"Meet" Vegetarianism

This month I celebrate 17 years as a vegetarian. My mother laughs at me now, because when I was a child, she remembers cooking delicious meals and casseroles only to watch me pick out all of the spinach, broccoli, celery, and anything else green.  I would have a pile of ‘green stuff’ on the side of my plate that I would refuse to eat for the first twenty years of my life. Now, my whole refrigerator is filled with everything green. What made me give up my Standard American Diet (SAD) of predominantly red meat and potatoes? Several things – and am I glad that they did!

It was partly my mother’s influence, but it wasn’t her cooking that prompted my change. My mother and both of her parents developed colon cancer during a short period of time. In fact, my grandmother lived the last decade or so of her life with no colon at all. Talk about a reason to change my ways – I didn’t ever want to have to endure what she went through. A colostomy bag is not for me. My mother and grandfather were luckier as they only lost very small portions of their colons. When my mom beat colon cancer only to have cancer return in the form of lymphoma a couple of years later – and then beat that too, I knew I had some strong “fighting genes” in my gene pool, but I also realized I have some genetic predispositions to contend with as well. Thankfully, I discovered that although our genes load the metaphorical gun, it’s our lifestyle that pulls the trigger.

I was also influenced by a good friend of mine who was raised by vegan parents. He had never consumed meat or dairy his entire life. He was also a phenomenal athlete who was a star on his collegiate cross-country track team. He made running marathons look easy and he never seemed to lack energy, stamina or strength. I was so intrigued by his physical ability and absence of past medical problems that I quickly accepted his challenge to “go raw” for 21 days and only eat fruits and veggies. I was already in pretty good shape and had yet to suffer any health problems, but nonetheless my transformation was remarkable.  The increased energy alone was enough to make me never crave animal products again.

It’s undeniable that humans were designed to be vegetarians. The physiological proof starts with the alkaline saliva in our mouths. Also in regards to our mouths, the shape of our teeth (flat molars for grinding) and the movement of our jaw (up and down and side to side also for grinding) indicate that of a vegetarian. Compare our mouths to that of a carnivorous dog and you will find acidic saliva, sharp incisors and pointed molars designed for ripping and tearing flesh as well as a jaw that only moves up and down (no need to grind the meat side to side). The next clue is the dexterity of our magnificent hands - complete with opposable thumbs for grasping and picking fruits and veggies – as opposed to a carnivore like a bear that has massive claws for holding live prey and tearing its flesh from the bones. Human digestive tracts are very long and curvaceous so they can extract all of the nutrients from the living fruits and veggies -while true carnivores (such as lions) have very short and relatively straight digestive tracts to expel the rotting flesh and it’s toxic digestion by-products from their bowels as quickly and easily as possible.

If that physiological evidence isn’t enough to convince you that vegetarianism should be the way of humanity, then try this test. Put a pile of berries and a rabbit in a playpen with a four year old child and observe what happens. Then try the same experiment with a four year old lion cub in a cage. My guess is that the child will eat the berries and pet the rabbit. And in the lion cub’s cage there will be a bloody mess and a pile of untouched berries. Instincts don’t lie. And by the way, anyone who thinks that humans are at the top of the food chain is dead wrong. I invite them to spend the night in the wilderness full of lions, bears, mosquitoes and snakes – or take a swim in shark infested waters. In reality, decomposers such as bacteria and fungi are the ones on top of the food chain.

If most people in modern society had to raise, kill, clean, prep and cook their own meat, there would be a whole lot more vegetarians. Thank God for our modern food production industry – right? Wrong! If slaughterhouses and meat packing plants had windows or an open-door policy, my guess is that everyone would be a vegetarian!

Animal cruelty is a travesty and is prevalent in almost every aspect of the carnivorous side of the food industry, but I’ve found that most people simply don’t care – they don’t want to think about it – they just want their meat neatly packaged or prepared and cooked for them. They don’t even want to know what went into the process. If they only knew or thought about what went into the “meat process” and how it goes straight into their bodies, then they would realize that “we are what we eat” – right?

Maybe the chronic diseases suffered by many people in today’s modern society are simply nature’s revenge for the cruelty that mankind’s carnivorous population is exacting on the rest of the animal kingdom. For scientific proof that animal consumption is linked to chronic disease, I would be happy to direct you to Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s book "The China Study".

Recently I was having dinner with a colleague who seemed quite perplexed when they discovered I was a vegetarian. Their immediate reaction was “Oh, you don’t eat meat? What do you eat?” My simple response was “Plants and living foods”. Simple and to the point – when you eat a plant based diet of fruits and veggies, you are eating living foods and thus ingesting life into your body. When you eat meat, it is dead and so you are ingesting death into your body. Plus, the higher up the food chain we eat, the farther we move away from the natural source energy of the sun, the mineral nutrients of the soil and water, and the purity and oxygen from the air.

Look, I’m here to tell you that if I can make the “cold-turkey” conversion from the typical male American meat-and-potatoes diet to vegetarianism, anyone can do it. Having made the transition and having lived on ‘both sides of the food chain’ – I can honestly say without a doubt or reservation that vegetarianism is an exponentially far superior lifestyle to that of an American carnivore. Forget all the macho B.S. - you don’t need meat or dairy to get protein – I work out harder and longer than most of my meat eating friends and never lack energy, stamina or strength. In addition, I’ve never had a tooth cavity or a broken bone – and that means a lot considering my active lifestyle!

Think about it – better yet, try a vegetarian, raw food diet and experience the awesome benefits for yourself. You’ll be happy you did.

For more on my vegetarian lifestyle read my book: "Health and Happiness: an owner's manual for the mind and body"

Written by Sean Donovan - Founder of Grassroots Reform Organization (GRO), author, speaker, life coach, health advocate

I Once Cried the Blues

You may have heard the saying “I once cried the blues because I had no shoes – then on the street, I met a man with no feet.” This simple saying has great implications as to the appreciation we should all have for the simple treasures that we DO have in our lives. For me, this saying brings with it a memory and a true story of greater meaning.

It was a hectic weekday and I was in the midst of a typical workday in my former career as a Realtor/Contractor. It was already 2pm and I had not had time to enjoy a moment of rest – let alone a lunch break. I recall thinking “where’d the day go?” as I contemplated how I was possibly going to finish all of the tasks on my ‘to-do’ list for the day. I also came to the realization that I wouldn’t have time to sneak in an afternoon run and would have to wait until the evening to do a quick gym workout. I had a dozen or so people in my employ working on multiple projects and contracts. Their productivity fueled the success of the company which required my constant attention and focus. My phone was blowing up as usual with one situation after another that demanded my attention and energy. I was texting a client to let them know I would be late to a meeting due to a previous meeting that ran over because that client was late. My day was reeling out of control.

Then suddenly I had the realization that I had no idea how I had just driven the last couple of miles or so. I pulled up to a three-way intersection - and as I heeded the stop sign in front of me, I wondered if I had done the same through the last few (dozen) intersections. Wow – I realized that I was absolutely in no state of mind to be driving. I might as well have been drunk. My mind was way too convoluted to focus on any one particular thing – especially something as important as driving. I put the phone down and returned my focus to the steering wheel and the intersection in front of me. My only option was to make a left on Cary Street - the one-way street at which the road I was on dead-ended into. Before I checked to see if there were any cars coming to my right, I experienced a life-changing sight on the other side of the street.

There is a homeless man who lives in Richmond, VA. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see a homeless person on a city street in Richmond; however, this individual is different. He is an African-American male probably in his fifties with long dreadlocked hair. He has no legs from the knees down and lives in a wheelchair along with all of his possessions. I’d seen him many times before, but today’s encounter was different. In the instant in which I looked across the street, he looked up from folding some clothes in his lap and made eye contact with me – and then smiled – from ear to ear.

The previous waking hours of that day had flown by in a chaotic whirlwind, but that few seconds of eye contact and smile from the legless homeless man lasted from that moment years ago until now – and will continue to stay fresh in my mind for many more years to come. In an instant, that man changed my mindset and my course of action that day – and for thousands of days to come.

I put on my blinker, checked for oncoming traffic, made my left turn and glanced over my right shoulder one more time to give a smile back to him. I then made another left, circled the block and headed home instead of to my next meeting and jobsite. When I got home, I sent one group text to my other appointments and cancelled the rest of my meetings that day. I then sent a text to my project managers and foremen and told them I would be unavailable the rest of the day and to conduct business accordingly. I then turned off my phone. I changed into my favorite pair of shorts and t-shirt and then strapped on my running shoes.

I ran for miles down Monument Avenue that beautiful early fall day. I easily exceeded my usual 3.5 mile route without even breaking a sweat, so I kept going. When I finally got back home, I estimated I had run 8 to 10 miles at an extraordinary pace, but was hardly out of breath. I then treated myself to an afternoon dip in my back yard hot tub. As I soaked in the hot, bubbly water, I reached down and massaged my legs. I wiggled my toes and flexed my feet. A great sense of appreciation filled my entire body as I thanked the Universe for my legs and my ability to run, walk, wear shoes and all of the simple treasures that come with a healthy, normal body.

You see, my rationale is that the homeless man saved my legs – and possibly my life. Had I not seen him for that moment and had he not caught my attention with his smile, I may not have changed my course that day. In my haste and stressful state I may have run a stop sign and hurt or killed someone – or myself. I could have easily been the legless one.

As I sat relaxing in the hot tub, I reflected on my experience and lesson that day. I resolved to never let stress or other peoples’ demands and agendas dominate my life. By turning my attention and focus to myself, I have lived a happier, healthier, more successful life and now have more energy, vitality, love and experiences to share with the rest of the world.

For months and months, I looked for the homeless man so that I could stop and thank him for the experience he gave me. I have since moved to Florida, but the memory of that man and my life-changing moment has stuck with me. It is amazing how much one moment and one complete stranger can impact your life. Now, I strive to return the favor by positively impacting the lives of many other people.

So you see, that's why I once cried the blues, but no longer.

A Stressful Marathon

It’s no secret or surprise that in today’s society most of us encounter a profound amount of stress on a daily basis. Sources range from: our wallets to Wall Street, our businesses, careers, families, relationships, physique, age, responsibility, and bills – all of which cause a multitude of stress within our lives.

Prolonged stress in any form is a great detriment to our health both mentally and physically and I believe stress to be the underlying cause of almost all disease. Stress creates chemical imbalances in our body that can wreak havoc on every aspect of our health and wellbeing. Stress is also a great contributor to heart disease which is the #1 killer in our country today – claiming the lives of about 3000 Americans daily.

I was asked after one of my “Have a Heart” events “if stress elevates the pulse, then why isn’t it good for the cardiovascular system – after all, that’s what exercise does and that’s good for you, right?”

I explained to her that unless hampered by a physical handicap or limitation, most of us have enough ‘reserve in the tank’ to be able to get out of bed in the morning or flee the house in the event of a fire. Our ‘fight or flight’ mechanism kicks in and floods us with adrenaline, our heart springs to action and elevates its rate and our breathing changes to bring in more oxygen and eliminate more toxins. Conversely, most of us lack the athletic ability to run a marathon – and if we tried to do so without proper training, we would most likely drop dead or suffer injury before the finish line. With practice and training, we can gradually build up our level of tolerance to added physical stress and have the strength and ‘reserve in the tank’ to accomplish anything.

However, stress is often encountered or induced too rapidly to have time to build up immunity. One rapid change in your employment or relationship status and you could be instantly sent reeling into a state of ‘stressure’. Now your pulse is racing at an elevated rate for hours, days or even weeks – continuously running a marathon of stress without any warning, training or preparedness. To add insult to injury, the body is now continuously releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into the body, which leads to toxicity and acidity in the body. This toxic environment can become a breeding ground for cancer and other disease.

Almost immediately we begin to feel the effects of the stress on our level of energy, concentration, focus, and attitudes. These negative emotions have an adverse effect on our level of productivity, profitability, self confidence, and pride - which inhibit us from performing at our best at the very times when we need to be at our best. The worst part is that the very thing we are probably stressing over is far less detrimental than the harm the stress is doing to our body.

The good news is that the effects of stress can be naturally counteracted easily, effectively and economically. The only catch is, you must be willing to think differently and act accordingly. Are you ready to defeat stress and create success? If so, come to my "Stress Less" event - Tuesday, October 11th from 5:30 to 7:00 - MG on the Halifax - 231 Riverside Dr, Holly Hill, FL. Register online.

Stress Less

Stress is the greatest detriment to the mind and body. Stress can be directly linked to cancer, heart disease, depression, anxiety and a whole host of other mental and physical ailments. In our modern society, it is almost impossible to escape stress – in fact; most of us encounter it on a daily basis.

What causes stress in your life?

Statistical evidence suggests that when our country enters into an economic recession, health problems increase. I think this is due to two factors. First, the mental stress caused by financial problems translates into chemical imbalances and physical stresses that can wreak havoc on the mind and body. And second, people are forced to make sacrifices due to lack of money and usually one of the top sacrifices is the quality of food which they purchase. The dollar menu at a fast food restaurant becomes the best option instead of healthy, fresh organic foods. The lack of anti-oxidant intake from no longer consuming healthy foods further contributes to the "stress effect" as the body lacks defenses. Trying to save money by eating cheap food will usually result in greater expense later in medical bills or reduced income from time lost at work due to illness.

Stressful times are the very times when we need to be most diligent in our efforts to maintain health and combat the effects of stress. If we let stress take control of our bodies, we will lose our health and cause a much higher level of stress. Exercising, eating nutritious foods, drinking plenty of mineral rich water, smiling, stretching, yoga, meditation, walking, talking to loved ones and restful sleep are some ways to fight stress.

How do you cope with stress?

Often, many people turn to alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals or other drugs to ease their stress - only to add to the chemical imbalances in their bodies caused by the very stress they are trying to cope with. Not that there is ever a good time to drink, smoke or do drugs, but  it would certainly NOT be during stressful times.

My best advice - put your stresses into perspective relative to your life as a whole. Usually you will discover that whatever you are stressing about is far less detrimental to your health, happiness and success than the actual effects of the internal stresses you are creating by stressing. Make sense?

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