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Normalizing fasting for better health
Fasting is as natural as breathing. Imagine how healthy our relationship with food would be if we didn’t give ourselves access 24/7?
From the moment we wake up, we use energy that we are not even aware of thinking of what we’ll eat and when. This time and energy we spend thinking about eating, preparing food, and eating can be used for something else! Perhaps it is time to try fasting?
Let’s first look at the amount of nutrition one needs to stay alive and healthy. Privileged people practice fasting (while many starve…), so there must be a hidden gem when it comes to giving ourselves a break from ALL things food. Give your hands a break from preparing food and your body a break from the hard work of breaking down the food you consume.
What is fasting?
Fasting is quite simply abstaining from eating any food for a period of time that can range from a few hours to a few months (under medical supervision!) The latter end of the range may be extreme. But we naturally fast for at least 8 hours every single day when we sleep. As we sleep, the body is focused on internal housekeeping and night-only repairs, since during the day, it is breaking down food for energy.
In the West where we have 24/7 access to food, we have become addicted to overfeeding ourselves. It’s recommended that we eat 3 square meals every day–breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The word breakfast literally means to break from the fast. We have been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and yet this is the easiest time for some of us to continue fasting. Many people can skip breakfast, but to skip dinner is much harder since we naturally fast when we sleep and falling asleep on an empty tank is hard– again, acknowledge your privilege.
Snacking between meals
If we snack in between meals, we are loading our body with more food before it has the chance to digest our bigger meals ”square meals”. In doing so, we are sending the wrong information, which keeps our digestive systems working less than optimal.
It’s not a surprise that as society has become more consumerist, eating more during the day is encouraged and normalized. Snacking has become a serious business. There are many companies that make millions every year selling us snacks full of salt, sugar and saturated fats. What if we started eating our 3 meals a day and nothing else? Would we die of malnutrition? Of course not! Many people don’t know when their next meal is coming.
Why should I fast?
There are many benefits to fasting, both health and lifestyle-related.
- Gives your body a break so it can heal, repair, and discard defective cells.
- Get a mind vacation from thinking of food, grocery shopping, preparing and finally, eating.
- Food can be costly if you are “feed the beast” every few hours.
- The more you eat your feelings, the more you rely on food for emotional numbness over your plates.
- Time to explore other interests.
- It challenges you to meet your friends for something other than food. Your wallet will thank you because you can eat before meeting up.
- It can provide mental clarity and space to communicate with a higher power.
- Teaches you discipline, mind over matter.
- Lose weight.
- Appreciate the food you eat. When you don’t over-feed, you appreciate the food you eat more.
- It makes you a better person as you know what hunger pains feel like, so you’re more likely to help those who need it.
Vegans and fasting
Many people reduce veganism to JUST food. This is not accurate for many who enter this lifestyle out of compassion for animals, the environment, and health. While vegan food is great, if we eat mindlessness whenever we want, we step on our own toes. Avocados, for example, use a lot of energy to produce and yet they have become a defining point for online veganism. You can do something about this by not buying avocados because even the people whose native food it is can often not afford it because we are obsessed with it.
My fasting experience
I have done intermittent fasting for many years without knowing. The longest I have ever done so is 1 day, not including fasting during the night. It hasn’t been easy once my stomach starts rumbling and churning, but once I keep at it, it gets easier.
On Sunday night, we watched a documentary on fasting. It educated us on all types of fasting. Including intermittent fasting, water-only fasting, religious fasting, weight loss, chronic disease like cancer, hypertension, diabetes and more. The one that stood out to us was intermittent fasting because this is the one that is most common. Have you ever had to fast before doing bloodwork? This is intermittent fasting because you don’t eat after dinner, then go straight to the doctor when you wake up on an empty stomach. Water is the only permissible drink during such fast.
Giddily after our movie dinner and dessert, we jumped right in and fasted from 7 pm Sunday to 4 pm Monday. 2020 herald a 4 day work week for me, with Mondays off. We worked out for 1 hour 45 minutes including the walks to and from the park.
It was easier than we thought! We continued fasting during the week–after dinner at 7 or 8 pm until lunch between 1:30 to 2:30 pm. On Friday, I finally succumbed to the crepes that my wife had lovingly packed for me as an emergency lunch at work.
My Positive side effects of fasting
- Not thinking about food so much.
- Fewer cravings.
- Body positive – it helps that my stomach stays flat throughout the day as I work off my holiday food of yesteryear.
- Enjoying food more when I have it.
- Eating slower.
- Being satiated with one full serving instead of eating more and more, until I feel like I’m about to explode.
- Taking my 10k steps seriously and being overall more healthy
- Drinking more water and herbal teas to cleanse and feel less empty, especially teas in the morning which warms me.
With all the above benefits I have experienced, I will continue intermittent fasting for as long as it feels good for my body as I feel that normalizing fasting for better health is important.
Canada’s food guide is a victory for vegans
As Canada’s food guide tagline states: eat well, live well. Vegans have known this all along. If not for the animals and the planet, then for your health.
As a child, I remember flipping through the colourful few pages of Canada’s food guide. It was accessible at school and at different offices, probably including the doctor’s office. As I flipped the pages, I noticed the daily requirements of each food group, thinking of how I could possibly eat more fruits and vegetables.
As an adult, before becoming vegan, I still felt discouraged by the high serving sizes of fruits and vegetables. Why? Well, even my younger self intuitively knew that these foods were best for me. With vitamins, minerals, and life-saving properties, unlike the brown and white recommended protein, grains and dairy products.
In January 2019, Canada finally released an updated food guide (the last was in 1992) that is much more well-rounded. As well, it is a great teaching tool for the population to take our health in our own hands by consuming more of the foods that we intuitively know is better for our bodies.
Source: Canada’s food guide wiki
What the food guide highlights:
No serving sizes
This is fantastic for people who like me, felt discouraged by the daily recommendations… Is a bowl of grapes two servings or one? Are grapes too sweet to compare to a serving of berries? You see, the serving sizes can complicate things, and take the attention away from the main thing, which is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Have plenty of fruits and vegetables (1/2 of your plate)
Increase intake of plant-based foods
The new Canadian food guide simply illustrated that most foods consumed should be plants. There is no emphasis on animal products, which we should consume minimally if at all. This is a great achievement for vegans! It is known that animal foods can increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart attacks and cancer. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, are known to reverse chronic disease.
but a known fact.
Canada’s Food Guide states…
Eat protein foods (a 1/4 of your plate)
There are many alternative plant-based sources of protein as pictured above. These include but not limited to lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, nuts, and seeds.
The heart and stroke foundation promotes the consumption of protein as per the Canada food guide animal foods as a normal part of nutrition, without mentioning the link between the illness they seek to cure. On a positive note, the foundation encourages choosing plant-based protein more often.
”Canada’s Food Guide recommends that protein foods should make up a quarter of your plate and be consumed regularly. Eat more plant-based protein. When choosing your protein foods, opt for plant-based more often. Plant-based protein foods can provide more fibre and less saturated fat than other type of protein foods.”
A long-term study published in October 2016 finds a link between the cardiovascular cause of death, animal protein intake. And at least one risk factor such as limited exercise, smoking, alcohol intake, obesity, etc. The study followed two large populations of nurses and other health professionals from the 1980s to 2012.
”Moreover, we observed that substitution of plant protein for animal protein from a variety of food sources, particularly processed red meat, was associated with a lower risk for mortality, suggesting that the protein source is important for long-term health.”
Canada’s Food Guide recommends…
Eat whole grains (a 1/4 of your plate)
The emphasis is on “whole”. Simple carbohydrates are unhealthy because they spike blood sugar levels quickly. And the false energy spike that we get short-lived, leaving us tired and hungry. Whole grains are closer to what nature intended. They keep us fuller longer and don’t digest as quickly, so they don’t affect our blood sugar at the same rate.
Choose brown rice, red rice or wild rice over white rice when possible.
Opt for millet, amaranth, and quinoa over simple carbs
Whenever possible, eat spelt, Ezekiel or sprouted grain bread over white or “whole wheat” bread.
Better yet, choose gluten-free bread. Whatever you do, see how you feel after eating food.
Notice that wheat hasn’t been mentioned. This is because the wheat crop of today is not like the past.
‘Today’s wheat is greatly genetically modified to grow faster and provide a higher yield of wheat per acre. More food to the starving poor was a blessing, but could there be disadvantages with the modern super wheat?” Source
Many people have discovered that eating wheat/gluten causes a “foggy brain”, a sluggishness and bloating. Even worse, many people’s health is threatened due to celiac disease, while others, as mentioned above, are simply sensitive to wheat gluten.
Also, when food is overproduced, appears in most processed foods, we should probably be careful of it, ie. wheat and soy.
Canada’s Food Guide suggests…
Make water your drink of choice
The above suggestion is self-explanatory, but why must we drink enough water?
Nutritionists agree that to say that our body needs water is a gross understatement, after all, water is key in the body’s function:
- all organs of the body use water
- for digestion
- nutrient absorption
- produces and cleanse our blood
- cleanses the body of waste
- regulates body temperature and much more.
Dr. Robertai Lee explains American’s chronic dehydration at Medicine Daily, stating that “60 percent of our body is composed of water, 75 percent in our muscles, 85 percent in our brains, it’s like oil to a machine”.
Have you seen documentaries like 127 hours where a man trapped on a mountain survives for days after drinking water? His likelihood of survival increased because dehydration can kill us faster than starvation, so get a metal or glass water bottle and drink water!
Still, there is the fear of drinking too much water, but in truth, most of us don’t drink enough pure water. The water contained in processed drinks doesn’t count!
Many people aim for 8 cups of water, but most of us don’t drink nearly this much, yet as Diabetes Strong explains, for Diabetics, “Even a mild level of dehydration – something you may not even feel – could easily leave your blood sugar levels 50 to 100 mg/dL higher than if you were drinking enough water”.
Canada’s food guide simplifies nutrition for us, but it is key that we take a personal interest in what we consume, how active we are, and how many ‘bad habits’ we have because these factors affect the quality of our life today and in the future.
What do you think of the Canada food guide?
References:
- Nutrition Studies.org
- Song M, Fung T, Hu FB, et al. Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med 2016.
- The Daily Meal
- Diet Doctor.com
Give promises that matter and keep them!
It is the beginning of the new year – time to give yourself some promises and keep them! Think of yourself, but also of the world around you.
I guess hiatuses are sometimes needed. Taking a break from online life is a must for everybody. But know that we weren’t resting, just working harder and more intensively on another project. Stay tuned to find out more about it. Thank you for coming back to read our Can’t Human Properly thoughts – ideas far from average and wish to contribute as much as we can to the well-being of this Earth, which will be hopefully our home for another 50 years. Join us by giving promises to yourself and this wonderful planet we all call home!
Promises to yourself
Though January is half-way down, there is still enough time to write down your promises for the year. Since you as a person matters the most, it is wise to start from yourself. Think first of how you felt last year, about your health, relationships, goals, etc. Were you healthy and active? or should you make some changes in your eating habits? Did you have enough time for your hobbies? Did you start a project, which would benefit other people?
Get moving!
Working-out may be the answer to your low health state. Do not think of joining a gym, as this way, you just contribute to the never-ending consumerism and capitalism. Instead, save your money, log online and find a beginner’s exercise package through an app instance. Set two days and get into work-out gear. Though the beginning is tough, the good feeling will kick in soon and you start loving working out.
If working-out is really not your thing, then make a goal of 10 000 steps daily. It makes you feel better, even without sweating at the gym. If walking aimlessly is not your thing, then download an e-book and listen to it, while walking to meet your partner or going to do grocery shopping.
Eat food that matters
How about food? Do you like what you eat? Do you know where your food comes from or how it is made? If there are plenty of no’s as answers, then it is the time to stop and think. Perhaps you realize that ready-made, overly salty and sugary meals are not good for your health. Also, foods that take a long way to travel to your table do not contribute to the well-being of your local farmers. Check online for your local farmer’s markets or if there is nothing around, start learning more about what you can do to change this situation.
January is known also as a Veganuary. It is your chance to try not to eat meat and dairy. Why should you want to do that? Animal farming is known as one of the most devastating industries for Mother Earth. It is extremely strenuous for the environment, needs many resources and hence has a very big ecological footstep. Animal products are not needed and we can survive without consuming their bodily fluids, skin, and meat. There are plenty of plant-based options for every taste and craving out there. And if Meat Loaf can do it, so can you!
We will take the Liberation Pledge and be more dedicated and environmentally friendly vegans.
Do more for yourself
There are plenty of things you should have time for, as they help and make you feel good:
- reading
- sleeping in
- breakfast in bed
- going to the movies
- walk a nature path
- inviting friends over for a potluck
- decluttering – fewer things, fewer worries
- listening to music, I mean, really listen to music
- cleaning out your fridge and discover food you can eat!
- start a project you feel strongly about, which would help some special group of people or tackle an important issue
- etc., etc., etc. Insert what makes you happy here and share it in the comments!
Perhaps you have a personal project or goal you neglected last year, this is your chance to tackle it with fresh energy. Personally, I will try to update my photography website and make it modern. It is a big cross I have dragged along with me for the longest time. I also want to hone my skills in architecture photography, which I have always found very interesting. In addition, I want to scribble down more of my thoughts, who knows perhaps one day they will be put together for a book! Dreams, dreams, dreams.
Promises to your close ones
This one is easy: JUST SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEM!
Promises to Planet Earth
We here, at CHP appreciate nature a lot. We do not like consumerism and plastic and we love animals and saving food. So it is not difficult to guess what we are going to offer you, as something you can do in 2020 to make life better. Not just for yourself, but also for people around you and the environment.
We are going to follow this little list below. And we are offering you to try at least some of the things yourself, whether it’s for a few weeks, a month or even for a year. As long as you feel comfortable:
- fasting
- no buying
- saving food
- trying not to eat out
- not buying items in plastic
- not eating sugar and gluten
Conclusion
I guess there are always things we want to improve, start or continue what we like. But dedication is what we lack. Make sure you do not overcrowd your goal list and concentrate on up to 10 items.
You should come back to your goal list every month and see how you are doing. This is how you are not going to neglect them and actually work towards completing them!
Make sure to share your list, if it is not personal, also with your close ones, to inspire them to take steps to make their lives better too. And also to preserve the world around us.
Why plastic is nasty and why to stop using it
We are daily surrounded with so much plastic, that we even do not notice how much of it is out there. It is practical, it is poisonous and it is forever.
Look on your table, in the kitchen drawer, and in your bag? How many plastic items you can count? I bet quite a few. These are the things we need in our lives. We buy more of these things every week. Then we trash these. We toxicate ourselves every day with plastic. Plastic is forever. Plastic is nasty!
Why plastic is nasty?
You may wonder why all this fuzz about plastic, while this is a strong, lightweight and waterproof all at once. Making it really a wonderful product. No? But maybe you do not wonder so much about the fact that most plastics are oil-derived and non-biodegradable. Which means plastics last for centuries and more.
We are using this wonderful product just for our convenience and greed. But all plastic, especially food and product wrapping are discarded very hastily. And all that ends up as litter, polluting all water bodies and damaging the life of all life on earth.
Most plastics are non-biodegradable. This is the main problem with plastic. It never disappears. At least nobody’s eyes can see that in their own lifetime. It can’t be burned, as it releases dioxins, a group of highly toxic chemicals to the atmosphere, therefore contributing to global warming. Plastic is nasty!
People love plastic
The other problem is us – the users. We value comfort, cheap price, and the lightness of plastic. Actually so much that we hoard the stuff home mostly in plastic. As we are at home start cooking or eating, we discard the plastic wrappers just like that – easy come, easy go! As plastic makes sense only during the transporting. For example in the UK, people generate 3 million tonnes of plastic annually.
Think of the first three items that come to your mind when you think of plastic litter? Perhaps you were thinking of food packaging, disposable cups, and sweet wrappers. The wrapper lives only a few seconds in our hands and then flies to the bin. And then it becomes a litter if you discard it in public and do not care where you are throwing your rubbish.
Sore sight for an eye, right?
Plastic is nasty everywhere
If you can’t really think of how bad the situation really looks, then please take a look at this wonderful gallery by Atlantic. It doesn’t matter that it may happen far away from you. As it all affects the air, the oceans and wildlife and humans everywhere on this planet. If this again is too broad then think of:
- Fish and sea birds ingest plastic which can kill them or stuck in plastic,
- Drainage systems get blocked with plastic causing flooding,
- Layers of plastic trash choke grasslands and lakes
Since the ocean is downstream, much of the plastic trash generated on land ends up there. It has been estimated that 6.4 million tons of debris ends up in the world’s oceans every year. And that some 60 to 80 percent of that debris, or 3.8 to 5 million tons, is improperly discarded plastic.
The nasty plastic degrades rather than biodegrades, which means it simply breaks up and becomes smaller pieces. These are microplastics. Synthetic clothing releases thousands of plastic fibers every wash. Some cosmetics include small beads, which all end up in the water somewhere.
The sea salt you are using, definitely consists of some microplastics. We can’t see it but we eat some of it in our healthy meals every day. The same is happening to animals, who seeing little pieces of plastic think it is food. Since it has no nutritional value it makes the animals underdeveloped and underweight. The chemicals in plastic poison them secretly and many get tangled in plastic twine and ghost fishing nets and starve to death.
Plastic is poisonous
There are many different categories of plastic. Exactly 7, which determines how the plastic is made and how it can be used. Even the most common plastic with a marking 1, though recyclable, proven to be cancerous and advised not to reuse after the first time. But most of the food comes in plastic containers with such marking! Manufacturers are not obliged to reveal what they use in their plastic mixes. Though the polymers used in base plastics are mostly considered to be harmless, the potential toxicity of the additives is often unknown.
Take a look at what plastic does
Visit Chris Jordan’s project Midway: Message from the Gyre and take a look at what birds have eaten and how their bodies look filled with all plastic found in them.
Or visit Plasticrubbish.com about the sad stories what is happening to animals all around us, of whom we hardly ever think or pay attention.
In conclusion
I hope this a bit hectic post gave you an overview that plastic is nasty. And perhaps next time when shopping for groceries or anything else you happen to need in your life, then you are making a better choice than buying disposable and short-life items that quickly end up as everlasting rubbish.
Perhaps now it is the right time to read also this article about minimalism on our website and get your decluttering on ASAP.
Reference from: Why we hate plastic.
Sugar and gluten fast: 10 days is not enough
If you do not eat sugar and gluten for 10 days, does it make you feel any different? Is it difficult or easy-peasy? Read more to decide yourself.
We are vegans and have been not eating gluten on a regular basis for years. This year we kind of lost the track. Due to excessive amounts of free bread and pastry, we have been blessed to receive. We tried once sugar-free fast for two weeks. I remember it was a struggle. So we decided to see how easy it is fast again, giving sugar and gluten a break for ten days.
Who wouldn’t love sugar and gluten?
We skipped eating gluten because of health conditions a few years ago. It was not so difficult, though the bread was following us everywhere. Not only that but other food items, which had wheat in as a supporting ingredient. I remember we got our rice cake game on. Sweet and savory. In the morning and in the evening. We were okay reading the labels and avoiding anything with gluten. We felt good. But then we started getting lots of free bread, which would have gone to waste otherwise. So we found ourselves back at the gluten train.
We tried sugar fast a few years ago, also in the fall time. I remember that the first few days were quite tough for me. Eve took it better and she was looking for options, how to clench our sugar thirst. She got us stevia, as a natural sweetener for gluten-free baking and for sweet tea. I remember lots of struggling and thirst for sugar. We usually have something sweet after having a good savory meal. In a way, it is so dumb, as the meal was enough, why need more. But habits are meant to break, right?
Knowing all that, I was eager to see if we can pull this ten (just 10 days!) day fast through. We declared October a health and well-being month, so we were taking it seriously. This is a known fact that sugar and gluten make you addicted. Anyway on these days, if you really need to eat something regular, like a loaf of bread or pasta, then it is easy to get gluten-free options. Sugar-free items are a bit difficult to find, but fruits are easy to get!
We were on!
Breakfast headaches and evening pains
I love breakfast. Love making them, love eating them. While we were using bread, it was so easy to make something easy, really fast. Cut that bun open, spread coconut oil and add some cheeze (vegan) on it. Fry and enjoy it! Or make the bread any other way. Now we had to plan a bit ahead, what to eat. But then again it was more like fun and a challenge, than a struggle.
I love warm porridge, especially oatmeal, but amaranth, millet, and buckwheat get good scores as well. So I knew that we are covered. Sure, it takes more time, but definitely we would be eating healthier. If something sweet was needed, I had always some fruits or berries at hand to sweeten up our meals free of sugar and gluten.
Some examples of our sugar and gluten-free breakfasts:
- Overnight oats with dried fruits, seeds, nuts. Fresh cuts of plum and pear on top
- Smoothie
- Oatmeal with coconut oil, nuts, and seeds
- Pan toasted oats with sugarfree jam, plant milk, nuts, and seeds mix
- Potato pancakes with salad on aside
- Oat flour pancakes
The other thing was the evening snacks. This was more like a challenge, especially in the first days. We were so used to have something sweet, like squares of dark chocolate with a cup of tea. I guess we had every evening something like that. I was really looking forward to times of just enjoying the fresh cup of tea. Now the time had arrived.
Some examples of snacks we had:
- Natural kettle-cooked chips (first night!)
- Plums
- Dried fruits, nuts, and fresh apple slices
- Pear slices with peanut butter
- Sugar and gluten-free brownie
- Rice cake with peanut butter, topped with fresh plums
I mean it is not perfect but as a first test fast of sugar and gluten, it did a good job.
Some tips on how to avoid sugar and gluten
Knowing that sugar and gluten are not good for you is a good start. Usually, if you skip those, you will skip many processed and unhealthy components from your meals. This is a win-win situation. It makes you focus more on quality food items. Also making the right choices will make you more creative while preparing your meals.
What we kept in mind while on sugar and gluten fast:
- We avoided artificial sugars (including sodas and juices).
- We avoided anything with wheat in it.
- Naturally, our meals became less fatty.
- We cooked more creatively with plants, beans, and gluten-free grains.
- We started to appreciate fruits and vegetables more.
If you are considering having any kind of fast, set yourself goals. It makes the whole process easier to follow. Start with something in which you feel comfortable and keep your promise. We chose 10 days, as after that my mom came to visit us, and we wanted to enjoy the best vegan meals with her. Often times they may have some gluten or sugar in them, unfortunately (for example udon noodles, cinnamon buns and vegan ice-cream).
We started another 10 days fast yesterday. It will be broken, because of our trip to Italy. If you do not eat gluten there, then I mean, what you are going to eat anyway :)) After that we will continue. I feel like this is the way to go now.
Is fasting good?
Intermittent fasting is actually good for you. It means that fasts which are occurring at irregular intervals are not continuous or steady is what your health needs. While not eating sugar and gluten you are not damaging your health in any way. Think of it as a little rest. Some people have to avoid sugar and gluten for serious health issues every day in their lives. If you are healthy and like to eat healthily, then having these fasts can only be greeted.
It has scientifically proved that fasting when combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, can be effective. Especially if there is a wish to lose weight. We didn’t fast because of that reason. Mostly we wanted to get back to our usual way of eating, meaning no gluten. Sugar…well, there is so much of it everywhere, so it doesn’t hurt to cut back every once in a while.
Harvard Health Publishing recommends for successful fasting:
- Avoid sugars and refined grains. Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (a sensible, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet).
- Let your body burn fat between meals. Don’t snack. Be active throughout your day. Build muscle tone.
- Consider a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but definitely not in the evening before bed).
- Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, all the time.
Conclusion
We can’t really say that consuming no sugar and gluten for ten days made us feel any different. Probably we need at least 2-3 weeks to really feel the difference. One thing we noticed though. The more time we were in with our fast, the less we dreamed of having something we were not supposed to have. So in a way, our minds learned to cope without gluten and sugar. We were getting used to not having that. It was difficult in the first few days, but in the end, it got easy-peasy.
Used source: Harvard Health Publishing
Windows open for health – fall is here!
Though it is colder outside, do not think that the windows have to be closed. Now it is the right time to keep them open for your better health!
Summer is over and therefore autumn blues may creep in for many of you. We may get the feeling of cold in our bones. Also, low activity and extra weight or bad health may welcome us. Though it doesn’t sound all so beautiful, the beginning of the fall is a great time to make a change. Yes, another change. We sure love changes. Now is a good time to stop for a moment and think about what can we do for our health.
Chinese Medicine
I am a big fan of Chinese Medicine. I have had acupuncture annually since I was 14. It has helped me a lot. Just in case if you do not know what acupuncture is, let me explain. It is a medicine in which the needles are inserted in the skin at specific points. These are considered lines of energy, in other words meridians. They are used to heal various physical and mental conditions.
You have to keep in mind that acupuncture is a good way to keep your health in a good balance. But it doesn’t always help. For example, if you have inflammation in your tooth’s root channel, then the needles are not going to heal it. You actually have to go and see a dentist and get the nidus removed. I am not saying that it never helps. I am sure there are people who have received miracles to their health thanks to needles.
Why did I mention Chinese Medicine? Other than that it seems like a good health practice to follow. It may also be your way of discovering something new. Something you may consider a better option for your health. I think it is useful to know what fall in Chinese Medicine represents and what can we learn from it.
Fall and health in Chinese Medicine
In Chinese, Medicine fall represents the transition season from the height of (yang or) active energy of summer into the passive (yin) energy of winter. It is associated with the Metal element and the Lung organ network. Just as the lungs and the breath help to establish a rhythm within our bodies. Fall is the natural season to rediscover a healthy rhythm in your life. If you think about fall, doesn’t it remind you of a sore throat and running nose? Looks like we have been neglecting our lung organ network altogether. Why else we experience the low immune system during fall time.
The Metal element of fall symbolizes clarity and diamond-like strength. Harness the natural energy of fall to both clarify what you value most and to find the strength to set boundaries. And say no to what no longer supports a fulfilling life. If you fell away from your commitment to your health routines during summer. Fall is a great time to recommit to eating healthy, exercising regularly, and addressing your health concerns. What could be the best to give a great start for a new season than doing all this!
Perhaps some tips from a Chinese Medicine perspective can help you to stay in good health this fall. Some of those are by Tara Gregory, LAc from Dr. Samantha’s clinic in Portland, Evergreen Natural Health Center. I was inspired by her post to talk about health during fall time.
Tips to stay at good health at fall
- Prioritize what is most valuable to you. In the fall we become acutely aware that there are never enough hours in the day. Are there tasks that are occupying your time that are preventing you from eating well, exercising regularly and spending quality time with loved ones?
- Eat with the season to stop colds in their tracks. Fall is the time to transition towards eating warming and cooked food. The warm yang nature of summer helps the body digest raw food and salads. But, as the weather turns cooler, eating raw and cold food puts a strain on the digestive system. This takes energy away from the body’s ability to defend itself from illness. Build up your reserve of energy to keep your health this winter, by incorporating baked root vegetables and winter squashes into your diet.
- Pungent flavors open up the pores, causing diaphoresis to help you sweat out a cold. Try adding garlic, ginger, fresh green onions and chives to a bowl of hot soup.
- Keep Warm and Wear A Scarf. In Chinese Medicine, the wind is seen as the root of many diseases. Especially with colds characterized by sneezing, runny noses and chills. There is an acupuncture point located at the base of the skull about an inch in either direction from the spine. This point is named Wind Pool. Keeping this point protected and covered by a scarf will help ward off a cold.
- Boost Your Immune System with Acupuncture. It’s a great time to get back into your acupuncture routine. Especially if you suffer from colds, pneumonia, asthma, depression, fatigue, arthritis, or any condition that worsen in the winter month. Keep healthy with Acupuncture as preventative medicine. Acupuncture can directly boost your immune system. And tone your lungs to make you less susceptible to illnesses in the coming months.
Take time for yourself and watch what you eat
Find inspiration from the following tips as well. Hopefully, that keeps you away from falling on a cozy sofa. Also not eating so much of calorie-rich foods and spending most of your time indoors.
- Try a new hobby or go and scout your neighborhood for possible work out places. That is if you already didn’t work out throughout the summer 😉 Keep the visits to the lot regular to stay active. Or just walk a lot or cycle and aim for 10 000 steps daily.
- Consider continuing that healthy summer diet: lots of fruits and vegetables. Perhaps maybe it is time to become vegan.
- Vitamin D supplements to keep your mind and body active, plus it helps to build up your immune system.
- Start checking sugars in your snacks and drinks. They are hidden everywhere and say no to really rich and unhealthy foods. Show some character!
Fall is a great time to prioritize what is important to us. Keep an eye on our eating, exercise regularly and spend time with your loved ones. Also, it is a season to enjoy warm, healthy, plant-based meals prepared of local produce. Use garlic, ginger, and onion to flavour to keep the cold away. Don’t forget your scarf, as wind is a real menace to your body. And if you really need a boost, get some good quality vitamin D for the darker times ahead.
And yes, keep the windows open, especially in the morning after waking up. So that the fresh air can exchange the night stuffy air and bring in freshness to your home.
What are your tips to stay healthy this coming fall season?
Being vegetarian before vegan is unnecessary
Being vegetarian? How come I wasn’t aware of the word vegan?
As a teenager, I worked at a grocery store near my house and I was a cashier. I remember being at the first belt near the door, the worst position when it was winter. There, at the shortest belt, I would cash out customers with 1 to 8 items. Guess how many of those 1 to 8 items were meat? Probably just half the time and yet carved in my brain is the nightmare of scanning meat products, especially raw flesh which would often be cold and leak through the thin plastic wrapping unto my clean belt.
My face is expressive so I couldn’t hide my disgust. I would disapear from view for a second (wishing to disappear from there) as I grabed the spray bottle and tissue in the lower cupboard under the cash register all the while screaming internally, and wipe the belt clean before serving the next customer. I was a fast scanner, so the disruption of my work was probably evident but forgiving. It was in those moments that I one, wanted another job, and two wanted to never see or touch meat again. It was awful…
Vegetarianism – here I come!
In the summer of 2006, I graduated from Highschool. Before starting University in the fall, I went camping as a counsellor. Our meals are prepared for us to meet our specified dietary needs. It was there that I decided I was a vegetarian. I was away from home, a high school graduate and nearly a first-year uni student, so WHY NOT?!
When I returned home, I didn’t have the same ease to choose vegetarian because there was no such thing in an African household. I began to cool for myself. Of course, my parents were shaken and worried that I didn’t eat meat which was a cultural necessity with most meals. My mom tried to tell me to eat it and failed so she enlisted my calm Dad to do the job. He told me it would be my last day being vegetarian and I was calm and silent. I was vegetarian for 10 years.
Learning about my health
Years earlier, the doctor confirmed that I was lactose intolerance so I stopped drinking milk, although sometimes I would chance it with ice cream… I know, I know… I went through a period of buying lactase enzymes to help me digest milk products. They were expensive and I hated standing in the aisle reading all the labels, trying to get the most out of my money and so I stopped buying them and accepted my digestive intolerance.
I enjoy researching different topics so vegetarianism was exciting. I looked up what the body needs and substitutes for my favourite foods. Still, I ate pasta, rice, and noodles, starches that turn to sugar once digested. I enjoyed beans as it was a part of my cultural cuisine and I ate vegetables too. My mom would buy many vegetables and put me in charge of eating them so they wouldn’t go to waste (sometimes I failed).
Beans make me
Hello, world – I am vegan!
I became vegan in 2016 and although in the past I was envious of those who could carelessly eat creamy cakes and sweets, I had no temptation being day-dreaming for a split second about a carefree reality. I wanted my own vegan version and I have become somewhat of a seasoned baker since being vegan.
Why did it take me so long to make the leap to veganism?
Like my wife, I also thought being vegan would be much harder and limit my options even more. I say often that I was about 98% vegan
I never imagined I’d be married to another vegetarian, let alone vegan. We were both vegetarians when we met so we never had an issue of where to eat, I would pack us a plant-based meal and we’d be out and about!
Being vegan has blessed me in many ways. First, I am open to more vegetables and foods. I never run out of inspiration to create new meals because of the lovely vegan/plant-based community. Secondly, I am more creative with food. I eat colourfully and it’s tamed my sweet tooth. Lastly, it made me question other areas of my life that I wasn’t being so conscious about such as food waste and plastic craze. Even the products that I used reflect my lifestyle. I actually started wearing my natural hair before being vegan. The natural beauty from within shines out!
Current goals?
I am working on getting my water intake up again! And regularly exercise as my dopamine instead of social media and sweets!
Read more on veganism and plant-based living:
What is Being Vegan All About?
Let’s chat: What’s your vegn story? How did you make the leap?