I have a confession to make to those of you that seem to think I am always on my game, always peaceful and always happy.  I get angry…really angry…but only about very few things.  I get angry and frustrated when we are deceived, when we are told half-stories and most of all when greed wins over integrity.  This morning I am frustrated by the fact that we watch the BL contestants eat Subway every week, but a source very close to one of the past contestants was told that Jillian used to make them spit out their Subway after the product placement commercials.  Sure, a lean turkey breast on a whole wheat sub with veggies COULD work on a weight loss diet, but for people working so hard to shed the pounds, they are probably NOT getting there by  eating much Subway or any other fast food, unless they are Jared and who knows what he really ate to lose weight?  And what’s up with Paula Dean?  You team up with BIG PHARMA, write a book, appear on talk show and expect that America is going to buy into you, when for 3 years you kept your diabetes a secret from the viewers and kept cooking that crazy ass, fat drenched food?  Greed and deception on the part of Ms. Dean and the pharmaceutical company she has made public she has teamed up with.  The whole key to this diabetes thing is lifestyle changes BEFORE it becomes a disease (right, Shelli?).  And how dare the meat industry, who is reporting less beef sales, assume and tell us that is because beef is too expensive for people to buy.  How about the fact that in 2012 we know that red meat should only be consumed in small amounts (if at all) in order to prevent ALL the diseases that we fight so hard not to get.  Shame on you beef industry.  And shame on the dairy industry for telling us only half-stories about milk.  Sure, it has its benefits…it contains a good amount of protein and calcium, but study after study finds that we when obtain our calcium from dairy products, it is not readily absorbed, but also causes our bones to leak calcium…probably at a higher rate than what we will absorb.  It makes sense, too, as we are a society who raises our babies on cow’s milk and yet we apparently have a big problem with osteoporosis, so there is a clear disconnect!  And while cheese can be a source of calcium, same thing…and there is ONE ingredient in cheese that I truly believe, if we knew it were there, we wouldn’t eat.  Casein is this product and I don’t know about you but anything that is used in paint, glue, plastics and fiber is not one I want to ingest.  It is such a big deal item in the world of body building because it binds our muscles, just as it binds glue.  No wonder cheese makes us constipated.  And what about the increased cancer risks from dairy and meat?!?!   You have a right to know this information and make your own choices.  Google it!  We can get all the calcium we need, without the casein!  If you want to give up one animal item, make it cheese!  When we get our calcium from leafy green vegetables, while the content is not as high, it is fully absorbed and causes no leakage from the bones.  Hmmmm.  And speaking of bone density, yesterday’s news reported woman are probably getting tested too much.  Personally, I have resisted a bone density test because (and I know a lot of people will think I am neglectful but my gynocologist agrees with me) firstly, I am confident that I do everything possible to keep mine strong, having brought female strength training to the gym back in the days when men were looking at us like we had 2 heads, or too much testosterone, or something…Additionally, there is no way I would take a pill if a machine suggested my density isn’t up to “par.”  What is “par” anyway?  “Par,” for most tests that determine a “disease” that can be “fought” with medications seems to change to benefit, once again, Big Pharma.  Which brings me to one of my latest frustrations which is this enormous increase in people that are being labeled pre-diabetic.  I am doing a lot of research and truly cannot find out why the C1A test has taken over where the glucose tolerance test ended.  In my findings we have once again changed numbers and I can’t help but think this is another deception to help get more people on meds.  What I have found is that the C1A numbers for ALL mammals is the same, except they have lowered it for humans.  Another one of those things that make me go hmmmmmm. And with last week’s news reporting that woman that are on certain statins have twice the odds of getting type 2 diabetes, I would much rather just worry about getting a disease from life, than getting a disease from a medication that is supposed to prevent another disease!?

Now that I have vented, and it’s a rarity so I truly thank you for “listening,”  on this otherwise peaceful Vegan Feast Thursday, I would like to end on a positive note.  While leaning so heavily into a plant-based diet isn’t always easy, I will repeat again (and again) that combined with almost daily exercise,  it is the best route, I can see myself on, in order to keep the dreaded diseases of affluence away. I am not delusional and do know that in the end, we all will probably get sick from something.  I get that, and I can only hope that my lifestyle prolongs or maybe even prevents me from getting the big one, Alzheimers, that took over my mom’s life and probably her mom’s too.  In the meantime, I am happy and proud to say that at 54 years old, my weight is healthy and  my cholesterol and blood pressure are normal.  I take no medication but have added a daily vitamin to my breakfast routine.  I work out at least 10 hours a week and for the most part my joints and muscles feel as strong and healthy as they ever have, though we all have our days!  I have no halo over my head and do indulge in nightly red wine (trying hard to keep it to 6 ounces), an occasional martini and even cheese pizza when it calls me.  I do not feel at all deprived and my gratitude grows in leaps and bounds each day.

I am off to walk the dog and then shop for dinner.  It’s going to be a relatively healthy one, tonight.   A big salad including some lettuce AND the first of the tomatoes from the garden.  A barley, bean and split pea chowder.  Lots of roasted vegetables and Gardein chicken sub for “the kids.”   I am going to catch up with some loved ones on the phone and get some yoga in, too.  It will help clear my head and ground me while working and stretching my muscles.  As much as I teach, doing my own yoga session is nice balance.  And it’s definitely time to turn off the TV because Paula Dean is on, AGAIN!

Please feel free to respond this rant and understand that I am in NO way suggesting what is best for YOU!!!!   All perspectives are encouraged.  And if you feel a need to vent, go for it!  What pisses you off and how do you find the peace to balance it?

If the science and medicine behind a plant-based diet interests you even a little and you still haven’t read The China Study or seen Forks Over Knives, I strongly encourage one, the other or both!  There is so much in there that I could never explain in the way those doctors do. 

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