"The Kind Diet"

It seems fitting to me to start this health and happiness blogging off with a shout out to the book that inspired it all.
"The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone has truly changed my vision of what it is to be a vegan and a human-heck it's changed my life. It's so good, so profound, that I stayed up all night hungrily reading it the first day I bought it...and I do mean hungrily, the recipes in this book are ridiculous!

In a nutshell the book explains in depth all the philosophical, statistical, nutritional and delectable reasons to exchange our standard american diet of heavily processed foods, meats and cheeses for a plant-based diet. But, it's anything but a lecture. It's kind. It's written from the heart of someone who's only intention is to share what she deeply believes will bring more joy and healing into the readers life. It's fun and enlightening, very practical and non-judgmental.

It's broken up into sections. First, there is a thorough examination of the truth behind the food that we are taught to believe is good for us and how, frankly, it's destroying our bodies, our planet and our hope for a healthy, harmonious future. For me, even though I have been a vegan for years, I was surprised by some of the things that I was learning. The truth behind the amount of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, mass production, destruction of the planet, links to diseases and lies driven by greed was quite appalling. It felt so good to finally have this information though, and after having it a change in diet seemed the only logical and ethical decision, for me that is. Depressing much? No! The book doesn't stop there! It continues on in a very gentle and inspired way to go into detail about the amazing healing powers of an organic plant-based diet: veggies, fruits, beans, nuts, legumes and whole grains. It's broken up into 3 chapters to help gradually move a person into flirting with the idea of adding more healthy foods to their diet. And it ends with a load of delicious and decadent recipes! Food! My favorite part!

Just a Few Food Facts...
*Number of acres of U.S. forest which have been cleared to create cropland to produce a meat- centered diet: 260,000,000
*Amount of trees spared per year by each individual who switches to a pure vegetarian diet: 1 acre
*Risk of death from heart attack for the average American man: 50%
*Risk of death from heart attack for the average American man who consumes no meat, dairy products or eggs: 4%
*Percentage of total antibiotics used in U.S. fed routinely to livestock: 55
*Sea vegetables have 26X calcium as cows milk
*Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on 1 acre of land: 20,000
*Pounds of beef that can be produced on 1 acre of land: 165
*How frequently a child dies of starvation: Every 2.3 seconds

Although I was pretty healthy when I read the book I was still very much in the dark about a lot of things. I was eating a lot of processed foods, ignoring my need for whole grains, loading up on the salt, obsessing over a need for excess protein (a myth debunked in the book along with many others, like milk being the only place to get calcium) and just in a funk with my boring broccoli and almond diet. My diet has been transformed. Loads of whole grains, sea vegetables and just more balanced meals have blossomed out of the understanding and knowledge that I gained from the book. I wasn't looking to for sure, but since the adoption of a kinder diet I've lost 5 pounds, just sorta fell off. But more importantly I feel amazing body and mind! You can too!

I highly recommend the book for anyone who is toying with the idea of making a few changes in their diet. It's, like I said, very non-judgemental and just plain good. I mean really good! How about some chocolate peanut-butter cups, pizza, cookies-all for your health??

More to come soon! Happiness and health to you and your lovely bones!

Heres a recipe I can't wait to try from The Kind Diet:

Moroccan Couscous



SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS
2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/4” to 1/2” cubes
2 cups yellow onion, large dice
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1/4” to 1/2” cubes
1 1/2 cups zucchini, cut into 3/4” cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

STEPS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the squash, onion, carrots and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula about midway through.
While the vegetables roast, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan.
Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, saffron and salt to taste.
Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes.
Scrape the roasted vegetables and their juices into a large bowl, and add the couscous.
Bring the vegetable broth back to a boil, and pour over the couscous mixture all at once.
Cover tightly with a plate and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve.

Voila!

To begin

I have discovered the beauty, depth and wholeness of health. I'd like to share that depth with you.

Let me give a brief history of the health of this journey called me. I grew up extrememly toxic. No one ever cooked in my house growing up. I ate nothing but fast food. Dinner was a #3 with a diet coke or a whole bag of Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles. I was anorexic, bulimic, asthmatic, alcoholic, a drug addict and a pot head. I was quite unhappy too. But I was a vegetarian and then a vegan and slowly these little pieces of my life, that when taken on had little to do with health concerns, bloomed into a way of life that aided in my freedom from all these disorders.

I am now just about 24 years old and my health today is a far stretch from yesterday. I am more healthy now than ever before. Why? Because I am more aware in my life now than ever before. I no longer struggle with an eating disorder, I no longer have asthma, I have not been sick in I don't know how long, I have beautiful skin and hair, I am never constipated, I have tons of energy, I am fit, I am strong, I am joyful, I am more loving and I am of a clear mind. I did not start out this way. My health-body mind and soul-is in my hands and it was only when I realized this that I was able to heal and allow my life to blossom in ways that I could not have forseen.

I truly believe that by being more conscious about what you eat and how you treat your body can lead to greater happiness and deep self-realization. Being conscious in this essential part of your life has the power to transform in astounding ways. It forces you to become more aware in your life. It teaches you that there are consequences for every action-no matter how small-and those consequences can either lift you up or tear you down. It illustrates your place in the whole of life and how vast and outstetching that place is no matter how small you are, or feel you are, because you begin to see how your choices affect the entirety. It gives you the opportunity to practice compassion on a daily basis. It teaches you how you are not a body, but that you have a body and you are that which decides how you will treat it. And it puts the power of change and ascension back in your hands. You feel better. You look better. Everything in your life is touched with the health you are gaining physically, mentally and emotionally. The planet thrives and you become part of the solution. You become aligned with the outflowing and expanding harmony that orchestrates all of creation. You are tuned into it. You've removed the rift. Your simplest of actions are aiding and not destroying. That which is best for your health, the planet and your fellow man you are taking part in. And that just feels damn good. It tastes damn good too.

This is what has become a living reality in my life. I wish for nothing more than to share this with anyone who is searching, curious or with the slightest interest in perhaps bringing more joy and longevity into their world.

With this blog I will share anything and everything that I think might bring information about what may be good for your health, whether that be the health of your body mind or soul. Expect lots of vegan facts, delicious recipies and inspiring stories of weight loss and healing through a plant based diet. But also poetry, opportunities to outreach, ways to conserve and give, secret joys and just about anything else that tickles my fancy. I am only on my humble journey so please let me know what you think or if you have any tips. And please ask if you have any questions at all!

I feel the great pull of expression in my heart that brings my fingers to these keys, but YOU are why I do this. I dedicate this blog to you, that it's love may meet you with the same fervor from which it sprang.

from my hands to yours.