Get Caught Up on the Story by reading
this post first:
So, hopefully you have read about my story on the Inspiration post and you have some idea as to how I evolved to become a vegan. As to Why begin the 30-Day Raw Vegan Challenge, it truly hinges on getting my life back and gaining control over my health, my future, and my destiny.
Speaking of the word "life", I will boldly say that I truly value life, and maybe it is because I am a Biologist and I have studied living things since I was a kid. Maybe it is because I have traveled to various parts of the world and I have found the beauty of the world in Nature. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have a deep connection with all living things and when I look into the eyes of a non-human animal I can see that they too feel pain, fear, excitement, joy, and happiness. I will say that life took on a new meaning when I found out I was going to be a father. If I didn't understand the true value of life before then, I certainly do now. Alyssa, my daughter, is the light of my life and I want to make sure that I do all I can to take care of the planet and the planet's inhabitants so that I can pass it on to her in as good or better condition than how I received it.
So, I mentioned I am doing this 30-Day Raw Vegan Challenge and I would like to explain why. First, I will be the first to say that just being vegan and choosing a diet that is free of meat and all animal extracts doesn't guarantee personal health and a long life. As with all choices that affect our lives, it is best to do them with a foundation of knowledge and the flexibility and open mindedness to adapt as new information becomes available. While I have been vegan for many years now, my consumption of high calorie bread products or wheat products has probably been too high. I also admit that I am nowhere close to meeting the "60 Minutes per Day of moderate to intense exercise" that is recommended. That being said, I find myself in my current position of being slightly overweight and out of shape. As mentioned in the Inspiration post, I accept that I did this to myself and I know I am the answer. After years of research and inquisition, I have come to learn that not only is it more compassionate to adopt a vegan lifestyle, but it also is the most beneficial to the planet as well as supported with evidence to lower or eliminate all of the risks of the main reasons people are dying today.
According to the American Dietetic Association:
"Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence- based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs."
So, here I begin on this 30 Day Challenge ... with the true challenge for me being going raw not the vegan choices. This means I am excluding now all bread and processed foods sticking 100% to whole plant foods, nuts and seeds, and some spices and supplements. As obligate heterotrophs, humans are the ONLY animal that cooks their food before eating it. While this broadens our diet tremendously, it is still unnatural for the body to absorb and try to extract nutrients from SO MUCH cooked food! As a scientist I have learned that there are a few things that change, alter, or denature the foods and proteins we eat. The pH (acidity) of substances changes them, the ionic condition (cation and anion concentrations and salinity), and the temperature alters or changes foods and nutrients from their whole and intended purpose to something else. Our bodies, which are millions of years old, know very well what to do with raw-whole foods but cooked foods are treated as a foreign substance and elevate our white blood cells as if we were fighting an infection. Inflammation and various other effects all account for what is called digestive leukocytosis when we eat a meal that is mostly or all cooked foods. The best way to avoid chronic inflammation in the body is to eat mostly raw foods that have not been processed or refined in any way from their whole-plant form. This is not reality for most people, I realize this, as I recognize and appreciate the fact that food is as much a cultural and social experience as it is a necessary activity for life. One way I have tried to reduce inflammation in my body is to make sure that at least 50% of my meal at any time is raw. In most cases 90-100% of my meals are raw already but for the 30-Day Challenge I will stick to the 100% raw for those 4 weeks. I already know I am going to miss the taste and feel of warm, salty foods like the pastas and breads with bruschetta sauce that I love. Like many others, I find comfort in knowing that I will be supported by friends and family ... even strangers and members of the vegan community around the world. To see the guidelines, goals and intended outcomes, as well as parameters and meet those involved ... visit the Vegan Challenge 2014 page and JOIN US!
There is always a higher level of awareness and I personally believe that when we place "life" as a precious drop in the center of whatever decisions we make, we will more often make decisions that honor, cherish, and preserve life for ourselves and our loved ones to cherish ... and hopefully inspire them to do the same.
~ Jason ... I am Vegan ... I am Groovy
:-)
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