BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Vegetarian What Are Your Health Resolutions for 2009?

1 of mine is to continue to better my health and the health of my family.

What's yours?

My health is definitely at the top of my list.

We're all becoming more active outside. Our home is filled with reasons and activities not to go outside (DVR, HD T.V's, ipods, computers, several video game systems, cable, DVD's, air hockey table, pool table, games etc...) Since my son is in little league (just finishing up), it has inclined us as a family to get out more and do more active things. Yeah, we have a home gym, but nothing is like everyone being on a bike riding through the park on a bike trail or even just playin' some hoops in basketball outside.

So, our health resolutions will definitely differ from previous years of being "comfortably home bound". Thanks for the inquiry and happy harvest everyone!

Jason,

This is it - in addition to trying to make everything I wear or use, like cosmetics, clothing, even decorating my own place - I am doing it this year - I am going to do my best to go veggie all the way.

Now - I may start out being a ovo-laco-pesco(?) veggie. It will be hard for me to give up shrimp, eggs, cereal with milk....

Tired of knowing how animals that they use for food are raised. Then - the way they are treated at slaughter.....I have known it - I have given small talks at Shaklee meetings on factory farming...and still I do it.

NO MORE!

Hey Robin,

Thanks for your response. I'm sure that you've touched on a few things that so many can relate to.

Have you locked your process in place yet to ensure your success in these areas? and if so would you be open to sharing them/or a few of them with us.

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes Jason, I sure will

Hey, Jason. One of my sister's shocked me with this one: get this, she says she's going vegan...what the heck does that mean? My daughter is a vegetarian and her change of eating habits became quite expensive considering no one in the family eats what she does but to go vegan, my daughter, told me is totally a drastic change.

What is the difference? Are there health habits to consider? Should a doctor recommend this or do we just make such a choice?

She's trying to get healthier she says (my sister). Anyone else can chime in on this too.

Hey Kimmie!

Thanks for the ???'s. I think they're good questions where we can springboard off of and hit on a few considerations and strategies in later articles and posts.

Vegan Definition:

Vegan is a diet and life in the absence of animal products and by-products. No: dairy; eggs; white sugar; honey; products that contain animal or animal derived items; etc.

Some folks are vegan in diet only, while complete vegans carry the practices into their entire lifestyle. [i.e. no animal products or by-products in their cosmetics, clothing, furniture, etc.]
To keep the challenges down to a minimum you have to map it out.

Vegetarian Definition:

'Vegetarian' as many define it [I say it this way, because I don't necessarily agree with the way that it is classified as a whole, but that's a whole other post that I probably won't take the time to go into.] is a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, grains, roots, nuts & seeds, herbs & spices, dairy, fish, poultry, & eggs (the last mentions truly aren't "vegetarian") but are more transitional phases of becoming vegetarian.

Health Considerations:
When making any shift to your lifestyle there are always adjustments that the body/system undergoes. Usually all good [although it may not feel that way as your body begins to cleanse itself] so long as it's done the correct way.

without giving medical advice... I can tell you some of the experiences that I've personally witnessed with past clients, within my own health and that of my friends & relatives.

Before I changed my lifestyle to a vegetarian/vegan one [a little over 20 years ago] it was hard and challenging. I didn't know the 1st thing about it.

A lot of trial and error. I was a sugar and junk food addict. Seriously. I used to dump white sugar in my bowls of soup, make sugar jelly and butter sandwiches, use to eat sugar straight by the spoonful. It was really over the top!

For folks who get freaked out from body aches and pains, they may want to engage the services of a knowledgeable health care professional to help encourage and guide them through those tough areas. [There are a lot of things the body goes through when you make drastic changes to your eating habits that can be quite daunting if you don't have a road map of what to expect during your process.]

I've always encouraged my clients to set themselves up with what they needed before we embarked on their journey to a healthy lifestyle. They've always gotten the most bang for their buck when they approach it from that perspective.

Regain Balance
Detoxify
Nourish & Rebuild

These are the most important aspects of any nutritional program. If they are lacking in any of these, there's a potential problem waiting to arise.

Well structured vegetarian diets [diets consisting of all of the vegetarian food groups] are extremely beneficial. They are, what is called alkalizing (they balance the body's pH - make makeup to make it more alkaline as opposed to acidic, which greatly helps to diminish the ailments the body can experience) and healing.

For your Road to Health

What are you doing it for?

What do you need to have in place for your success?

What are some of the things that you may/could experience in your transition?

What does my support look like?

How are you going to source your supplies?

These are, really, just a few of the questions you'd ask yourself before starting on a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.

Here's a product that I absolutely love for many reasons, from 'A' to almost 'Z' , and how to get it and / or share it with folks who are transitioning to a healthier way of living and need support in that process.

Hope this answered your ???'s

That helps me, too!

I need to plan a good grocery list and make sure I have enough variety so that I am not just eating rice and black beans, peanut butter and jelly on wheat, etc.

Although - I am eating mushroom slices and baby carrot sticks with Russian dressing for snacks. This is more healthful than I have been in a while.

People need ot stop bringing in the fudge and cupcakes (or I need to just stay away)....

hahahaha That's funny Robin. Same thing here at my house with the treats and eggnog.

Thanks so much Jason. Good info for my own knowledge and to pass on. You are very knowledgable in this field. Glad you could help out. Bye and happy holidays to all.

Hey All,

I'm jumping into the whole resolutions setup and need all of the areas you're interested in reading about to prepare you for a 'successful' new years' resolution.

Pass'em my way!

My daughter will be home for the holidays and I'll ask her and then get back to you by the end of the year. Happy holidays to you and yours. Be safe and reflect on all your blessings. Bye!

New 2009 New Year's Resolution Community Forming NOW!!!

Wanna JOIN? CLICK HERE!!!

So, Jason. Please help me out here. My 19 year old daughter, just decided during holiday break from college, to "not" be a vegetarian anymore. Can you believe this? After all the money we've invested in, she wants to go back to eating like everyone else in the family.

How should she do it? She said something about not being able to just start eating meat right away and how even a piece of it (especially fried), can hurt her stomach. Any suggestions?

She said she couldn't find anything on the internet about this change of mind. I'm hoping you or any other convert of leaving this style of eating, can help. Please chime in soon. She's back off to college in by this weekend. Thanks so much.

A quick note...

Hey guys, I've never had a question quite like this before and I think it's a very valid question. And although this is a vegetarian forum I believe this is a part of the whole process in the vegetarian lifestyle... 'Freedom & Choice'.

First let's Keep in mind that vegetarianism is not for everyone. It's a choice thing just as much as it is a timing and planning thing. It has to make sense to your lifestyle at the time that you choose to go this way. So please, if you don't agree with the information you're about to read, remain open, sensitive and supportive to those who may need this alternative to becoming a vegetarian.

The fact is that everyone is unique as are their needs. So I'm thanking you in advance for being understanding with this post.



Hey Kimmie,

Okay, now everyone's system is unique to them, so let me preface this statement with the proper and necessary disclaimers.

[This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any diseases or health related concerns. It does not take the place of your trusted, qualified, healthcare practitioner. For all of your concerns it is recommended you consult with your healthcare provider.]

In regards to going back to meat and all there are a few things that you may want to consider:

• Planning
• Support
• Quality

Just as you should properly plan your vegetarian lifestyle, to be successful at it, the same principles apply towards going back to meat eating. So have your daughter consider her process.

When you become a vegetarian, if done correctly, ideally your system becomes more alkaline, less mucous laden, more open and more sensitive to what you put into it. Eating meat on the other hand tends to make the system more acidic in need of being alkalized.

It can be very hard on your system. So you have to plan it out making sure you have all of the materials you'll need to support yourself through the transition.

Planning

Give yourself a reasonable time frame to accomplish your goal
[Depending on how long you were a vegetarian will determine how long you take to fully transition back into meat eating - I would say for every year you were a vegetarian you may want to take 3 - 6 months transitioning out of that lifestyle] and create an effective, supportive process to make it happen.

If it's not that serious to you, and you just want to jump back into the saddle and start eating the meats again, I would say to do it moderately building your tolerance for it back up.

Here's how I would do it:

Support

The biggest challenge with meat, aside from the ethics around how it's produced, is in not being able to fully digest it. To remedy that I would add a good source of digestive enzymes to my transitional diet. Check your health food store for some good brands.

I would add to my diet a good source of probiotics to keep my digestive tract intact throughout the process and beyond, it will not only help with my digestion, but it will also help with my nutrient absorption and assimilation.

I would also add to the mix a few servings of soil based organisms- or SBOs, not to be confused with the other acronym with the same letters , and make that a part of my lifestyle for a while. There's a lot of benefits in taking them.

Lastly...

I would start out with meat broths at dinner time with a lot of fresh herbs, spices and vegetables mixed in with it. I'd do this for at least a few weeks.

Then I'd move onto having small amounts of meat in my salads, to which I've added digestive helpers like ginger, mint, fennel, sprouts, etc. It will help break down the animal proteins and fats better and transition more smoothly. I'd maintain that for several months [mainly because I'd not only be getting the meat back in my diet, but in the most usable way possible] before moving into 'regular' size portions of meat at mealtime.

I would always have a salad with my meals.

Quality

Make sure that if you're going back to eating the meats you get the absolute best quality.

Get the freshest, most natural, best quality cuts from farmers who properly take care of the animals they breed for consumption. All of that makes a difference in how your body responds to it.

I hope that helps Kimmie! and everyone else who've had this question/scenario.

All the best & God bless.

Jason, thanks so much.

To everyone out there who enjoys this lifestyle, Kudos. Keep at it. But I really needed an answer to this particular question. Jason, you have wonderful recipes on your forum and great articles to read and we've all enjoyed them but I think with my daughter being in her first year of college, (1) she's overwhelmed with being a freshman (2) her budget is not sufficient to continue this lifestyle as she did at home (3) she doesn't have a car to get to the proper grocery stores and (4), the terrible cafeteria food has the worse food ever and they surely don't help.

I think she first off, made a quick and drastic move in doing this (11th grade) but maybe she'll return after some more maturing and a couple more years into her studies.....Forensic Science. Wow!

She's doing better than I ever did in the first year.(made the dean's list with all A's).

Kimmie!!!

Congrats to your daughter on her making the Dean's List. That's truly awesome!!!

No worries on the veggie thing either. I remember when I first became a vegetarian. It was really difficult mainly because I didn't have the resources, alternatives and folks to mentor me in my process. So I fell off the proverbial 'wagon' many times.

I couldn't find the things that I liked in the vegetarian world. The tofu tasted weird and eggy, the soymilk was disgusting , the fresh peanut butter was nasty to me... it was a whole new world that I knew absolutely nothing about, so it took a lot of trials and errors and a process in learning how to work with the ingredients to bring them to the place where I actually liked them.

IT WAS CRAAAAZY!!!

Being West Indian did not provide a vegetarian alternative. Fish and seafood, chicken and every now and then beef, venison or some other interesting meat was the fare in my house coming up. So when I shifted over to Vegetarianism, initially all I could really make, that I knew, was beans and rice.

What I think many don't realize is that being or becoming a vegetarian can be a real challenge if you don't have your process set up to where it can work for you. Also when you don't know what to always have on hand to make it easier. It can be extremely overwhelming.

Tell your daughter KUDOS TO HER for even attempting the lifestyle!

What she may want to start with is just building her knowledge base. Try different veggie products and dishes. reading books, converting a few meat recipes into vegetarian, etc. All that helps. She can start working with her techniques in the kitchen and gradually transition into a more vegetarian way of living, if that's her desire.

There is a way to do it where it is a somewhat seemless process and it begins with working with good foods and having fun while experimenting.

I would say it takes just as much planning, not necessarily more, as every other healthy balanced lifestyle takes.

You've always got to make sure that you're meeting your nutrient requirements, satisfying your taste buds and making it work for where you are in life, to the level you can live with, and then expanding from there.

Thanks for the encouraging words Jason. I'll still drop in though. It's good to have a couple of meals per week without meat. Especially with me on this new fitness regime. Chat with ya'later and again thanks.

I already eat a ton of vegetables with a wide variety, but I am going to aim to add even more "obscure" veggies into the mix so I can write them up for my visitors. The more options people have, the better!

We do eat meat occasionally, although the amount lessens every year. I am going to continue in a healthy eating direction by aiming to ensure any meat I do eat is organic / free range / etc. With the long term goal of phasing it out eventually.

I need to drink more water still!

I'm with you on the water thing Lisa. As a matter of fact, let me get some now. It's 10a and I've yet to drink some.

Hey Kimmie!!!

You're more than welcome. I think it's a good thing to be able to have some versatility. I think or many it can be easy to get stuck with a big 'to-do' list instead of taking it one step at a time.

So long as you're going in the right direction of making healthier choices in your life you'll be able to look back one day and say, "Wow! I don't quite know how I got this far, but I'm here now and I glad about it."

That's great Lisa! How's that going for you? What obscure veggies have caught your eye?

I was recently at one of the farmer's markets out here and picked up a [I don't know if I'm spelling this correctly] 'gugutz'
but it was very interesting. It had a crisp green flavor and the farmer told me that they grow it in Italy and they tend to eat it raw. I don't know the nutritional benefits to it yet , nor did the farmer , but we ate it, it wasn't gross and we loved the experience.

Please let us know what you're tasting and share some pics if you have'm!

You are quite adventurous Jason. I'm so much a picky eater.

Hey Kimmie!

That's when it gets fun!

I want to challenge you and the rest of the comunity out there to try a new, totally foreign or unfamiliar food out there. Explore it, see what you like or don't like about it, and then... try it different ways before you make a judgement on it.

This has helped me expand my food repetoire and discover many more likes than dislikes.

I was told by one of my youth pastors that it's not that we don't 'like' a food... it's that we haven't tasted it prepared in a way that we like.

I've found that statement to be true over the years.