Health Food
Health is a tricky subject - there's so much contradictory information out there and it's hard to know who to trust. Eco-Vegan Gal may not have all the answers (yet) but when Whitney finds solid information from trusted sources she shares it here. Consider her a wellness warrior leading the way to optimal health!
Learn more about the following health topics:
- organic
- unprocessed, whole food
- raw vegan diet
- holistic
- alkaleine vs acidic
- glycemic index
- pH
- Eastern medicine
- macrobiotic
Feel great, look radiant, & save money: the effects of eating healthy
My change in diet has been so rewarding - I feel great, I've lost weight and have been told I look radiant, and I save money by cooking for myself. Plus, I've been inspired to find more ways to be healthy. Check out what I've accomplished recently in the following video:
Several people have asked if I have cravings or ever cheat, and the answers are sort of and yes. I occasionally get cravings, but find that when I eat a whole foods meal they go away. However, occasionally I'll cheat and eat something with gluten, soy, oil, or sugar. Sometimes when I do this I feel the effects right away - headaches, change in mood, tingly - it depends how much is in it or what kind of ingredient. Overall, I'm sticking to this diet indefinitely because I feel awesome. Trust me, you can do it too if you want to and if you put your mind to it. : )
What have you been doing to keep yourself healthy recently?
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Eco-Vegan Shopping: Local, Organic, & Bulk Food
A few days ago I made a video about a great trip to the farmers market, and today I made a similar one about my visit to the Santa Monica Co-Opportunity. I felt incredibly empowered after buying spices, grains, and seeds in bulk and fresh organic produce - I barely used any packaging and I saved a ton of money. I invested in some glass jars, which were only $1.69 each, and then filled them up with the amount of organic spices I needed - in total this cost about $2. And of course, none of the items I bought contained gluten, soy, oil, or refined-sugar (with the exception of some flax crackers that had a tad of soy in them).
Here's what I bought:
- Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa Pasta
- Mary's Gone Crackers
- Grapefruit
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Sweet potato
- Lemon
- Lime
- Almonds
- Quinoa
- Nutritional Yeast
- Dates
- Mustard seed
- Chia seeds
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Flax seeds
Farmers Markets: One Stop Eco-Vegan Shop for Food Naturally Free of Gluten, Soy, Refined Sugar, and Oil
Every Friday there is a farmers market within walking distance from my apartment, but I rarely go because it closes at 11am and I'm usually still sleeping (I'm a night owl and don't go to bed until 3 or 4am)! However, since I've been eating so much produce recently I decided it's worth getting up "early" at 10am and making it a weekly trip. Today I made my first trip there in a while and bought a bunch of delicious, local food that will last me about a week - all for less than $30! The best part is, most things at the farmer's market are naturally free of gluten, soy, refined sugar, and oil (unless you buy pre-made food like bread).
I realized that I'm often writing about what I don't eat: I don't eat gluten, I don't eat soy, I don't eat refined-sugar, I don't eat oil. People probably think I'm depriving myself! Sure, I post recipes and list what I consume everyday, but I feel like it's time I highlight all the amazing food I do eat. Check out this video of all the organic produce I picked up today and stay tuned for the recipes I'll use them in later this week.
Here's a list of what I bought:
- Apples
- Grapefruit
- Avocado
- Daikon Radish
- Carrots
- Bok Choy
- Beech Mushrooms
- Tomatoes
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Onion
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Mixed Greens
- Cilantro
- Basil
Have any good recipe ideas for these ingredients? Comment below to share! : )
Veggie Burgers: Taste of a Poison Paradise?
I've been writing articles for Healthy Bitch Daily for a few months and they give me the greatest assignments. I love researching the topics, and my most recent contribution is one of my favorites. HBD asked me to write about hexane in veggie burgers, and what I found was shocking. Before you bite into another piece of soy, please read this. I list some companies that make soy-free (and some gluten-free) burgers in the article.
Other pieces I have written for them:
- Great Agave Debate
- Bake Me a Cake
- More to come in June!
Sometimes it's the simplest thing that gives the greatest pleasure
I am slowly savoring an organic grapefruit and it tastes beyond words. It reminds me of being in Florida with my parents when I was little. I haven't had a grapefruit in so long and I don't know what prompted me to buy one, but I'm loving it. This one is from Sunrise Farms in California. If you can get organic, local grapefruit right now, I highly recommend a trip to the farmer's market or natural grocer to buy one. : )
What fruit are you enjoying today?
Who needs olive oil when you can eat organic olives?
Please read my health disclaimer
I am on another health mission/journey/experiment: greatly reduce the amount of oil I consume, or eliminate it all together. This topic will be elaborated in another post - I have a lot more research to do. In summary, many people that I trust have explained that oil is actually not that good for us, even olive oil. This may seem strange, since olive oil is something most people think is very healthy - turns out that might not be so true. Like most things, moderation is key, though some people believe we shouldn't eat oil at all. My friends Lex & Kristen have a great blog called The Healthy Vegans where they discuss this more in detail - most of their diet is based on Dr. McDougall. You can also check out Exsalus Health & Wellness. Again, I will do a well-reseached post soon and let you know more.
Gluten free is the way to be for me (for now)
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You've probably seen me writing about eating gluten-free (GF) recently, but I'm excited to report that I've been GF for almost 2 weeks and I feel AMAZING! Mainly, I have more energy, my body seems lighter and less bloated, and my skin is clearing up.
I was inspired to reduce the amount of gluten I ate when my best friend Sarah started doing it on our trip to Maui. I'm always looking for ways to eat healthier, and I've felt guilty about eating a lot of bread and pasta for a while. Sarah showed me how easy it was and how many GF options were available, especially in L.A. We made delicious pancakes from The Cravings Place, ate GF pizza at 3 different restaurants (Pizza Fusion, Z Pizza, and Fresh Brothers), found options at Veggie Grill, etc. etc.
My real commitment to going gluten-free started on my tour with vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, who was promoting his new book: Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness (check it out, it's amazing). I brought up the GF idea and he was interested, so we decided to give it a try because we both wanted to feel our best during the intense trip. Within a day we were both feeling a difference and got really excited about it. We also decided to avoid soy as much as possible, which made us feel even better. I think it's a great testimonial that a bodybuilder is living a gluten-free, low-soy, vegan lifestyle! In fact, some of his friends built themselves up on a completely raw diet.
See the slideshow below of the delicious gluten-free food we had in Oregon, Washington, and California. More details and videos soon to come.
I'll keep you posted on my progress. If you're interested in what I've been eating, check out the What Whitney Ate Today section of this site.
You also may be interested in a recent post I wrote about whether the gluten-free diet is a fad, a rare allergy, or a serious issue for everyone. Please share your thoughts with me on how you feel about the matter.