So it’s the New Year. I just spent the last month over indulging, as did many of you I bet. I was in my hometown of Chicago with my family for 2 ½ weeks to support a family member with post surgery recovery and I stayed through the holiday. I arrived back home to houseguests as well as the New Year festivities. I had a good time. It was wonderful seeing family (especially my 10 month old nephew!) and friends.
So here I am now. Feeling bloated and over fed. Sugar cravings gone wild. Body aching from lack of exercise and stress.
It’s time to get back on track! Back to eating my high raw diet. Back to my regular yoga practice. Back to the gym. Back to my mediation and prayer practice. I started getting back on track on Tuesday.
It is no wonder that at this time of year you hear about so many get fit, get healthy, detox, etc. offers. This is the time many of us are feeling the effects of over indulgence and we want to start again with the start of a new year. It feels like our chance to hit the re-set button.
Although I didn’t stick to my regular healthy lifestyle I DID stay vegan. This is not an issue for me anymore. However, I know that for many of you it can be an issue. Particularly if you are a new vegetarian. Times like this can be the undoing of your commitment to yourself.
While I was away I began working on a new E-Book. It is for all of you who struggle with staying committed to your vegan lifestyle. It is full of the things I learned as I made my transition to eating vegan and then mostly raw.
How To Survive and Thrive in a Non-Vegan World is in the final stages of editing and formatting now. Look for it next week around January 15. It outlines how to survive in your real-world, day-to-day activities where veganism is not the norm.
If you feel bad about yourself for not being able to stick to your vegan lifestyle, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW. The world most of us live in is not set up to help us. That means staying on track requires a special effort.
It would be nice if everywhere we went there were lots of vegans and vegetarians, and every menu included vegan delicacies. It would be great if being vegan was the norm or at least a widely accepted and supported lifestyle no matter where we went.
Imagine, airports offering vegan restaurants in every concourse. Family feasts where at most only one or two dishes were not vegan. Restaurants with 2-3 tasty vegan options in every category. Business meetings that served healthy vegan snacks. Conferences that catered to the vegan lifestyle. Growing up learning how to make delicious vegan dishes.
This may not be your reality (it certainly isn’t mine). If it is Celebrate! You are one of the lucky ones.
You don’t have to let this non-vegan reality keep you from reaching your goal. There are many of us all over the world surviving and even thriving as vegans in a non-vegan world. You can do it too!
–Get educated about why it is important for you, your community and the world around you.
–Get the skills you need to make amazing food and to negotiate the non-vegan world we face.
–Get support, it’s out there if you look for it.
Stay tuned for the release of my new e-book How To Survive and Thrive In a Non-Vegan World next week. Share this with those you know who want to be vegan but have problems sticking to it.
Now–Tell me–What did you struggle with in 2014 in terms of your vegetarian diet and healthy lifestyle? What do you need help with? Let me know and I will do my best to address those issues in upcoming blog posts. You can use the comments below, or email me at foodforthesoul@opare.net.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and delicious new year!
Ama
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Peace Family. This is a very interesting article. Very timely for me as well. But, with forums and sites like this one, i believe that we all can be successful and will achieve what we set out to be (health-conscious eaters).
Yes we can!
Great article. Much needed.
What Do You Struggle With?” finding fresh fruits and vegetable and Putting a balanced diet together.
Thank you lyn for your input. Those are both good topics for me to cover.
That is a real struggle, not being able to find fresh and vegetables. Unfortunately the answer is that you have to travel outside of your neighborhood to find fresh food. Blending fruits and vegetables helps me immensely in putting together a balanced diet. I wouldn’t be as healthy as I am without blending fruits and vegetables.
I thank GOD for you and this wonderful site. I am struggling with the on again off again vegetarian life-style. I must admit that when I eat healthy I feel a 1000 times better so I know its the right thing to do. My greatest challenge is converting my meals to healthful and tasteful ones.
Wendy don’t stop trying! The good news is that vegetarian food can taste just as good or even better. But you must invest the time to learn how. The key is learning about seasoning and spices. Stick around Food For the Soul for recipes and the information you need. You can do it!