A Vegan No More?

Voracious Vegan No More
One of the most controversial topics right now regards a post made by the Voracious Vegan, titled 'A Vegan No More.' Tasha, the voracious lady behind the post, discusses her battle with numerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and her decision to go back to being an omnivore after 3.5 years as a vegan. Her blog is now titled Voracious Eats.

Quite obviously, the post opened up a floodgate of responses, including everything from encouragement to death threats. Tens of thousands of people visited the page, and she recieved hundreds of comments, emails, and phone calls. Her server crashed as a result of the outpouring support and criticism.

Meat or Veggies?
Where do I stand on this? It's hard to say. I have been vegan for three years, and I am personally, the healthiest and happiest I have ever been. My blood tests are excellent, my body is lean and firm, I have energy, my skin glows, and my hair shines. However, that is me personally. I am not Tasha. I don't know what she eats, how much she eats, how her body functions, or why she feels better as an omnivore instead of a vegan. And you know...it's also not really my business.

The Great Divide
To be honest, the only thing that makes me sad about such a post is the division it creates between omnivores and vegans. Some omnivores take this story and run with it, exclaiming that there is no possible way that anyone can be healthy on a vegan diet. At the same time, some vegans will take the opportunity to verbally abuse someone over the decisions they make, which shows the lack of love and compassion that is generally central to a vegan diet.

Just Live With Love
I still personally hold a lot of value in and passion for a vegan diet: My views have not changed, and I doubt they ever will. That being said, I would like to encourage everyone to live with an open mind. Love others for who they are, rather than hating them for the decisions they make. Live as compassionately as you can, whether it's by being vegan, donating food and clothing, or volunteering in a soup kitchen. We won't heal our world with war. So long as there is love and understanding, there will be peace.

Much love <3
Char, xo

Healthy Living Blogs

I have something new to share with you, foodies! Healthy Living Blogs is a new resource for bloggers to list themselves, & is also great for those who are looking for healthy living blogs. It has a collection of blogs from all over the world! So awesome!

Healthy Living Blogs is a new resource for the health blogging community. Created by Lindsey of Sound Eats, HLB is a site designed to enhance the positive community of the healthy living blog world. Bloggers and readers can explore the site and find more blogs to love, bloggers in their area, and forums to deepen healthy discussion and support. If you're interested in having your site listed on HLB, simply send the following information to healthylivingblogs@gmail.com and check the site out for yourself!

• Email subject line: MEMBERS
• Your name (please share if you prefer to go by first name, first and last, or however you prefer to be known on the Internet)
• Blog Name
• Blog URL (please start with http://, not www.)
• Your twitter handle, if applicable
• Your location (if you prefer not to disclose this information for privacy's sake, that is completely understandable. We'll simply include your blog listing in the A-Z listing, not by location, too)
• Any specific labels (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, weight loss, running, etc.)

Hope you find this helpful! Much love, foodies <3

Char, xo

Aspartame: Gum, Anyone?

This is going to sound off-topic for a minute, but I promise I have a point: From January, 2008 until April 2008 I lived in Thailand. During that time, I acquired & suffered horrible stomach pains. Unfortunately, the doctors there weren’t too concerned with finding out what was wrong with me; I was given six different coloured pills, told to take them & go home. No thank you…I’d rather feel pain than mix prescription medications (especially when I don’t know what they are).

For the next year & a half, I was a lab rat. Canadian doctors could not find out what was wrong with me, though I went through every *shudder* procedure imaginable. My stomach problems became consistently worse, to the point where I could not eat, & my digestive system was not working. At 5’10” & 110lbs, I was a bone rack & unable to eat.
In August 2009, I visited the emergency room 3 days in a row. I was in tears from frustration, chronic pain, & hunger. On the third day, they finally gave me a shot to stop the spasms in my stomach, & antibiotics for parasites. And that was it!! The pain was GONE instantly!! I had picked up an undetectable parasite from Thailand, & they had to chance it with the antibiotics. For the first time in a year & a half, I felt total relief (& stuffed my scrawny little face for the next few weeks!)
In November 2009, I started to have pains in my tummy again. I started to clean up my diet, focusing a lot on raw foods. However, it continued for months. There were times when I was on the floor, clutching my stomach & crying out in pain. It happened once when I was driving, & I actually couldn’t lift my foot to brake! The horrible pain I suffered caused mood swings, & I became anti-social (soooo not me!!). I isolated myself most of the time, sitting in pain & misery. I was starting to think the parasite had done permanent damage, & was booked in to see my doctor to follow up with more tests.
For how clean my diet was, though, I hated the fact that I still chewed gum. Yep, I’m bad, we all have our vices. Though I never drink diet pops, or eat sugar-free foods because I’m so opposed to aspartame, I somehow thought the amount in gum couldn’t be that bad for me. Well, it was. About a week before my first appointment back with my doctor, I decided to say goodbye to gum, simply because I knew it was bad for me. As soon as I kicked the gum habit, my stomach problems stopped! I talked to my doctor about it, & he told me that aspartame is not absorbed by the body. It sits in your gut & can often irritate the bowel. In my case, my body couldn't digest it at all. I'm allergic to aspartame.
My sister found out about six years ago that she suffers hallucinations & becomes dizzy upon consumption of aspartame. She has avoided diet soda, gum, & all sugar-free products ever since.
Methyl alcohol, found in aspartame, turns into formaldehyde when it enters your body. Formaldehyde is highly carcinogenic. Scientists use it as a preservative in laboratories. Preservative. And yet most people (myself at one point included) ingest it. Gross.
Aspartame has been blamed for more than ninety-two maladies, including mood changes, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, seizures & convulsions, numbness, change in heart rate, ADD, cancer, multiple sclerosis, etc. It was denied approval for human consumption by the FDA for sixteen years!! "Magically," much of the research has disappeared in the years since it was approved. Why? Because government agencies like money more than they care about your health.
I won’t get into the nitty gritty about government, “food,” & dirty money. I will, however, recommend you a groundbreaking book: The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell. I’ll be posting a review of the book in the next couple of weeks. Read it: this book will save your life, if you let it.

BLOG AWARDS!!

The adorable Dairy Free Betty gave me a Blogger Award!! Thank you thank you thank you, my dear :)

There are some Rules and Guidelines for this Award:

1. Thank the beautiful person who presented you with this award
2. Tell 7 things about yourself
3. Pass the award on to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered, and think are fantastic!

So here goes!
7 things about me:

1) The ocean both fascinates & terrifies me. I have to live near it, but I don't often go in it.

2) When it comes to junk food, I've never been a big fan of chips & crackers. I love chocolate, caramel, & fudge. My sweet tooth is disgustingly passionate. Confession, though: I used to live off of french fries dipped in mayo, & lots of microwaved Kraft Dinner. My liver hurts thinking about it.

3) I have some pretty bad ADD issues...haha. At night, I can't shut off my brain & sleep unless I drink Earl Grey tea & count backwards from 300 by 3s. Otherwise, I'm up all night with a racing mind (ooo, a squirrel!) Also, when someone is talking to me, I'll start thinking about something they said...& not realize I'm no longer listening to whatever new thing they are talking about! So bad :/ If I ever do it to you, please know I am not intentionally ignoring you :)

4) I have a black cat named Mischief, but more often than not I call her Mowzers...she responds to both names. She's Mowzers when she's being cute, & Mischief when she's being a brat :P She knows the difference, haha.

5) I love to travel; I've been doing it my whole life. Every time I go somewhere I learn a lot about myself. I believe it's part of what has helped me to grow up so fast.

6) When I was 10-13 years old, I was obsessed with collecting Pokemon cards. I'm not joking. I spent hundreds of dollars to get the whole collection of 151 Pokemon (including First Editions, holographics, etc). Is there a geek award?

7) When I'm at home, I live in my fuzzy yellow robe. To mom, I am 'Honey Bear.' Wearing her fuzzy white robe has earned her the nickname 'Vanilla Bear.' I love my Mommy.

And onto the 10 bloggers! (in no particular order)

1) Maybe it's "against the rules," but I'm giving a shout-out to Dairy Free Betty anyway. Her dedication to her blog is obvious in her frequent posts about whole, healthy food recipes. I enjoy her passion for food & life, & look forward to her posts.

2) No surprise here: I totally adore Melissa Ramos of Sexy Food Therapy. Her quirky & fun approach to her blog & sexy food make for a fun read. Like Sex & the City? You'll love Melissa.

3) I've recently discovered Chris Kendall of The Raw Advantage, & I loooove watching his video blogs. He's funny, positive, & upbeat. His passion for whole, raw fruits & veggies is inspiring, & has further encouraged me to pursue a lifestyle of lowfat raw foods.

4) Mike Dillman of Real World Raw: Mike's website was the first place I'd really read about the benefits of a lowfat raw vegan lifestyle. When I discovered his website, most of my diet was high-fat, & I wasn't feeling very well. Mike's information helped re-direct me to a lifestyle that made me feel more vibrant & healthy.

5) Sarah-Lyn makes two blogs: one is called iBake Cupcakes, & the other is Besides Cupcakes. Though her cupcakes aren't vegan, I can easily take any recipe & make it so. Her treats are as eye-appealing as they are delicious. Her Besides Cupcakes blog focuses more on whole, healthy vegan foods to get her in shape for competition (she's a boxer). I lovelovelove her recipes :)

6) Wholefoods Vegan Momma feeds her 3 children (with a 4th on the way!) a healthy, wholefoods vegan diet. Her kids are not scrawny or lacking in nutrients; her family is thriving!! If I ever have kids, they will be raised this way. This woman is an incredible role model, for her children, as well as other women.

7) Shannon's blog is titled VeganWitch; check out the Mac-N-Cheese she made! We met not too long ago, & she has been a total sweetheart from day one :) I love making blogger connections with friendly foodies. Her website is definitely one to check out; she even gives cost evaluations of servings in her recipes. On a budget? Follow Shannon!

8) Though more about life than food, my cousin Leah writes an amazing blog called Canadian Eh! Dedicated to photography & family, it's a comforting & uplifting blog to read. (Her photos put mine to shame! But she is a photographer :P)

9) Heard of SleepTalkin' Man yet? This mild-mannered English fellow apparently says some weird, hilarious, & downright crude things in his sleep. He & his wife leave the tape recorder on at night & post updates in the morning. These are always good for a laugh.

10) Chloe Coscarelli, or Chef Chloe, created the winning cupcakes on Food Network's 'Cupcake Wars'...& they were vegan :) Chloe is adorable, & brings fun to vegan cooking & baking. She's already a young success (she's 22) & will be going far. There's no doubt about that.

I hope you enjoy these 10 bloggers as much as I do :) Enjoy your beautiful summer!

Much peace, love, food <3

Char, xo

"hmmmm....Fries? Or Salad?"

I feel this post is really necessary, because of how well society seems to brain-wash everyone. We see a product that claims, 'low-fat,' 'organic,' 'vegan,' 'source of calcium,' 'natural,' etc, & we assume that this means all of these products must be healthy for us. While it's on the right track, it's far from ideal.
I have a friend who works for a major fast food chain, & obviously sees some pretty unhealthy people quite often. The other day, a man came into the restaurant & was trying to order a combo. He'd decided that he wanted a poutine...but wrestled with himself. "I really should have a salad...can I have a macaroni salad instead?"
Oh geez. My friend wanted to say something, but how do you tell someone that their not doing themselves any favours without being rude? (Btw, the macaroni salad had about 150 calories MORE than the poutine!! And the sad thing was that he ate it because he felt like he should.)
If we called food what it actually was, perhaps there would be less confusion. If the side he ordered with his combo was correctly named "macaroni egg fat," I doubt he would have made such a mistake. Then again, this wouldn't sell very much product, now would it?
When it comes to restaurants, everything is all about taste. They don't care whether or not your saddlebags are going to be well-packed afterwards: they simply want you to like your food. Butter, mayo, oil, cheese, sugar, cream...all of these things are added liberally, because the mood receptors in your brain respond well to carbs & fat (though it's pretty obvious that the rest of your body won't).
When ordering salad in a restaurant, be mindful of the word "creamy." Ask for oil-based dressing on the side, no bacon bits or egg, extra veggies...you can have a healthy meal while eating out. You just need to be incredibly mindful & honest with yourself. You can pretend all you want that what you're eating is only 300 calories, but your body is going to know the difference in a 1400 calorie salad. And yes, this is typical in a restaurant. Rememer: cute butts don't just happen. They take discipline & work ;) You CAN do it!! EAT YOUR GREENS!! :D

Char xo

NICE TAN! ;)

So you're probably wondering what this post has to do with food: I'll get to that.
First, I want to start out with some honesty: in high school, my nickname was 'Casper.' In the winter time, when my legs got cold & I'd get goose-bumps, I'd hear comments about my 'raw chicken legs.' Yep, I'm a pasty chick.
Feeling self-conscious, I became a tanorexic: if I went more than two days without fake 'n' baking, I'd start to freak about how pale I was getting. I was pretty dark, but it also made me look like I was about 5-6 years older than I actually was. At the age of 18, people assumed I was 24. I never got ID'd, but I was starting to have leather-y, wrinkle-prone skin. Not cute. To be honest, the only thing that stopped me was going into modeling; agents & clients like the girls to have no colour.
I stopped modeling a few years ago, but began to embrace my pale skin. It was something that made me unique, & I've learned to love all the amazing things that make me different. I no longer hated being pale: I loved it :) I also started to get compliments about how young I look. At the age of 23, people assume I'm 18-19, & I get ID'd all the time.
Though the sun has been out a lot lately, I have not been in it more than enough to get my vitamin D. I burn very easily (due to my fair complexion), so I try to stay covered up. (I lovelovelove the sunshine, though! <3)
Well, as I've mentioned before, I have discovered a sick passion for....carrots. I consume about 20lbs every 3 weeks. They're a perfect snack: I love to eat, so I love crunching something that takes a long time & tastes sweet. Carrots are just that for me. And they travel well, too!
I've heard before of skin turning orange from carrots, though I thought this could be a myth...I'm not orange, buuuuuuuuuuuut:
I went for a walk yesterday with my girlfriend, & she said to me, "Wow, you look so tanned, Char!" haaaaaaah, really? My secret is carrots :P My brother also commented to me later that same day that there is much more colour in my face. Insta-tan, w/ no side effects? I'll take it! Eat up your raw carrots, fellow veggies! I promise you won't have to worry about skin cancer from a carrot tan ;)

Char xo

"Does This Make Me Look Fat?"

Admit it; you know that we've all had "fat" days. Whether we're male or female, skinny or "plump," we have those days when we're feeling less than thrilled about how we look. Fat days are never going to go away, no matter how skinny we get.
So how do we deal with this in a healthy way? Your physical health is connected to your mental health. When you don't feel good about yourself, you are more likely to make poor choices. For example: "I'm already fat...one more muffin won't make a difference." Or, "I already blew my diet today, so I'm just going to eat whatever I want."
This negative self-talk will set you up for failure, 100% of the time. I'm not perfect; I've had my battles with negative self-talk, and feeling guilty over food. Talking yourself up instead will encourage you to make better choices. "I had a few too many treats at lunch time, but I know I'll feel better if I eat a little lighter for the rest of the day."
I read a great quote the other day, though I don't remember from where. It goes, "Brown rice eaten in guilt is worse than chocolate cake eaten in ecstasy." So true!
First, recognize that you are human. Enjoying a treat here and there is not "bad," and is more likely to keep you from bingeing. You only live once; so eat your cake!
What if you died tomorrow? At your memorial, do you think people would say, "he/she was so thin, and looked great!" Ummm, no. People are only going to remember YOU! "He/she was so compassionate & caring, & really loved his/her friends & family." No one really gives a crap if you weigh an extra 5, 10, 50, 100 pounds, as long as you're a decent person. Don't worry about weight; focus on feeling strong and healthy. When you're not obsessing over your weight, your body will find its happy place.
Think about it; when you're hungry, does your temper get shorter? Wouldn't you rather weigh a little bit more and be happy, than weigh less and be a miserable person? Sure, you'd be skinny; but no one wants to hang out with a negative person, no matter how skinny they are.
Eating a mostly raw diet has helped a lot with my self confidence. It's hard to feel bad about yourself when you're feeding your body good foods. Try to change your thoughts from, "there's no point in trying, I'm just going to eat these donuts," to "I love how good I feel after a {insert healthy food name here}. I'm going to have that instead." With raw foods, there is no guilt; but there's all the taste, flavour, and texture.
That being said, don't treat it as an all or nothing approach. Extremes are not healthy, either. Gradually add healthier foods to your diet, as you get more comfortable with them. And if you really, really, really want something that is less than perfect, have a little bit. Savour every bite. Enjoy it. And remember that you deserve treats, and remind yourself how much you take care of yourself. Have cake, have salad, and love every bite :)
I find yoga to also be very calming, relaxing, and grounding. It takes you away from life's stresses for a short while. It helps you connect, love, and appreciate your body.
Below, you'll find my new mantra. I hope you find it as encouraging as I do.

"Be Extraordinary

When we feed ourselves the right nutrients from whole uncooked fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, we look, feel, and perform at our best. Listen to your body. Only you can know what you need to be your best. Choose to be happy, compassionate, strong, lean, vibrant, and healthy.

Look beautiful.

Live green.

Be extraordinary!"

-Ani Phyo

Sauerkraut: Getting My Probiotics

For the past couple weeks, my lower tummy has felt bloated & sore, like there's a brick sitting in the bottom of it. Cutting back on nuts & seeds and eating pretty much just fruit & veggies thinking that might help, I've been feeling really miserable and anti-social. I mean really, who wants to go out and visit people when they feel like crap?
I finally realized what I was doing to help the situation obviously wasn't working, so I talked to J, a nutritionist (and fellow raw foodie) that I work with. Her suggestion was probiotics. While she also gave them to me in a natural pill form, I was wondering about foods that I could be eating on a regular basis. Miso, I knew, is one of them, but she told me sauerkraut is another. I had honestly never tried the pickled cabbage before. We sell it at work, in its "live" (raw) state, so I bought some. I went home and was starting to feel better from my probiotic pill, but got late-night munchies at around 10. Usually, I'm wanting fruit or some sort of fat (nuts or chocolate), but all I wanted was veggies & sauerkraut. I hadn't even tried it yet, but I was craving it.
I started prepping my salad; mixed greens, sesame seeds for added calcium, beets, and carrots. All I wanted pretty much were root veggies. For a dressing, I used 2 tsp Vega Antioxidant Oil Blend and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar.
I opened my jar of sauerkraut. Sniffed it. Poked it. Tasted it. Died and went to heaven. I have been living under a rock. I loooooooove sauerkraut!! I put liberal amounts of it in my salad (though it's hidden under the beets and carrots in the picture), and have been devouring it for days. Because I eat in my room, it smells strongly of pickled cabbage. I don't even care.
So while there is no recipe to post for this (as I have yet to learn the art of pickling veggies), I thought it would be important to point out the importance of probiotics. These friendly bacteria help keep your digestive system clean and happy, which is something we all need.