You are what you eat...

...which makes me a very bad for you, totally fattening, Starbucks Peppermint Mocha. It's an obsession that began with the pretty red holiday cup and should have ended when the holidays did...but it didn't. It got so bad, my brother bought me the legit syrups from Starbucks for Christmas so I could make them at home. They're all gone now. But I'm done. No, really.
I'm not into "diets." I see dieting as temporary. I am, however, into constantly reevaluating my own and my family's dietary needs. We treat ourselves to Chipotle once in awhile (antibiotic and hormone free meats!) but we mostly eat at home. This creates a lot of dishes. Oops...I cook, so guess what hubby has to do.... :) We stick to organic beef, hormone-free chicken and turkey. I can't remember the last time we had pork. We eat organic vegetables (love the co-op but can't wait for my own garden!) and whole grains like quinoa, couscous, brown and wild rice and prefer brown rice pasta to white or even whole wheat pasta. I can be creative in the kitchen and don't mind substituting for healthier options or when I don't have a particular ingredient. I don't even mind making something up with whatever I have in the pantry. My mom says this is a trait from my grandmother. Thank goodness because I can only recall a couple of my mom's experimental meals and well.....yeah. Love you, Momma!
Though I freely recognize my family eats better than most of America, I can see room for change. I have experimented with vegetarianism and quite liked the result. I ultimately stopped because I found myself not paying attention for a few days and could tell I was rapidly becoming anemic by the bruising. I didn't feel I had the time at that particular juncture to pay enough attention to the health aspect so I stopped. For awhile. Now, I am watching my mom transition to raw vegan and begin to glow as well as abound with energy...sans caffeine! I have begun pouring through websites along with her and have seen so many success stories, I can't help but be hooked.
These people look incredibly healthy (and quite normal, thank you, to those thinking they are tree-hugging hippie types)! So, bit by bit, I am trying to incorporate more raw vegan meals and snacks into my day. My family is addicted to Larabars, which have nothing but fruit, nuts and dates for sweetness anyway so I haven't made a sacrifice there. (By the way, if you have never had one...go buy one, now! Peanut Butter Cookie and Coconut Cream Pie are like dessert! http://www.larabar.com/) I found an awesome website, http://www.ohsheglows.com/ with all sorts of delish chocolatey snacks. I made the chocolate chips and chocolate chips cookies last night. SOOOO good! and all gone, I might add.
Here is my theory as to why vegetarians, vegans get a bad rap: A lot of these folks are very sensitive to the plight of the animals being raised for food and in their decision to stop eating meat or animal products have not necessarily made the decision to replace that protein accordingly with whole grains, vegetables, nuts and grains. These folks thin out drastically (not in a pretty way) and get pale. Then everyone blames their diet. I am here to tell you that I LOVE animals and I am saddened by the way some are raised and subsequently killed for food, BUT my food decisions are 100% based on the health aspects.
If I decide to continue this path to raw veganism, and I can tell you I have a long way to go, it will only be if I feel better. If my skin clears up, I sleep better, I have more energy and if I don't turn into a raging hormonal wench once a month. These would be signs to me that I am on the right path and need to continue. At that point, look out! Who wouldn't do whatever they could to feel that good? What I find so interesting is that living and eating this way is only difficult because of society. Society as a whole will judge me based on what I eat. I will be labeled as weird or difficult. I call it healthy and I call it progress. Shouldn't we all do what we can to better ourselves when given the opportunity?