Something is going on in the world of nutrition that needs to be addressed.
There continues to be an increase in the amount of rules and regulations around what to eat that is creating fear, anxiety, and guilt in many individuals who simply want to feel and look their very best (something every single person deserves in this world).
One of the most detrimental stigmas weighing on our society is the idea that in order to be a spiritual or conscious person, you must not eat animal protein.
I understand why this began – hell, I even lived it myself as I was a vegetarian for 7 years.
When you begin on a spiritual path, the first teaching you receive is to love all creatures of the Earth as you would a brother or sister.
As a huge animal lover this notion spoke directly to me. At the time I wondered, “how can I eat the flesh of another animal and claim to be living a conscious path at the same time?”
And then there are the headlines like this, “Want to Save the Environment? Go Vegetarian.”
Well yes, of course I want to save the environment! That’s why I bicycle instead of drive, compost, don’t use plastic containers and bottles, and recycle. “But I guess I’m just not doing it right or trying hard enough, I will cut out animal protein too.”
And then, oh my, there are the raw foodists. The people who you speak to that will make you feel that you will keel over and die any moment if you eat anything other than raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. “Because you need the enzymes that the raw foods provide,” they tell you.
And, “didn’t the China Study prove that eating animal protein is bad?”
Nowadays, anytime I hear someone talk about the China Study, I can feel my skin crawl. The reason being that there are essays, books, and studies that go extremely in-depth scientifically in regards to how The China Study abused and misused the results in favor of proving the point that meat is indeed bad (the study based the results on the use of casein – one of milk’s proteins (something many people are sensitive to).
Many vegans and vegetarians reference this book as their #1 resource for dietary information and it has time and time again been proven to be flawed. If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend you read “Death By Food Pyramid,” and/or check out this article.
Some people thrive on a vegan, raw, or vegetarian diet, and some people don’t.
The key is to take the time to identify what truly nourishes your body and cells so you can feel radiant, energized, and fall absolutely in love with your body; not put yourself in a box so you are perceived in a certain light by society.
Being on a spiritual path simply means
that you are choosing to live a conscious life of love.
Love for one’s Self.
Love for others.
Love for your body.
Love for the earth.
Love for your desire for a banging hot body.
Love for your great night out with friends having a couple drinks.
Love for the farmer’s who hand grow your food.
Love for the animals who are part of the beautiful circle of life.
Love for the sake of being a happy, relaxed person who can once and for all throw the rules out the window and just enjoy living.
There are people who are tired, lethargic, bloated, and always hungry who continue to avoid meat because they have preached it for so long, they can’t turn back now. Stop being a martyr.
Spirituality doesn’t say you are “good” person only if you drink green juice, are a gluten-free vegetarian, wear lululemon, and meditate every morning.
Spirituality says you are a good person now, exactly as you are, no matter what your diet. And your only job is to remember the perfection with which you entered this world, and tap back into it.
And I can promise you, when you find and cultivate that love for yourself, your body will use it’s innate intelligence to tap into it’s resilience, strength, and beauty from the inside and shine it brightly on the outside.
This hereby serves as your permission slip to eat how you want to eat, live how you want to live, and practice spirituality in a way that makes you a better person tomorrow than you were today.
While it may sound like I am anti-vegan or vegetarian please know that is not the case.
What I stand for is individuals making educated choices on what to nourish their precious body with; educated decisions based off of sound nutrition and without feelings of guilt or a desire to fit the mold of what a yoga teacher or spiritual seeker SHOULD be eating or SHOULD look like.
Eat what feels good.
Eat what makes you happy.
Eat for health and do what feels right for your unique and magnificent body.
If you need help, start here with a simple 12-day cleanse.
Here are some guidelines to get you started towards feeling your best:
- First & foremost, eat food that is delicious (see #3).
- Enjoy each bite of food with love in your heart.
- Choose consciously. Choose real, whole foods while limiting sugar and carbohydrates. If it fell from a tree, grew in the ground, walked on the land, or swam in the ocean, enjoy it!
- Move. Dance, bike to work, go on walks through the park, do yoga, join friends for a jog on your lunch break – just move your body. Every day, for at least 30 minutes.
Throw out your diet books and rely on your intutition to guide and direct you.
You deserve to be free from the confusion and overwhelm of food.
You deserve to enjoy eating.
You deserve a strong, sexy, confident body that you love.
You deserve a wildly vibrant and radiant life.
You deserve happiness and peace.
Now, go eat a steak if you so please.
Seven years of vegetariasm and 1 year of veganism – trying to fit in the mold of what I should be eating and how I should be living.
3 years of eating a whole, real food diet and of course some beer, nachos, and pizza when I desire (20 lbs. lighter and no longer addicted to food – FREEDOM!).
