The Devastatingly Deadly Disconnect

Since this blog seems to revolve heavily around food at the moment, I decided I should probably be a bit more defining in my position as a Food Renegade. That's right....I just said it. I'm a Food Renegade. I am no longer one of the trusting mass of people who think industry and the government are out to help and would NEVER intentionally produce something that KNOWINGLY causes harm to humans or animals. For those still in that category, the Food Industry and Pharmaceutical Industry are the new Cigarette Company from the 50's. Think about it.

Please do not misunderstand. I was one of those trusting souls just a few years ago. I bought mass-produced meat with no thought to the health of the animal I was consuming or the conditions that animal lived in to give it's life for me to have life. I bought Oreos. Oh.....I do love Oreos. I can't buy them now because they would be gone in less than 24 hours even though I KNOW how bad they are for me above and beyond the standard 'knowledge' everyone thinks they have regarding food --"Oh, I really shouldn't....*gobbling it down*". The transition I've made has been a process over the course of a few years filled with research on my own. That's the key. Knowledge really is power, and as long as you don't even think about the repercussions of what you do in regards to food --let alone anything else-- you'll continue to be the giant experiment for someone's monetary benefit. Yep....I went there too. I should also mention, I'm not against Capitalism. I understand that for our country to function as it does, Capitalism must live on. I do not agree with Big Business in bed with the government, nor big companies lobbying against individual rights of each and every American Citizen. It's the perversion of these things that I don't agree with.

Back on topic though, since this is about food --even though this disconnect is, in part, the fault of the government...and those who elected said government and allowed them to grow uncontrolled-- and our ever-growing dilemma.

The title of my post is the Devastatingly Deadly Disconnect. The disconnect is something I acknowledged this past week as I spoke to my husband about the importance of the animals you eat being raised humanely. As mentioned in previous post, I'm not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do think that ethically raised animals are more than just about the animals themselves. I believe all things, including the dreaded spider *shudder* should maintain a quality of life. ALL life, in my opinion, has the right to quality, especially under the care of human beings. This is not discounting how 'cruel' Mother Nature can seem, but are we not more humane? How you treat the things you put in your body determines how your body treats you. For whatever reason, maybe because we don't actually hunt or forage for our own food anymore, a loss of respect has been brewing for generations. Most of us, go to work --not because we enjoy it mind you-- to earn a paycheck. One of the things we buy with said paycheck is our heart's content of whatever colorfully prepackaged, convenient food we want to make our lives as easy as possible. The less time we spend making our own food is the more time we.....spend in front of the TV?! I completely get NOT wanting to spend an hour or so every day as soon as you get home from work preparing a homemade meal. I get it. I'm in the same boat, but even if that was the only solution to the chemical laden, genetically modified solutions you wouldn't even CALL food if you really knew what all was in it --a McDonald's Chicken Nugget is approximately 50% chicken-- don't you OWE it to yourself and those you care for?

We all seem to readily forget the FACT that your body uses the food you put in it as fuel. All calories are not created equal, even when you compare apples to apples. Now, for those who like a 'good deal', maybe all of those 'extras' you get with store-bought, mass-produced food is your idea of the epitome of savings. You get beef, bone, marrow, and other less savory mentionables, antibiotics, corn, rBGH (growth hormone), and really, anything else the production facility wanted to pump into the feed trough. That sounds dramatic, but put it in this perspective...... What do you do personally to get the most bang for your buck without having to work hard for it? We all do cut corners, so why would a company, which only exists by making money, not do the same thing? A company run by people, you say? Those people don't know you and don't care. Don't think they are eating the same hamburger their workers pump out into tubes and sell to you. You are a 'people', so how much do you care about how your driving affects every one's life in the cars around you on the road? Really. If you can't care enough when you can actually SEE people without knowing them, how much less would you care if you didn't see those people at all?

Do you really wonder why things like early puberty (I don't know about 9 being the new average, but I was almost 14...can't imagine having a period at 9), type 2 diabetes, obesity, and a host of other issues is on the rise? It's because we are lacking RESPECT. You don't respect the animals providing their lives to supply YOU food to keep living, you don't respect your body by filling it with these animal products --this isn't just about animal products either....SOY-- and you don't respect the land providing not just life to you and the animals but to every other living thing, be it plant, arachnid, reptile, *insert example*. There is a general lack of respect, even for the person next to you or in the car behind or in front of you at the checkout --I truly hope you don't think my blog so important that you would read while driving. We have become so self-absorbed that we've forgotten what's important on so many levels beyond food, and forgetting what is truly important is what is slowly killing all of us, even those not willingly participating.

We've all forgotten the power we have with each choice we make, be it food, consumption, that pair of shoes, or whether or not to flip the person off behind you. I do not exclude myself. I'm just as guilty as anyone else. Most people truly do not realize the choices they are making for themselves AND the generations to follow. We've forgotten how important we are in the scheme of life itself. I'm not talking 'center of the universe' selfishness. I'm talking about we've forgotten how valuable our own lives are, and that makes it almost impossible to value any other life or the lives or animals, plants, spiders...

People who disagree often think someone like me wants us to revert back to where we came from. In some ways, yes. I think it would be great to turn off the TV and make a dinner together while talking instead of being on autopilot every second of every day, turning on the TV, and zoning out until bedtime. I completely understand --and personally do not want-- that society may not be able to become little homesteads again, but we can all make meaningful changes in our own lives that are impacting in the lives of people you don't know and people not even born yet. You are a good person and deserve better than a handful of Cheetos or a Lean Cuisine meal or Instant Rice or Instant Potatoes. You've just forgotten how important and meaningful you are, and how each choice you make really does affect more than just you, your life and those in your life. Society, as a whole, has moved into an almost mind-numbing expression of self-hate where ego has taken over and made each person more important than the whole of humanity. Each person is important, but ultimately none of us have the right to dishonor life or the home --read 'planet'-- we've been given. We're only hurting ourselves and those who come after us. All that being said, I should also point out that I believe the government has no right in mandating you live as I suggest, but in the same token, I don't want to be mandated either.

So this isn't some call to not sweeping your floors, never having anything of 'convenience', or going off the grid. I read a quote but do not recall the originator. It said, "In nature, there is no reward or punishment just consequences", and that is exactly it. What people are reaping now is a consequence of EVERY choice they've made and some choices they didn't make. This is a call to responsibility, and if that makes me a 'Tree Hugger', 'Hippie', or any other label you'd like to ascribe to feel superior to me, then so be it. Truth is truth, regardless of whether you believe it or not, and the evidence is growing around us, literally. Don't live on autopilot and remain disconnected because the consequences you'll receive are far worse than any extra time or money you would spend ensuring you're a conscious consumer.

When will you be 'normal' again?

Apparently I have a thing with food because that seems to be all I write about.......

A lot of people have been asking me when my 'raw vegan kick' is going to end. They tease and make fun. I'm not even raw vegan, let alone plain, old vegan. I'm an omnivore, but I see the value in eating more raw food (who thinks it's weird to eat an apple....that's raw vegan folks). I also have the ability to eat desserts that I cannot have otherwise due to the dairy content. Because raw vegan desserts are made of different combinations of fruit and nuts, I'm satiated LONG before I over eat, unlike regular desserts. I could eat a whole pan of conventional brownies for a meal. It's usually 'one and done' with raw vegan desserts because it isn't loaded with mostly refined sugar and flour but fiber and good fats. Not to mention my face has cleared up a lot since stopping dairy consumption. It turns out I may just have an intolerance myself to dairy products and never knew it until I HAD to stop consuming dairy for Wren's sake.

So, no, I'm not going to start eating 'normal' again because what did normal get me? Let's see.... Overweight. Tired. Acne. Lacking in lifeforce/energy. An overall dumpy attitude. Why would I WANT to go back to that? Yes, I'm still overweight, but I've been losing weight since I started eating raw vegan, and the times I've strayed for a week or so I've gained weight back. I'm not a proponant of eating all raw, all the time. I personally couldn't do it, or rather, would not want to do it, save for a designated time period. Hot dogs, spaghetti, and fastfood as staples are a thing of the past, and I and my family will be the better for it.

The hardest part in all of this is helping my husband transition. He's a man of convenience when it comes to food, so it's 45 seconds between him and a 'meal' of a hotdog with a slice of american cheese and BBQ sauce. I find myself buying two different kinds of food (healthy and unhealthy), and I'm ashamed as the cashier rings out hotdogs after a head of kale, pears, bananas, etc. Not to mention, because the baby and I eat mostly whole, healthy food, the bulk of the grocery budget goes to support the healthy food, leaving said unhealthy eater feeling like he is getting the shaft. Before I had my baby in February, I used to take one day a week and cook a few things so we could eat leftovers throughout the week. Admittedly, I don't do that as much as I used to. I can't believe I once thought I didn't have time before having a baby, and I'm sure I'll think the same thing if we have more than one. It's just as convenient for him to heat up leftovers as it is for him to heat up a hotdog, but then again, I run into my ever growing ethical guidelines with food. As mentioned above, spaghetti, as a staple is out. No more sauce in a jar. No more whole wheat or regular pasta noodles. No more Aldi's brand, greasy, hormone ridden meatballs for ease of convenience. I now have to find either acceptable replacements or make everything from scratch. I would love to make everything from scratch, but I work full-time and have a baby and house to somewhat maintain, as much as my husband may contest I don't really maintain it (the important things in life, mister). The precious little time I have with Wren every evening is usually focused on Wren, trying to get as much love in as I can before she goes to sleep. I cannot explain to you how much it crushes me every day to have to leave her to do something I loathe. I've had to leave her every weekday since she was 9 weeks old. Anyway, ....

So.... How to make healthy food my husband will eat. As much raw as possible, but one of the downfalls with raw vegan cuisine is that, when transitioning in any sense from a Standard American Diet (SAD)..............your expectations are rarely met. Raw vegan brownies taste similar but are not dead ringers for SAD brownies. Brownies have been the only thing I've made that have rivaled the original version. Now, there have been some things, like raw vegan cheesecake, which taste good, but it's not like eating a cheesecake. Differences in textures and tastes... Let's be honest, I'm working with different combinations of nuts and fruit to simulate things that normally require milk in some form and, if not from scratch, a bunch of chemicals. It's just that, simulate. It isn't that these things do not taste good on their own but that calling it a certain name brings certain expectations in taste and texture.

How do I make healthy food sustainably in my limited time at home? How do I make this healthy food with an 8 1/2 month old roaming around and sometimes clinging to my legs to be picked up (can't be around a stove when that happens)? How do I do all of this and work on vegan baked goods recipes for my upcoming online vegan bakery (and raw vegan unbakery.....and conventional bakery if my MIL decides to sell product as well)??? I so feel like having the opportunity and sacrifice of being a stay-at-home-mom would make some things in my life so much easier. Hydroponic garden. Time to make good food and vegan baked goodies. *Sigh*

Well, I best get crackin' on this bakery.

Sweet Potato....How I've Misunderstood You....

I should preface this all with saying I'm not raw vegan, vegan, or even a vegetarian. I love steak. There's no way around that. It is fact. I crave meat like a squirrel craves nuts. However, the more time I spend in this life, the more I find that a little bit of everything is what we need excluding fast food, prepackage garbage, and the like. You have to do what works well for your body, and what works well for your body may not be the exact same as the person standing next to you, across the street, or in your own house. I don't think there is a one-size fits all diet. I've heard of many a raw vegan who couldn't sustain themselves past 5 years without bringing back animal product in some form or constantly investing time and energy to check levels of different vitamins and nutrients. The best source for B12, you ask? Organic, grass-fed cow meat. An organic, free-range raw egg yolk is good too. I don't want anyone thinking I'm something I'm not. I see value in eating lots of 'raw' things (including animal product to some extent), but I also see the value in eating cooked items as well.

That being said.... I should be honest and say I've never been a huge fan of root vegetables or squash growing up. I didn't even like sweet potatoes covered with butter and marshmellows and who knows what else at Thanksgiving. I've started conquering my squash aversion, but I struggle to eat 'baked' sweet potato, even now. For whatever reason, the texture just throws me off. I had a friend over for dinner last night who happens to be a Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian. Not only that but she is also a willing guinea pig as I try my hand at raw vegan entrees, desserts, soups and dressings. I decided to make a salad and a baked sweet potato side being that it is becoming quite cool here in the Midwest. I should probably also point out I'm not a fan of salads, but I can go over my greens aversion in another post. Do you see why it would be hard for me to be a raw vegan?

Anyway, the sweet potato side..... It didn't require me to take the skin off of the potato. Clearly, I'm lazy. I mean, I make a lot of my own food and baby food, use cloth diapers, etc, so I'm not a complete bum. However, the fact that I didn't have to take time to take the skin off of the sweet potatoes elated me beyond belief. It's quite sad now looking back at my excitement over something so miniscule. You slice the potato into rounds (one of the easiest ways to cut up a potato, in my opinion) and mix it together with coconut oil, cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper and a dash of coconut sugar (low GI). You bake it in the oven for 30 minutes or so and it's magnificent!

Now, maybe it was the skin adding something to the texture I'd been missing before, as I've never eaten the skin of a sweet potato. Maybe it was eating the potatoes with a Kale salad which involved quite a bit of lemon juice (sour and sweet combo). I don't know.... All I know is I'm going back to the grocery store to get some more sweet potatoes tonight and make more Baked SP Chips. Even little Wren was begging off of me even though she had carrots/zucchini and peas of her own to eat. I gladly shared with my little bird-babe, as I think it's great that she wants to eat healthy things at 8 months old when most kids are eating packaged junk their parents use out of a lack of understanding and a desire for convenience.

I'm also going to make some chili and toss in some sweet potatoes. I saw a picture of vegan chili with sweet potato in the starring role. I might take a bite without meat just to see how it lends itself, but I'm DEFINITELY adding some grassfed beef to the chili.... Maybe just less meat than I normally would add before my adventures into vegan and raw vegan cuisine. My chili has slowly transitioned from a bean, meat, cheese paste when I first got married to a thinner 'sauce' with more and more veggies. I may even add a little celery. We'll see. I'm not committing to anything except my new-found love for sweet potatoes.