No Longer a Vegetarian

I never thought I would ever say that phrase again.  I am now a meat-eater, a true omnivore.  It was tough to come to terms with at first, but I have been fighting cravings for a big juicy burger.  The best burgers near my hometown can be found at the Lions Tap in Shakopee.  On the north shore, you can go to the town of Superior in Wisconsin, to a sailor's bar called The Anchor.  I did cheat once in college, gorging on a double cheeseburger at The Anchor.  Even my two vegan friends gave in to our animal temptations, engaging in carnivorous behavior.  We ate burgers, fries, pop, the works.  Afterwards, full bellies, no regrets.  A little meat among friends never hurt anyone.

Apart from my random cravings for beef, I never really thought seriously about eating meat again.  I had been a vegetarian for almost 15 years.  As a teenager growing up, you dare to be different, to stand out.  This was one of those ways, however, it was also paired with some bad experiences with bad meat (never free-range or organic, which was unheard of in the mid-90's).  Moments that I never wanted to personally repeat.  I had been tormented with random stomach aches, indigestion, missed days of school.  Never knowing why, we just continued on with life.  This has pained me until recently, when noticing that I couldn't digest any food without painful gas, a paleness to my skin, and puffy eyes.  I was basically down to a diet of brown rice, eggs, and sesame seeds.  Doesn't make for an exciting meal day in and day out.

I contacted a homeopathic doctor after trying some unsuccessful, personal remedies.  A hair sample was sent along with health history.  She immediately told me that I need to eat meat, up to 6 times per week, and mostly red meat.    Not only did I have to eat meat again, but red meat, and a lot of it!  The first kind of flesh I gave up in my "dare to be different" phase.  I was also told that I am an emotional sponge, allowing all sorts of emotions to invade my mind, while not having the tools to adequately disperse them back out.  These emotions were stored up in my gut, definitely contributing to my digestive woes.  But, that is another issue for another day.

Okay, so how do we do this?  I didn't think I could do a steak, not right away at least.  So, ground hamburger it is.  Tacos. Done.  First red meat meal in 15 years (besides cheating episode previously mentioned).  It was so delicious, and I was so starved of animal protein, that I ate way more than Joseph did.  Since I am an O blood type, I am only able to absorb about 10-15% of the protein available in nuts, vegetables, and grains.  I was literally starved of protein and it showed.  Animal protein is absorbed into my body at the rate of 60-75%.  I was placed on a series of digestive aids, increasing stomach acid, decreasing body pH and adding digestive "trainers" so that I could process meat again.  I have genetic sensitivities to wheat and alcohol, so stay away from those things also.  Alcohol not so hard, but wheat, it's in everything.  Okay, so back to meat and potatoes diet.  Back to my roots.  

According to the Eat Right For Your Blood Type diet, I should be a meat and potatoes kind of gal.  I am a type O- blood type.  Blood Type O has roots in the nomadic hunters, being the oldest blood type in existence.  We (meaning type O's - my ancestors) didn't ever stay in one place as their food was always on the move.  Grains were consumed on a rare occasion.  Wow, what a change from the previous years of my life.  I highly recommend the book, as I have been enlightened.  It makes sense and I have felt the difference even after one week.  

Every week you hear about a new fad diet to lose weight.  Well, what about eating for your blood type?  All these diets are based on different blood types, but this is not a common factor to be tested for and used to your benefit.  Why is that?  It's too easy.  I hope more people find this out.  Our country is obese, our children are expected to have a shorter life span their parents.  We cannot allow this to happen.  

I hope that this country wakes up from this slumber revitalized and ready to focus on real problems like the health of our people and our environment.  One day.....

Farming and the Economic Crisis

"We live off of what comes out of the soil, not what's in the bank. If we squander the ecological capital of the soil, the capital on paper won't much matter... For the past 50 or 60 years, we have followed industrialized agricultural policies that have increased the rate of destruction of productive farmland. For those 50 or 60 years, we have let ourselves believe the absurd notion that as long as we have money we will have food. If we continue our offenses against the land and the labor by which we are fed, the food supply will decline, and we will have a problem far more complex than the failure of our paper economy. Remember, if our agriculture is not sustainable then our food supply is not sustainable... Either we pay attention or we pay a huge price, not so far down the road. When we face the fact that civilizations have destroyed themselves by destroying their farmland, it's clear that we don't really have a choice."

Source: Wes Jackson, co-founder of The Land Institute, in an interview with Alternet -- Read the Full Interview