RAW AWARENESS

Well, my participation in Markus Rothkranz's Raw Weight Loss Contest didn't last long. I think it was day two when I had some beans and steamed potatoes which felt like a "cheat" meal and it went downhill from there. I'm sure there have been people who make the decision to go raw and instantly stop the junk food, the pasta, pizza, and other cooked food, but from where I'm at that's like leaping over the Grand Canyon!

Ironically, as I'm writing this post I'm munching on a big bowl of cantaloupe which is delicious. Raw fruits and veggies are a part of my diet, I just need to make it more of what I eat and eliminate the junk food - like the potato chips I snacked on last night.

I can definitely tell a difference when I eat raw versus the chemical-filled food. I drank a couple cups of coffee this week (with artificial sugar and non-dairy creamer) and had a lower backache for two days, which was probably the start of a kidney infection. I drank some cranberry juice last night and woke up this morning with no lower back pain - what a powerful reminder of the healing power of fruit!

I have also been incredibly tired the past couple months which I absolutely hate, but has it been enough pain and disgust to keep me away from the chips and cereal? No! It's the most baffling thing to me. It seems like it would be a no-brainer to eat the food that makes me feel better. I am becoming more aware of what triggers junk food cravings. I mostly eat junk food when it's around and when I'm stressed. It's when my willpower is depleted like an overdrawn bank account. Awareness helps me to stay strong and make healthier choices. Having fresh fruit and veggies around helps. Putting the junk food out of sight helps. I just need to stay in a state of awareness.

Challenges like Markus Rothkranz and Fully Raw Kristina do helps me even if I don't stick with the program. It creates the awareness I need to get back on track and keeps me focused on the advantages of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as the mind, body, spirit connection to health and wellness.

RAW is where the ENERGY (my focus word for 2015) is at. That is my awareness.


Kathy G
facebook.com/vegformation

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

My Vegformation Journey Begins

I am excited to start this new blog. I have abandoned a lot of blogs over the years, but I am committed to this "vegformation" absolutely 100% from January 1, 2015 - July 4, 2015. Why those dates? Last summer I attended the first gathering of Plant Pure Nation and was so inspired by what Dr. Colin Campbell, his son, and team did with their Plant Pure Nation documentary. When Dr. Campbell came out on stage, I got goosebumps.  In that moment, I felt what it must be like for a swooning teenager to go a concert of their favorite musician, or for people to meet A list movie stars or royalty. I have so much respect for Dr. Campbell and what he has done for the plant based movement despite all the obstacles he has had to overcome. So, I decided that day last summer that I was going to do the plant based challenge from the beginning of the year until the premiere of Plant Pure Nation which they said will be July 4, 2015. I can't wait to see the results of eating a whole food plant based diet for seven months. I have been working up to this moment for three years. I am ready!

Three years ago, I became a vegetarian after going through a horrific illness and one of the most painful events of my life when I got abscessed diverticulitis (which I had never heard of until it happened to me). I had to have 18 inches of my colon removed and spend a year recovering. After that I started researching the cause of diverticulitis and the inflammation that had invaded my body and discovered that it is diet related. That led me to learn about the vegetarian diet and opened up a whole world to me. I was on the fence about becoming a vegetarian until I watched Earthlings, which has been called "The Vegan Maker." I can see why! That documentary affected me deeply. How will be reserved for another post, but the vegetarian lifestyle suddenly became the only option for me. 

I remember thinking that I would lose all my weight just by becoming a vegetarian. I asked my friends if they had ever seen an overweight vegetarian? I think back now at how naive I was about the vegetarian lifestyle. I lost and gained the same 15-20 pounds over the past three years because even though I stopped eating meat, I was still eating junk food. Fries, chips, ice cream, pizza, macaroni & cheese, cookies, root beer, sweet tea... The list of processed foods I put in my body was endless and I have paid a high price for it aside from the extra 165 pounds on my 5' 6" frame, lethargy, foggy thinking and forgetfulness, aching joints, inflammation, urinary track infections, the list goes on and on in addition to the symptoms getting progressively worse. 

Through it all, I keep studying, researching and making more connections that all point to processed foods as a DRUG that is poisoning my body! I have learned that I can't eat a "little" processed food. I have to abstain because most of the processed foods trigger binge eating and before I realize it, I have eaten a bag of chips or all the cookies or whatever item is before me that is saturated in sugar or salt (mostly sugar for me).

So here I am at the beginning of this journey. I am starting this blog to track my progress. I will also post what I eat on Myfitnesspal. I plan to learn lots of new recipes so I don't get bored with the food and get tempted to eat the processed poison. 

I have some favorite vegan chefs and educators that I follow and will share information that I learn from them with you starting with Chef AJ. She offers a weekly teleclass where you can ask questions and listen to her interview experts in the plant-based nutrition field. Her next interview is going to be with my hero, Dr. Colin Campbell. I can't wait for that one. 

FullyRawKristina is also offering a 21-Day Fully Raw Challenge where she challenges us to eat ONE raw meal a day. That's easy breezy, just drink a smoothie for breakfast or eat a salad for lunch or dinner and it's done!  

Vegformation is part information and part transformation. I am doing this to learn and to share with others who want to get healthy and maybe do their own vegformation!

I am looking forward to this journey. Happy New Year. Let's get healthy and dare to dream in 2015!

Kathy G