Accidentally Vegan

I've discovered that for the most part, I've become an accidental vegan. It's interesting that with all of the information about nutrition (especially saturated fats), my food choices have really been limited to plant based foods. Bobby also read about the benefits of choosing foods that have only 10% of their calories that come from fat, and since making that a goal, animal products aren't really an option. I did have cottage cheese yesterday, but for the most part, it's all plants. I've heard horror stories about vegans not getting enough protein, but I'm not really sure how that happens-- lentils and legumes are chalk full of protein, as well as soy products. Hmm. I think there are just a lot of misconceptions about nutrition across the board.

iTunes has been doing a fantastic thing lately where included in their free download section is a workout video. I've acquired a yoga video (10 minutes to do at night before bed as sort of a wind down), and yesterday found a 10 minute full body workout. Of course, the recommendation is at least 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise (I'm not sure the yoga is enough for me to consider "moderate" simply because it doesn't get my heart rate up), but with the benefits of exercise being greater if done first thing in the morning, having the 10 minute video means I can get a little bit in before I do everything else, and then exercise later. Lovely.

So I found this video, and for the most part, I like it. The bits about how childhood obesity is often a result of poor lifestyle choices made by the parents really resonates with me (mostly because my mom was an emotional eater, and I learned that a bad day is made better by downing a couple Butterfingers), and is one of the reasons why I was really excited about the nutrition class. I'm big on parenting (between being a social worker and a product of a parental unit in dire need of emotional intervention), and I recognize how lifestyle choices really influence what happens to a child. If there are cookies and ice cream in your home, why shouldn't the child snack on them? If they don't grow up seeing Mom and Dad making exercise a priority, why would the child? If there aren't fruits and vegetables available to ensure everyone gets their 5-9 servings a day, how can you expect the kid to learn the importance of such? Childhood obesity not only has physical implications (stress on joints, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, etc), but the emotional component is HUGE (no pun intended). Everyone feels awkward and uncomfortable in their own skin anyway when they're in junior high-- imagine adding the handicap of being overweight (which, in spite of shows like "More to Love"'s best efforts to thwart, being overweight is scientifically proven to be unhealthy and leads to chronic disease... not that anyone who is overweight is unlovable, but it is an indication of an underlying problem where the individual is not taking care of him or herself, which could be a result of ignorance, emotional issues, physical problems, etc).

Anyway. Alarm bells went off when the little girl said "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels," because that's a huge mantra in the eating disorder community. Adopting that idea can lead to serious trouble. People need to eat in order to live, so perhaps she could say instead, "Eat to live, don't live to eat." Food shouldn't be a crutch or have so many emotions tied to it. It should taste good, but it should also benefit you for longer than just that moment it's on your taste buds. If what you're eating is doing more harm than good, stop putting it in your mouth. People enjoy smoking, but it's killing them. The same can be said about doughnuts.