Ommmmm, what are you doing..

Yoga. I love it and I'm not alone. Thousands of people are yoga converts, but a lot of people still have misconceptions about the "omming" and balancing and bare feet on sticky matness of yoga. To be honest though, yoga is not just a "spiritual liberation" or whatever the die-hards call it; it's great exercise! Toning, stretching, and racing heartbeats all in one workout that doesn't seem like a workout. Find a nearby facility that hosts classes or find DVDs with some cool yoga sequences to try. Remember, different types of yoga (or even a different instructor/video) can emphasize different components (mind, body, that deal) so keep experimenting and find some you love! You won't regret it; trust me.

Rave Review?

I'm not going to lie, I had my fears when initiating my vegan diet. "Never again eat whipped cream smothered strawberries? No more cheese and crackers?! Frozen yogurt's out too?? Oh snap." Here's the thing. 1) Becoming a vegan opens SO many taste pallet doors. It can transform a picky or unhealthy eater, into a muncher of abundance. 2) There are actually a great deal of vegan alternatives to your favorite treats!

Here's one of them:

Tofutti Vanilla Cuties. Flashback to the ice cream truck that drove tortuously slow down my street, music blaring. Once or twice a summer, mother darling would throw a dollar at us and say "Fine! Get an ice cream." My sister would get the Firecracker thing that turned your tongue rainbow and was grainy with sugar, but I'd get an Ice Cream Sandwich. Every time. (All five times, basically..) They were messy and melty, but so incredibly delicious. Now here you have a vegan version of that treat! All 130calories of this (super) tiny sandwich are worth it. With 2grams of protein and 9grams of sugar, it's not exactly the healthiest of snacks, but it'll keep you sane. The portion, albeit tiny, is actually perfect. You get to savor a few bites and your sweet tooth is satisfied. Maybe, just maybe, the company can work to reduce the calories, but otherwise, the snack is authentic in all ways.

Some "Not So Fun" Facts Everyone Should Know

Here's the thing, I know there are countless people who scorn people for choosing to eliminate meat from their diet. I've been the subject of ridicule myself; oftentimes from my own family! What's truly tragic, however, is that most people who criticize vegan or vegetarian diets don't even ask what motive the person had for the diet choice, nor do they realize (or want to admit) how much of a negative impact their meat consumption and animal-product use has. The below list is just a mere glance at a list so long, of reasons to consider reducing/eliminating your meat intake.

• Weight is always an attractive factor of vegan diet touting. It's true that vegans tend to be slimmer (or on their way to being slimmer) than their meat munching counterparts. If you adopt a healthy vegan diet and are at all overweight, it's likely the weight will fall off effortlessly and permanently. Why, you ask? Well, vegan diets include fiber rich foods that make you feel fuller longer. Also, such diets tend to be lower in fat which automatically saves you calories because a gram of carbohydrate or protein has 4 calories while fat (a component of meat that is very prevalent in meat and other animal products) has 9 calories per gram. (It's important to emphasize "healthy" because many vegan foods are not the healthiest[candies, movie theater popcorn..the butter is usually fake, making the snack vegan]. However, it's rather tricky to not eat healthfully as a vegan because those foods that can nourish you, are healthy!)
• Terrifyingly enough, scientists tell us that one out of three children born after 2000 will develop the preventable disease of type 2 diabetes. Sure, a vegan diet might not eliminate the risk 100%, but there's a very good chance it will.
• Switching to a plant-based diets can work wonders for your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar within weeks.
• Plant foods have anti-disease and aging properties that can allow you to lead a longer and happier life - with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, etc. The average vegetarian, lives ten years longer than meat-eaters.
  
• The pumping of antibiotics into animals is leading to widespread antibiotic resistance.
• ALL food-poisoning (food-borne viruses, antibiotic resistant infections, and bacteria) originate from animals (including spinach, tomatoes, and other crops covered in bacteria which were contaminated by water containing animal fecal matter). Such animal illnesses occur because of unsanitary and cramped conditions that leave animals stressed and susceptible.
  
• Raising animals for food is responsible for 18% of global warming. If every American were to substitute chicken at one meal a week for a vegetarian alternative, the carbon dioxide savings that would result would be equivalent to the removal of more than half a million cars from the roads of the US.
• This disturbs me almost more than any other fact - "If 1 in 10 people around the globe stopped eating animals, it would free up enough food to feed the 1 billion hungry." ("Veganist" by Kathy Freston)
• As for animal suffering, there's no one fact I can say. So many animals suffer so incredibly much for our consumption and use. They are drugged up and manipulated to grow too large for their bodies to support, many animals are dismembered while still alive, animals are put alive into scalding tanks when stunners aren't effective, the list goes on and on and painfully on.
• Find out more for yourself. Watch trailers and documentaries, read books, and research. Don't take my word for it because a choice like this is yours to make.
  

Help! What can I get?

Nothing's worse than getting to a restaurant and (finally!) being seated with all your best friends and then realizing you have no idea what dishes are vegan/vegetarian! With a little research you can be armed an prepared.

Where do you go most often? What restaurants or theaters? What foods do you like? If you go to one particular place pretty frequently, it might be worth it to go to the restaurant and ask the manager about it specifically. Otherwise, google and books can work wonders.

Eatin' Like a Vegan

The concept of going vegan can seem pretty darn daunting, especially to those of us that thoroughly enjoy our Kentucky Fried Chicken strips and thick gravy over turkey. If you really read up on it though, you'll soon realize it's not half bad! When you read about all the environmental, health, and humanity detriments meat consumption has, you'll begin to look a little differently at the burger in front of you. People who understand that trailers of animal cruelty will sway their opinion on animal product consumption/use often don't watch them. This is rather ridiculous, however, because they need not fear the 'inconvenience' of become a vegan. Half of what you eat is probably close to vegan, and the other half can be changed easily! What's more, is that "veganization" can be a slow and gradual process. No one's saying you must do it all NOW. Try some new recipes and taste test new dishes at your favorite restaurant; you'll soon realize vegan food is GOOD. Here's a day in the life:

Breakfast: Gooood morning dark skies and freezing floors on my bare toes. Yawn, stretch, grumble. Time to bust out some food.
Oatmeal (good ole old fashioned oats with water) with maple syrup. I usually eat a cup of oatmeal (1/2 a cup uncooked) with 1/2 a teaspoon of the maple syrup because it's just soo sweet!
Snack:
Part of a Clif bar (not all varieties are necessarily vegan so double check...double YUM!)
Lunch:
PB&J on a Bagel Thin with Beanie Salad
Snack:
Apple with Peanut Butter
Dinner:
Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower, Tofu Stir Fry,Rice
Dessert:
Soygurt

There are more meals than you think that have vegan alternatives and you can discover millions of them online or in a cookbook!

Fast Food for Vegans?! Is that even allowed..

You bet your bottom it is! Most people need to have fast food at some point in their lives (some more than others, of course ;]). Whether you're exhausted after work and don't want to wake the kids cooking up dinner (midnight snack at this point) or are on a road trip with the gals, you should now what's out there for when the time comes.

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/chain-restaurants.aspx

Check it out :-)

Documentaries Everyone Must Watch

Food Inc.
Earthlings
Fat Head AND Supersize Me (you've got to compare these two...fascinating)
The Cove

I've watched so many other great ones, but these stuck out most. I urge you to check them out!!