Why eat what you eat?

Eating is making choices. You vote for the food production, you can make change on what you see in the shelves of a supermarket and most importantly - you make the choises for your own body and health. Here are some of my choises. Writing this blog, I just feel a need to share this.

Why no meat?
I have been lacto-ovo-fish-vegetarist for seven years now. This period of time included short period when I ate white meat (chicken and turkey) and also some accidents when living in Germany, when I thought kebab was made of turkey. Hehe, I know it now!! But since over a year I have gone back to my path, which is vegetarian food + milk products (lacto), eggs (ovo) and fish (fish). Yeah, fish-lacto-ovo-vegetarist is probably not a real term, but it's way better than what I started with in year 2005 "lacto-ovo-lasagne-vegetarist" :)

My reasons not to eat meat are threefold. First, I've never really liked meat, it was only minced meat I liked growing up (and I think we all know by now what's in it). Secondly, our bodies do not need meat to be healthy. For instance, soya "meat" balls have five times the amount of protein of regular meat balls. The third, biggest, reason is that the way production animals are treated, is just horrible. It's come so far from the happy-go-lucky farms that we still see in the kids' books. The production animals do not eat what they naturally would eat and they are pumped up with antibiotics and hormones. And you think this has no traces in the meat sold nicely packed in the supermarkets?

I recommend everybody to watch Food INC -movie and after that, I feel everyone can make their own decisions. I do not judge, I just feel that everyone should make concious decisions.

Why whole food?
Ever taken a look in the INCI-list of the products you buy from the supermarket? And compared it with the ingredients list that you had imagined. Quite a difference, most of the times. Food coloring, preservatives, sweeteners, stabilizers... When ever you have the chance, the time, the energy and the money - try to cook your own meals. And choose organic.

Why raw food?
Raw food is food, that is not heated over 45 degrees, therefore preserving all important enzymes and nutrients. When food is cooked, most of its enzymes, beneficial bacteria and heat sensitive vitamines are destroyed. Also the carbohydrates, proteins and fats have changed their structure when heated. They cannot maintain the body's functions in the same way, than the original forms.

Raw food is also un- (or very little) processed. The corner stones of raw diet are berries, fruits, vegetables, root vegetables, sea weeds, seeds, nuts, peas, beans, and un-heated oils. Some also include eggs and milk into their raw diets. In raw food the leaf green plays a major role. I already have talked about it here.

There are amazing stories, how raw diet has healed diabetes or even MS-disease. Everyone can decide themselves if this can be true or not. But I do believe, that body (and mind) has amazing abilities to cure and heal itself, when given the fuel it needs. And letting go of the non-food, that is just putting stress on it.

Why not to enjoy life?
Do I eat only vegetarian whole raw food? No :) No no no. Even the thought makes me claustrophobic :D And this is also a decision I have made for myself. Everyone makes their own decisions. I love to eat out, I want to enjoy serious double chocolate cheesecake and sometimes grap a ready made lunch. I even have found myself putting some artificial sweetener in my tea in a boring meeting. And if I'd some day grave a burger from McDonalds, there is absolutely nothing holding me back. Just that I know myself, and.. I might go to a nice restaurant for a veggie burger instead :) The whole point is, that you are aware of what you are doing and how your actions affect your body, mind and wellbeing.

Be brave to challenge yourself, try new things and figure out the best path for you.