Being vegetarian doesn't mean just eating vegetables

I am tired of keeping quiet on this subject.  Many years ago, more than 30 years now, I noticed that I was exercising, eating well, drinking coffee, sodas and, as I worked out hard, could pretty much eat what ever I wanted to eat and still look ok.  Meaning my body weight and how my clothes fit stayed the same.  But, I did not feel well.  I had chronic indigestion, painful periods and felt exhausted all the time.  I was moody and reactive and believed that there must be a better way to feel and live.  I began to explore and read. I worked in a fitness club and my manager, Chafik, was insightful and had great resources. He frequently sent me to the health food store to solve common problems and it was through Chafik and the health food store owner that I learned about cleansing, fasting, enemas and the toxic effects of eating meat.

I read "Be Here, Be Now " by Ram Das at an early age and was profoundly moved by what he shared.  My life turned a corner and every decision that I made from that time forward was influenced by the philosophy and words of great wisdom encapsulated in this auto-biography.  Ram Das'  journey from unconscious druggie to awakened spiritual aspirant would prove to change my life in many ways, but first, I was introduced to the concept that I was eating meat that was full of adrenaline. I figured I had enough adrenaline to fill a football field, and had the conscious thought that maybe I would feel less angry if I ate less meat.

If anyone can relate to feeling angry out of proportion to the situation, that was me and over a period of several months this proved to help.  The less meat that I ate, the better I felt. This decision to eat less meat, led me to discover the benefits of a plant based diet and how that way of eating could effect the environment.  In the beginning my reasons were self-centred and over time, became more about the environment and the violence to the animals, fish and foul of our planet.

There are 4 main reasons to explore vegetarianism.  Our health: physical; mental; spiritual; and emotional health can be affected by the consumption of meat and meat products.  This is no longer conjecture.  The research is in and the results support leading life with less meat.  The second reason, animal cruelty, there is no good way to kill an animal.  All beings want to live.  Don't you?

The third reason would be the food supply issues.  We are decimating our rain forests for cattle production.  It takes 75lbs of corn and about 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1lb. of beef. This does not have sustainability.  Which leads to the 4th reason, which is the sustainability of our planet.

There are easy ways to get started. Try meatless Mondays or another day of the week. Have a chat with your family if you live with others and try to get everyone on board - makes it easier to make the commitment. Then for one day a week eat a plant based diet. Or commit to one meal a day being plant based. Try not to get overwhelmed - you don’t have to become a vegan or a vegetarian to make a lasting difference for you body, your community, your planet and all of the beings on it.

Wild Soulful Food - Spicy Cabbage Recipe

Introduction

33 years a vegetarian and recently turned vegan...look out.  We are coming out with our sprializers blazing and we are not holding back any punches in this tell it like it is, face the truth and get the flip over our fears and human-up to the challenge of saving this beautiful planet of ours one meal at a time.

Return to your deepest knowing, instinctual self and make conscious choices about food.  We choose what we are made of every day in every bit and sip we put in our mouths.  Let's practice waking up and getting real together. Sanga creates the strength when we are weak, pulls us up when we fall and has our back when we feel alone.

One meal, one day, one week, one month, one year, one life ....no matter what your commitment to change it WILL make a difference.

The first recipe that I want to share with you was inspired by my friend and colleague Adrienne McDonald from food2florish.  She said the words carrot hotdog and my mind went AWOL.  I searched for recipes and found a new world that would transform my experience of the traditional summer treat.  The soy based veggie hotdogs had never really thrilled me and were a poor substitute for the tasty treat of my pre-vegetarian childhood.

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Spicy Cabbage

On my mind today, taste buds and food stories.  What was the worst thing that anyone ever sat you in front of and made you eat? Think about it ... take a minute ... and really think about it.  The first time, as an adult, that someone asked me this question my mind flashed back to a harrowing day spent in front of a cabbage role.  My mother, who was not the best cook I have ever know ( a kind way of saying that she could turn any vegetable into an undistinguishable mush), insisted that I eat the cabbage roll dinner she prepared.

Many hours later, I choked that thing down and threw up.  It would be may last cabbage roll for about 3 decades. Fast forward to Korean high school students living with us and my explorations in finding foods that matter to them and fit into our vegetarian lifestyle.  The Korean students kept asking for kimchi and I experimented with cabbage.  I don't think that I ever came close to making kimchi but I did find a couple of fantastic cabbage recipes that I still use to this day,  Tonight I made a dish I like to call Spicky Cabbage .

For the simplest version of this dish ....

• 2 tbl spoons of good oil (I prefer sesame for this recipe)

• 1/4 cup of vegetable broth or water

• 1 head of cabbage

• 1 Jar of your favourite salsa/hot sauce

In a large wok place the oil, broth and salsa, chop the Cabbage and put in the pot as well.  Cover and bring liquids to a boil, reduce the heat and keep the lid on until the cabbage is soften, Stir and cook to desired texture. I like my cabbage a little firmer.

The Organic Origins of Sanskrit and Mantra

How does one, as an animal, albeit a spiritual animal benefit from vocalising a few syllables of ‘nonsense’? Many languages have words derived from ‘onomatopoeia’ which are words that closely represent the actual sound or action. The word ‘crash’ when spoken (or even thought !!) sounds like a crash, as we think of it in English. In this sense, word-sounds of language evolved from the subconscious of the primitive people who spawned them. Gabriel Axel: “Mantra is a Sanskrit word for “sound tool,” (a literal translation would be “instrument of thought”. ) and Om is one of myriad such mantras. Sanskrit and some other ancient languages such as Tibetan, prototypical Egyptian and ancient Hebrew evolved as complex systems of onomatopoeia, where the sounds evoke movements of energy.

This evocation is qualitative and subjective and is linked with interoception (inner body sensations) and emotional sense of self, both predominantly represented in the right hemisphere of the brain. Conversely, the narrative strand of sounds in which we give them meaning is done predominantly through the left hemisphere. What is fascinating about mantras is that from a physics standpoint, the sounds themselves, before they are assigned meaning, will resonate in different parts of the body and mind, creating actual interactions or events.” As we see everyday, people listen to music to relax. Possibly what they are accomplishing is distracting themselves from dwelling in past events or worrying about the future. It keeps them in the Here and Now. Some find classical music useful to meditate, as it calms the savage beast. Some may feel that some Rap music and Death Metal have lyrics and themes that are anti-social, leading us to believe perhaps that these listeners are sociopaths. But consider if these people are frustrated, not only with life, but more importantly with “monkey brain”. Wild thoughts may distract them from daily activities. This loud harsh stimulation actually keeps them focused in the way that caffeine and Adderall (clinical amphetamines) do. I believe that this is not a good example of Mantra, but a harsh maladaptation of sound stimulus as a treatment. While it is of course ad-hoc, it may actually be functional.

It is quite possible that Sanskrit is wholly onomatopoeic and that the sound of each word was chosen to resonate with the Central Nervous System (CNS) and invoke a ‘Spirit’ within, related to the perceived characteristics of the object being coded into Sanskrit . Most languages evolve from a base, savage and guttural proto-human beginning and then over time this language is evolved by it’s users. Latin was already dying, by evolving far beyond traditional Latin in the time of Jesus (CE). The Romance languages, (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and yes, even Romanian) were evolved from Vulgar Latin which were local adaptations of true Latin, not Imperial Roman Latin. Sanskrit on the other hand is a cleverly manufactured language. The Sanskrit verbal adjective sáṃskṛta- may be translated as “put together, constructed, well or completely formed; refined, adorned, highly elaborated”. It is derived from the root word saṃ-skar- “to put together, compose, arrange, prepare” The name Sanskrit means “refined”, “consecrated” and “sanctified”. It has always been regarded as the ‘high’ language and used mainly for religious and scientific discourse.

It may be hard to believe that Sanskrit is the ‘mother tongue’ of the Indo European Languages, from Indian, Iranian, Greek, Latin through Western Europe including English. Sanskrit is ‘natural’ and not evolved by the whim of it’s users, as most modern languages have. It is a shame that the mish-mash language we call English is the ‘lingua franca’ of most of the world.

Personal use of Mantra: For a Mantra to have an effect it must be experienced and “felt” within one’s consciousness. Many single word Mantras can create a stimulus response in the brain, where a certain area would be turned “on” roughly similar to Dr. Penfield triggering the sensation of burnt toast. (q.v.) this can become a focal point for introspection and mindfulness. It clears the brain activity to a single point, no mean feat! The classic Om is phonetically “Aum” and is linked phonetically and possible functionally to the word “Amen”. The similarity to Yoga Mantras and Gregorian Chanting is clear. Mantras may have different effects from person to person. The differences are a result of the condition of the body and mind of the practitioner and thus, we can expect that the efficacy of a Mantra to change, as it changes us !!

Gabriel Axel: Mantras can be done vocally, sub-vocally (whispering) or silently in the mind. It is recommended to start aloud, and then proceed with the more silent variations. Silent repetition does have an effect; when the frequency of any sound is high enough, it extends beyond the human range of hearing and eventually achieves stillness, which is beyond sound itself Moreover, group chanting or recitation of mantra can synchronize the brainwaves between the participants, achieving yet another level of collective effect, as has been shown between musicians, which can help to understand the functional basis for group chanting in many of the world’s wisdom traditions. And so we see that mantras have a subliminal effect on the body and mind. This effect changes over the course of Mantra chanting, as the Mantra changes the body and the mind. Many yoga mantras are based on Sanskrit, which itself was intentionally designed to be sonorous and cause a reflection of the thing being vocalized. Mantras may be performed ‘out loud’, quietly (whispering) or silently in the mind.