Common Denominators

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." ~ Michael Pollen

Raw or cooked? Juice or the whole food? What about oil?

Since becoming vegetarian three years ago, I have studied and followed a lot of plant-based doctors and vegans. Some say you should cook your food and some say you should eat it raw, some say olive oil and coconut oil is good for you, others say no way, some say juicing is the way to go, others say eat the fruit whole... the list of contradictions goes on and on.

Rather than focus on the confusion, I focus on the commonalities. What do they all agree on? Drink lots of water, eat fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens and exercise.

Currently, I am following FullyRawKristina as she does her 21 Day FullyRaw Challenge where she is challenging her followers to eat one fully raw meal a day. That's an easy challenge for me since I usually drink a green smoothie for breakfast or have fresh fruit.

This morning, I'm eating oranges for breakfast. I love the smell when I first peel them. It puts a fresh citrus scent in the air around me which gives me a little boost of energy. It's almost like when you first walk outside on a bright spring day and the feel the warmth of the sun kiss your skin. Yeah baby! That's the life force I'm talking about.

I am also working with Katherine Nilbrink, a plant based nutritionist and holistic health coach, who was my instructor when I took the plant based nutrition certification course at eCornell University a couple years ago. We made a connection and stayed in touch after the course. Katherine has been a big supporter of my plant-based journey and is helping coach me through my transition from a junk food vegetarian to a whole food, plant-based lifestyle.

Katherine supports eating a variety of cooked and raw plant-based foods. Kristina recommends fully raw. Instead of getting bogged down with the differences, I look for what they both say. The common denominators. Katherine recommends eating three meals a day to give your digestive system a chance to do it's job. I notice that when Kristina is doing her "what I eat" videos, she also shows three meals. They both say to drink lemon water first thing in the morning and to exercise. They both also recommend creating a vision board. 

So, that's how I follow two different plant-based lifestyles without getting confused. Nothing is set in stone, we all just have to find the common denominators that works for us!

Kathy
www.facebook.com/vegformation