Journey to Wellness

 August 2017 was the last time I ate bacon. If you knew me 4-5 years ago then you knew I loved bacon. I had made the conscious decision a year prior to 2017 to give up beef and pork, but bacon was my favorite so weening myself off of it was a process. As much as I loved bacon, I have never reverted back to eating it. In 2018 I started on my vegan journey, and by 2019 had gone strictly vegan. By the end of 2019 and into 2020 I started eating chicken and fish again; as I've said before beginning a life of veganism is a process. Eating and cooking with my other half was the gateway to eating animals again. Last year during the quarantine I ordered food because of the convenience, and I was eating wrong! I ate cow's cheese, chicken, and fish, and stopped working out. I'm always highly motivated in the beginning of any practice, but somewhere along the lines I lose motivation.

Wellness can be equated with Wholeness. You're not completely well until you're completely whole. What I mean by that is, in order to be well you must heal and practice wellness in every area of your life. For optimum health we must practice healthy eating habits, exercise, yoga(stretching), meditation and mindfulness. Wholeness focuses on us becoming well rounded people. Health and wholeness means a healthy mind, spirit, and body. We want the whole person to be well and healthy. Many people make new year's resolutions to exercise or lose weight, and many resolutions fall through the cracks by February. Wellness is a journey, it's not a lifestyle change overnight. As I've said before, we are taught our eating habits by the family and household we grew up in. It took years of conditioning to eat these foods, therefore it will take years of conditioning to eat healthy foods.

Designing an exercise regimen that fits your individual lifestyle is key. Some people wake up extra early to workout in the mornings, while others workout after work or in the evenings. Everything is tied together, what you eat, what you drink, exercise, and spiritual practices. Meditation is one of the best things to uplift a tired soul. Going within helps you to see what is blocking you, and what next steps to take. Yoga opens up your joints and allows for flexibility and mobility. What you put into your body is very important; from the foods you eat to the supplements you take. Illness can not reside in an alkaline body. Alkaline water and foods help bring the body into optimal health. If you're vegan right now and eating alkaline foods, drinking alkaline water, and taking organic natural supplements you are giving your body what it needs on the inside. Meditation is also a form of giving your body what it needs on the inside. Introspection and quieting the mind help to bring you back into balance with yourself and the Universe.

Make your practices your own, your journey is your own personal journey. Move at your own pace. To begin your wellness journey you may start by cutting out certain foods as I did. Meal planning and meal prep are also great ways to stay organized and on track. Also as a form of spiritual self care, is smudging your home and space with sage, lavender, or incense. Smudging purifies the air and removes staleness and negative energies. Yoga and stretching opens up the spine for flexibility of joints; and also opens up breathing passageways. We want the Whole person to be well. Choose some form of daily self care to boost your mood and motivation.

Illness becomes Wellness when I is replaced with We. We are in this together! Wellness is Wholeness, we treat and heal the Whole person. We want to be whole and complete in everything we do.

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Beginning the Vegan Lifestyle

(Wild rice, mock scallops made from King oyster mushrooms)

I began the journey to a vegan lifestyle over 3 years ago. In August of 2017 I stopped eating bacon, the only pork I was still eating at the time. I had given up beef and pork a couple of years prior. In 2015 I began the journey to myself. During the discovery of myself , I researched meats and what eating flesh and foods made from flesh did to the body. I also studied foods of indigenous people and African tribes. My native ancestors and our African ancestors mostly lived off of plants, herbs, berries, and seeds. There are medicine men and women in both cultures that used herbs and plants as medicine as well as food. So many people of color and some of my family members suffer form diabetes and high blood pressure, and I wanted to change the narrative for myself and future generations who spring up out of me.

Veganism isn't just about being healthy, but for me becoming vegan was more spiritual than physical. I stopped eating flesh for my health, but also because of who I was becoming. In order to vibrate at a higher frequency I had to stop eating certain foods. I had to start eating living foods that give life, not dead animals. Some people's reason for becoming vegan is to save the animals, but my reasoning goes much deeper than that. As a spiritualist certain aspects of life are not conducive to me harnessing my gifts and spiritual powers. Eating the right foods opens up your pineal gland (third eye) which allows you to see things clearly and truthfully. Eating flesh and foods made from animals calcifies the pineal gland and clouds your perspective.

Before you begin the journey to veganism it's important to explore your Why. Why do you want to become vegan? I told you my reasons, but each person's Why is different. After you've determined why you want to become vegan, you then need to decide what type of vegan you want to be. Do you want to just be a vegetarian and still eat dairy products, or do you want to become a raw vegan and eat raw uncooked veggies, fruit, nuts,and seeds? For the new vegan it's best to start out simple and explore with new fruits and vegetables. Being vegan doesn't mean you just eat salad or vegetables all of the time. Veganism includes: vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, and seeds. For vegans, vegetables are cooked without meat and vegan or non-dairy items are used in the place of eggs and cheese. Some grains that are popular among vegans are: wild rice, black rice, brown rice, yellow rice, spelt, kamut, and quinoa. Popular seeds for vegans are: chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame, and pumpkin seeds. Nuts to include in a vegan diet are: almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts. Beans and legumes such as lentils, garbanzo beans, and black beans are great for beginning vegans.

Farmer's Markets or an actual farm are great places to shop if you're vegan. Stores like Sprout's, Whole Foods, and Aldi are excellent for purchasing veggies, fruit, and processed vegan foods. As a new vegan you want to stay away from so much processed food. Brands like Boca, Gardein, Morning Star, and Beyond Meat are okay in moderation, but any type of processed food is not good for you over time. As a new vegan you're looking for ideas and a variety of foods to add to your palette. The vegan lifestyle gives you an opportunity to explore many new foods. Farmer's Markets like Nam Dae Mun offer produce and foods from around the world; you can try new foods you've never heard of before. If you find yourself missing the texture of meat, mushrooms (oyster, portabella, shittake), eggplant, and jackfruit are great substitutions for meat.

Make the transition to veganism your own! It may be easier to slowly ween yourself off of meat by cutting out beef and pork first, followed by chicken and fish. The use of processed vegan foods may be of good use in the beginning. There are many brands of processed vegan foods in the stores; some of my favorite brands are Gardein, Yummy, and Dr. Praeger's. Sprout's brand foods are a great value and taste great too. As a new vegan research lots of foods and decide what is best for you. Tauheedah Michelle and Purple Poet Publishing LLC are launching a vegan cookbook entitled, "Empressive Eats"  to offer help for vegans who are looking for great vegan dishes. I will offer up some of my favorite vegan recipes in this unorthodox cookbook. Be on the lookout for "Empressive Eats", meanwhile I wish you Peace & Blessings on your vegan journey.

(Vegan Lasagna with Spring Salad Mix)