out of my absence...

http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=636

What About Dairy?

Taken from The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose:

Now, don't have a cow but... the milk you think is good for you and your bones is also contributing to the deterioration of your bones, organs, and waistline -- yes, even skim milk! Regular cow's milk products are the biggest culprits and should be avoided at all costs. But goat and sheep dairy products are acceptable, particularly if they are raw.

There are two things that make cow's milk products so bad. First, the protein molecule in cow's milk is too difficult for the human body to break down, which means it will leave residue in the body and really pile up if you consume it regularly. Remember, cow's milk was designed for baby cows -- not humans! Second, the milk is pasteurized, so any good attributes may have been cooked out, including its enzymes.

A bit of good news, however, is that butter and cream -- since they do not contain the casein-heavy protein -- are much easier to break down and are acceptable in small qualities. Nut milks, like almond or hazelnut, will quickly replace your need for cow milk. If you're up for it, you can even make your own nut milk (blend 1 part nuts with 3 parts water, and straight through cheesecloth) or you can buy the Pacific brand of nut milks, which are delicious an store very well. In terms of your calcium needs, consider this:

-In order for calcium to be properly absorbed and not leached from the bones, magnesium is needed. Dairy products contain very little magnesium. Leafy greens contain calcium and magnesium in perfect ratio for optimal calcium absorption.

-Despite the fact that American women have been consuming an average of two pounds of milk per day for their entire lives, according to the National Institute of Disability and Research, it is estimated that 30 percent of postmenopausal white women in the United States have osteoporosis of the spine, hip or arm!

-According to the European Vegetarian Union, "Vegetarian women were also shown to have much lower risk for an da lesser degree of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The Chinese vegetarian women tested only consume about one-third the amount of calcium European women do, but in their case, all the calcium is derived from plant foods instead of dairy products, as is often the case in western countries. Osteoporosis as we know it is virtually unknown in this area and not one of the women tested had this disease!"

-The growth hormones and antibiotics that are injected into cows to produce milk enter directly into our bloodstream when we consume milk products. Even most organic dairies use these hormones -- just in smaller amounts.

-Milk is one of the most mucus-forming foods we can consume. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that American children suffer to such a great extent from asthma, allergies, ear infections, and colds. Reared on formula, cow's mil, an dairy-rich diets, their bodies become laden with mucus buildup in just a few short years. World-renowned physician and best-selling author Dr. Christine Northrup states, "Dairy is a tremendous mucus producer and a burden on the respiratory, digestive, and immune systems." She says when patients "eliminate diary products for an extended period and eat a balanced diet", they seuffer less from colds and sinus infections."

-According to Victorias Kulvinskas, cofounder of the Hippocrates Institute and best selling author, pasteurized dairy and cooked meat cause our white blood cell count to increase by 300 to 400 percent. This is what happens when the body responds to infection!

-Dairy can block iron absorption resulting in a reduced red-blood cell count, which causes anemia.

-Pasteurized dairy intake is linked to thyroid conditions and diabetes.

-While dairy products do contain calcium, they also contain difficult-to-digest animal proteins, lactose sugar, growth hormones, and numerous other contaminants.

Since eliminating dairy from your diet can be a very big step, many of you will continue to consume it. At the very least, you can learn how to combine it properly with other foods. Dairy combines best with raw and cooked vegetables. Therefore, if you would like to enjoy cheese as part of your meal, make a big raw salad topped with your favorite natural cheese. Goat cheese and goat milk are superior to cow-based dairy products, as the protein in goat milk is much easier for humans to digest. Goat milk is often used as a more natural substitute for mother's milk for infants and todlers. Raw goat - and cow - milk cheeses are always preferable to regular pasteurized cheese.

The most healthful sources of calcium are leafy, green vegetables like kale, dandelion, and swiss chard, which are high in absorbable calcium, not to mention a host of other healthful nutrients.

Simplifying LOA

I subscribe to a 2-minute newsletter by Tzabia Siegel, a Toronto-based Certified Nutritionist and Professional Coach (www.foodcoach.ca and www.freefromdieting.com). Her approach focuses on six key ingredients to your ultimate physical, emotional, and spiritual health: mind, emotion, food, soul, movement, and rest.

In this particular newsletter, she provides some helpful and straightforward techniques in learning to understand and implement the Law of Attraction principles into your life:

"I know from talking with clients and other people that there is some confusion as to how to actually make use of the principle of attraction. As it is a principle that those looking for lifetime weight loss need to be clear about, I will lay it out here.

As far as how to create what you want through attraction, here is a simplified version of how you can make use of the ask, believe, receive process that was laid out in ‘The Secret’:

• Ask yourself, “What do I want?” Be detailed. Get into the nooks and crannies of your desires. Write it down. Ask yourself “why do I want this?” If you are not motivated by something that you deeply value, it is unlikely that you will devote the time and energy to making it a reality.

• Believe by expressing your desire in every way that you can. Tell someone, write it out, compose a song and sing it, create a piece of art, dance it, visualize it, etc. That will increase the attention and the feeling that you bring to your desire. It is imperative to engage your emotions as attention follows feeling more strongly than thought.

• Prepare yourself to receive by asking yourself, “What are the obstacles and the fears that are keeping me from my what I desire?” Write those down as well. Then use the tools that you have at hand to clear those obstacles. If you do not have effective tools, seek help to learn them. Check out my free article “Tools to Help You Deal with Your Emotions so that You Can Create Change” for insight into some options that you can use. You will find that article on my website.

• Repeat the above as often as you need to. You may need to be patient because desires can take years to become a reality. However the more attention you bring to it and the deeper your willingness to bring focus to the qualities of character you need to be able to receive your desire, the more likely you are to create it."
  

The Problem With "God"

I was struck by this passage from The Power Of Now by Ekhart Tolle:

"The word God has become empty of meaning through thousands of years of misuse. I use it sometimes, but I do so sparingly. By misuse, I mean that people who have never even glimpsed the realm of the sacred, the infinite vastness behind that word, use it with great conviction, as if they knew what they are talking about. Or they argue against it, as if they knew what it is they are denying. This misuse gives rise to absurd beliefs, assertions, egoic delusions, such as “My or our God is the only true God, and your God is false,” or Nietzsche’s famous statement “God is dead.”

The word God has become a closed concept. The moment the word is uttered, a mental image is created, no longer, perhaps, of an old man with a white beard, but still a mental representation of someone or something outside you, and yes, almost inevitably a male someone or something.

Neither God nor Being nor any other word can define or explain the ineffable reality behind the word, so the only important question is whether the word is a help or a hindrance in enabling you to experience That toward which it points. Does it point beyond itself to that transcendental reality, or does it lend itself too easily to becoming no more than an idea in your head that you believe in, a mental idol?

The word being explains nothing, but nor does God. Being, however, has the advantage that it is an open concept. It does not reduce the infinite invisible to a finite entity. It is impossible to form a mental image of it. Nobody can claim exclusive possession of Being. It is your very essence, and it is immediately accessible to you as the feeling of your own presence, the realization I am that is prior to I am this or I am that. So it is only a small step from the word Being to the experience of Being. "

***

For some reason, I have always had difficulty with the word "God" -- so much so, that often, when it is just tossed out there, I feel a wave of resistance or annoyance run through me. I have always found this sort of funny, as I have, over the past few years, come to embrace my own interpretation of "God". Perhaps I am simply aware of all the thousands of meanings and definitions and images and problems that have been attached to that word, and my immediate response to it is one of skepticism and agitation. I think "flakey" and "stupid"... even though I actually think "God" (at least my own interpretation of it) is anything but.

Whenever someone asks me if I believe in God (which isn't very often -- people tend to avoid questions like those except for me), my first response is always to say "Well, yes, but..." and I go on to define exactly how I interpret it and what it means to me personally. I have difficult using the word God myself, and usually find myself replacing it with words like "energy", "being", "divine", etc. depending on who I am in a conversation with. In this day and age, "God" has been given a bad rep, and the youth of my generation are resistant to exploring, understanding, and personalizing God because they associate the word with religious war and suffering, new-age flakes, and Jehovah Witnesses ringing their doorbells. In 2007, it is definitely way cooler to be atheist and anti-religion (not that the two have to have anything to do with each other) ... and I feel the need to be careful about when, where, and with who I share any of my "God"-related thoughts.

The spirituality that I experience is very personal and has little to do with anybody else. I certainly like to discuss and debate the ideas I have with others who are willing and open-minded and like to share, and I continue to grow and open myself up to new possibilities and interpretations... but I certainly feel no need to pass my experiences on to anyone and make them "believe" in what I do. I do not consider my beliefs to be any kind of absolute truth... they are simply what make sense to me and help fulfill me right now. I do, however, think it is unfortunate that people nowadays are so void of any spirituality. I suppose some people don't care about it or feel the need for it, and some people don't know how to access it or separate it from the religious institutions that they dislike. There is no one spiritual philosophy for everyone.... but I think if a holistic lifestyle is important to you, it is then important to recognize your spirit and the ways in which it is affected by everything around you -- in both the physical and non-physical realms. Maybe you have trouble understanding what everyone calls "God", but can feel the energy of the earth when you lie on the grass; or are overcome with emotion by a piece of music; or feel the urge to dance in the rain; or know the experience of unconditional love flowing out of you into another human being. All of those things can be spiritual experiences, can potentially be the experience of God (or whatever you like to call it), and the more we recognize those kinds of moments as being so, the more we can be free and discover our whole selves.

Maybe the word "God" doesn't do it for you like it doesn't do it for me. The word has definitely lost whatever meaning it once had. But perhaps there is a voice in you that tells you that there is more to the world than meets the eye; that we are really part of something special, exciting, and beautiful. I think that voice is worth listening to now and then.

The Law of Attraction

Last summer I was recommended some books on "The Law of Attraction" that I began to read and put into practice. It was at a time when I was feeling particularly low and self-pitying, and my Naturopath suggested the titles to me. Since that time I witnessed the "law" manifest in my life in multiple ways, most significantly when I was asked out by my boyfriend -- two weeks after I began reading the books, had clarified exactly what I was looking for, and started to feel like it really could happen. It did -- and after four years of being very, very single and being told my standards were too high and thinking I might be alone forever (dramatic, I know, but sometimes perspective is a tricky thing), this was kind of a big deal.

Also since that time, I have struggled to maintain the positive thinking that the law of attraction requires (in order to use it in a way that actually benefits you). Although I have seen proof that it works, I also find it difficult to trust it (I find it difficult to trust most things that I believe in)... and it always feels scarier to put faith and trust into something that is a source of anxiety than just letting yourself be consumed by the fear. I don't know why that is -- possibly because if it doesn't end up working out the way you want it to after investing so much hope, you feel even worse, or more personally responsible for the "failure", instead of getting to blame the cosmos for all your problems and feel as though your fate is in someone or something else's hands.

What I have noticed about the law of attraction in my life is that rarely does what I think I want to happen happen how or when I think I want it to. Let me clarify that. Sometimes I will put a great deal of energy into a very specific thought of something that I want, and it will happen -- but in a very different way than I first imagined it. It can take me a while to realize that what has come into my life is a manifestation of what I have asked for. For example, I have been anxious about money recently now that I'm facing graduation. How am I going to survive financially as an actor fresh out of school? I keep dreaming about all these big parts and big cheques that I might get this year -- even making LOA statements as bold as "I can easily make at least $20,000 next year as an actor" (which is slightly ambitious considering the average income for actors is under $5000 a year). Then I open my e-mail one day and, out of the blue, was asked to direct a show for pay in the next month. No, the pay isn't even a tiny spec close to $20,000... but the job just seemed to fall out of the sky. Can money really appear that easily? Why not. Some kind of sign saying, "here's a tiny taste... now start to trust yourself!".

I have read some criticism on the law of attraction, and The Secret in particular -- claiming that the philosophy is in fact harmful to people, and to society as a whole. It puts so much responsibility on the individual that people begin to get offended ("You mean, the starving children in Africa are asking to starve to death?"). Honestly, that is the part of it that gets to me as well. I can understand how that would be true according to how the the law of attraction claims to work... but I don't like it and I can see why people would be upset by it. I don't want to believe that. I have also heard of people becoming so fanatical about LOA that now it is even being criticized for being like a cult, controlling how people think and feel. Well, to that I say that there are always going to be people in the world with obsessive personalities, and people who lack the ability to think critically and absorb new information in a balanced way. People are obsessed with dieting and making money and having sex and wanting to indulge in every aspect of their life ... and here is a new way to easily achieve it all. Of course you are going to have fanatics. I don't think that diminishes the value that the LOA offers when used in a positive way.

What is the Law of Attraction (or, The Secret, as it is also called), to those who have no clue what I'm talking about? The Law of Attraction claims that like attracts like. Therefore, every thought and feeling we have has a matching vibration to it, and as long as we continue to think and feel those things, we attract more of that vibration into our lives. That is why we see so many reoccurring patterns... attracting the same kind of partners (or none at all), problems with money, poor health. As long as we are paying attention to what we don't want, we attract what we don't want into our lives, and then continue to feel miserable, and continue to attract the misery to us. The vicious cycles we all hate. Shitty, eh? Well, according to LOA, not if you use the "law" in the way that works for you. We are always asking for things simply by giving our attention to it. If we are able to shift the attention from the negative to the positive, we can begin to attract the positive (what we want) into our lives. Essentially, its the power of positive thinking.

This made a lot of sense to me last summer when I was in self-pity mode. I had been single for four years, and all I could do was think about how lonely and alone I was. Therefore, I was simply attracting more loneliness to me. As soon as I shifted my thinking and wrote a long list of what I did want, became secure in it and began to believe it could happen, I saw an immediate change in my life.

The problem for me is when I don't seen an immediate result the way I did back then, I begin to feel discouraged and slip back into my negative thinking instead of having patience and trust that it will come to be at the right time. There are three parts to the Law of Attraction:

1. Identify Your Desire
2. Raise Your Vibration to your Desire
3. Allow It

For example, if your desire is to be rich, you need to match your vibration to your desire by thinking rich, feeling positive, and working on letting go of your money fears. Then, once money begins to pour into your life, you have to allow it... by picking up and appreciating the dime you see on the street, by graciously accepting a friend's offer to treat you to dinner, by being grateful that you bought your shoes on sale, etc. and realizing how all of these things are connected.

I struggle with maintaining my vibration with my desire... feeling positive, letting go of fear, and trusting that everything is meant to go well. And sometimes in recognizing and being grateful for the good that comes into my life and allowing it in.

What I like about LOA and leads me to believe in it (aside from really having nothing to lose), is that we can all see the evidence of it at work in our lives. You know the expression, "when it rains, it pours"? It makes a lot of sense when you think about it in LOA terms. As soon as you are open and ready to receive what you want, there is no limit to what can come to you.

There are a great deal of books on LOA. You can even download one for free at http://www.receivethebook.com. I like 'Ask and it is Given' by Esther and Jerry Hicks for the list of different practical tools to begin applying LOA to your life (and to, as they call it, 'move up the emotional scale' in order to increase your vibrational match with what you want). 'Law of Attraction' by Michael Losier is also very practical.

We are always told not to dwell in the negative, and yet we are programmed to think in negative terms (how many times have we heard "no", "can't", "don't" in our lives?). It makes sense to me that as soon as we begin to trust and believe that anything is possible, and only allow what we want and what makes us feel good into our lives, things will begin to change. Still, I think it is important not to become unhealthily obsessed or consumed with any one philosophy ... but to simply try it out and see what works for you, remembering that change doesn't always happen immediately, and of course, to be forgiving with yourself. I have to remind myself of that all the time.

A Meat Packers Take on Fast Food Nation

A Clean Space

I have never been very good at keeping my room neat. I love having a clean room, and I am embarrassed when it is giant pig sty (which it usually is), but for some reason, even though I seem to be endlessly cleaning it up, it only seems to get messier and messier. I will spend hours beautifying my bedroom to find that it just goes back to the way it was (if not worse) within a couple days... if not a couple hours. But I still keep cleaning it hoping that one day it will be clean for good.

I am amazed at how affected I am by the environment that I am in. A couple weeks ago, feeling the same agitation and frustration that I feel now, I tore down the posters from my wall (I think I stopped feeling like a teenager overnight -- it was very impulsive), moved my furniture around, filled a garbage bag full of old clothes I never wear (which I donated), and cleaned my room until it was spotless. It helped a great deal, but now that everything is, of course, messy again... I feel cluttered and crowded again. I have been such a collector of "stuff" my whole life, and I suppose its finally hitting me that so much of it is pretty useless. So many papers and books and objects and things that I never pay attention to -- yet I find difficult to throw out or give away. I'm sentimental. I'm nostalgic. I'm a Cancer.

What does it say about me that I can't create a permanently peaceful and nurturing environment for myself? Knowing how much I am affected by the space I'm in... is there a piece of me that subconsciously needs to feel some kind of chaos at all times?

....

Clearly I'm procrastinating. Back to picking laundry up off the floor.

Farm Animals In Canada

The video I posted earlier earned me criticism because there was no hard evidence to prove that the events on the screen were real...

In an e-mail I received:

.. and the reason is because there is nothing credible about that video except explicit (to the point of pornographic) imagery of horror that has no context and no point of reference. We don't know WHERE this happened (it could have been anywhere in the world), how many farms it happened on (it for all we know could have been one evil farmer) and whether the whole thing was staged or not.

Fair enough.

This brings it a little bit closer to home:
http://www.humanefood.ca

It's the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals. It has a lot of facts about the Canadian Farming industry (and you will see that the video was not much of an exaggeration -- there are other videos you can download on the site that specify when and where the footage was taken) with great information as to what to look out for when buying purchasing your meat (check out Food Facts). For example:

• Don’t buy pork produced in factory farms using sow stalls. Choose free-range pork that is Certified Organic or has a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified.

• Don't buy factory-farmed chickens. Choose free-range chickens that are Certified Organic or have a label like BCSPCA Certified. These chickens are produced in higher-welfare systems where they can behave more naturally.

• Don't buy battery eggs. Choose free-range eggs that are Certified Organic or have a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified or BCSPCA Certified. These are produced in higher-welfare systems where hens can behave more naturally (Watch out for misleading labels. Battery eggs are often sold using confusing terms such as "fresh" or “farm fresh” eggs).

• Don’t buy factory-farmed beef. Choose beef that is “grass-finished" or "pasture-raised" (sometimes called "natural" beef) or Winnipeg Humane Society Certified beef. These animals are not sent to feedlots, and spend their entire lives on the range.

• Don’t buy dairy products with ingredients from intensively farmed dairy cows. Choose dairy products that are Certified Organic.

There is a great deal of information you can read without attempting to brainwash or guilt you to death. What is wonderful to know is that you really CAN make a difference by being a little bit more conscious of what you support. If you check out the news section of the site, you will see that some Canadian companies are starting to feel the pressure to change their ways and treat their animals better. Good news!

One recent article states that the University of Guelph has just voted on a new policy to only use free-range eggs on campus beginning next September. It says, "The activist group Guelph Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals began pushing for the policy two years ago after learning about the "horrific" living conditions hens were subjected to on a farm owned by a member of the dean's veterinary advisory council".

You can also read the information directly from the University of Guelph's website by clicking here.

Here you can read more about egg farming in Canada.

I just learned about the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals this evening (by googling "free range eggs" out of curiosity... I get bored like that)... but they seem very knowledgeable and do not come across psycho-fantatical the way PETA does. Their goals seem very honourable to me.

I know this blog has been very food and animal oriented... I guess its been on my mind a lot recently.

...Sigh...

Okay, I've only had this a couple of days, but I've received a few reactions that contradict what my intentions for this blog really are.

I'm really not sure why I'm writing this blog or what it's going to end up like. All I know is that I wish I could communicate to more people than I am, and I like to share and debate and explore different philosophies and try and help people care and take pride in themselves and the world.

Over the past few years I have gone through a great deal, and in trying to heal different wounds and make sense of everything I spent a lot of time trying to discover who I am... I guess in a spiritual sense, which wasn't really something I cared that much about before. I read a lot and wrote a lot and spoke to a number of people who taught me a great deal. While I continue to struggle in different ways, I am much healthier and more confident in myself than I ever was. For the most part, writing this blog is to help me solidify what I have learned, and to keep growing and challenging myself. I also want to reach other people my age who maybe haven't been exposed to this information in their lives.

This "information" isn't any kind of ultimate truth or gospel. It's just what works for me.

I really don't claim to know anything other than my own experiences. And I suppose I just want to share what my experiences have been because they've benefited me so much . Maybe instead of writing about what all the doctors said about cheeseburgers, I should have let you know how much happier and healthier I have personally been since cutting dairy, wheat, and sugar out of my diet... how I've overcome anxieties that I used to have my whole life, lost weight, cleared my skin up, and built up my confidence. I almost only feel depressed now when I eat too much wheat and sugar....my mood crashes and I get bloated and irritable. But I thought I'd be more convincing if I had facts.

I have been criticized for sounding preachy and I have edited a few of my earlier posts to sound much more how I intended. I guess I'm just not used to this blogging thing and it apparently came across cold and "better-than-thou". I sincerely don't want to be that way. I spent hours in the library researching the cheeseburger stuff because I wanted to learn it for myself, and because I don't just want to claim things out of my ass.

I really encourage you to disagree with anything I have to say. Send me an e-mail or post a comment and start a debate. I think that's how we continue to learn.

The Cheeseburger: Part 3

And now, for the finale...

Beef Patty:100% pure beef.

I’m so thrilled that McDonalds is capable of having an item on the menu with only one ingredient. Hurrah!

According to Edward Bourne, PHD:

“How can a vegetarian lead a calmer disposition? Earlier in this chapter it was mentioned that steroid hormone residues in red meat can exert an effect not unlike the body’s own steroid hormones, activating natural defense against stress and suppressing immunity. Another reason, however, is that meat, poultry, dairy and cheese products, and eggs – along with sugar and refined flour products – are all acid forming foods. These foods are not necessarily acid in composition, but they leave an acid residue in the body after they are metabolized, making the body itself more acid. This can create two kinds of problems:

When the body is more acid, the transit time of food through the digestive track can increase to the point where vitamins and minerals are not adequately assimilated. This selective under-absorption of vitamins – especially B vitamins, vitamin C, and minerals – can subtly add to the body’s stress load and eventually lead to low-grade malnutrition. Taking supplements will not necessarily correct this condition unless you are able to adequately digest and absorb them.

Acid-forming foods, especially meats, can create metabolic breakdown products which are congestive to the body. This is especially true if you are already under stress and unable to properly digest protein foods. The result is that you tend to end up feeling more sluggish, tired, and may have excess mucous or sinus problems. Although it’s true that this congestion is not exactly the same thing as anxiety, it can certainly add stress to the body, which in turn aggravates tension and anxiety. The more free your body is from congestion due to acid-forming foods, the lighter and clear-headed you’ll be likely to feel.” (342-343)

Okay, so we understand how meat can stress the body and contribute to tension and anxiety (which often accompany depression) physically. What else?

In the book, Chi Gung: Chinese Healing, Energy, and Natural Magick, Liv Carnie writes:

“First of all, you should eat a low-fat diet. Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. You don’t have to become vegetarian, but the less meat you eat, the great your chi (life energy) will feel. If you eat meat, try to eat naturally killed animals rather than slaughtered ones. The reason for this is simple. When animals are killed in a slaughterhouse, they are often extremely stressed prior to their death because they detect the suffering from all the other animals. This negative energy carries into your meat. Therefore, if you must eat meat, try to obtain it yourself and kill the animal as naturally and quickly as possible.” (151)

Whaaa? Negative energy? What does this have to do with anything?

Technically, what Carnie is saying, is that you are consuming the negative energy. I know all this sounds flaky, but hear it out…

The holistic approach to dealing with depression takes a look at every contributing element, not just your psychology, but also the emotional, physical, and spiritual factors that influence and affect you. Which is why holistic practitioners are far more inclined to alter your diet and encourage you to meditate and exercise and find a creative outlet to express your feelings and thoughts than immediately pump you full of meds.

Every moment and experience we have helps to shape and define who we are and how we feel – but there are also a number of factors that can happen on a subconscious level that we rarely are aware of. There are millions of possibilities, all which can most certainly be addressed and dealt with in ways that are personal to you. Sometimes depression and anxiety can be linked to past life experiences, sometimes we are dealing with soul lessons that continue to challenge us, and very often we are affected (both positively and negatively) on an energetic level by the people, objects, events, and practices that surround us every day. When someone walks into a room in a bad mood, immediately you can feel it. When you’re in love, you can often feel the energy and feelings and moods of the other person without even touching them. A mother might intuitively begin to panic when her child is experiencing some kind of distress, even if they are separated.

Is it not possible then, that the meat on your plate carries the stress and fear that the animal experienced when it was slaughtered, and that by consuming it you are allowing that energy to be a part of you? Just because the animal is dead on your plate does not mean it doesn’t carry any energetic properties.

If you tend to be a fairly empathetic, sensitive, and intuitive person, and feel stressed or depressed frequently, and also consume a lot of meat… I would wonder about this possibility (not that cutting meat out is the final cure... but it may help you address other issues without added, unnecessary stress).

If we have the ability to feel and connect with the energy of the people around us, or grow to love and feel empathy for our pets, or can feel anxious in a messy room and calmed in a peaceful meadow, I don’t see why we would suddenly be immune to the energy of the animals we consume.

Just an interesting thought.

The Cheeseburger: Part 2

Okay, so the wheat and sugar argument wasn’t that hard – I’m sure everyone has heard at this point that sugar can do funky things to the brain, and now that the “whole grain” craze is happening it isn’t hard to convince people that refined flour is bad for you. Still, before I move on to the next ingredient I want to address one other thing. If you read the ingredients of the Mcdonalds bun, I’m sure you noticed the list of 25 or so other funny sounding ingredients that may or may not all be included in the recipe.

In the Nurse’s Handbook of Alternative and Complementary Therapies, it states on page 346:

“About 2,000 additives – including artificial colorings and flavors, stabilizers, sweeteners, preservatives, and antibiotics – are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food. Many are believed to be carcinogenic. Some additives have been linked to hyperactivity and learning disorders in children.”

Moving on!

The next key ingredient in a Mcdonald’s cheeseburger is the cheese:

Processed Cheese Slice: Cheese (milk, modified milk ingredients, bacterial culture, salt, calcium chloride, microbial)

Okay, fair enough. It’s cheese. Processed cheese, but still – what's cheese got to do with it?

Again, in the excerpt from the book, Food and Healing, by Annemarie Colbin, PHD, it claims:

“The most common foods to cause mental disturbances are sugar, milk, and milk products . . . Negative reactions to milk . . . such as depression, weepiness, and feelings of helplessness and inability to cope, are so widespread that they are almost considered the norm. . . .”

In the book, Depression-Free for Life, by Gabriel Cousens and Mark Mayell, milk and dairy products top the lists of foods that cause allergic reactions and depression (30).

One of the all-time top selling workbooks on anxiety, The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, by Edmund J. Bourne, PHD, states: “An allergic reaction occurs when the body attempts to resist the intrusion of a foreign substance. For some people, certain foods affect the body like a foreign substance, not only causing classic allergic symptoms such as a runny nose, mucous, and sneezing, but a host of psychological or psychosomatic symptoms, including any of the following:

• Anxiety or panic
• Depression or mood swings
• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Confusion and disorientation
• Fatigue

In our culture the two most common foods causing allergic reactions are milk or dairy products and wheat. It is casein in milk and gluten in wheat that tend to cause problems.” (339-340)

These facts are backed up in a study discussed in an article called, Food Allergies and Depression, which you can read here.

Aside from depression, dairy contributes to great deal of other problems. In the Self Healing Cookbook by Christina Turner, she writes:

-Digestive disorders often settle down when dairy is reduced. This is because casein, the major protein in milk, forms indigestible sticky curds in the stomach, which then line the intestinal walls and interfere with the ability to absorb nutrients (Fit for Life, Harvey & Marilyn Diamond).

-Pre-Menstrual symptoms such as bloating, headaches, irritability, confusion, and cramps, often improve significantly on a dairy free diet.

-Allergies of all kinds are often benefited by non-dairy diets… chronic sinus conditions, food allergies, and environmental allergies. This may be because the by-products of milk digestion create large quantities of mucus, which lead to sluggish organ function, lethargy, and fatigue.

-Hyperactive and chronically fatigued kids are quite often allergic to dairy (as well as sugar and corn) according to William Crook, M.Dl, who has worked with thousands of allergic children. (Don’t Drink Your Milk, Frank Oski. M.D).

-Breast cancer incidence is much higher in countries which consume lots of dairy foods. The high-fat content in diary can cause hormonal changes (by encouraging over-growth of estrogen-producing bacteria in the intestines).This estrogen imbalance is linked not only to breast cancer, but also to early onset of menstruation and late menopause (McDougall’s Medicine, John McDougall, M.D). (48-49)

Chapter 3: The Beef… coming up next!

The Cheeseburger: Part One

I was left with this comment in response to my first post:

While I am aware of how an over consumption of cheeseburgers (among other fast foods) will lead to poor health I have never heard the argument of how a (read: one) cheeseburger contributes to depression. Could you explain that?

Certainly, my friend!

In this article on mood and food, Dr. Anali Mukherjee says: “Food affects mood which in turn impacts personality. You are what you eat. It is out of proteins, fats and carbohydrates that we make our hormones and brain chemicals and these regulate how we feel.”

Let’s break it down:

I will focus on the main ingredients (minus the condiments) in the basic cheeseburger at McDonalds, which I found listed on their website. Let's start with the bun.

Regular Bun: Enriched wheat flour, water, sugar and/or glucose-fructose, yeast, vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola), salt, calcium sulphate, AND MAY CONTAIN ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING IN VARYING PROPORTIONS: diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides, vegetable mono and diglycerides, calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl-2- lactylate, corn flour, calcium phosphate, soy flour, sunflower oil, wheat starch, ammonium phosphate, calcium peroxide, wheat gluten, ethanol, sorbitol, polysorbate 20, sodium propionate, enzymes, dextrin, corn starch, wheat starch, cellulose gum, ammonium sulfate, malt, calcium carbonate, sesame seeds.

First of all, the fact that it says: “and may contain any or all of the following in varying proportions” and lists about 25 additional ingredients (most of which I cannot pronounce) is just frightening. However, at the moment I am going to focus on the first and third main ingredients, flour and sugar.

In an excerpt from the book, Food and Healing, by Annemarie Colbin, PHD, she writes:

"Sugar is very closely linked to feelings of alienation, despair and depression . . . I hope the day will come when, if we suffer from any of these feelings, we'll all know to first stop eating cake, ice cream, candy, pastries, chocolate, sugared cereals, and so on. Then we will wait four days and only then, if the feelings persist unabated, accept them as psychologically generated."

She elaborates in this article here:

Early on I found that the food most clearly associated with the "blues" is sugar. My late friend Bill Dufty, whom I knew well and saw often during the late ‘60's and early ‘70s, knew what he was talking about when he called his book Sugar Blues. About 3-4 days after I quit eating sugared breakfasts (coffee with sugar, donuts), the gloomy feeling lifted completely. In other words, if you are sad, blue, mildly depressed, sighing about the miseries of your life - the first thing to do is to quit eating refined cane and other sugars. And I mean ZERO sugar. No sweetened cereals, no breads or bean salads with sugar in them, no muffins, no cookies, no jams, no desserts. This means careful label reading, as well as very conscious eating – none of this shoveling food into your mouth without noticing what it is.

After eliminating sugar, the next step for me was replacing all refined carbohydrates with whole grains: brown rice instead of white, wholegrain bread instead of white, even whole grains instead of potatoes. That made another big difference, as it gave me a sense of strength and groundedness.”

Sugar and refined flour are connected to many other psychological symptoms as well. According to the Nurse’s Handbook of Alternative and Complementary Therapies:

“Refined foods, such as white sugar and white flour, go through extensive processing, which strips them of their nutrients. Some nutrition experts believe a diet high in such refined carbohydrates contributes to nutritional deficiencies and overall poor health. Research has linked refined sugar to behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and poor scholastic achievement at school.” (346, Williams and Wilkins)

Many people suffer depression, anxiety, or other psycho-emotional symptoms as a result of having unidentified food allergies. Almost everyone has allergies to foods, but they go undetected because a) people rarely take the time to listen to how their body responds to certain foods they consume (I've never heard anybody tell me they felt light and full of energy after inhaling a cheeseburger), and b) they know certain foods make them feel sick, but they don't know what else to eat or they simply don't care. They, too, don't seem to make the connection between what they just ate and how they feel emotionally throughout the day. I have never known a grounded and spiritually peaceful person to include fast food as a main staple in their diet.

Here is an example of how allergens can affect mood, from the book The Food Allergy Cure:

“After reviewing some papers on depression and brain chemistry, I came up with some additional allergens that seemed to be related to depression. I treated her for essential fatty acids, soybeans, salmon, wheat gluten, alcohol, caffeine (she drank quite a bit of coffee), chocolate, and turkey. After these allergens had cleared, she noticed an enormous improvement in her energy level and in her behavior. We then cleared her remaining food allergies, which included spices, other grains, dairy, and fruits. At the end of three months, Karen’s depression had finally disappeared, and she was herself at last. She said she felt as though her depression had been surgically removed.” (12 Cutler).

“A wheat allergy, especially if coupled with a corn allergy, can cause severe health problems. Wheat allergies can cause symptoms ranging from fatigue to eczema, arthritis, digestive problems, colitis, food cravings, and brain-fog.” (75 Cutler)

Of course, everyone has different food sensitivities – but wheat happens to be one of the eight most common food allergens. If you suffer from symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, behavioral problems, etc. – I suggest you consider that wheat and sugar may be a factor. Everyone’s physical and emotional makeup is different and therefore everyone requires a different balance of foods in their diet (which is why I do not make the claim that I feel everyone should be vegetarian) – but I am under the impression that everyone is affected by what they eat and are potentially able to overcome many emotional symptoms by making certain changes in their diet.

Dr. Foster, at http://www.startthehealing.com/Q_manic.html says:

I had a client diagnosed with manic depression and her problem was that her blood sugar levels had been spiking up and down all the time, which caused her to have wide mood swings. She was able to control the symptoms by going on a hypoglycemic diet which eliminated all refined sugar (soda pop, candy, candy bars, cakes, cookies, pies, etc.) and refined (enriched) flour from her diet and by eating smaller meals more often with protein at each meal (such as almonds or tofu). This allowed her blood sugar (and thus, her emotions) to stabilize. If you can eliminate the sugar, refined flour and caffeine out of your diet, after a while, things just have to get calmer.

Chapter Two is coming soon!

The Video

I have a few things to say about the video I previously posted (which I have now removed).

I was left with a comment that said: "I must say that I find this video to be disgusting (as it's meant to be) but so much so, that I'm afraid that it will turn people off (not meat, but the whole idea of saving animals) solely because the video production is so overtly and obtrusively manipulative and one-sided that it will drive a desire in some to reject all that they are seeing out of spite rather than absorb it out of compassion."

I understand that the video is manipulative -- I didn't meant to offend anyone. I hesitated before posting it for that reason, but I carried through with it because I think, despite the biased commentary, the images speak for themselves. The animals are real, and what occurs in the video really happens. That it was presented in an overly manipulative manner is unfortunate, but I took the risk. I think it is important for people to see what happens, and that animals really do seem to express feeling. Sometimes we need to be hit with something extreme to really understand.

If those watching it choose to reject it all out of "spite", then so be it. I wish they could have more compassion, but I wish almost everyone had more compassion. All I hope for is that in watching this, someone might consider purchasing their meat from a company that slaughters their animals in a more humane fashion, or begins to adopt a diet that is less meat focused. I am suggesting that people begin to investigate exactly what is being put on their plates.

I also received an e-mail saying: "I don't think the problem is lack of awareness. I think many people your age (and mine) are quite aware of the atrocities that take place (you just have to google it and I bet you ten websites will come up with this exact video). I think the problem we are facing in this generation of ours is apathy. They know it's happening. But the world's problems as they stand today are too overwhelming and so we sink into apathy and carry on with the little things that we enjoy (like eating meat) despite the fact we are told it is bad."

I respond to this by asking for patience. I started writing this blog today and presented simply what was on my mind at the time. I hope that through the journey of this blog I will come to address all of these issues and more. I also invite anyone to send me writings that you would like me to consider posting here -- so, Rebecca, if you personally want to address this and not wait for me to do it, I will post it for you. I absolutely agree with you that apathy is a major problem.

This blog is also not about instantly changing the world. I simply wish to present information for people to consider and reflect upon and hopefully be inspired by.

If you wish to view the video, please understand that I want you to see it not because I am fanatical or manipulative. I don't agree with the presentation of the material, I agree it is biased, but I think it is important not to pretend it doesn't exist.

You can view the clip at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4

A Note On Vegetarianism

I have been vegetarian my entire life, so I'm sure its really easy for me to talk about how great I think it is. After all, the number one excuse I hear from my meat-eating friends about why they can never give it up is, "It tastes good!" -- which I, of course, never having tasted it, can't argue. I grew up eating small amounts of fish, but I personally stopped several years ago. My reasons for being vegetarian now are independent of my family and why I was raised so.

While I am passionate about vegetarianism, for reasons that I'm certain will appear throughout this blog as time goes by, I understand how much people love and are used to meat and I have never tried to turn anyone off it (although I've had a couple debates with friends over the years). I know most people wouldn't know where to begin becoming vegetarian -- and I would rather them eat meat and eat a balanced diet than become vegetarian and live off chips and bread because they don't know what else to have. I also know some people need to eat it meat for health reasons (blood type, etc), but overall I think that most of us living in North America eat an unhealthy over-abundance of it. Meat is consumed in gratuitous amounts, and hardly anyone pauses to make the connection as to where it came from. That sort of bothers me the most.

I have a family friend who needs to eat meat because of her blood type. She was vegetarian for years and was ordered to introduce meat back into her diet by her doctor because her iron was so low. She did as the doctor prescribed, but felt so terrible eating the meat that she would cry every time she had to cook it. Eventually she found a flower remedy (www.bachflower.com) to help her cope emotionally, and now she only buys organic kosher meat (that is killed in a more humane fashion). She will eat it when she begins to crave it, a sign to her that her body is asking for it, but never in indulgent amounts. Whenever she eats a piece of meat she gives a quiet thank you to the animal for giving up its life to be eaten by her and has taught her young daughter with the same blood type to treat what is on her plate with the same respect.

I had never heard of anyone doing that before (outside of native practices that I have learned of), but I really admired her for it -- it seemed really thoughtful and it made me think a lot about how few people take the time to connect to what is on their plates.

We live in a culture where we are able to walk into a grocery store and have thousands of items at our fingertips. Before you buy your next food product, whatever it is, try to pause and think about where it came from, what it is made out of, and whether it is something that your body is really asking for. And should you choose to buy or order a piece of meat, consider giving a moment of thought and thanks to the life that was taken in order for you to enjoy it.