Body Enlightenment: December 2008

Crazy veggy cravings

OK- this is among the weirdest things that has ever happened to me!

About 4 weeks into my vegetarian way of eating I woke up CRAVING veggies. That day it was broccoli. Then I moved to asparagus and now its egg plant! I have tried eating healthy all my life with little luck and lots of back sliding. Now I am CRAVING the green stuff !!??? Very very strange!

On that note....my cooking has totally changed. I used to cook like this.... What meat do I have? What starch goes with that? Oh- I had better add in a veg. Now I go....What veggies do I have? Should I add a starch? Meat....better do something nice for the hubby so he doesn't leave me ;)

December 31, 2008

Here I am a month after I got started rebounding. I don't own a scale so I don't know if I have actually lost any weight but that's fine. I can tell I have dropped a few inches here and there. I have some saggy jeans an I lost 2 inches on my waist.

I haven't been very consistent so I am psyched that I came this far in only 5 weeks. Check back in a month to see if anything changes. Right at this moment I am O so very sore from

doing Tao-Bo for the first time.

Health benefits of a vegetarian diet

Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein. They’re also high in folate, anti-oxidant vitamins like C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals. Overall, vegetarians have substantially reduced risks for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer - particularly lung cancer and colon cancer. Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe coronary artery disease.

Cool Beans!

Why on Earth would a person be vegetarian?

What makes a person be a vegetarian anyway?!?!

Well, I have to tell ya that I thought it was about the weirdest thing in the world just a few year back. I came from a world of farmers. My grandparents were cow/ then pig farmers. I too raised meat animals in my back yard. I was thrilled to produce quality meat for my family.

I came to it as a result of raising my own meat and other mixed experiences.What I have found about becoming a vegetarian is that is a very personal choice. It cannot be forced or pushed on a person.

I found this definition on the net...

There are a variety of reasons. Many people switch to a vegetarian diet for weight loss and improved health. Some are concerned about the safety of meat following recent outbreaks of salmonella and e. coli bacteria. Others feel that it is moral or spiritual issue. Some individuals deplore the suffering of animals in modern factory farms. Still others are concerned about the environment and world hunger. A few just don’t like meat. For many vegetarians it is a combination of issues.

(little tofu pic was found on the net-its not mine)

Quote

What we eat is within our control, yet the act ties us to the economic, political, and ecological order of the whole planet. Even an apparently small change- consciously choosing a diet that is good for both our bodies and the earth- can lead to a series of choices that transform our whole lives. -Lapp

This quote really hit me because this is just what happened to me.

About 5 yrs ago I was visiting a friends home. Our family had just bought our first chicks. I was thinking in terms of virtually free eggs for our 7 kids. So, we are sitting around talking chickens and eggs when Sue Mead says, "Do you know what happens to male chicks?" I said, "No and I really don't want to". She proceeds to tell me how they are tossed into garbage bags and left to die because in the world of factory farming, they are of no value. This was so disturbing to me that I went home and looked it up on the Internet.

From there I decided to avoid factory farming where I could.

(here is a link about factory farming if you are interested... http://www.factoryfarming.org. )

We started with our back yard hens. This kept us from buying factory farmed eggs. That lead to goats....no more factory milk or yogurt. Then we bought a calf. That was the end of factory farmed meat. After that we got into organics and fair trade products and after several years in such close contact with our meat source, a few of us went vegetarian.

Vegitarian

I have been a vegitarian for since early November.

My daughter, Vayda, has been a veg head for over a year.

I tossed the idea of going veg around for several months. I thought I couldnt handle it. After all, I loved hamburger and pepperoni. Not to mention, I have struggled with all kinds of food issues all my life. My friend suggested I try goin veg for just 5 days a week. I did that and found that I could handle it just fine. What I have figured out is- for starters- I am not that into hamburger. I just love garlic! I always load my burger with garlic and its just that smell I love. As for pepperoni pizza...sausage is just as good. I found tofu sausage and that works just as well.

Health benefits of rebounding

Bouncing on a mini-trampoline may not be your idea of a strenuous aerobic exercise and it may not strike you as having significant health benefits, but, in fact, both are the case. Rebounding, as this form of safe, gentle, no-impact exercise is commonly called, burns more calories than jogging. Trampoline bouncing also can strengthen your heart, improve your circulation, stimulate the flow in your lymphatic system, help slow the effects of aging, revitalize vision, reduce stress, and benefit children with learning disabilities and cystic fibrosis.

One of rebounding's special benefits is its ability to improve flow in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is the metabolic garbage can of the body. It rids the body of toxins, fatigue substances, dead cells, cancer cells, nitrogenous wastes, trapped protein, fatty globules, pathogenic bacteria, infectious viruses, foreign substances, heavy metals, and other assorted junk the cells cast off.

Stagnant or inadequate lymph flow is associated with the onset of many symptoms and illnesses, including bursitis in the shoulders, bunions, joint stiffness or soft tissue spasms, dry flaking skin, bad breath, body odors, lethargy, depression, and cancer. Unlike the circulatory system with the heart as its pump, the lymph system lacks a pump to move the fluid. It is vital that the lymph fluids continue to flow in order to eliminate waste from the body. The flow is dependent on muscle contractions and body movements, massage and other forms of compression, and gravity. One of the best ways to stimulate this flow is by exercising.