A STEP BY STEP PLANfor My friend Nicole and anyone who wants to know exactly how to transition to a plant based diet, and begin the healing process for themselves.
First a few things to remember!
Change your mindset and forget about what you think you want.
Focus on what you need to do to achieve your goals.
Keep moving forward!
Don't beat yourself up for not being perfect.
Practice makes perfect!
Focus on cleansing natural food.
Nutrient dense, not calorically dense foods.
Good food water, air, sunshine, environment, thoughts and habits goes a long way!
Only you can provide yourself with these vital ingredients for a healthy life.
I realize there is a lot you may need to change.
I have included them here in order of what I feel is the most important.
The goal here is to achieve the health goals that you desire.
There is no quick fix or magic pill.
You can do this!
You may do each step in a one day or one week, or what works for you. You decide for yourself how much time you are going to need to put into each step. So for example step #1 can be your first week, and then #2 your next week, etc.. Remember that each week you are giving up something or making a necessary change like eating legumes instead of meat. Eating your proteins with greens and veggies and NOT grain, and grain products which modern diets are accustomed too. FYI; this is a general guide that I feel most people would be happy with. It is a great start and you will be well on your way to transitioning to a fully raw or mostly raw fruit based diet with simple salads if that is what you want to do. Remember your success is up to you. You are the only one who can do it for yourself! I am not a doctor, nor do I want to be.
I have made this plan as simple and as easy as possible for most people who really want and need to make a change for their health. Remember when you are suffering form body breakdown, toxemia, the dis-ease of the body, nothing will change if you don't change! But you will get worst if you don't make the necessary changes! Notice that for this plan we will be following proper food combining rules as well. I will include a food combining chart below. Eating proper foods in the right combinations is important for the digestion and elimination of the foods you eat. Please let me know what you think about this in the comments below.
Remember each step can be done in a day or a week, or even a month. You may also mix up the order to fit your needs. Feel free to print this out if you can. Take notes, highlight key points, especially the steps that you most need to work on. Most important in your transitioning to a truly healthy plant based, raw or mostly raw diet is patience, and the will to be at your best health. Once you have mastered a step move on to the next one and so on. If totally vegan is not your goal then just make sure to follow the proper digestion tips for eating proteins.
Step 1. Avoid grains, grain products. These are very damaging to the GI, mucus forming, INFLAMMATORY and clog up the system like glue!
If you must have a grain like rice once in awhile please choose long grain brown rice, quinoa and gluten free oats. That way you get fiber and nutrition that you need while transitioning to a more mucus free diet of mostly fresh raw foods. Organic is always best of course. In the case of brown rice and quinoa eat it with a lot of veggies, and greens NOT A PROTEIN, for proper digestion and elimination. Oats can be included with lots of fruit for, and a bit of honey or agave for a sweet and filing meal.
Step 2. Give up dairy products, and eggs. These items are highly mucus forming, acid producing, and cell damaging.
Eat real food instead. Fruit for breakfast ALWAYS, avocado instead of cheeses, and home made nut based salad dressings, instead of the milk and soy based variety. if you want a breakfast that is filling and healthy choose fruit only, or the oatmeal with lots of fruit. If you must eat yogurt, learn how to make it yourself from oat milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk. Obviously it is best to make these items yourself too. YouTube and a Google search can help you with that.
Step 3. Give up energy drinks, soda, and coffee. These items are addicting, acid forming, and very damaging to the body especially the GI tract.
Include green tea with honey or agave, hot lemon water or herbal tea instead. You may also make lemonade sweetened with a good quality natural sweetener. And don't forget that pure water is also a good option lol!
Step 4. MINIMAL PROTEINS, like fish or chicken and soaked well cooked beans/legumes are good for transitioning. You must eat proteins with a salad and or vegetables ONLY! DO NOT EAT RED MEAT AT ALL! Especially if you are suffering from any kind of bowel issues. It is a bad idea for diverticulitis especially, because it's not easily digested and sits in the GI tract for a long time causing putrefaction and bacteria that can eat away at the intestinal lining.
You should use whole beans, legumes as a meat substitute, which is better. Soak them over night and use a slow cooker for easy preparation in the morning. Beans are great on top of salads too! Proteins such as beans, legumes, meats must be eaten with vegetables and greens ONLY for better digestion and elimination. Eating proteins with grains, bread products is a bad idea and will not help the digestion of these hard to digest foods, and cause proteins to sit in the intestines to long.
Step 5. Eat mostly fruits of all kinds, greens, vegetables, as much as possible.
Remember beans, legumes and certain meats are fine for transitioning and a few times per week but only eaten with greens salads and or vegetables. The bulk of your diet should consist of FRUIT, AND EASILY DIGESTED GREENS AND VEGGIES. An optimal cleansing and healing diet consists of at least 75% fresh, ripe raw fruit, greens and vegetables. For cooked options; you may steam your veggies if you have a problem digesting them raw. Also simple salads with lots of raw water rich greens is best. You may use baked or steamed veggies for a salad topping also. Choose a fruit based or nut based dressing that you make at home. Stewed fruit in a bit of lemon juice is a nice cooked fruit option as well.
A diet that consist of only raw and cooked fruit, greens, vegetables, some seeds, and minimal nuts is a healthy mucus lean healing diet. Omit the nuts for easier digestion and mucus free diet. I find that easily digested seeds like sunflower seeds, chia seeds are best for a raw and mostly raw plant based diet. (IMPORTANT) those who have been diagnosed with diverticulitis/diverticulosis must avoid foods with small seeds like strawberries or chia seeds until intestinal lining has healed from pitting and your doctor gives you the OK. Talk to your doctor about what seeded foods you should avoid. Nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts etc.. can be hard to digest and must be soaked and blended for best results. This is why I say use nuts soaked and blended as a salad dressing.
Step 6. Avoid spicy veggies like hot peppers and spicy salsas.
If you are like me and have GI issues, then you will understand why I mention this step. Spicy foods may taste good but they are not good for your Gastrointestinal Tract at all, especially if you already have digestion issues. Spicy veggies, foods can prove to be a real pain in the ass on your next bowel movement, if you know what I mean. It's just better to avoid foods that literally burn your insides. Choose healing herbs instead, turmeric is a great one to add into your diet daily. If you want a little spice that won't burn you, choose garlic and ginger instead.
This last step is in addition to all of the progress you have already made. If you need to lose weight or just want to give your body a break from all of it's hard work everyday.
Step 7. Practice intermittent fasting. GIVE YOUR BODY A BREAK!
Breakfast at noon is a great place to start, that is what I have been doing for a few years. Also stop eating by the evening like 7 or 8pm. Adjust times to fit your schedule of course, but make sure there is about 15-20 hours of the day, including sleeping when you are not eating. Activity is fine during intermittent fasting just not for a long term fasting session of more than a day. Rest during long fasts for best results. The point of fasting is to simply give the body a break. Consider that the most energy demanding activity that the body performs is digestion. When the body is digesting all the time, especially while sleeping it uses up available energy that the body needs for the healing process. This is why sleeping on a full stomach is not a good idea, because that is when the body does most of it's healing. You should stop eating a couple hours before going to bed. Likewise get enough sleep too!
I hop this guide was helpful for you. Pay attention to the links below for more information.
From Joanne :) God bless you and your family!
If you liked this post you will probably also like these...
I had the pleasure of meeting the author and hearing him speak last year and he is right on. I love this book! Get it today. Start this year with a new way of looking at our world and the animals that we share it with. Let us together create a world of mercy, compassion, harmony and peace. Remember peace isn't just the absence of conflict but the presence of countless daily choices and actions. To read my personal review this book click this link.
In this article, I want to address a common argument Christians make to me when I try to talk to them about going vegan.
Don't get me wrong these are beliefs that I once had myself as a Christian. It is true that I have always regarded a vegan diet, especially a raw vegan diet as the healthiest diet possible for us. But, even though I knew this I didn't always practice it. I still believed that we had a "God-given right" to eat animals and that animal products in moderation was OK, and not hurting us. These beliefs kept myself, and my family in animal products, and I wish that I would have been strong enough to go vegan a long time ago, at least for health reasons.
These days I am much stronger with my diet choices, and I feel like I am thinking clearer on the subject as well. Naturally, I want to share that clarity with others whether they subscribe to my thinking or not. I no longer feel it is necessary for us to consume animals. I also believe that eating animals is a part of how we can truly, and FULLY live God's plan of Mercy, compassion, and The Golden Rule. While God gave man permission to use animals, He does not prefer that we do it when we don't have to. God will never prefer death over life as long as there is a choice!
Yes, we can be good, holy, and loving people while eating animals. Although, I believe there is a point when it becomes sinful. Generally speaking; I DON'T THINK THAT EATING ANIMALS WILL PREVENT A SOUL FROM BEING SAVED. I do however believe that eating animals will prevent us from attaining to the highest level of spirituality, mental clarity, and health that God has made possible for us in this life. It all depends on the experience you want to have in this life. One of sickness, suffering, cooperation with the destructive forces of this world, or one of health compassion, love, and mercy for all species.
God's original plan did not include killing anything! Not even "carnivorous" animals ate animals before the fall. It was the fall of man that brought death to this world, not God! God only allowed it after the fall because He knew people may need to kill to survive, but it was for survival. Today most people are better off if they don't eat animals and the way we do it is gluttonous, excessive, destructive and certainly un-compassionate. We eat at least 8 billion animals in the U.S. per year, and animal agricultural causes 90% of the rainforest deforestation, also most of the pollution in our waters, atmosphere, and our bodies! I don't believe that is what God had or has in mind for us.
Speaking generally here again; what we are currently doing, and experiencing in life IS NOT ALL THAT THERE IS! There are better ways of living, there is a way to become even closer to God, nature, optimal health, and the pristine environments we read about in the first chapters of Genesis. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that you have to be vegan to be a good person or good Christian. Vegans (generally speaking) tend to be liberal in many views, and don't usually subscribe to a Christian way of thinking although there is a growing movement of vegan Christians. You don't have to be vegan to be a good Christian, but veganism, in my opinion, can help you more fully live out Christian virtues. By extending our compassion, love, care, and mercy to animals we can fully live out the message of the golden rule.
I have learned that NOT ONE PERSON FITS INTO A BOX! I do not compare one, with another, and I don't suggest that you do either. We are all individuals, and are free to make life our own! This is why I DO NOT PUT PEOPLE IN BOXES. I am only offering you my own thoughts on veganism. And how I have thought about it from a biblical, Christian perspective. I believe God wants us to live as merciful as possible, as healthy as possible, and as holy as possible. Don't you want the same for your own children? Sure we will stumble, but when we get back up we can become stronger if we so choose. We do this for God, with God, out of love for Him, our planet, the animals, and our self.
It is about being a good steward of everything God has entrusted to us in the best way we possibly can!
#myfruitthing
As a Christian, I know that the consumption of animals is a product of our fallen human state and not the perfection of the garden. I have realized that while God took humanity out of the garden. He never took the garden out of humanity. We as human beings have been given a gift! That gift is all of the goodness of the garden in which we still have access too. The same intelligent design that created the first bodies to live harmoniously in the garden, in peace and tranquility is the same one that created our bodies today. That is God's Mercy and the Beauty of life!
It is us that choose not to partake of this good all the days of our life. We choose to eat what we must kill, and that which destroys us in the process. That is not what God intended for us, for our bodies! Remember humanity was taken out of the garden because of a single choice. And now we still have that choice to make. Peace is something that is chosen. And, not just once, but in every situation, and at every meal! Please take a moment to be thankful for this, and to THINK about this important message.
Common Christian arguments against veganism; God through Noah gave us permission to eat animals, therefore we should eat them. God wouldn't give us anything that would hurt us. The world isn't perfect anymore like it was for Adam and Eve so we need to eat animals.
A) It is true that in Genesis 9 God gives Noah animals for food, but I will argue that this is with a provision and was allowed for two reasons, religious, and survival purposes. Also just because God allowed/allows something doesn't mean it is good for us, or that we should abuse the privilege. For example, God also allowed Noah to drink wine, but this didn't stop him from abusing the privilege by getting drunk. God allows all sorts of evil things to take place in this world. He doesn't want it to happen but He allows it. He doesn't stop humans from killing humans, and He doesn't stop us from killing animals either. He only allows us to kill animals for food by His permissive Will, but He doesn't prefer it.
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats."
Also just because God allowed something at one point in time, doesn't mean that He allows it today. Example; at one point God allowed polygamy, but in the New Covenant, He does not. Yet there is no biblical text that says, "polygamy is now forbidden says, God." Yet, most Christians are opposed to it. I think it is the same with eating animals. God allows it, but when we abuse the privilege (as I feel we mostly do in this world), we become sick in our bodies, and presumptuous with our actions. "God allows it, therefore, I can do it", abusing the privilege follows.
Genesis 9 Let us look at Genesis 9 texts a little closer. A few things jump out at me here. I strongly encourage you to read this chapter in full context later. Genesis nine is a re-creation story so we see many similarities with the first creation story at the beginning of Genesis. We see that while God does give Noah permission to use animals for food, God has also given him plants to be the primary food. * And, that in the giving of plants He has given him "everything" Gen 9:3. But, even before this giving of animals for food, God reveals something that I think is very important...
We read, "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered" Gen 9:2.
What I think is interesting here is that God is revealing that while we may eat the animals we will also be a cause of "dread" or great fear, for the animals. Also by delivering the animals into Noah's hands, and essentially our hands, God is also giving us THE CHOICE to cause this fear upon the animals for food or not. The choice is ours, but this doesn't mean that either choice is just as good for us, the animals, and our planet. While God gave us permission, I do not believe this is what He prefers, especially when we don't have too. I believe that God gave permission to Noah to eat animals for two reasons.
1.) Because God had just flooded the earth. Noah and his family were to repopulate the world, and tribes were too be formed and move about the earth. When fresh plant produce was not available, man would have a way to get the calories he needed to survive. As long as there was enough plant produce available man was to eat that, and I believe they did. Also when people migrated into cold climates where fresh plant-based foods were scarce or not available at all, man would need to rely on animal sources for both food and warmth. Both of these situations demand a true necessity to kill and eat animals. Which is what I believe God had in mind. Obviously, God would not make it morally wrong to eat animals if we needed to in order to survive harsh living conditions, and famine.
2.) God was also working on establishing the religious practices of Judaism where animal sacrifice was going to be used as a sign pointing to our Lord's sacrifice on the cross. In fact, Noah began this custom and made animal sacrifices to God, Gen 8:20. In the ancient Jewish religion animals were killed, and their blood spilled to atone for man's sin. But, Jesus became that sin and the Lamb of God for us! This ended ALL animal sacrifice. God no longer required the killing of animals to atone for the sin of man. Knowing this as a Christian, just because God allowed Noah, and the Prophets to kill, and eat animals for sacrifice does not mean He allows it now. In fact, He does not! Another example of something once allowed by God, but no longer allowed. Because of Jesus, there is no longer a need to sacrifice animals so we don't! Jesus became the ONE TRUE SACRIFICE THAT ENDS ALL ANIMAL SACRIFICE.
The morality of killing animals As for if killing animals is morally wrong, I say yes and no. In other words, it is not morally wrong if there is a true need, and that we are not abusing our need to do so. Obviously killing and eating animals for survival purposes, or as in the Old Law of sacrificing animals, is not and was not an immoral choice.
But is that how we do it today? First of all, most CHRISTIANS I hope, OR NON CHRISTIANS FOR THAT MATTER WOULD ARGUE THAT KILLING ANIMALS FOR SACRIFICE IS MORALLY WRONG! Or that killing a "non-food animal" like a dog or a cat for no good reason is morally wrong. Sure some people may, but certainly not most. So, as you can see there is a time when killing animals is morally wrong. As well as times when it is not. I think we all can agree on that.
So, what about food animals in today's world? While God has given us permission to eat animals when there is a true necessity to do so, (like for survival purposes) we can hardly say that's why we are doing it today. In fact, even in the underdeveloped world, a plant-based diet is very much the normal everyday diet. Animals for food only used as a supplement to that. But, what about in the developed world like America, and Europe? Can we say there is a true need to be killing animals by the billions for food when we have plenty of plant-based options available to us?
The fact is today Americans alone eat at least 8 billion animals a year! And, the average American eats animal products in every meal. Consider that along with the fact that heart disease deaths in the US alone, is at a staggering 610,000 a year! these figures go up as the consumption of animals does. And, that's just one disease that is caused by consuming animals. Not to mention this mass killing of animals for food is also the cause of 90% of the rainforest deforestation, and most of the ocean water/land water pollution. We will do our planet well to abandon animal agriculture in favor of cruelty-free foods, such as fruits, and vegetables.
I honestly don't think that God approves of such devastation, and blatant lack of respect for our planet, our bodies, and the animals that He has entrusted to us! Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit right? How can we really believe that, and do what we are doing to our health via our consumption of animal products? It is arrogance to think we can do this to animals, to our planet, and consequently to our selves, and be healthier for it. Just look around you! look at your own health history or your loved ones. Compare that with the consumption of animals during an individuals lifetime! Honestly, can you say that we are consuming animals in a reasonable way considering that data?
When God gave Noah the permission to eat animals do you really think He had factory farming in mind? Factoring farming makes up most of the world's consumption of animal products. We are not talking about a family raising animals as food for their own moderate use. But, mass destruction, and torture! And, I'm not talking about simply just eating fish, organic chicken, or free-range eggs once in a while if you so choose. Although even that can be problematic if abused. I personally have chosen not to eat animals because I believe in the cause of veganism. I believe in the Mercy towards animals, our planet, and in turn to us.
Take a look at the images of modern-day factory farming. You know the 8 billion animals that Americans eat every year! Can you look at these images and honestly say that we are doing good by these animals? That God approves of our modern day practices of factory farming, killing, and torture on a massive scale?
The truth is the same God that we believe in, who gave us permission to eat animals when necessity calls. Is the same God who gave animals the ability to feel pain, sadness, love, and the desire to live! Did you know that every gallon of milk or block of cheese represents a baby that was taken from his mother?
In order to produce milk dairy cows are artificially inseminated on what is called a RAPE RACK, over and over, so that she keeps producing milk for her unborn babies. But, we don't let the baby have that milk. Oh, no! We take her baby away from her, and then take its milk! This will be her life until she dies from exhaustion or disease. Farmers report that these mothers are known to grieve the loss of their children for months! This is what we do folks! This is what animal consuming Christians participate in when they buy these products. What if that was you? What gives us the right to cause this sadness and pain on other sentient beings? God designed that milk to be for baby cows, not us. But, we argue with nature, and take it for ourselves!
God wouldn't give us anything that would hurt us God has provided us with many things here on earth and it isn't all good for us. Even things that aren't immoral in them self, when abused are sinful. Remember when I mentioned the wine Noah drank too much of? I think eating animal products is like that. It isn't sinful to use an animal for food, or for work when there is a true need to be doing so. But, today most people just don't do that. Animal consumption is abused today on a massive scale! And, we are all suffering the consequences of that.
The most important gift that God has given us, in my opinion, is free will. Free will is the ability to make rational choices or not. Free will, is the ability to choose Mercy, or revenge, death, or life. Every day we make these free will choices. We don't always choose the right things, and we stumble all the time. But, as we learn about life, and grow closer to God our ability to make rational choices that benefit us, that reflect God's Grace and Mercy, should become much clearer.
We should be growing as a human race, as Christians, and learning ways that we can be better disciples of Christ and stewards of this world. That is ultimately what it is all about! Or what's the point?
You know that not everything God has given us is also good for us, and you know that even good things can be abused and rendered bad for us. In Gen 1:29-31, God gives us the list of the foods that are healthiest for us. Among giving us fruit to eat, he gives us herbs and plants, but we know that not all plants are good for us. We know that some can kill us, and even make us terribly sick. Over time as a human race, we have learned which ones are good for us, and which ones are not. There are many more examples of good things that God has given us that can hurt us, especially if abused. In fact, our own free will can hurt us if we choose wrong. Eating and using animals is no different. It may not be inherently evil, and necessarily sinful. But, when we abuse the privilege, abuse the animals, hurt our planet, and our health, it's not as innocent as we think. God did, in fact, give us permission to eat animals but with user discretion advised! This is logical, and I don't think I need to go further with this.
The world isn't perfect anymore like it was for Adam and Eve so we need to eat animals.
The conditions in which Adam and Eve lived was definitely a perfect existence in which there was no disorder. Even the animals were raw vegans, Gen 1:30. After the fall it was the CONDITIONS of their environment that changed. Even still they lived nearly 1,000 years! After the fall, life changed for man pretty dramatically. But, it was the environment that changed. Their bodies, our bodies, in my opinion, remain the same miraculous gift that it is. There is nothing in scripture that says that man's body after the fall became less perfect, or more incapable of optimal health. It was, in fact, the environment that changed. It is the same for us.
It is the environment that we create, the foods we choose to put into our body that cause us illness, disorder and ultimately early death. All of that can be changed! We must start with what we can control in our own personal life. Our environment in the home, as well as what we choose to put into our body, and support with our money. We can choose to support industries, and people who honor God's gifts or not. Adam and Eve were given a choice, Noah was given a choice, and we still have that same choice today!
When we look back at the Genesis creation stories we see that animal consumption is a product of the fall of man, and not apart of God's original optimal diet for us!
As far as our diet goes, early man, (after the fall that is), lacked much more than we do today. They had to migrate to other lands, learn how to gather plant-based foods, herbs for medicine, and they had to learn to hunt for the times when fresh foods were not available. Those who migrated to a tropical climate, or stayed in their natural tropical habitats ate primarily fruits just as our first parents did. Some people eventually learned how to grow their own fruits, plants (vegetables and grain), many people did use animals for many purposes including foods. But, as I have already mentioned, it was certainly not on the huge scale of the gluttonous consumption, and slaughter that we see today. There is no question that while there are similarities to biblical times, today's world is very different.
But, none of this changed the fact that on the fundamental level human beings were originally designed by God to consume a primarily fruit-based diet, also herbs, and other plants. "And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." Gen 1:28-31.
Interesting here is that God gives man "dominion" over the animals before the fall. And, before He ever intended for man to be eating the animals. This dominion like any other gift that God has given us was not meant to be abused! We are arrogant to think that this dominion means that we can do what we wish with the animals, even kill them unnecessarily on a massive scale. Certainly, this dominion does not give us the right to do what we do to food animals. That is a sorry argument against veganism!
Dominion comes with responsibility, and we are responsible for what we do to the animals in our care.
God took humanity out of the Garden, but in his Mercy, he never took the Garden away from us. And there is no evidence to support that our bodies have any fewer capabilities then early man's did! Even in the Garden of Eden! I believe that we have just as much potential to live a long, and healthy life. It is just that our environment has changed due to what we have done to it.
Today's world and the necessity of eating animals
The fact is today most of us have an abundant availability of plant-based foods to choose from. It may not be as good a quality as Adam and Eve had in the Garden, or early man did. But it is quality none the less, and it has been proven over, and over that eating, this way eliminates disease suffering! Especially diets rich in raw fruits, vegetables, and greens, where the nutrients are kept in tack. It is a remedy to what ails us. It is not a treatment that can do more harm than good. For too many, they pay with their life. It doesn't have to be this way!
When determining the ethics of eating animals we must consider the harm that is being done when we do so. Is a hamburger that you probably shouldn't be eating anyway really necessary for your health, and survival? Absolutely not! Especially when you could make a plant-based burger yourself at home that is much, much, healthier and doesn't require killing any sentient beings. What about dairy? There is a common misconception out there that dairy is OK because it doesn't require killing the cow in order to obtain it. But, dairy is by far the worst of all the animal products that people consume.
I already mentioned a couple ways dairy hurts cows when I told you about how in order to get milk a baby must be taken away from its mother. What do you think they do with those babies? If they are a healthy female they put her to work as a baby maker and milk producer. If she is not needed they kill her, or sell her as a slave. Baby cows are also killed and marketed as veal. These babies don't get to nurse, play, or live more than a couple of days. They are penned up in tiny cages as a marketable commodity, and not a living, breathing, feeling, thinking, sentient being who has the God-given ability to suffer. Ask yourself. Is this really necessary? Is this what God wanted when he gave us dominion?
As long as you have access to fresh produce, grains, beans, and plant-based substitutes there is no legitimate reason why you should be eating animals or any animal products for that matter. It is really a necessity to eat animal products, sometimes in every meal when we don't actually need to be? Why eat animals when; 1) It is linked to most of the chronic degenerative illnesses we have. 2) Causes much needless suffering to our self, animals, and our planet. There are lots more reasons but these are the BIG TWO!
The consequences of causing so much suffering on animals!
Fact is, people on average are suffering from an illness that is caused by their animal-based diets. I mentioned the growing 610,000 people per year in the US alone who are dead from heart disease! And, it doesn't stop there. Most of the health problems that we see today including diabetes and most cancers can be fully prevented if we just stop killing animals, and eating animal products! Personally, I think God would prefer that we take care of our health, our body temples, over this false sense of dominion that we have a right to kill and eat whenever we want.
I don't think I have to keep telling you that eating animal products is bad for you. The data is out there if you just look for it. Also, we can see the truth in those around us. Just take a look at your own health problems and those around you. The majority of people eat animal products 2-3 times per day and it is no coincidence that those same people are the ones who are the sickest, or soon will be. On the flip side, the healthiest people are those who eat the least amount of animal products and replace that with fresh whole plant-based foods. And logically the more whole the food the healthiest the diet will be for you.
I have changed a lot in the past year thanks to my raw vegan fruitarian diet. I used to believe the above common argument against veganism myself. Yet I always knew that a plant-based vegan diet was the best, especially raw. I just never had the courage, and the willingness to change. But, now that I am older, and seeing the consequences of my food choices I have decided to change.
I believe when we know better we should naturally do better. I believe that is God's way! He didn't give us a free will intelligent mind for nothing.
I am not here to make this choice for you, but to point you in the right direction. That is why I share my own journey with you. You can choose to see things differently as I have or not. And, before you jump to being critical, and close-minded about veganism, why don't you just do it yourself. There is more than enough information out there for you to begin eating a whole plant-based vegan diet. Also, let your common sense lead you. Eat fresh whole fruit meals, green salads, and try some of the countless vegan recipes that you can find on the internet. It is not that hard. It just takes a willingness to change, and be the best you can be! Will you succeed right away? Probably not. So, don't just give it a week or a month and then say "see it doesn't work", really put the time and effort into this. And I am not even asking that you follow a more restrictive diet as I have (raw vegan fruitarian) although I believe it is the best, and it may be in your best interest to eventually come to that. But, just start with a balanced plant-based diet, of fruits, greens, vegetables, legumes, beans, grains, and nuts. The possibilities are endless! Cook if you want but for best results, I always tell people to eat as much as possible raw for best results.
Living a more compassionate and Merciful life!
For myself as a Catholic Christian, I have always considered myself 100% pro-life. I know even Christians disagree on the topic of abortion (sadly) so I won't go into an argument for it here. But, I will share with you my thoughts on how veganism is helping me to become truly pro-life in every way possible here on earth. I have always tried to be a compassionate, merciful, and pro-life person in every aspect of my life. Sure, I have not always made the right choices. I have had to learn a lot the hard way. But, I feel that veganism is an extension of that part of me. It is the best way to live out love, mercy, and compassion, in every area of life. People, especially Christians (who should know better) just don't realize the power behind their food choices.
As a Christian, we preach Mercy, love, and compassion for others, but is this message really only intended for humans alone? Did God really intend for these virtues to stop at humans only? I say absolutely not! As Christians. should we feed our hungry brother, but not animals? Or should we rescue our brother and sisters from oppression yet inflict that same oppression on the innocent sentient animals? Can we really justify this level of human-inflicted suffering, oppression, and slaughter on sentient beings, WHO DO NOT WANT TO DIE? In fact, we read in Genesis 9:9-10, that God's covenant promise to Noah was also a promise to the animals equally. We read, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth."
The point is God's Mercy, and love did not end with us alone! I feel He truly, and deeply cares for each one of His creations equally. Yet, He holds us, the humans to a much higher standard than He does the animals. We have free will, can choose based on our intellect, and not just pure instinct. In other words, WE HAVE NO EXCUSE! And like I said, when we know better we should naturally do better. This is called evolving as a human race, evolving in love, mercy, and compassion. Becoming better, more loving, more merciful, and more compassionate towards all life! Good stewards of our world! There is no limit to how we can live out our Christian virtues!
Before we go on, I want to go on record to say as a Christian I know human and animals are not equal in every way, but in some way yes we are. We all desire to live! We all seek on a daily basis to avoid pain and to create pleasure of some sort. We all want to live in peace with our children, escaping oppression and those who seek to harm us. Not one of us expects that those who care for us will eventually hurt us, although that does happen. Not one of us wants our children to be taken from us and live the rest of our life in slavery! Animals like all of us WANT TO LIVE! So, while we are not equal in some ways, we are in the very most important ways. To live, have families and escape abuse and slavery and oppression. And if we can do it to innocent animals we can, will and in fact do it to each other.
In his book The World Peace Diet, Will Tuttle says it best...
"Because we are adept at disconnecting from the suffering we impose on animals, we naturally and inevitably become adept at disconnecting from the suffering we impose on hungry people, living biosystems, war-ravaged communities, and future generations."
"Choosing to be blind to what we are actually doing when we shop for, prepare, and eat food, we blind ourselves not only to the horror, and suffering we are instigating and eating, but also to the beauty of the world around us. This acquired inability to actually see and appreciate the overwhelming loveliness of this earth allows us to ravage forests and oceans and systematically destroy the natural world. Becoming insensitive to the pain we cause daily to defenseless animals, we also become insensitive to the beauty and luminosity of the creation that we oppress and from which we disconnect at every meal."
When I presented this extension of pro-life thinking to my pro-life followers on my Unborn Human Rights Facebook page it was met with anger, and hatred for the idea that we should extend our love, compassion, and mercy to animals as well as to humans. Even among people who claim to be Christian. It was amazing to me that people react so harshly to what I call the fullness of the pro-life message.
I have observed that generally anti-abortion people don't want to think about other ways they can live better the pro-life message, by not participating in the Slaughter of animals. While most vegans don't want to be told not to support abortion choice even though babies are being slaughtered by the thousands! I am finding a disconnection, and inconsistency on both sides now that I have really stopped to think about it. I don't identify as a vegan, as much as I do with veganism. And certainly, as a pro-life Christian, I want to preach this conservative extension of veganism.
If we are indeed called to a higher standard as humans, and especially as Christians, shouldn't everything we do reflect the Most Loving, and Merciful God? Why wouldn't that be our standard in all areas of our life? Why shouldn't we live out this message in our food choices as well?
Our Lord said, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Mathew 7:12-14.
In addition to teaching us how we should treat each other, our Lord is also saying not to follow the majority, the social norms. He was very clear that the way of the world is not God's way, and that as individuals it is our duty to stand as a contradiction in the world. What the world does is not necessarily what we should be doing. We are Christians!
OK, I know what you are thinking right now :)
Jesus ate meat, and fish so why shouldn't we? Well, for one thing, Jesus came here to save our souls, not to teach us everything about our dietary choices. That part is left for our own intellects, and apart of the choices, we will need to make for ourselves. Also as I already talked about, it is not necessarily morally wrong to consume animal products. But, remember. Jesus came to live like men did. He worked and ate with them. Also nowhere in scripture does it say anything indicating that Jesus abused the eating of animals as we do today. He is only recorded in scripture as eating fish a few times, and logically He would have eaten meat during Passover following the Jewish law.
The vast majority of foods that people ate during the time of Christ, including himself, was mostly a plant-based, clean diet. In that region of the world, lentils, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dates, nuts were all quite popular common foods. These are the foods that made up our Lord's primary diet, and not animals! It is nothing more than an excuse to eat animal products in the name of Jesus, and quite frankly I don't think He appreciates the association considering how much devastation it is causing us! Like I said times were different then, and as far as I can tell animals weren't factory farmed. Jesus even cursed the fig tree because it did not bear good fruit! I believe this was literal as well as figurative of real life, and how we are to live as Christians. Fruit in scripture was often used as a symbol of the good that we do in the name of Christ.
For me, I choose to believe in Christ and choose to live out His message to the best of my abilities.
I choose to eat a diet of primarily fruits, berries, melons, and greens. I first began this journey for myself, to heal my body, and detox from all of the crap that I have put into it my whole life. But, the more I think about it, the more I want to live out the message of love, compassion, and mercy in every part of my life especially my food choices. I don't want to cause suffering on anyone, even animals. I don't want to hurt them. I wouldn't go hunting or slit a cows throat myself so why would I pay someone else to do it? Is it really that important that we eat a steak or hamburger over a black bean burger or a bowl of fresh ripe fruit? I no longer desire the taste of the flesh of animals, especially considering what I know about how we get it in the first place.
I think the issue here is not that you may eat animal products in moderation, or sparingly. Certainly, there is no pain of hell in doing that. But, what message are we sending when we continue to abuse our dominion, and dominate the least among us. If we find it morally wrong to abuse animals, and kill them in the name of religious sacrifices, why use them at all? Why not take it a step further, and extend all of the love, mercy, and compassion that we have available to us?
There is no limit to how much of this we can extend, and live out! And when we do we reap the benefits. We heal our world, our bodies and as well as create a better relationship with God through his creation. I have asked a lot of questions here and I hope that I have answered them. I hope my words have helped you to understand how veganism can fit into your life as a Christian. And not just fit in but help you live out the Christian message to the fullness for all species!
There is so much more I could say and perhaps I will extend this to a book real soon. But I think that this is more than enough information for you to get started or at least just THINK about it a little more. If you are open to this message you will embrace it. But if you remain with a hardened heart I am afraid this message has been lost. It is your choice which you want to be.
If you liked this please share and leave a friendly comment below. Check out My Fruit Thing on Facebook. If you are interested in what I am doing with a raw vegan fruitarian diet then join me on Instagram. For more information and support join some of the vegan Christian groups on Facebook. And with all of that said, God Bless!
The other night I had the privilege of hearing Will Tuttle speak about his book, The World Peace Diet. This was an inspiring talk to say the least! Will very eloquently and softly spoke about how veganism is much more than a diet, but a growing movement towards making the world a better place starting with YOU the INDIVIDUAL, and YOUR HEALTH!
I had never really understood veganism until this year, and I'm getting it, in a big way now. I am starting to see the reality of the impact that our individual food choices mean for our health, and the health of this world. Also, what the consumption of animal products means to the animals that we are blessed to share this world with.
The concept behind this book, and the vegan message is this; whatever we do to those among us, especially the weaker, we also do to ourselves, society, and to this planet. A healthy individual, and society as a whole will never exist as long as we feel the need to be dominate other individuals, stripping them of their God given right to life, and happiness. The life that all of creation are blessed with!
In every food choice that we make and share with our own families there is a message. Mealtime, for as long as life has existed a meal has been the common place for parents to teach their families about life. In every meal there is a lesson. When we gather our children to the table, and sit down to a meal, we need to think about the lessons this meal is communicating to ourselves and children.
When we look at our plate what do we see?
Most people just see food and eat it as fast as they can so they can get back to work or play. But there is so much more to food than just being a way to get through the day and have a little taste pleasure for the moment. We don't think that this momentary pleasure may represent a lifetime, likely a very short life of pain, and sadness for the animal whose body was used for food. Let me add killed and used for food when they don't need to be. When there are other more ethical food options to choose from!
"Food is not only a fundamental necessity; it is also a primary symbol in the shared inner life of every human culture, including our own. It is not hard to see that food is a source and metaphor of life, love, generosity, celebration, pleasure, reassurance, acquisition, and consumption. And yet it is also, ironically, a source and metaphor of control, domination, cruelty, and death, for we often kill to eat. Every day, from the cradle to the grave, we all make food choices, or they are made for us. The quality of awareness from which these inevitable food choices arise-- and whether we are making them ourselves or they are being made for us--- greatly influences our ability to make connections. This ability to make meaningful connections determines whether we are, and become lovers and protectors of life or unwilling perpetrators of cruelty and death." Will Tuttle The World Peace Diet
Will Tuttle talks about these human connections that are so important to the quality of our lives. He also talks about how disconnected we are to what we eat. How disconnected The Standard American Diet program is. Think about it! When we eat, we don't really think about what is in the food, or what actions have gone into obtaining the food. In fact, we are not taught to do this, and I think it's a shame. We are not taught in the art of, what I like to call, "conscious eating."
Conscious eating means paying attention!
Your health is one of your most priceless assets, and you must guard it with your life! Paying attention to what you are eating, who you are eating, what actions took place for you to have this food, and what is in it. Everything we put into our bodies is either contributing to disease or enhancing our ability to heal and remain vital.
Our food choices have largely been influenced by not just culture, but more specifically in our modern age, the meat, dairy and egg industries marketing strategies. A lot of what we believe to be true about animal agriculture, and animal consumption was bought by the industries in question. It is time to be more conscious about what we eat, and who we are eating not just for our own health, but for the planet, and the animals we share it with.
We humans have always dominated what we believe to be a lesser species from us, and we wonder why we also see slavery, dominance, elitism over others in our human societies. We fatten the animals up, as quickly as we can before slaughter, and then we wonder why these foods cause obesity in us. You get my point! If we can slaughter poor defenseless animals WHO WANT TO LIVE JUST AS MUCH AS WE DO, then we can do it to each other. In fact, we see it in our world every day. There are many more examples of this in the book.
It is about living in a way that communicates the most love, peace, joy, and healing as possible. In our own lives, and in the world! We get out what we put in, ever hear that? That is a universal truth. War will never bring peace, hate will never breed love, and ending life will not somehow bring life. There is always a nonviolent solution. In this modern world there is always a healthier and more ethical choice to make. There is no limit to how we can carry out this message of right to life. The right to life of all sentient beings, from the moment of conception until natural death! God wouldn't put limits on how much love, mercy and compassion we show towards his creation. In fact, we create those limits. Those limitations stem from the greed, and selfishness of man!
If you want to choose health, vitality, peace, joy and love then you must start with filling your body with foods that communicate those energies. You are what you eat! When we eat animals, we are eating the sadness, despair, and fear that they experienced before death. Since October 2017 I have been learning and implementing a fruitarian style diet. That is a diet of mostly fruit, but also many plants.
Fruit for example is high frequency, living, solar powered raw positive energy! Likewise in other plant foods like vegetables, greens, seeds and nuts. These are all LIVING FOODS, these foods communicate life, vitality, joy, and love. These foods are made specifically for us. Unlike animals that we have to kill to eat. Plants are living energetic foods that supply the body with life not death!
I am enjoying this book and I feel that anyone who loves animals, and cares about the state of their health, and our earth would like it too!
Please like and share!
World Peace Diet; Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony
Today is the first day of the rest of your life! What are you going to do with it?
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope this helps you in some way!
Please leave a comment and share! Tell me what you think :)
If you are new to this blog, see the quick links and or the welcome page for more.
There's that question again! You may have read my article on fruitarian Protein Myth. In that post I talk about how a fruitarian diet can and does provide us with as many amino acids as we need to build our own protein structures. I also talked a little bit about how our body actually takes in amino acids and builds protein out of that. If you haven't read that article and want to click the link at the bottom of this post. In this post I wanted to focus a little bit more on your typical vegan style diet. In a typical vegan diet you definitely have more options for what you eat. The reason why I chose raw vegan fruitarian is because I am detoxing and regenerating my cells. My diet is a fasting, cleansing and healing diet. We must do this to overcome our health concerns. If this is something that you may want to do, I suggest that you try vegan first and then begin transitioning into your fruit based program. Especially if you are coming from a Standard American Diet.
So, What about Protein and a vegan diet?
If you are following a vegan style diet then you probably get this question all the time. I know I do :) It seems that people don't care about your protein intake until you go vegan. When people ask this question they assume that animal products are the only sources of protein available for human beings.
They are also assuming that animal source protein is a good source of protein for humans.
They forget that human beings are primate like creatures (frugivores) and that fruit, and plants are our primary source of food. They also fail to realize that many of the animals that people consume are actually plant eating creatures. Cows for example are herbivores, meaning they exist on a diet primarily of plants like grass. But, no one ever says "I wonder how a cow gets its protein?" People who have animals who graze all day in the fields don't worry that their animals are't getting enough protein. We assume that a cow and other herbivore creatures gets its protein from what it eats. And they eat plants! All protein is plant protein! The animals eat plants, and fruit, their body builds protein structures out of the available amino acids obtained from plant sources. In the case of a carnivore animal like a lion, they typically are eating other plant eaters, so the protein that is obtained is recycled plant protein, in the form of already structured proteins. For a true carnivore this is optimal, but for an herbivore, or frugivore it is not.
Likewise apes in their natural state eat a diet mostly of fruit! That is the diet they are designed for, and a fruitarian diet is what we are designed for too! Human beings do best on raw fruits, veggies and greens. We can also add raw seeds and nuts in that too. If its not a fruit, vegetable, seed or nut, its probably not good for us. In the case of your typical vegan style diet you would be adding to that your cooked grains, bean, and legumes. As I have said there is plenty of opportunities for protein on a plant based diet. Rice, such as white rice or brown rice has 3 grams of protein per serving. Beans range from about 6 grams of protein to 8 grams. Nuts and seeds fall in between your grains and beans, with anywhere from 3, to 8 grams of protein per serving depending on the type of seed or nut. Include lentils in your diet and you have the potential to intake 9 grams of protein per serving. And lets not forget my favorite grain, quinoa. Quinoa has a whopping 14 grams of protein per serving, not to mention it is a nutritional powerhouse. You can clearly see that any vegan diet that is including these foods, in addition to fruits and vegetables will have no problem what so ever of getting plenty of protein. The best part is this protein is plant based and a great par of a low fat, high fiber, and carbohydrate diet. Is there anything lacking in a vegan diet?
There is absolutely nothing in animal products that we can't get on a vegan based diet, even a raw vegan fruitarian based diet. But in this post I want to focus on your typical vegan diet of fruit, vegetables, grains, bean, legumes, seeds and nuts. These are the foods made for us and they are loaded with everything that we need to live a healthy life. Fruits and vegetables contain tons of nutrients, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals (like calcuim), amino acids (for protein building) and tons of other stuff we don't even understand yet. Not to mention essential fatty acids, fiber, and B vitamins. It's also pretty easy to get your calories and protein eating a vegan diet that includes cooked foods. Cooked foods such as grains, beans, legumes and vegetables are higher in overall calories, and protein than your raw fruits, and vegetables. This is why it is super easy to get your calories, and protein on a vegan diet. Even if your raw its pretty easy, you just have to eat lots more food to get the amounts that you can get with cooked foods. What about B12? How does a person following a vegan diet get B12? Doesn't B12 come from animal products? It is true that animal products are a source of B12. It is also true that plant based foods do not supply our bodies with B12 in themselves. Most people conclude, therefore we need animal products to get B12 a much needed utrient. But, actually we don't! B12 isn't actually a naturally occurring nutrient. But, before we get into that, ask yourself this question. If animal products are the only source for B12, then where does a cow (herbivore) get it? Where does an ape (frugivore) get their B12? These animals have just as much a requirement for B12 as we do but they don't consume animal products to get it. The answer is inside of your small intestines, and how your body works. The truth is animals such as herbivores and frugivores get their B12 from their raw plant based diets and the bacteria that comes along with it. A cow is going to eat the grass, which grows in the dirt, and in addition to taking in grass it takes in bacteria as well. B12 is then synthesized by the bacteria in the intestines. The only reason why we can get B12 from animal products is because the animals body has already created it from the bacterial result of a plant based diet. As I mentioned above, B12 is not naturally occurring in plant based foods. but, B12 is actually synthesized inside of our small intestines by bacteria. This is how we naturally get B12 from plants. When we consume raw fruits, and vegetables these materials go into our digestive systems to get ready for digestion. While the material is waiting to be fully digested it ferments and bacteria is formed. Bacteria (which is good for us) is stored in the intestines and it is this bacteria that synthesis the B12. Like the animal proteins, B12 is a "second-hand" nutrient that was already synthesized by another animals intestinal flora. B12 Deficiency We can become B12 deficient when we eat a diet that prevents this bacteria growth, and storage in our intestines. We can also become lacking in B12 if we take antibiotic drugs, as well as pharmaceuticals in general. Anti bacterial drugs kill bacteria! Destroying that balance of beneficial intestinal flora in our systems. No bacteria, means no B12! I believe this is the biggest reason why vegetarians, or those following a vegan diet become B12 deficient. Another reason why we would become deficient is when we are not eating a vegan diet which is primarily raw fruits and vegetables. Another reason for B12 deficiency would be too sterile of an environment. Since B12 is synthesized by bacteria we need to be taking in bacteria from our environment. Keeping things too clean will stop that natural process of being exposed to bacteria, and essentially diminish the amount of B12 that can be formed. When our society sees B12 deficiency in vegans and vegetarians they tend to blame the lack of animal products for the problem. They say that, this is, "proof that you can't live on a vegan diet for long because you will lack nutrients." They put all of the focus on the B12 when that is pretty much the only nutrient that we can't directly get from plants. As you can see we can get it from plants, just not directly. We need the bacteria that is formed as a natural outcome of a plant based diet. It is those raw plant based foods that are going to promote the production of bacteria and provide the body with the conditions necessary to synthesis B12. A vegan diet that does not consume 75% raw will probably have a hard time keeping up on the B12. Since bacteria are alive, and the beneficial bacteria that we need in our gut at all times is alive, we must consume primarily those living foods. Also B12 is not hard to supplement if a deficiency does occur. You don't have to go out and start consuming animals because of your deficiency. Any health food store, or grocery store can supply you will a good quality vegan B12 supplement. The same goes for any nutrient that we may be lacking for one reason or another. If we learn about how our bodies actually work and how to propperly implement a vegan diet, then there is no need to worry that we aren't getting enough. I won't go into anymore detail here about B12. I think you get it! In Conclusion! As you can clearly see a vegan diet is not lacking in anything and there is nothing that we need that we can get either directly or indirectly get from a plant based diet. I hope this article was helpful to you. Thank you for reading and God bless!
