At least that's what I hear! I have made the very serious decision to become a vegetarian and work my way to becoming a Vegan. I can hear your eyes rolling all the way from here, but hear me out! This decision was not entered into lightly! And after all I've read and all I've seen, I can't stomach the idea of eating meat again. This is coming from a girl whose favorite food a week ago was BBQ ribs! I'll list all the links to the books, movies and articles that changed my mind at the end of this post because I first want to explain my journey...
I recently came across a cookbook/diet book/spiritual guide/nutritional resource/fun-weekend-read type of book that a friend recommended (Thanks, Jamie!!). I know that's a lot to ask of a book, but it delivered all that and so much more! It's called Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr.
This book has literally been a life-changer. I checked it out initially to get some healthy recipe ideas. What I found was a whole new way of looking at my food, my health and my life. And it has healthy recipes, too! Bonus! The author, Kris Carr, was diagnosed with an inoperable, untreatable type of cancer several years ago and was basically told she was just waiting to die. She decided to take her life back into her hands and hunt for an alternative. She's tried everything from heavy meds to acupuncture to all kinds of funky alternative treatments. Along the way she learned a lot about foods and how they affect our bodies. She ended up changing what she ate and that made a huge difference in how her body felt and helped with the cancer.
Basically, she became a gluten-free, sugar-free Vegan. No meat, dairy, wheat or sugar. Of course she advocates for others to follow in her footsteps and provides chapters of compelling evidence and research. But, she also offers just great advice for those that still choose to eat all of those things, but a better way to go about it that still makes healthier choices for your body and health. She doesn't look down her nose at those that choose to eat meat or still sneak cookies from the cookie jar. She writes like she's just a close friend that's laying the facts out on the table, but is there to support you no matter what you choose. Very compassionate and fun! You can learn more about Kris Carr at her website
Crazy Sexy Life.
About halfway through her book, I decided I'd read enough to start doing some research of my own. JP had told me about a 12-min documentary he'd watched in one of classes about how the animals we eat are raised and treated from birth to slaughtering house. It's called
Meet Your Meat.
WARNING! THIS VIDEO IS GRAPHIC!
I don't mean rated "R" or anything, but animals are severely abused and you do see them being butchered. Now, I grew up in the sticks of rural Oregon forests and farms. I know about the food chain and have actually butchered chickens myself. Even still, JP wouldn't let me watch this film at first. But I just had to know. I had to know if all the rumors about how all the cows and chickens and pigs we eat are tortured their entire lives before we eat them were really true. JP finally gave me the link and we watched it together. I thought I was going to vomit about four times during this short film and I had to close my eyes for most of the other parts. But I'm glad I watched it. It changed something inside of me. I don't think I can ever eat meat again, and not just because I know now how much fecal matter (poop!) is allowed in all the meats at the grocery store! If I do eat meat again, it will have to be from a local farmer that raises and butchers animals humanely.
Here is the link if you choose to watch this film (which I highly recommend!!) from freedocumentaries.org.
FOOD, INC.
The next film I watched was
Food, Inc. It can be rented from any major video place or found online at Netflix.com. This documentary continued to confirm all I had read and seen regarding the foods we eat, without all the graphic video footage. It is also HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for you to watch. It shows how like 80-90% of the food brands we see at the store are basically from 5-10 major corporations, but under subsidiary names with different packaging. These top corporations pretty much have the government hostage with our foods and can control all legislature regarding the USDA. Pretty scary stuff.
New Chapter of Life
After reading Crazy Sexy Diet, watching Meet Your Meat and Food, Inc. I was pretty upset (and so was my stomach)! I'm setting out on a new journey to change my food and my life. The first step is no more meat or dairy products. This includes milk, yogurt and cheese. I hope you'll be supportive and not be offended if I don't eat your yummy chicken enchiladas or turn down the dessert you slaved over (no more dairy or sugar!). And who knows, maybe you'll join me and we can make these changes together! I hope so.
Resources:
Crazy Sexy Diet
Meet Your Meat
Food, Inc.
Alkalize or Die - amazing book on your body's PH and how to keep it in balance
The China Study - milk and if it really does the body good
Let me know if you have any more recommended resources, ideas or thoughts!
