A December sky over Toronto – you never know what you will see if you just look around!
Be grateful about something. Look around and find anything to appreciate. Whether it is food in the fridge, a roof over your head, someone who cares about you, or even just the fact that you are breathing, be thankful for it. Being grateful puts you in a state of mind that allows room for happiness.
Do something for someone else. Don’t expect anything in return. Hold the door open, let a car go in front of you, call someone who would love to hear your voice, or just smile. Doing for others takes us away from worrying about what we think life owes us.
Go for a walk. Getting outside and enjoying fresh air is a productive use of time. It frees up your mind and makes you more focused when you get back to whatever it is you were doing. While you are walking, smile at someone and be thankful that you can walk.
Declutter. Look around you and find something that needs to go. Give it away to someone who can use it, thus doing something for someone else at the same time. A decluttered space allows new energy to flow and can improve both your mood and your productivity.
Eat something you enjoy without attaching any labels to it. Stop categorizing things as good or bad. Allow yourself the pure enjoyment of the moment and be thankful that you can appreciate the sensory experience of whatever it is you are having.
Be more present today and notice the energy that is flowing through and around you. In other words, be alive!
100% fuelled by plants – well, and vegan ice cream and donuts sometimes too!
I wasn’t going to write this, because to me the way you eat is a personal thing, influenced by culture, where you live, and even how old you are.
But as more and more people become “vegan curious”, I thought I would share my thoughts about a plant-based diet.
First off, let me say that it is a much different environment than the one I entered ten years ago when I decided to stop eating eggs and cheese. Those two items, as for many new vegans, were the last animal products in my diet. I had been vegetarian for another two years before that, and on and off many times throughout my life starting as a teenager.
Why the lifelong struggle with meat? Well, mostly because I never did digest it very well. I always found that I felt better when I wasn’t eating it.
For me, it eventually became an ethical concern as well, as I became unwilling to support an industry that doesn’t treat slaughter animals well. But that’s a discussion for another day.
After a decade of plants, almond milk, and tofu, I can honestly say that there is nothing that would make me want to switch back to animal products.
I feel too good to even want to consider it! And there are tons of benefits. It’s easy to stay at my ideal weight, my body is strong and lean, my digestion is no longer an issue as it was my entire life, and my skin is clear and glowing.
It wasn’t difficult to leave the meat off my plate. I just expanded all of the other things I was already eating, like potatoes, salads, beans, grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.
Things are so much easier now! Even fast-food chains are getting in on the action with burgers made from plants. But be careful – if health is your main goal, then being a vegan who lives on French fries and Oreos and cashew ice cream is not going to be ideal.
The question I get asked the most is, “Where do you get your protein?” Honestly, look at giraffes and horses and gorillas and even rhinoceroses. They seem to get along quite fine eating plants.
I have built more muscle on a diet of plants than I did as a meat-eater. I also suffer less bloating, digestive upset, and have massive amounts of energy too.
A well-rounded diet of plant-based whole foods covers all of the bases in terms of nutrient requirements. The only thing I supplement is vitamin B12, and that is easy to get in plant milks that are fortified with this vital vitamin.
This is still a personal decision though. We all need to make it ourselves, and the purpose of this blog is just to present my thoughts behind a decision I made and how it has worked for me.
I didn’t go vegan because someone told me to. Actually, I quite dislike when people tell me what to do!
But I did do my own research and my own experimentation, and this lifestyle works for me. An informed decision of your own making will always be the right decision for you.
