Divine HealthIn pursuit of healthy living.

Photo courtesy of Happy Herbivore

Here’s the lowdown in case you don’t want to read Happy Herbivore’s blog. Starting on May 1^st I will not eat any processed food. If it has more than 1 ingredient it’s probably not going in my body. No added fat, salt or sugars either. I started eliminating processed food a long time ago but boy am I shocked to learn how many things I still cook with and consume that are processed. I think I will learn a lot about food which has been my favorite subject lately so that’s great. The challenge allows for meat and dairy but I won’t be eating any meat (I doubt I’ll ever eat meat again). As of now, eggs and cheese are the only dairy I eat so if don’t miss them too much then maybe I won’t be eating dairy anymore either. We’ll see.

The good news is that I have a vita-mix I can make peanut butter and almond milk in, both using only the raw nuts. As well as lots of other great whole foods that can be mixed up in wonderful ways in that incredible machine.

I am participating in my first sprint triathlon next weekend (5/2/2010) so I may have to cheat a little. My body might not like to be tested with a new diet while pushing it in other physical ways at the same time.

When I think about this challenge I wonder how I’ll deal with eating out and working events. Will I be able to find something to eat? Will I be tempted to cheat in those situations? It will take a lot of discipline but I know I can do this. I am most curious to find out how different I will feel. I wonder if I will loose weight? I will probably do a blog post or two along the way and I will definitely give you a review when it is over. In the mean time, I would love to hear from you. If you have ever done a challenge like this please share your secrets to success.

Cheers to better health!

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Happy Friday!

I recently had the honor of doing a guest post for Vegan Beauty Review. You can read it here.

A big heartfelt thanks to Sunny for allowing me to take part in her blog!

Cheers!

Helena

Take a peek at these beautiful photos….

What do you think they have in common? They are all beautifully photographed and look good enough to eat right off your screen, right? They are all recipes made from scratch and photographed by a vegan! Yep, they are all vegan! Check out Vegan Yum Yum for more beautiful photography and yummy recipes! I’ll be cooking up some recipes out of her cookbook soon and I’ll blog the ones I fall in love with, which I am certain will happen.

*In case it isn’t obvious all of the photos above are by Vegan Yum Yum! Now go check out her blog already!

A few people have recently asked me how my veganism is going so I want to clear that issue up. I have not gone vegan yet. I gave up meat about two months ago. That was the first step in this journey. My plan was to give up meat for a seven day trial period and after that I was going to re-evaluate. On the eighth day I didn’t want meat and decided I would wait to eat it until I felt “obligated” in some way. I figured it would be at a party, out to dinner or in some situation like that. As time passed I continued doing research into eating meat. I’ve been learning about how it impacts our body, planet and the animals themselves. The more I read the less I wanted to eat meat. I used to be happily in denial but I am finding greater happiness in being aware. Those situations eventually started to arise and I decided I would not let something like a meal tasting with clients or dinner with friends force me to eat something I couldn’t agree with.

A really inspiring vegan and cookbook author says that it’s typically easier to give up dairy before meat. Too bad I read that after I gave up meat. The meat was easy for me but I think the dairy will be a little more challenging. I’ve been having a great time finding new recipes that are meatless but many of them use either cheese or eggs (I already use soymilk and almond milk so that’s not an issue). I’m going to start trying a few vegan substitutes soon to see how things taste. I think I might do another seven day trial with the veganism and go from there. I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I have a few more thoughts about the last two months of a meat free life. I have found that surrounding myself with other vegans and vegetarians is really helpful. They provide insight, ideas, support and a sense of family. It has been really amazing and it makes me feel good about the choices I am making. However, I don’t want to push anyone else away in the process. I still love my meat eating friends and family just as much as I did before! I don’t judge them or think anything negative for that matter. I share my thoughts, feelings and bits of information here, on facebook and twitter only in hopes of raising awareness. I am not trying to change the world or even the people around me. But if I can help people have a better understanding of everything involving meat then I feel good. If you are educated and continue to eat meat then so be it.

My final thoughts are about my husband. He has faced some food/health issues over the last year that we haven’t been able to figure out. I don’t really want to get into details…but I do want to share that going meatless has made him feel much better. He is still eating a little bit of meat here and there but not very much. I am happier than any words could ever describe that I can cook a healthy, tasty meal and my husband loves it and doesn’t feel sick afterwards. It’s the most rewarding feeling after dealing with his sickness over the last year. I realize that many men are major meat lovers and they would never give up meat for a day, let alone for good. I understand that and don’t think much of it. I guess I am lucky in that my husband was never a big eater in general and didn’t love meat in the way most men do. Please don’t hate on me for this or think I am forcing this on him. I am seriously thankful every day that he does not want meat and he feels better not eating it. It is what it is.

If you read all of that thanks and cheers to loving life!