Posts made in November, 2008

I can’t help but wonder what my shopping habits have on the world. If I can do anything to turn it around….I will…..wait, I am . 🙂

This is a blog I did earlier this year and with the holidays approaching I feel it is worth repeating. Rather than buying “stuff” just for the sake of giving a gift, put some consciousness into what this epidemic is creating. If you care about the health of this planet, then BE THE CHANGE NOW! Don’t buy it. Don’t feel that your value is in materialistic goods. After all, it will only end up in a landfill someday. Do good with your money, make a difference. Put power in your purchases.

Anyhow….here is the blog..ENJOY!

I recently watched “Human Footprint” on National Geographic. I had received an email from someone suggesting to watch this program. Funny, I had forgotten about the recommendation and a few days later I felt the urge to turn on the TV (which is very rare in my home). Synchronicity was in full effect as this program had just started and my TV was set on that channel. TOO COOL! I was meant to watch this!

This program was truly eye opening to what we are consuming and wasting. At one moment I felt like throwing up with disgust of wastefulness and another moment I felt happy that I did not fall into many of the wasteful patterns of the average American. This program has changed my life and the direction I am headed in.

If you have not seen this I highly recommend it! Imagine there was no trash service and you couldn’t dump your things somewhere else and it stayed on your home over an entire lifetime. Is it OK to buy things and dump somewhere else so they are no longer in our face? Is trash service really doing us a service? Dumping our waste somewhere else is only enabling us to consume more that really isn’t doing anyone a world of good.

How can I turn this around? I have to say going on a plant based diet has eliminated almost all my trash. I rarely need trash service. I don’t eat things in a box or can, just stuff that usually grows out of the ground. I have decided that living with less and planting more gardens is a way that I can make a difference in this situation. I must take full responsibility for all my actions and that includes what I am buying. Is it really for the good of the whole? I know food out of a can or box isn’t good for me or the environment. I know I have been conditioned to think I need a new car every 2 years and a constantly updated wardrobe, but after seeing this program I can’t help but feel I need to turn things around and do something good rather than contribute to the worlds pollution. I have MANY things I can do. Rather than feeling overwhelmed I will take one step at a time.

Now, I must admit I am even shocked I am saying these things. I have never been a huge environmentalist. I have always had a healthy respect for the earth, yet it seems that as I evolve so does my desire to do good. I desire to help people and the environment. My family laughs and calls me a hippie (did I even spell it right?)…hmmm….I dunno, I just feel like my wake up call became a bit more apparent.

Here is an update on my “Peas on Earth” raw food challenge. My goal was not to eat 100% raw, but rather to take in the proper amount of hydration (water) and 2 bunches of greens. I think when I went raw originally I was overwhelmed with the changes that I missed the core of our dietary intake.My appetite and emotions are much more balanced on the greens. I am learning to break emotional eating patterns and eat for nourishment.

I also go into the other “green stuff” aka: MONEY! I have a few thoughts on how we obtain it, how we spend it, and the state of our economy.

This is not a shocker for me. I started noticing that I felt spun out after having agave. Something within me… that little voice said, this was not as healthy as it is touted to be. However, it was all over all the raw communities & I went with it. That’s what I get for ignoring my intuition.

Watch this video for more info:
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/is-there-corn-syrup-in-agave-nectar/

Here is another great article that goes into more detail:
http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html

So, honey seems to be the next option or just the sweetness of the fruit itself. I know I have used dates in the past as well. I am not too sure what to think about yacon root syrup or maple. Perhaps, it is best to avoid all things in a bottle or box and just go with the fruit itself.

This is not the only thing that I have had issues with. Have you noticed that vinegar has a warning label stating that it contains lead? What is up with that? I stopped using balsamic vinegar well over a year ago after noticing the label. I thought it was only that type of vinegar, until last week I stumbled upon my “organic” white wine vinegar. It had the same warning. I was pissed. I felt like a fool. However, after I cooled off I realized I am thankful I now know.

I used to use vinegars in salad dressings. Now it will be lemon juice. I have not seen any labels or warnings on raw apple cider vinegar and I am not to sure how it is made in comparison to the other vinegars. Back to nature is the safest. The less that has been done to it the better.

A few months ago I switched from vanilla extract to vanilla bean. I also realized through my own experience that cacao was detrimental to my health. It had a mind speed like response to me. My heart would race and then I would crash. I felt that this was a legal drug. Now, I know it is huge in the raw community, but I need to listen to my own heart and not be swayed by what others are doing.

Recently, I have been weaning myself off oils. Yep, it’s the same thing. I would rather eat the fat in the whole form such as coconut, avocados, bananas. I have mixed feelings about olives. I have seen some articles saying that lye is used during the process. That doesn’t sound too healthy to me. I need to do more research, but this is how I am feeling now. I also have mixed feelings about nuts and seeds. I just feel “down” when I have them. Maybe I am eating too many.The perfect balance is quite a journey.

I am so thankful I took on the raw lifestyle. I am becoming more aware of what is going into my body. I am more in tune than I ever have been. I can only imagine where I will be in 5 years from now.

Here is a video I made not too far into my raw journey where I was questioning the integrity of raw products.

Ok, I love to know what awesome people are up to. I know twitter is an awesome way to get mini updates without requiring much time at all. Online social networking is accelerating so fast.

So, considering I have devoted more time recently into an online presence… I thought to myself…Why not twitter myself?

So, to those who may find it interesting to see what I am doing…. come and check it out!

twitter.com/Inspire2Act