DAY FOUR - fermented foods-they're good for you!

today we focus on fermented foods-and NO i'm NOT talking about alcohol, boys and girls! hee hee. alcohol is a big no-no on the thirty day vegan secret plan. yes it can take some of the stress away but it is also calorie rich and for me, induces migraines and fatigue. after one night out (or in) drinking i am completely USELESS the next day. plus, for someone (like me) with addictive tendencies it's very hard to stop at just one glass or bottle of anything. i mean, i can do it...it's just hard. i have to remind myself. no, elizabeth, you do NOT need or desire a third beer. so better for me to "just say no." but onto the good news about other more healthy types of fermentation!

the human digestive track is full of micro-organisms and bacteria. most of these are "friendly" and HELP keep us feeling healthy and help us break down our food, or are the healthful remnants of us breaking food down. "good bacteria" not only keeps us well, but actually helps us ABSORB vital nutrients from whatver we eat or drink. they "unlock" the innate nutrition in our diet, instead of just letting it pass through our system. we used to have even MORE of these "friendly bacteria" guys because food was once grown in soil that was rich with them. thanks to over-reliance on pesticides, herbicides, and the chlorination of water used for irrigation we no longer have as many of these "hitching rides" on the food we eat. therefore we are already getting less of the GOOD bacteria from food from the get-go. additionally, the formation of "bad" bacteria in your gut wreaks having with the good, causing stomach upset and illness adn all kinds of horrible stuff. here are a few things that make "bad" bacteria grow in the belly:


1) Overeating

2) Drinking fluoridated and/or chlorinated water. Chlorine not only kills the bad bacteria in your drinking water, but also the good bacteria in your digestive tract.

3) Excessive Alcohol, coffee, tobacco, street and prescription drugs, antacid tablets

4) Improper food handling, food storage

5) Unclean food

6) Non-organic food

sometimes you hear these "good" micro-organisms and bacteria dealies are referred to as "probiotics." notice the recent trend in adding them to yogurt, which as a fermented food is already full of them. but "whatevs," madison avenue and yoplait need their pretty pennies. sometimes fermented foods are even MORE EASILY DIGESTED than ones which are not. for example, sauerkraut can be better tolerated and produce less gas in some people than cabbage does. many people who cannot tolerate dairy seem to do ok with yogurt and keiffer milk. but what about vegans? where do we get our healthy fermentation from?

well, lots of places it turns out!

1) soy yogurt! it's delicious and like most "milk" type soy products has a natural sweetness that i find quite pleasing. u might too--give it a shot!

2) tempeh! boy is this stuff good. the gorgeous bespectacled produce boy down at my local co-op turned me onto this easy trick to make it more tasty. fry it up in sesame oil! it adds even more nutty richness to the already nutty flavour and helps take a bit of the "sour" taste it can have (esp. when it gets old) away. an extra dash of tamari and some sliced fresh ginger and you are on your way to one of the quickest, most easy to prepare meals your newly good n' bad bacteria-balanced
tummy will ever enjoy! mmm! tempeh is also very high in b12 so an added benefit--energy surge!

3) kombucha tea! a tea made from mushrooms and has been used as an anti-diarheaa/stomach upset (along with salted plums) for centuries in the orient. once you get used to it's extremely mild flavour you will enjoy your low-stress, no caffeine tea that isn't dehydrating and won't stain your teeth! delish!

4) apple cider vinegar -so delicious and good for you! it makes for a cleansing tonic when diluted with water and an exceptionally good salad dressing. here is an easy recipe for a raspberry vinagrette:

1/4 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp raw sugar or agave syrup
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 cup safflower oil

and one more, for tahini style or brand-name "goddess" dressing sold in stores:

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp dried chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp raw sugar or agave syrup
1/4 cup safflower oil

5) miso soup- anything miso for that matter-miso paste, miso chips, etc etc. the soup is virtually calorie free adn can be easily made from envelops at the grovcery store or tubs of paste from the health food co-op. add it to stir fried vegetables for a fast and flavourful treat!

ok, a hope this short list will get you started and intrigued on consumption of fermentation. fermented foods are delicious, inexpensive, and relatively easy to find. give it a shot-your stomach will thank you!

P.S. i know i am still not giving away any work i've done utilizing the secret. that's because honestly every time i read it i am so turned off by the simpleness of the word-choices and the "RA-RA, GO TEAM!" repetitive nature of the ideas within i find it difficult to keep on reading it. but i promised myself i would read it and other success-affirming, positivity-encouraging books so i will.

for today let's just take this hint from the hot dude that is a millionaire now thanks to his "P90x" infomercials. i like this dude and he has a blogspot on here if you care to look it up. anyway, his advice is this:

*instead of saying 'i can't' to something try saying something else that acknowledges the difficulty you are experiencing with a goal or project, without making you feel like you are foolishly denying it's challenge to you. that way, you are not lying to yourself, but you are also not succumbing to negativity or to an overly pesimisstic, self-defeating mind set. try saying things like "right now, i am struggling with..." or "it's hard for me to ___________ right now, but i know soon it will be easy." just try it! switching to this positive yet still realistic self-talk has helped me alot! :-)

DAY THREE

ok, i have been away for a while and it has been more than just one day since i posted, but i am just going to pick up right where i left off and keep going. so even though this is more like day thirteen let's pretend it's not. here is an interesting by-product of being a vegan i would like to share. LESS PERIOD CRAMPS. ACTUALLY *NONE*. allow me to repeat myself - NONE. i found this to be a total surprise. i am not sure why this is. i know meat takes a long time for your body to digest, and refined sugar (which i've also been avoiding) taxes the eliminatory organs, and both these factors alone can enhance cramping, but i still can't put my finger on why exactly avoiding them along with dairy products has relieved so much menstrual pain. but i'm just gonna enjoy it--hallelujah! i guess since i've been consuming lots of soy products and soy is high in magnesium (which is good for cramps) and phyto-estrogens (which help the body release excess estrogen, which, IN SOME PEOPLE can ease menstrual symptoms) this probably has helped. all i can say is--YAY! usually i have to take black cohosh (a natural supplement) a couple times a day for cramps when i have them but i haven't for this new vegan cycle so i am just THRILLED. seriously. can you hear my laughter? i laugh with my maxi pads. ha ha. :)




here are some great links:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Magnesium-for-Menstrual-Health

http://hubpages.com/hub/menstrual-cramps-and-soy

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/23/14.cfm

Day TWO

since i am embarking on this journey and the road looks rough, i am treating myself each morning to a lovely cup of what the food network's barefoot contessa calls her "Chinese Juice of a Thousand Nectars." it's actually an american blend of only three, but it is refreshing and delicious and it cuts the morning mucus, which being a snively allergy-prone late-stirrer, i am prone to.

here is how you make it:

1/2 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1/2 lime. juice all three together, stir, and enjoy! AH! delicous! if you have a juicer, great. reamers are good, too. if not, just use a spoon to ream them out or the good old hand-squeezing method. be sure and squeeze over a bowl & not a glass, though, or you will lose most of your precious nectars to the countertop!

*on top chef masters last week i watched one chef clamp down on his lemon half WITH HIS TEETH and bite down on it it over a bowl... that was his juicing method! how beastially satisfying must that be? but this technique i fear is only ok if you are not sharing! lol.

i have to say, so far, so good. i actually feel BETTER. i am not missing anything so far. i have had the good people at starbux substitute soy milk for my usual non-fat milk and i find it's a sweet surprise! when you heat up soy milk it naturally sweetens itself more. it also has a thick, rich texture, so your latte seems more filling. i am so pleased! no cravings yet! hoorah!

Day ONE

I have to say I do not like BLOGGER. I just spent about 15 or 20 minutes writing a long blog about the exploits of my first day only to have it disappear into nothingness. This never happens on myspace or facebook. i am PISSED.

My time is precious and I can't afford to waste it on technical glitches and writing oriented weblogs that aren't user friendly and easily eat the content you slave over. Not an auspicous start.


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All right I have now somewhat recovered from losing EVERYTHING I just typed. Since I don't feel like trying to painstakingly recreate every word that was lost I will just quickly hit the highlights:

1) I like drugs. I take a lot of drugs. Mostly tranquilizers and painkillers. I have migraines and suffer off and on from severe eye strain and intense orbital pain. I have insomnia related to a sort of generalized mild anxiety and a life-long problem with vivid, torturous nightmares and night terrors. To put it simply, I am too afraid of what I will dream to fall asleep at night. I also drink alot of caffeine, because I'm always tired and always craving a "lift." I am really hoping becoming a vegan will help me deal with these issues.

2) I have promised myself that I will at the very least take one LONG walk every day. I may not yet be able to participate in thrice weekly company ballet, modern, jazz, and pointe classes like I could in my heyday...but I have legs. I can walk. Blood pumping, oxygen going in, nature all around. Win-win.

3) I destest the suffering of any creature, be it of "lower" intelligence or lesser conciousness than I or not (and even this theory is debatable) and have also noticed that meat and dairy products do not taste like they used to. It is difficult to enjoy these products when they taste "off" and different than I remember them tasting in my youth and it is VERY difficult to enjoy them knowing that the animals that produce them are given chemically saturated feed and injected with an assortment of growth hormones to make them *bigger* faster and thus easier to slaughter for a quicker payoff. The pain, agony, and deprivation an animal goes through to bring me it's flesh or even it's milk is disturbing. Seriously. It really is. I'm a practical person, and I know vegan alternatives are rather expensive and hard to come by, but the suffering of these helpless creatures bothers me greatly. It just does.

4) I haven't had time to read "The Secret" yet because when I read for content and not for pleasure I require both silence and solitude. As soon as I have an adequate ammount of both I will get right on it. Changing the way I think is just as important to me as changing the way I eat and move. So I will try to read at least thirty or forty pages of this slim book by early next week.

All right, compared to the eloquence (I hope) of what I had written before this bullet list leaves much to be desired, but I have covered the basics of what I had, eh, for the most part.

Hey--it's a start!!

THE SECRET VEGAN

THE SECRET VEGAN is a project I've created for myself wherein I become a Vegan (I love how I can capitalize "Vegan" just like it was "Martian" and it still looks and sounds okay.) while simulataneoulsy attempting to follow the teachings of the Oprah Winfrey-endorsed, success-affirming, explosively popular self-help book "The Secret" for thirty days. Because I firmly believe ANYONE can do ANYTHING for thirty days.

"Why am I doing this?" you ask. (or perhaps you do not ask, but still, I will tell you. I've never let a little thing like a person's lack of interest in my life stop me from telling them all about it).

Well, you see, I am miserable. There. I'm not afraid to say it. And I, for one, am willing to do anything at this point not to feel this way. Veganism IS an extreme dietary lifestyle but I know I need something extreme. I'm at least twenty-five pounds overweight, bloated, and dependent on handfulls of various over adn behind the counter drugs to get myself through the day (and night). I'm sedentary and I'm sad. Guess what? I'm also unemployed and broke. So...feel better about yourself yet?

Let's start with veganism.

VEGANS. I know. I hate them, too. The word conjures up images of determinately precious, waifish oddballs and stick-thin bearded misfits, stricken with the parlour and viguour of a Victorian Consumptive, always moaning and wailing about they can't eat this and they can't eat that, clutching their stomachs, swooning onto a fainting couch. These people don't eat meat or drink milk or even nibble on cheese or fry up eggs because for God's sake, they're better than that. They are so very above that sort of thing. Above YOU. Bleh. Why would anyone want to associate with such tedious pretention? What incurable bores. What woefully demanding house and dinner guests. What fun they must be to drag around a city, desperately seeking ethically and nutritionally sanctioned nourishment. Shudder. No thank you.

But here I am, extremely overweight and pretty depressed about it. Postponing endeavor after endeavor because of my disatisfaction with physical state and the embarrassment it causes me. The difficulty I have lugging myslef around in the heat is startling. The overwheming fatigue I feel from the moment I awaken interferes with my daily affairs. It wears upon one.

I slowly realize that the contemptuous picture I've had of Vegans is so far is unfair and largely comes form my own jealousy and ignorance. And fear. We fear and mock what we do not understand and what is different from the societal norm. And we fear failure. It is a strict diet, what if one wasn't able to adhere to it? One more log would get tossed into the blaze that is the failure inferno. Oh, how it roars. But these flames are built of my own imagination and can never consume me. The failure fire is easily stamped out. Then the embers of success can glow in it's place.

Since some of my best friends, despite their oddballishness and incouragible misfitting, as well as some of my favourite actors and musicians have embraced veganism, I figure so can I. All these people do not seem to suffer from the dreaded giant buttock and jiggly thigh affliction that has hithertofore stricken me so, and thus i figure, why not give their way a whirl?

Anything's got to be better than what I have been doing lately (which is nothing) and anyone can do anything for thirty days. I repeat once more, ANYONE can do ANYTHING for thirty days. I will KEEP repeating this to myself when I feel challenged. Like a shaky drunk trying to make it through his "one day" without booze, I will likewise be with my soy lattes and ezekial bread, trying to make it through my "one month." I know I can do it.

Right-o? Right-o, then.

Oh yes, and "the Secret." What utter balderdash and cheeky, blasphemous poppycock, the rational mind thinks. Who of sound temper would believe such foolishness?

"The Law of Attraction." OH REALLY? It IS?

"Thoughts become Things." DO THEY now? REALLY? They do?

First, pertaining to the "Law of Attraction:" How is this a "Law?" Laws are laws because they are true whether you believe in them or not. You don't have to believe in gravity, but take a leap of the ledge of your apartment building and you will fall. Alas, yes, whether you believe in gravity or not. Ta-da. Gravity is thus a "Law." Drugs are illegal. Whether you believe they should be or not, it doesn't matter. Smoke them in front of a police officer and you will go to jail. Ta-da. Once again, there is an example of a "Law" in action.

But the Law of Attraction works differently. It requires both "belief "and to a certain extent, suspension of beliefs. So how is it a "Law?"

You are told that positive beliefs attract postive outcomes. It works a lot like faith. You believe that something will work out for the best and it does. Sigh. I confess, it's difficult for me to believe this. This is true somewhat, but you know you can believe you deserve an "A" on a test all you want, but if you don't study for it or at the very least show an initial aptitude for the subject, guess what? You will fail. You will not get your "A," unless you're lucky or you cheat. Time and time again this will prove to be true. A lack of preparation will generlaly cause calamity or disappointment. Positive outcomes DO definitely start with belief, but believing alone does not usually beget achieving.

Second, "The Secret" says that "Thoughts becomes Things." Maybe. I'm thinking of a Jaguar in my driveway. Surprise, surprise when i walk outside it is not there. There are ten thousand actresses in Los Angeles who think they are the next Meryl Streep. Two might have a shot at becoming this. What about the ones who don't? What of their thoughts? Are they not as legitimate and as the two who did? What the matter, did they not "think hard enough?" Where there is limited opportunity there is likewise limited reward. If someone wins, someone has to lose. SO not everything you set your sights on is available to you by virtue of the fact that someone else may have marked it for themselves, who is every bit as determined as you are. So to a certain degree it's probablity and chance. But I will give you that in order for something to have existed in a physical state or in an unspoken or expressed ambiiton in the first place it had to have originated in thought first. So you got me there, Secret. Kudos.


Okay, okay enough with this sarcasm and cynicism. If I'm going to give this a decent go I have to really try it out and try hard. It doesn't hurt to try. And who knows, there are milky pearls hidden in even the rockiest oyster beds so we shall see!

One never knows....