Beneficial Vegan

Good health to you! Tina Foster, RHN Essential Remedies

It is common now for many people to choose to avoid animal products in their diet, and enjoy plant-based foods The vegan diet has many benefits for the consumer, the animals, and the whole planet Earth!

Pollution is no joke in this day and age, and while we all wish the government would do more, the power to make an impact is in all of our hands, as is the responsibility to be cleaner and greener. Choosing plant-sourced fare helps in this way because factory farming is so at large that is creates a huge negative impact on the health of the environment- including greenhouse gases created and the depletion of the ozone layer, soil runoff and erosion, and the wiping out off forests for farming land. Much of this area is used to grow cheap crops for animal feed instead of sustainable food crops for human consumption! How wastefully nuts is that!

Animal welfare is a main concern, like environmental issues are. Mass produced and profit-driven factory farms most often do not take animal care, conditions, and treatment into priority. Cramped stalls, lack of natural environment, sunlight and space, poor hygienic conditions, treatment, and lack of life quality is prevalent. The animals diet isn’t its natural one, and antibiotics are often used to stave off infections, as sickness and disease on these farms is an issue because of the size, crowding, and poor conditions. While organic and locally raised choices are much better, animals raised for food and deprived of life and family poses much of an ethical dilemma. Farming now a days in our greatly toxic world, is far from what is used to be long long ago. Going vegan definitely benefits the planet and the animals, our fellow sentient beings.

A plant sourced natural diet is often much better for your body too. A whole foods balanced diet from Mother Nature can improve energy and vitality. Meat and dairy can be difficult to digest and are quite acid-forming. An overly acidic body creates disease and can lead to many health issues. Inflammation often results from consuming too many animal foods (processed foods as well). Want to get more alkaline? Eat more fruits and vegetables! A wide variety of colourful fruits and vegetable including leafy greens and sea weeds, will provide you with an abundance of essential vitamins, minerals, and disease fighting antioxidants that combat the free radicals created from stress and regular metabolic processes. Raw plant foods also contain more phytonutrients and water content. Keeping your system hydrated and your organs functioning optimally

and running smoothing is vital for health in many aspects.

In addition to getting lots of nutrient-rich produce, be sure to include healthy fats vital for nerves and brain health like avocado, nuts and seeds, and the heart hero extravirgin olive oil. Good protein sources to keep you strong and for rebuilding tissues are important too. Soaked and properly prepared legumes are good, sprouts are even better. Sprouted legumes, seeds, and grains are pre-digested, contain greater complete protein, are more alkaline, and are better assimilated. Soaking and sprouting eliminates anti-nutrients like phytates that make it harder to assimilate some minerals. Digestion will be also be enhanced this way. Even if you go vegan or vegetarian, it is best to avoid overly processed foods and prepare foods from whole form. Your body will thank you, and you will enjoy preparing food as a nourishing and loving experience!

So try choosing a few days a week, a few meals a week, that are vegan or meatfree. Even if you opt to try vegetarian, this is highly beneficial as you will find yourself consuming more plant foods if you go about it right. If you do, opt for free run local (best) eggs, and organic dairy (fermented products are best such as yogurt, kefir, and aged raw cheeses). Happy food journey to you! May your load be as light as your footprint.