NUTRITION

Death by Kale–Vegan Diet Side Effects

by Elena Wilkins on May 21, 2013

A few days ago I was busy in the kitchen.  Since I am a chronic multitasker, in addition to cleaning, cooking and playing with Sprout, it was time to catch up on some shows, especially since I never have time to watch TV (I do not even have cable!). I googled the show I wanted to watch (yes, the only way I watch TV is on my PC ;) ), which happened to be on abc.com and went to doing my chores.  Suddenly I noticed that Sprout, who was rolling around in her walker, stopped. I followed her gaze to see what got her attention.  It turned out to be an animated commercial… for an antidepressant. Oh, no! What is my kiddo seeing at her tender 12 months of age?!  Worse yet, what was she hearing?

While “sad-to-happy, miracle drug” story unfolded in front of our eyes, I paid attention to the babbled off disclaimers of possible side effects. The voice-over was going through them so quickly, I thought I was hearing  an auctioneer chant: ”Going once, going twice… sold to that lady with a sad face… Lady, you bought yourself happiness, but you have to know that as happy as you will get, you might also end up with some severe side effects, including death, more depression, or even commit a suicide. But lady, don’t you worry about it, because you have a chance of feeling normal.”

pill cocktail

image courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

If you’ve been here long enough you must guess what I did next [click to continue reading…]

Is God Vegan?

by Elena Wilkins on May 14, 2013

Disclaimer: If you do not believe in God, do not click off yet! I am sure you know someone who does and might benefit from this post. If not, you might find this article entertaining regardless! ;)

Let me start this post with a little story–a parable.

It is year 2070. Humans have outdone themselves and created smart cars that can service themselves and even make their own decisions. Big Budd and Little Bubba, two cars coming from a line of Drive Yourself Happy and Silly, are hanging out at a service station. 

“What are you getting done this time,” asked Big Budd Little Bubba. “You don’t look so well, kid.”

“Uh, just have to get my tanked cleaned, and get a few dents patched up. I’ve been running a bit rough lately, and my engine dies quiet often. Yesterday it died while I was on the freeway, so I ended up in a ditch.”

“How did that happen?” Big Budd asks.

“Oh, man, I filled up with diesel again. I like the stuff. It makes me feel like a real car–muscled, masculine, and it keeps me feeling full. Leaves me feeling satisfied with my life too,” answers Little Bubba.

image source: www.npr.org

“How can it feel great, if you’ve been running a little rough? Haven’t you looked at your manual to see what your makers recommended for you?”

“And what manual are you talking about? I flip through it every now and then, but can’t seem to remember reading anything about the right kind of fuel. I am sure that my makers meant for me to run on diesel, otherwise, would would diesel fuel even be created? It’s all a matter of opinion anyway,” shrugs Bubba, “I love the way it feels. It is more affordable, and I like it. It must mean it was made for me! And even if it weren’t, it gives me a high, and, we run only so long before ending up in the junk yard. We will all be there one day, might at least enjoy our existence while we can! “

Big Budd, seeing that he was getting nowhere with Little Bubba, started up his engine and roared off to get his regular tune up. “Make sure to review your manual, young one!” he said departing, although, by then, Little Bubba was distracted, flickering his high beams at a passing Porsche.

Does this sound a little absurd? And where am I going with this? Well, hang in there, and I will tell you all about it.

But, before we jump into this topic, let me give you a couple short disclaimers. [click to continue reading…]

Vegan is Not for Everyone: 4 Types of People Who Should NOT Be Vegan

by Elena Wilkins on May 7, 2013

“Vegan diet is not for everyone,” a heard times and again. In the beginning I wanted to disagree and show just how wrong those who think that way are, but with time, experience and reflection, I realized that they are right… in my kind of way. While they meant that vegan lifestyle is not truly optimal for everyone, or that our physiology is not designed to be vegan, I disagree, but I do agree that not everyone can or will do vegan and do it right. Today you will learn about people who should and should not follow a vegan dietary lifestyle. Let’s start with 4 types of people who should be vegan.

Before we start, however, let’s’ define vegan for this post.  When I say vegan, I am talking about people who eat a whole foods (no junk, no processed foods, including oils, sugars and too much salt), plant based (eat no animal flesh or byproducts) diet and practice a kind (compassionate) living.

One more term you will read in this article and might wonder about is vegangelizing. Vegengelizing, defined as a verb, is:

  1. Convert or seek to convert (someone) to vegan lifestyle.
  2. Preach and spread the vegan “good news” :) .

With that said… onward!

vegan-is-not-for-everyone

4 Types of People Who Should Be Vegan [click to continue reading…]

Low Sodium Diet? 7 Dangerous Health Consequences of Eating Too Much Salt

April 25, 2013 HEALTH

“Low Sodium Diet? Is that a new fad?” you might ask. With all of the diets (dieting, really) out there, I think we should re-qualify this as Low Sodium Living. If you read last post: 6 Lessons on How to Eat Healthy When Traveling, you heard me rant about my recent mishaps with salt and how I have [...]

4 comments Click to Continue Reading →

6 Lessons on How to Eat Healthy When Traveling

April 23, 2013 HEALTH & NUTRITION

There is always an opportunity to learn something new, even if it is not really new to us.  Last week the three of us (I, Hubby and Sprout) flew to Washington State to see my family.  You have already seen the fun part of our trip, now I will tell you about nutritional Aha Moments [...]

3 comments Click to Continue Reading →

Healthy Weight Loss: Meet Susan

April 11, 2013 HEALTH

A few times in our lives do we meet people who truly inspire us and people who they come in contact with. I have been fortunate to have met not one, but many such people through my online Health & Weight Loss Vegalicious Boot Camp. Today I want to introduce you to one—a star among [...]

7 comments Click to Continue Reading →

Dangers of the Paleo Diet (Part 3)

April 9, 2013 HEALTH

I hope you had a blast reading the first two installments.  Please enjoy the last installment in this series. If you missed the first two parts, you can find them here: Dangers of the Paleo Diet (Part 1) Dangers of the Paleo Diet (Part 2) Resources I highly recommend reading the following books, to further educate yourself on the [...]

9 comments Click to Continue Reading →

← Previous Entries