Well it is July and half of our year has already passed, so you know what time it is…

Time for me to share with you my semi-annual health update.

A few new things have come and others have gone in these last 6 months, while my overall health continues at its peak optimal range.

Having said that though, I strongly believe that no eating or health lifestyle is ever done or complete. That is why as you may have obviously already noticed, the name of this site is “evolving” wellness.” And so my wellness journey will continue to evolve, as we regularly should improve things, as our knowledge grows, or needs change.

I really like these half year reflections because it allows each of us to stop our usual day-to-day run around and reflect on where our health, fitness and eating habits are. Doing it this way prevents us from ending up years later with health or weight problems, and asking ourselves where these came from.

Thus I invite you to do the same, and take out some time out of your day to think about where you currently are. It is as easy as taking out a piece of paper, writing down past goals to see if you have achieved them, assessing the present state and then jotting down your next set of goals. So here comes mine!

Past Status and Goals

If you are interested to see where I was at 6 months ago, I invite you to read the Semi-Annual Health Update – January 2009.

My main three areas of growth were drinking enough water, getting enough exercise and wondering whether I should continue eating eggs.

Well I am happy to say that I am much more conscious of getting enough water each day, especially since the start of the warmer months. I would still not say I am exactly where I want to be, but I am much better with getting more water each day.

In terms of the exercise, the last 6 months saw me through an excellent, daily ½ hour first thing in the morning routine of yoga and stretching. It was great while it lasted, but I neglected to build it up into a habit. I have also seriously neglected my resistance training for good bone and muscle development, which we ALL should be doing for 15 – 30 minutes about 3 times a week.

The good news is that as soon as spring came, I started my half hour to 1 hour brisk walks several times a week, some hiking and best of all biking long paths. These have made me feel fantastic and since I love the outdoors, I have no trouble doing at least one of those on a daily basis.

Dietary Changes – Becoming Vegan

In terms of the eggs, well that one was easier than I thought. After just a little more research, as of January, I decided to give them up and become what many would call vegan. I realized that I did not need to eat them for the B12 as there are other, better sources out there like nutritional yeast or just by including simple supplements. Remember, for best health, if you are a vegan or even a vegetarian it is a good idea to have a daily dependable B12 supplement.

I do go by the vegan label now, although I will be honest with you, I am interested in a different one, which will actually be the topic of my first book. The reason for this, is that many people are still misunderstanding the vegan and vegetarian lifestyles greatly when it comes to health and well being. While some veg’s are very health conscious, others think that processed vegan meals and potato chips are the way to go.

Also I am not keen on the idea of boxing ourselves into a strict pattern. Life changes, people change and we are constantly evolving. Now having said that, don’t get me wrong, it is still my intention to not eat meat or dairy ever again. Even if it wasn’t for the health reasons, I just could not bring myself to do it spiritually for the sake of the animals and our environment.  And yes, for all those of you thinking “what if you were stranded somewhere, starving and dying?” – yes to you I say, it still applies, because there is always grass, and if it is my time, I would rather go in peace than stay alive on the flesh of animals. I wouldn’t eat them, just like I wouldn’t eat another human – a member of the animal kingdom as well. (Having said that though, do not feel I will ever judge you if you eat animal products, for I have come far enough in my personal spiritual evolution to know better.)

However, I am open to the odd egg in the future, should it come from a local, organic farm where a handful of chickens are walking around, openly and freely enjoying the outdoors, with no wholesale ideas happening. I know of such a farm about 25km away from me, but at this point am not willing to make the drive there. Besides I really, really do not miss eggs one bit. There is nothing in them, that I cannot get from somewhere else. And eggs from the grocery store, regardless if they are organic, are out of the question, because of questionable treatment of the animals.

Present Status

For the past 6 months I am so happy to say that every morning has started with a green smoothie. Throughout the cold months, it was accompanied by a healthy bowl of grain, where as in the summer months, it is just the green smoothie itself. My portion consists of 2 cups or ½ a liter of it. It always includes a calcium-rich green, like kale or collard greens, a fruit or two and an omega 3 food source, such as hemp or flax seeds. As I like to say, “my milk is green” and I cannot think of a healthier milk than that.

Processed food, in the general sense, is non-existent to me. In fact the only things that I can think of that I have been eating processed still are some Ezekiel bread from ShaSha, a local, health and environment conscious bread company; whole grain pasta and the odd organic corn tortillas. I don’t mind keeping this particular variety of bread, as it is organic, local and very nutritious, plus it is not a weekly thing for me, but a seldom purchase. The organic corn tortillas I don’t mind keeping either, as I have found brands that have no additives, low sodium and only use organic ingredients, so there is no risk of eating GM corn. I am not counting nut and seed butters in this category. Although naturally they are slightly processed, there is nothing added to them, and they can be a very nutritious addition to our diets. The only ones I really eat are almond butter from time to time, and tahini.

However, the big change is that I have decided to drop the pasta entirely. In fact this was my last pasta dish. Over the last 3 years of fine tuning a highly optimized, nutritional diet, I first obviously switched from white to all whole pastas. Then I dropped all pastas, then I only ate fresh pasta, then I dropped that and went back to dry, whole grain, but other than wheat pastas, and the time has finally come to drop it all.

Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t necessarily anything that bad about pasta, especially when it is organic, whole grain (preferably not wheat), and not the main part of the meal, but accompanies a rich salad. For me personally, I just found that although it can be tasty, I just don’t enjoy it anymore , don’t need it or want it, as it is still a processed food.  Does that mean I will never eat pasta again? Probably not. I may save this one as the food I would eat, IF there was nothing else, but other than that I have no intention of ever including it in my diet again.

New Additions and Next Steps

In these last 6 months I researched and discovered the amazing benefits of hemp. I first started using organic hemp powder in my smoothies, and then discovered hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds). Their nutritional profile is amazing and I will definitely be writing more about this in the upcoming months.

I have also continued my research on mushrooms, and continue to find outstanding nutritional information about them. I now incorporate a few varieties on a weekly basis. The most nutritious are shiitake, maitake, reishi, and most members in the shimeji family. Most of these are known as tree mushrooms. The most exciting part is that my grocery store has just a month ago started carrying the maitake variety and various members of the shimeji family, so it is so easy to incorporate these into my dietary lifestyle. If you are not eating mushrooms in your diet, I invite you to look into their amazing benefits and incorporate them on a regular basis into your life too.

Although I eat some greens each day right now, my next goals are to continue making my diet richer and richer in greens, as they really are the food of life. There are so many abundant varieties of them, and so many ways to enjoy them, that I know this will be an exciting and ongoing journey for sure!

In terms of fitness, I am going to continue my outdoor activities, for the warm months at least, but seriously make a point of getting some routine resistance training in there. As well, I want to get back on a regular routine of yoga or pilates.

And finally here is the last biggie. Over the past 6 months I have been doing more and research and giving more and more thought to the raw food lifestyle. In many ways I think I could already call myself somewhat a raw foodist, as on average 75% of my food is raw, and I read in several places that raw foodists fall anywhere between 50 – 100% raw. (Not sure if this is entirely correct, but maybe some of you who are reading this as experienced raw foodists can let me know.) So my only draw back has always been the beans and grains. I know that I have to give sprouting a serious try and maybe that will be the motivation to switch those items over too. Or maybe I do not need to. This is definitely a personal decision and one that requires more contemplation. I have been meaning to write some serious articles about the benefits and drawbacks from all perspectives of the raw food diet, and that is my goal in the next few months.

Conclusion

Well, that is pretty much it in a nutshell. So does eating natural, organic, wholesome, plant-based food work for our bodies? Well I sure would like to think so.

I am going, over 2 years now, without having ANY viral, bacterial or fungal infections (that I was aware of at least). I have no fears whatsoever with the upcoming scares about the swine flu pandemic, as I know that my immune system is in tip-top shape to protect me, and I wouldn’t dream of getting injected with a chemical vaccine.

My sleep is regular and undisturbed, my energy levels are vibrant and stable throughout the day and I just plain, feel great! I have no weight fluctuations, as I mentioned in past updates before, my weight has been stable for over 10 years now. And even though as women age they tend to put on weight,  it is next to impossible to gain weight on a healthy, natural and plant based diet (unless a previous medical condition exists).  In terms of my blood work, all major things tested are optimal. Although my iron stores have decreased somewhat, this is usually seen in vegetarians or vegans, overall iron levels are the same and stable where they have been for the past 8 years!

And that is why breathing and living this lifestyle, I know what is possible and hope so much to inspire, encourage or motivate others of you out there to have the same. For even more inspiration, read some of the stories from others like you, who have contributed personal stories of their own personal evolving wellness journeys.

Of course no discussion on health is complete without mentioning stress. Remember that while it is very important what we choose to put into our bodies physically, it is just as important what we CHOOSE to put into our bodies emotionally and mentally.

Remember, perfect health is our birthright, not a stroke of luck or some fluke for a select few. It all just depends on how we choose to treat our bodies, in terms of whether we provide them with building blocks of nutrition or junk. And just like you can’t build a quality house made of garbage, you can’t build a quality body with that either.

So now your turn; I would love to hear about how you have been doing this year where your health, fitness and eating habits are concerned.

And don’t forget if you would like to share a more detailed version of your story, submit it to be featured for a month in our “Evolving Wellness in Action” series, to help guide and inspire others like you!

About the author:
Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.