Mainstream Media eating healthier?! & a Challenge for all of YOU!

I love that people are contacting me every day regarding something they have seen on TV, Facebook, or a friend about healthy living.  Lately Vegan has been the buzz word.  

Oprah and 378 of her staffers went Vegan for a One-Week Challenge, which touched more people than I can even imagine.  I am not an Oprah fan, but she had caught my attention.  I don't have TV, but I sure took a look at her website and read up on how the Challenge went.  I loved that they highlighted that one staffer went from fast food to vegan and had serious addictive withdrawal symptoms. When she overcame them after a week, she decided to go vegan even longer because she felt so amazing.  Another incredible story was another staffer, their video editor Rich, who lost eleven pounds during the week long vegan diet.  One of the main reasons his story is so impressive is that he stuck mainly to fruits and vegetables and not grains or starches (a.k.a. High RAW!). He was off migraine medication and antacids after three days!  By the end of the week, 300 out of the 378 Harpo staffers who signed up successfully completed the challenge.  It raised awareness of how much animal products are in every day foods, and improved conscious eating.  The company is now starting "Meatless Mondays," a phenomenon that is beginning to sweep around the nation. 

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Then there was Ryan Seacrest on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.  Ryan brought his Green Smoothie that his Brazilian trainer had gotten him into.  He kept remarking that it gave him the energy that he needed all day long and he has grown to love them. He never goes anywhere without them (I know how you feel, Ryan!).  I loved that he poured a glass for Jimmy and they toasted on mainstream TV. Someone, however, needs to tell Ryan about adding fruit to his drink to make it taste less like "drinking a lawn."  The fun thing about the Green Smoothies that I encourage people to begin adding to their lifestyle, is that they don't taste like health food.  You cannot taste the greens, only the fruit.  It appeals to everyone.

And there is always Dr. Oz, who eats a Raw Vegan diet but cannot go live with that information.  He has helped many people with a vegan diet, but being raw is too extreme for his producers.  But his show is littered with information regarding the food you put into your mouth.  Every so often my mother tells me of an episode she watched and I usually smile and nod because I can agree with most of what he says. :)

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I love the fact that people are beginning to associate animal products with disease.  Now don't get me wrong...I don't believe ALL meat is bad for you...but I do believe there is far too much unhealthily prepared meat.  First you begin with meat that has been pumped full of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and may be loaded with viruses and such.  Then you deep fry it, grill it, smother it in spices full of MSG or High Fructose Corn Syrup.  If you buy it precooked you have preservatives and chemicals that dye it and keep it looking like new for weeks or months. Anyway...you get the picture.  I don't want you to stop eating meat...I just want you to be more conscious of what you are eating and what it is doing to your body!!
 Conscious eating. Eating...then paying attention to what your body tells you.  Indigestion? Bloating? Uncomfortable fullness? Lethargy? Sleepiness?  Hyper then a crash? Most people simply eat and when they find a symptom related to what went into their mouth they don't associate it with the food and find a way to deal with that symptom.  Feeling sleepy...they drink some form of caffeine.  Indigestion...they such on antacids.  Unfortunately any relief we find comes with its own problems and you weaken your immune system even further...leading to the catching of colds, the flu, acne, headaches, and even worse maladies. 

The Challenge

My challenge to you is to become a CONSCIOUS EATER. I challenge you to keep a food long and listen to your body for THREE DAYS.  Don't change anything.  Just eat normally.  But within TEN minutes after each time you eat/snack/nibble/gorge you write down how you feel, and really pay attention to your body.  If twenty minutes later you feel different, write it down.  It's only three days.  Let's see if we can begin listening to our bodies. 
I will do it also.  I know..I'm kinda cheating, since I'm already raw....but I can get carried away with raw "junk food" as well (lots of dehydrated snacks and then I don't drink much water to compensate), and I usually eat WAAAAY too late at night. Let's see what it is really doing to my body.  In fact, I'll do it online!  I'll keep a log of WHAT I eat, WHEN I eat it, and HOW I feel afterwards.  I dare you to do the same! ;)

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