Vegetarianism, Raw Food

I think some people are scared off by vegetarianism because when you are used to eating meat and then take it out of your diet, it feels kind of weird. You feel lighter. That sounds nice, but for some people, it's an unfamiliar feeling. I believe some people sort of feel subconsciously that without that heavy feeling, they could just float away or disappear. We are used to that "grounded" feeling that eating meat gives us. Yet it's not groundedness, it's more like sluggishness. And just because you are used to something, it doesn't mean it is good for you. We are used to all manner of sicknesses, obsessions, and addictions. Most of us are used to a muddled, heavy body as well as a muddled, heavy mind. Just because you don't feel tired and heavy after eating doesn't mean you didn't eat the right foods or you didn't eat enough!

It is our spiritual and physical nature to be and feel light. Being in a physical body is heavy enough, and eating meat adds to this unnecessarily. (Of course, there are a million other factors involved in choosing to eat or not eat meat, but I won't be going into those today!) Familiarity is comfortable for everyone, but what we eat must be looked at objectively and scientifically.

I think it is amazing the way that we talk about meat's nutritive value. We look at the lack of health of some vegetarians as proof that eating meat is part of the healthiest diet. Hunter/gatherer cultures have been found to eat hundreds and hundreds of different types of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and seeds. Us European folks did the same thing long back. The lack of vegetarian nutrition is not due to a lack of meat but a lack of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds! The typical grocery store carries a miniscule fraction of what nature offers us. Unfortunately, we don't grow up with the valuable information we need to make healthy choices, and you have to either do a lot of research and reading or be a nutritionist to figure it all out.

Being a vegetarian means learning about food and learning, finally, how to cook. (Throwing a slab of meat on the grill is easy.) These are not quick and easy things to learn. I went vegetarian on my own in college and lived with another vegetarian at the time. She ate worse than anyone I've ever known--and it showed. I was clueless but struggled through it and figured it out little by little. I wish it was easier, maybe more people would do it!

If you want to force variety on yourself overnight, go raw and vegan. The variety of ingredients in raw recipes is huge. The food is bursting with incredible flavor and depth. The food is unlike any vegetarian or meat-eating meals you have ever had. I tried this diet for a month and literally felt like I was eating like a queen. I went from eating the same 10 things (tomato, avocado, onion, potatoes, lettuce, sprouted grain bread, beans) to regularly eating figs, dates, cashews, almonds, vanilla bean, kale, collard greens, cilantro, carob powder, sprouted mung beans, sprouted barley, and on and on. None of these things did I eat previously.

You don't have to cut out all meat and dairy to add some of these to your diet to increase your nutrient intake-and probably health-by a lot. I highly recommend these raw food recipes to anyone at whatever level they want to add them to their diet. I will say: For them to taste the best, you will have to be 100% raw. Why? Because cooked food kills your taste buds!! Salt actually numbs taste buds. The first few days of all-raw food do not feel very exciting at all. After that, you will feel and taste total luxury in the raw food diet.