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.....

Link to Track Where Your Food Comes From

If you were curious about where your food travels from:

http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/resources/fruitveg/fruitveg.php

I have quite a few co-workers and friends that have committed themselves to the 100-mile diet.  I couldn't do it; I like rice.  Although, there is "local" rice grown in South Carolina, I cannot afford the $9 per pound rockstar price for a grain that is a large part of my diet.  

Once we have our own home, we will be able to grow and preserve a lot of what we eat.  I am even going to make Joseph's soy milk that he drinks every day.  Oh what fun!  We are both excited to get back to the earth, become homesteaders and learn to be self-sustaining.  There seems to be a push in my generation to regenerate our roots and connect back with nature.  What a great time in the world to be (re) learning how to provide for our own well-being.

Support Your Local Farmers!

Pre-reading instructions:  This post contains interactive links to some websites.  Please feel free to click and discover!  This will be a common occurrence in future blogs as well, for how do we learn if we do not share ? 

On a weekly basis I get an email summary from the Climate Crisis Coalition (I know, a lot of doom and gloom business, but how are we going to change the world if we are ignorant?)

This posting below really rang true with mine and Joseph's passions right now. It should be a focus for all of us. The only way to make change is to support local foods, local farms, buy organic when possible, and plant your own garden. One of the most patriotic things you can do is to have your own garden and provide some of your own food. Eating from your own garden also lessens the crunch on your bank account. You also know exactly what sort of chemicals or additives you use on your produce (I recommend not using any, just some manure, vermicompost(the website isn't mine, although it's coming!), and a good organic leaf mulch). Count how many fruits, vegetables, and other daily staples (and unnecessary calories added to our bodies) are from a different country. Herbicides, pesticides and fungicides that have been banned for decades (remember DDT?) are still being used in these countries. Join a Community Supported Agriculture program/farm in your area. They will deliver a box of fruits and veggies that are in season to your doorstep. Join the Slow Food Movement. Shop at your local farmer's market. Eat in season and eat a diverse range of foods and food groups. Your body is a temple. Eat to Live, not Live to Eat.

Take Note, Rome: Loss of Biodiversity and Sustainable Farming Practices Are Big Contributors to Hunger. Commentary by Gonzalo Oviedo, BBC News, June 2, 2008.

"We have a global food crisis... Unsustainable agricultural policies and technologies, inequitable trade rules, agricultural subsidies that distort the markets, and the systematic marginalization of small producers lie at the heart of [it]... [along with] chronic under-investment in agriculture in developing countries, and a real neglect of the basic premise that ecosystems have to be in good shape... The... massive expansion of agriculture [over the past 50 years]... has left us with 60% of all ecosystem services degraded, accelerated species extinction, and huge loss in genetic diversity. Currently, four plant species -- wheat, maize, rice and potato -- provide more than half of the plant-based calories in the human diet, while about a dozen animal species provide 90% of animal protein consumed globally. We have already lost three-quarters of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops. As the agricultural frontier has expanded, those farmers previously dependent on [more diverse crops] have converted to cash crops. As traditional varieties and breeds die out, so too do the traditional knowledge and practices of local farmers. Those same practices could now be critical in adapting to climate change." Gonzalo Oviedo is senior advisor on social policy with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (formerly the World Conservation Union).

My boss has just published his second book and it talks about just this concept. It is called "Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy." Check it out here. Amazing. Inspiring.

We live the way we want to, in hopes that someone else will notice and ask why we are so happy. It is, then, that we will tell them.