish, yogurt, milk; however, I have eaten cheese.  Not a lot.  But here and there.  And since it's constantly being served up at work, I find that I have to really exercise my self restraint... I'd say if you were grading me, I'd maybe be getting a B- for execution, but an A for effort and persistence.  I really think that persistence is the key here!

So I keep persisting on this shift/change, whatever you want to call it.

What I'm planning on doing is on June 1st to really tighten my resolve and be full-on vegan for 30 days (with no cheese... Did you hear me??! No cheese!), and see what happens.  I really REALLY want this shift.  It's just a matter of riding out the "change wave" and allowing myself the time to change my palate and to create a new, healthier habit.  I know that beating myself up is not helpful.  So I'm going to attempt to not do that.  Let's see what happens :).

Also, in looking at what I've done the past two months... Here's a quick recap.  I initially watched the documentaries (1) Forks Over Knives, (2) Food, Inc., (3) The Cove, (4)Eating, (5)The World According to Monsanto, (6) Earthlings, (7) The Future of Food, (8) Food Matters, (9) The Gerson Miracle, (10) Fat Sick & Nearly Dead, (11) The Vanishing of the Bees, and (12) Fresh. (I wrote a brief recap of these movies on my 2nd post ever that I wrote in the beginning of May).  Since I'm such a visual person, this is what the cover of some of these documentaries look like... (you can look at the exciting covers as you scroll down and continue reading! Woohoo!)

So to continue on...
In April, after watching the aforementioned documentaries, I read parts of a few different books (The China Study, Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, The Engine 2 Diet, amongst other books), and I decided to implement the Engine 2 Diet plan.  Over the course of April, I decided each week to take something different out of my diet.  I wasn't perfect, but I did make a bit of a change.   

The first week, I took out all dairy, milk and cheese (to the best of my ability...  It's amazing to me that the first week I actually did manage to stay away from cheese. I know, you're thinking amazing! lol).  I also tried, that first week, to limit my consumption of processed foods.   

The second week, I took out all meat: e.g. all beef, chicken, pork, and fish (I like how they say in Forks Over Knives, "If it has eyes, a mom and a dad, don't eat it!").  I didn't eat much beef, chicken and pork before starting this new diet; however, fish was a whole other story.  I loved my sushi, and this one was tough for me.  But after seeing The Cove (and recently seeing Vegucated), it helped to hear about how the oceans are being outfished; and also, how much mercury poisoning is in all the seafood.  In addition, hearing how fishes experience pain - e.g. their stomachs often explode as they are pulled so rapidly from the depths of the ocean, as well as how they suffocate as they die- made me realize that fish actually DO experience pain.  Learning all this made it a little bit easier to want to stop.  Actually, it made it ALOT-A-BIT easier to stop. (yes, i just created a faux word...hehehe).

Then week three, I was going to take out all extra/excess oils (even olive oils).  I wasn't perfect with this; however, I did REALLY change the amount of oil I was adding to my foods and this made quite a difference.  Then, here and there, I would give into temptation and have cheese or some added oils or some processed foods.  But by just taking out these items (and not working out at all), I managed to lose 10 pounds between April 1st and June 1st.  How cool is that?!  And I never went hungry.  Pretty sweet, if I may say so myself! High fives and pat on the back, Sylvie :).

Anyways, that is what I did for April.  Then at the end of April, I ended up going to a weekend conference through The Healthy You Network (http://healthyyounetwork.org/).  It was pretty cool!  Authors, doctors, and speakers discussed a variety of healthy, plant-based ways to eat.  It was pretty inspiring and informative.  Some of the speakers were...Rip Esselstyn (from the Engine2 Diet and Forks Over Knives), Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD (from Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease and Forks Over Knives), Jane Esselstyn, RN, Ana M. Negron, Jeff Novick, Doug Lisle, and John Robbins (who wrote Diet for a New America).  The topics ranged from the processes that occur within the body when one eats too much fat and cholesterol and too many animal proteins, to some anatomy & physiology, to calorie density, to reading food labels, to recipes, to cooking demonstrations,  to the psychology of what goes into our desires, to the vibrant medicine of food.  There were so many more topics than this; but it would take me a really long time to write about it.  So I stop here.

Then, starting in June (and for 6 months after that), I'm participating in a "Healthy You Mentoring Program" where I will be paired with someone who has eaten effectively in a plant-based manner and this person will help mentor me with my food choices.  Sweeeet!...  I got paired with a kind, compassionate lady who received her degree in holistic nutrition.  I'm so excited to meet up with her and learn!  The program entails meeting once a month for a potluck to discuss food choices, reading a recommended book and discussing it, and touching base with one's individual mentor.  So cool.  So I'm really excited to be participating in this!!!

In addition, mid-June, I will be attending my FIRST EVER vegan/vegetarian meetup via www.meetup.com.  So cool!  June 15th, baby! Watch out!!!! We will be eating some veggies up in here!!!  I'll have to give everyone an update after this event! Should be fun :).

So I'm definitely getting into the groove... I'm learning, learning, learning about this new way of eating and interacting.  There's so much to learn!  But I'm excited.  And I truly believe that it is worth it.  Soooo worth it. :)

P.S.
Additional resource that I've been checking out lately is...

http://vegansaurus.com/  Such a cool site!  Fun and informative.  I especially like the "11 tips for new vegans" and the "how to stay vegan" articles.  The bloggers for this site have great senses of humor, and also make becoming vegan fun and like an adventure.  Nice!

p.s.s.  This is me Day One, June 1st, 2012 (below).  Bring it on!!!

I am going through a learning curve!!! Aaaaaaah!!!! SOS!!!!! GET THE VEGA-PARAMETICS! Stat!!!!!! CLEAR!!!!!!! GET THE PADDLES!!!!! Big time learning curve, yo!



Calvin (le doggie to the right of le photo) is currently
my moral support as I make the vegan shift.



 Soooo... yes.... What's been happening since my exciting, soap box extravaganza, you may be asking???

...Well, the solar eclipse!  Woohoo!!!  But seriously though, besides this, what's been happening in the exciting realm of changing my habits and becoming vegan?  The story continues as follows...

I actually must say that I've been having a difficult time this past week.  I had no idea how much the negative feedback of others affected me.  But it really did.

Since that incident this past Thursday, I found myself not feeling as excited about "fighting for" veganism and fighting for the health of myself and the welfare of animals.  It's so backwards!!!  I know that I want this for myself and for the animals everywhere; but it was as though the negativity I encountered infiltrated my every pore and started to poison me from the inside out.  I know this sounds dramatic.  I guess it is.  But this is how I felt.  I felt beat up.  I felt discouraged.  I felt tired of fighting (and I've barely even started!).  And I felt a little bit apathetic.... Then, I ate two big non-vegan candy bars.  Take that "haters"!... It seems as though I suddenly found myself on the path of a resentment where I'm eating poison while the person who sent the poison has no idea that anything is going on.

What I've found from this experience of getting the "blahs" is that I think all these things were forms of defense mechanisms.  It feels icky to not be supported by certain people in your life.  I think when one encounters this lack of support, the body feels a bit of sadness / grief / pain / fear.  And these feelings are real.  You have to address them. See them for what they are.  See where these feelings are coming from.  Feel them.  And then (this is the "hard" part) continue the trek forward, and continue in action.  Yes, ACTION is the key word.... Because hey, why am I making these changes anyways?  Do I want to make my choices from a place of fear, and stop pursuing a lifestyle that I want so that unsupportive people in my life start to support me?  Or do I want to do what is best for me, and do what falls in line with my belief system and love of animals?  These are all questions that are important to ask.

But... yes... I was feeling pretty discouraged and a bit-even-painfully-dejected-feeling-sorry-for-myself when I received a website/article link from a friend of mine.  This link couldn't have appeared at a better time.  (It truly DOES help to get moral support for your choices in whatever form it comes in, even an online article!)  The article came to me from a site named Vegansaurus! and the article can be found at http://vegansaurus.com/post/23482722215/how-to-stay-vegan 

It's a great article by Sarah M Smart and Jenny Bradley about 13 tips for staying vegan.  Note the word 'staying'.  I like how the article begins with: "Anybody can GO vegan. Heck, my dad makes a joke that goes, “I’m vegan… BETWEEN MEALS!” Ha! Got me there, Dad!" "  But, it's so true!  The article talks about staying vegan by...

1. Telling everyone you're vegan.  I can check that one off my list. Check. Done via posting this blog!
2. Getting a vegan tattoo... Hmmm... Could be a possibility... I've been wanting one forevahhh, and this could be it!  It's kinda like getting married to ink on your body.  I think I could commit to this! :)
3. Re-visiting why you decided to go vegan.  Re-watching Meet your meat and Earthlings.  I've seen both of these and this is definitely why I want to stay vegan.  It also mentions the book Diet for a New America and the podcast We Like It Raw.  I haven't read/listened to either of those, so that's next for me. :)
4. Stay in the know.  As she says, "...pay attention—you might have forgotten all the pus and antibiotics in that hunk of cheese you’re craving."
5. Take it easy on yourself!... I needed to hear that.
6. Listen to your body!... I needed to read that.
7. Build your vegan community!... I really like this one.  I recently went on the site MeetUp.com and found a local meetup site for Vegan/Vegetarians!  Very cool.  I'm looking forward to my first "meetup" with that group!
And my especially favorite #12 and #13 are 12. Let the vegan haters hate! and 13. Let the omni haters hate!  These two tips made me feel ok again.  It helps to know that other people go through similar struggles that I am going through.  Just knowing this IS enough.  Enough to keep going.  And I realize that there's a wealth of supportive people out there.  You just have to look for them.

So since reading this article mid-day while on my lunch break, I started to feel better... And more pumped... And pretty much back on track.  I even may have muttered to myself, "I've got this!" 

Then, I started back at work (where I work for a national, grocery store chain).  My next "activity" for the day was to give out samples.  The samples were mango candies.  Yummy, chewy mango candies!  Yum!  I decided to have a quick taste (of course, to make sure they were of high enough quality. lol).  As I was chewing on one, a fellow employee passed by and said, "You know, those definitely AREN'T vegan."  What?!  They're mango-y, and yummy, and gewy.  How could they not be vegan?  I figured they were sugar and mangos.  Turns out I was wrong.  They were made of gelatin, which I have come to find out is made up of ground-up animal bones!?!  I had no idea!!!  Wow, I guess I have a little ways to go before I've really "got this".  And I guess I need to start reading ALL labels.  Not just the ones I think have animal stuff in them.

So I still have a long way to go. But I'm back, baby! I'm back!  Wonder-twin powers activate!  Form of veganism in action!!!! Yes!... Or at least a "mostly vegan" (as I figure this thing out).

Yes. It feels good to be back on track.



Calvin's tired of the paparazzi. 
He implies, "Enough is enough with these photos! Plus it's almost 3am! Time for sleep!"



A walk with Calvin cures everything! Yay!

My Mini-Nanosecond-Haters-Rant... yes, on a soapbox!... Ok, maybe it's over a nanosecond.

Boo! I'm frustrated today.  

Me using my
gangsta haters
hand signals

It stinks to encounter people who want to tell me that my new behaviors aren't healthy and are hard.  I hear the fear in their voices that's masked with concern as they tell me how I should eat.  I hear the ridicule in their tone as they imply that I'm doing something that's extreme and on the fringe of society.  I felt like an outcast, the way I was treated today.  And it sucks to hear these things from family members.  It makes me feel like I can't share my excitement. Like I should just keep it all to myself.  Like I should keep all my behaviors the same as they've been in the past, and the same as everyone else so that they feel safer.  Boo! 

Well, I won't. 

And I disagree with their opinions. It just really felt like I was bullied today... bullied with words, angry words. NO LIKE!

And to refute my interest and excitement regarding Forks Over Knives, I've been referred to a website which is someone's personal opinion/blog/critique of the movie.  As though one person's blog is going to change everything I've read in The China Study (by noted scientists who spent their lifetimes studying patterns of large scale societies that all point to a healthy, plant based diet), Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease (by a successful cardiologist who has clinical research and evidence to show how this type of lifestyle can be healthy and healing if done correctly), The Engine 2 Diet (written by a vegan triathelete), additional literature, as well as everything I've seen in a plethora of documentaries.  It's not like I'm taking up some current fad.  It's not like I'm saying, "Well today it's veganism, tomorrow it's Atkins, next week it's South Beach Diet, and maybe after that I'll try the Sun Stare."  No!  I'm taking up a lifestyle change that is making me healthier.  And, not only that, I made this decision with foresight, research, and with doctors' advice.  I've spoken to two doctors and even signed up with a "Vegan/Vegetarian" support group! 
 "Seriously??!?" you might ask.  "Yes, seriously," I reply.  It almost seems like you need a support group for becoming vegan for all the flack you get.  So Lame!

So Haters, just so you know... Here's the low down on protein in veggies.  Here's the lowdown on calcium in a veggie/legume/whole foods diet...... Wait I don't have it memorized yet so that I can rattle it off... Must look up in a book... wait for it, wait for it...... Ok, I'll get back to you on that because it's taking me away from the exciting momentum of my rant.

Ok, now back to the rest of the more-than-a-nanosecond rant......

Also, today when I tried to stick up for myself and let the haters know that I decided for myself that I don't want to eat animals anymore and hurt animals anymore, they pointed out that I was wearing a leather belt.  Sheesh!  I'm not perfect yet! I'm still learning here.  I'm doing the best I can, and I can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe yet.  Seriously!  I know that this is a part of going plant-based. But really?! I was then told I "couldn't take a joke".  Yeah. real. funny. joke.  I was also told a story  of a lady who decided to have a diet of pure sunshine and air, and that she died.  It was meant as a comparison to what I was doing.  Nice. Yeah, nice comparison and nice story. Really heart warming.  I just wish that others would think before they say these words, and instead say words of kindness.  I like that Ellen Degeneres always says at the end of her show, "Be kind to one another."  That would be nice instead of the alternative.

Boo. Hiss. Grrrr. ROAR! gRRR. hissssss....

Ok. Stepping off the soap box now.

A glimpse into the ethical reasons for changing ones eating habits

Even though I'm planning on keeping my blog mostly positive with all my mini-vegan/vegetarian-ephiphanies and updates and such, I think it's important to mention a big reason I decided to make a change... ethical reasons.  While the action of watching "Forks Over Knives" made me realize how healthy it is to adopt a plant-based diet, watching the film "Earthlings" opened up my eyes to the types of regular practices used by big businesses to bring various meats to our tables.  I was shocked and surprised and outraged at what was (and IS) happening in our world. And I was even more surprised that I had been "in the dark" for so long!  It's amazing to have a veil lifted and realize what are the realities of factory farming.  I was shocked to find out that the following things are "industry standards of practice" for raising and killing animals.

----VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED----

Did you know that...

• Breeder pigs spend years in pens so narrow and small that they can't even turn around.  I've read and also been told that pigs have a mental capacity that is smarter and more aware than dogs.  Can you imagine your pet dog in these conditions for years on end?  Can you imagine being in these conditions for years on end?  Can you imagine constantly being in a state of breeding, then having your babies torn from you too soon whilst being cooped up in a cage where you can't move for years?  This to me seems like torture.  Boo! I don't like it!

Did you know that...

• Pate is created by shoving a foot long tube down a duck's throat and forcing food into it's stomache until it develops a fatty liver.
• Baby pigs (that will be raised to be eaten) typically are castrated and have their tails clipped without any anesthetic or painkiller.
• Factory farmhouse workers and factory slaughterhouses employees, whose jobs are to "process" thousands of animals per hour, typically develop an insensitivity to "the product".  There are a plethora of undercover videos/reports showing workers beating the animals, tossing piglets and chickens through the air as a game, stomping on the animals' heads until they die, jabbing them in the eyes amongst other atrocities. Baby pigs that are gassed improperly are often still alive, and die slowly and painfully. And there are so many other brutal acts which occur in these factory farming conditions done by the workers to the animals. Whew, so upsetting!  And sadly/unbelievably, this is the norm in factory farming (and is considered a standard of practice), not an abnormality.
• Because of the speed of factory farming, there are animals that are not stunned or killed properly;  and end up being either boiled or skinned alive while still cognicent.
• Dairy cows are impregnated repeatedly; and their calves are taken from them soon after birth (causing extreme anguish to the newborn and the mother cow).  The dairy cows often are so stressed by the hyper-production that they can't even walk to the slaughterhouse.
• Veal calves are taken from their mothers right after birth and are tethered in stalls where they can't turn around.  They live their short lives in these conditions.  I've read undercover investigations in which it was discovered that workers would electrically prod newborn calves as they walked to slaughter (and even sometimes throw water on the calves to make the electric shock more severe).  The sad thing is that this isn't an abnormality.  This is typical!

And so much more goes on...  I could go on ad infinitum.  But I think it's best to do one's own research and to see it firsthand for oneself.

I submit a challenge to you to have the courage to really research where the food on your table is coming from.  And I submit an additional challenge to have the courage to watch "Earthlings".  Though it's difficult to watch, I think it's really a compassionate choice to "know" what these animals go through.  You honor animals by watching this and then making choices which benefit them and benefit yourself.  I feel with my heart that really "seeing" the reality makes all the difference.

I think it's important to really know where our food comes from so that we can make more compassionate choices.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, if you've read it all the way through... Oh, and if you're checking out my blog for the first time, please read the other posts thus far for May 2012.  They are much more lighthearted and capture an additional essence of the change I'm making for myself.

Thank you for your time. ~With love and peace, Sylvia

Doode!  I'm back!!!  My computer was in a state of dis-repair (as was I, with the flu); but then my computer was fixed by this lovely organization named the Computer Geeks. Yeeeha!!!! Time for more blogging!  (Below: please note that this is how my computer was feeling while infected with a virus... as was I while infected with the flu... And I also think that this sign is also a perfect metaphor for how one feels when one is changing one's habits. lol)

I'm back, baby!

When you are happier by nourishing your body, so are your companion animals. Exhibit A: The Calvinator aka Calvin

Fantastic Food Documentaries and my initial "stats" prior to starting my plant-based, whole foods diet

Ok.

So before I began this journey, I needed to get a baseline stat as to where my body was so that I could track the progress along the way.  It's totally humbling to do these "stats" because you realize that perhaps you're not the hot tamale you were years ago.  But hey, it must be done.... And hey, when I get to supermodel-super-fit status (lol), I can say that, at one point, I was a slow moving couch potato lady. Yes, I know you're thinking, this is HOT!

Oh, and before I get into all these details, I wanted to share the great documentaries that opened my eyes and started me on this process.  My all-time favorite, hopeful documentary that has shifted my belief system and empowered me immensely is Forks Over Knives.  So amazing!  It's so cool how I happened to hear about this movie from a Starbucks employee, and then a bunch of synchronistic events occured that started to shift my life. Yipee! I feel so strongly about this movie. This documentary will save your life and show you how you can prevent heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and live a beautiful and energetic life.  Yes! I'm pumped!

 

This is me recommending the
documentaries as well as having
no clue why this photo is sideways.



Besides the aforementioned documentary, I highly recommend watching the following movies.  They all can be found on Netflix.  And if you don't have a Netflix account, you can do a 30-day free trial and watch all of these during that time.  They are eye-opening...





Food Matters - Nutritionists, naturopaths, scientists, doctors, medical journalists and more weigh in on everything from using food as medicine to the value of organic food and the safety of the food we consume.  Ask yourself the question: Is your food hurting or helping you?

The Gerson Miracle - Sharing the stories of nine longtime cancer survivors, this program explores the principles and effectiveness of Gerson Therapy, a holistic method of treating cancer and other degenerative diseases developed by Dr. Max Gerson in 1928.  Gerson rocks it!



Earthlings - I think this is a really important film to see so that you become aware of what really goes on in the food, entertainment and medical industries; and so that you can make better and more informed decisions. The film delves into the food, entertainment and medical industries' use of animals and links each to the world economy. Unflinching footage, some shot by hidden cameras, explores slaughterhouses, puppy mills, factory farms and medical labs and reveals the roles they play in perpetuating society's disrespect for animals.  A veil will be lifted after seeing this film.

 The Cove - This movie is like watching Bourne Identity mixed with a documentary.  Really great film, and really eye opening about how our choices (even in the United States) affects things that occur in Japan.  Some of the mini-documentaries that are in "Special Features" portion of this movie also discuss mercury poisoning and how it relates to the fish we eat.  That really opened my eyes as well.  But regarding the movie the Cove, it's about these daring animal activists who capture footage of a secretive and heavily guarded operation run by the world's largest supplier of dolphins. As the group sets out to expose the truths behind the capture of dolphins for the lucrative tourist industry, they also uncover an environmental catastrophe. This documentary was so bad ass that it won an Oscar.  Some serious bad-assery!

The Vanishing of the Bees -  This movie makes you look at your fruits and veggies (and magnificent honeybees) in a whole different light.  I actually was scared of bees before I watched this movie, and now I have a whole new understanding and appreciation for them.  This documentary details the economic, political and ecological consequences of a dwindling world honeybee population.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead - Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by poor eating, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles their rigorous healing path -- including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables and juicing -- that both men attempt in a bid to rescue their health.  And besides this, this movie was created by an Australian with a hot Australian accent! Did I say there was a hot Australian accent?! hehehe

• The Future of Food - GMOs, baby! As per the Netflix description... Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia's eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, the film reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.

• Fresh - This absorbing 2009 documentary surveys American farmers' and researchers' pioneering efforts to develop efficient systems for growing food. All of those profiled share a common goal of limiting pollution while creating healthier products.

• The World According to Monsanto - Nuf said.

• Eating - This is an older-school-type piece that can be found at this link http://archive.org/details/Eating_2nd_Edition.  It really will make you think.  A viewer has said about this piece, "Anderson's Eating DVD is a gift to humanity. This has changed my life forever! Do yourself a favor and buy 10 of these for your friends and family. You will learn the absolute truth about the power of eating the right food. You will know with confidence that you are doing the right thing. Learn the secrets to improved health. Learn that it's never too late to start eating right."

So there you have it! These are some of the documentaries I watched that really opened my eyes prior to starting on this plant-based-whole-foods-diet journey.  It's really pretty amazing how much we are kept in the dark about where our food comes from. I encourage you to watch these documentaries and decide for yourself what works best for you and what aligns with your values.

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Alright. Alright. Back to the stats.  I may have diverged from my stats and focused on documentaries as a brief form of stat-avoidance.  But now I'm back.

I thought I'd post these so that I can see the progress I've made along the way.  This is not posted so much for other people to look at this and snicker, but for some sort of accountability and commitment on my part to make this change.  My "stats" are as follows:

My total cholesterol is 188 mg/dl.
My LDL ("bad") cholesterol is 117 mg/dl.
(In the book, Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, it's recommended that to prevent heart disease, my total cholesterol should be below 150 mg/dl and my LDL cholesterol should be below 80 mg/dl.  These are recommendations made by a leader in the field of heart disease and by someone who has witnessed stopping heart disease in its tracks. Cool.)
My HDL ("good") cholesterol is 53 mg/dl.
My Triglycerides are 89 mg/dl.
My blood pressure is 110/70.
My heart rate is 78.
My blood sugar screening is 108.
It was cool that there was a free clinic in town this past month and I was able to get these baseline tests done for free.

Regarding weight and the fun fat facts of my body, I was going to share all my measurements and such, but I think I'll wait a little bit. :)  I do know that my BMI (or body mass index) shows that I'm in the overweight category for my height and weight.  I'm excited to see the changes that will occur to my body as I adopt this healthier lifestyle.  I know it doesn't happen over-night.  But at least I know I'm starting to make a shift.

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On a final note...

Lately, I've been staring up at the stars in the sky and seeing them as a metaphor for one's body.  What I mean by this is that when one looks up at the sky and sees the stars, what one is really seeing is the history of that star (since it takes many light years for the star's light to reach us).  Relatedly, I think of the fat on one's body and the health of one's body as an indicator of our past food choices.  Thus, if we start making changes to our food choices in the present, our body will reflect that in the future... And be like a shining light piercing through time.

I like this image :).

In closing, I'd like to finish with a rockin' quote.,,
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." ~Hippocrates

Nighty nites, y'all... And remember to look up at those stars!