Jeanine Louise M.
I was born into a system, polluted with malnourishing habits force fed to us through subliminal advertisements in our television sets as children. They betrayed our trust, with their highly researched marketing tactics, leading us to believe that these products were quality food to be welcomed into our homes and bellies. We bought the name brands. We were suckers for the eye catching labels, the artificial aromas of “fruity flavors” and colorful spectrum of oil byproduct food dyes. We loved the sweet corn syrup that coated every morsel we devoured. We had become gluttons of processed “fast” foods. It was all we had ever known.
Generations in the past had not been exposed to these new forms of food. To them, it was a luxury. Quick, cheap, and available. Post WWII, with the arrival of the baby boomers’ generation and fathers at war, canned foods became popular and supermarkets filled their aisles with pre-packaged preserved goods. With this new commodity, meal preparation became less time-consuming and old traditions of cooking slowly died over time. Microwave radiation was the new way to heat up your dinner! At this point in space-time in America, we understood little about our relationship with food.
Americans have been marketed food trends and politically-incorrect diets through the media. Still we were lacking proper resources on how our bodies operate and the importance of a well-balanced diet. The “food pyramid” suggested high protein consisting of animal fats, and left very little information on the plethora of plant-based nutrition. The skills of preparing the delicacies that tantalize our pallets was lost in frozen foods and boxed meals. There is a sacred relationship between each ingredient we consume and our bodies. We replaced fresh ingredients with phosphates, sulfates, palmate and carrageenan. If only our consciousness could be preserved as long as the shelf-life of a box of hamburger helper or shake-n-bake.
American health and quality of life began to plummet. Obesity, heart conditions, cholesterol, cancer, and diabetes epidemics plagued millions from coast to coast. The amount of human consumption and pollution became out of control. We had become so set in our toxic lifestyles of wastefulness that we were not only destroying our spirit bodies, but the Earthly body as a whole. Some humans became aware of the contaminations, and took leadership in trying to inform our nation on our destructive habits. ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,’ so they say.
My awakening began in 2010, with the gift of Sally Fallon’s Book “Nourishing Traditions”. This amazing cookbook has extensive wisdom on food, nutrition, phytonutrients, recipes and traditions from around the globe. She was pro-animal fats and had logical historical evidence to support her beliefs, and I adopted this way of nourishment for 2 years. I also took time to volunteer at the local urban farms here in Atlanta, and became familiar with plants for the first time in my life. I had never watched food grow before. I began to empathize with the rest of Americans, who too had never beheld this experience. Something that is as natural and instinctive as sowing and tilling land and reaping an abundance of earthly bounty is encoded into our genes. How could we have denied ourselves this blessed treasure, for the convenience of pre-packaged junk? I was beginning to see the cataclysms of the industrial revolution and its effect on the vitality of Earth, but on the human social nature as a whole.
Continuing my journey, in 2012, I traveled westward again. I had been hired by Good Earth Natural Foods, the very first organic food store, started in 1969 in Fairfax, California. They were in their third location in the city and had become a model for organic markets around the globe. It was phenomenal to work in an environment where everyone was health conscious, or beginning their path to wellness. It was a revolution of the human condition and our conscious relationship with our environment. They were the leaders on GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) education and the founder of the store had started the 3rd party Non-GMO verification certification. The campaign for GMO labeling, Prop-37, was about to be voted on. When it lost, the war with Monsanto sky-rocketed across the globe. This was the beginning of the food revolution. Americans were waking to their senses. We were communicating and coming together over a common love for delicious food! Such joy to see a revival of an ancient bonding between humans, in the center of a community. Each nutritious organic morsel that was devoured fed the consciousness of thousands of people in the neighboring cities. To imagine the impact on a region, Marin County is the healthiest place in American, with its citizens having the longest lifespan of anywhere else on Earth. People are active in exercise and share a common passion for local produce and gourmet food.
In December of 2012, after the relentless defense of my omnivore wisdom, I was given a documentary by Tribe of Heart, titled “Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home”. My friend, Harry, whom I worked with in the café handed the DVD to me and told me to watch it, with no background information. I took it home and watched it that night. I was reborn after this film. My mind could not return to its original dimensions after expanding to this new way of living. I had been given the choice to embark on a vegan journey in my space-time.
This was uncharted territory for me. I had been a vegetarian in high school, but I ate ‘Boca’ burgers and chips and crackers; foods with very little nutritional value. I had no idea how to feed myself without meats, eggs, or dairy. However, I could not unlearn the imperative necessity for a plant-based diet, so I sought out resources on veganism. I discovered wisdom of alkaline foods and acidic foods. I began to understand the essential purpose in eating and the transfer of living energy. I learned how to balance to pH of my blood, which becomes my body, through focusing on consuming alkaline foods. As I slowly weaned myself off meat, then dairy, then breads, then sugar, then eggs, and finally fish, I witnessed extreme changes in my health. With the combination of daily sunlight, herbal allies, exercise, and a colorful plant-based diet, my energy levels blossomed and my vigor for life expanded beyond anything I had ever experienced. Everything improved! My prana, my dreams, my senses, my mood, my physical wellness all began to activate to heightened levels of wellness. I can actually recall an entire transformation of myself through this process; physically, mentally, and spiritually.
How does this transformation play an important role on our society? Imagine it. What if each one of us embarked on this journey, a quest for health? How would our love for our own selves transform our relationships with one another and our ecosystem?
The food revolution has begun! Humans are awakening to their highest potential and living beyond expectations. We are curing disease. We are finding a common bond with people from all over the planet through food. We are ultimately on the path for harmonious sustainable existence. This is our destiny for healing. And it tastes good too! (:
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Tags: freedom, health, non-gmo, spirituality, system, vegan, veganism
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