I love hearing about other people’s journeys to veganism. From their first a-ha moment to details of their day-to-day experiences of better health and spiritual awakenings, living life free of animal meat and by-products.
If the media reports are right, veganism is on the rise, with new blogs, food products and clothing popping up every day. There’s definitely change in the air, and it feels good to know lives are being spared and that kindness and consciousness is taking over.
While we still have a long way to go, there are so many inspiring people out there spreading the message. David Rafter and Amanda Rootsey are two shining examples of veganism in action, having transitioned to the lifestyle about three years ago. Founders of VeganEra.com, the Australian couple are also spreading the message offline via roadside billboards and merchandise that spreads the vegan message.
“Time is starting to become very critical in terms of our environment and the world is showing us that the way we are leading our lives is definitely not in harmony. We have to do something to change,” David says.
I asked him to share their inspiring story…
When did you become vegan?
I began the loving journey about three years ago when I was around 26. For me, it was a transition, initially I went vegetarian then after a couple of months I dropped dairy and soon realised that I had become a vegan!
Why did you decide to become vegan?
Upon reflection, it was a process. When I was 25 I had lead a bit of a party lifestyle and enjoyed the night-lights. I got really sick of how bad I was feeling all the time. So I dropped everything, I remember the point in which I said to myself that I would no longer go out, I would no longer drink and that it was time to drop meat from my diet.
Honestly, at that exact moment I could feel a massive shift take place in my life. It was the conscious decision to stop killing and lean on the side of compassion that I felt a very big lift in my soul.
At this time I was living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland (Australia), and I had decided to start getting healthier. I was running and surfing, really enjoying being with nature. I had just finished a run through the national park, where I leant on a tree and I could feel the energy of the Earth coming through it. I couldn’t believe it. I was in total shock as I could feel the lungs of the Earth inhale and exhale. At that moment I knew that we were all connected. From the souls of the animals right through to the limbs of this tree. At that moment, I knew that this was my path.
My life has definitely changed; my soul feels so amazing and so light. It is like a massive weight has been lifted and I feel closer to Heaven. When you feel this feeling, there is no turning back – you just want to continue feeling it. I actually get covered in goose bumps talking about it.
Actually, coinciding with this, my father told me to go out and work on his dairy farm for the day. Believe me, I was kicking and screaming the whole way. When I did get there, my worst fears were realised. I could not believe how much pain and suffering existed. Dead calves in the middle of the paddock, their mothers standing over them, screaming in pain. If the calves were alive, they were locked in pens so small that they could barely stand. The pain and suffering in the cries of the mothers was terrifying. I couldn’t bare it any longer – I had to lock myself in the house, turn up the TV and try to block it all out. Clearly when I got back I said in no uncertain terms that I would never return to that place ever again.
Also, my brother had been vegetarian for about 10 years, and had been buggin’ me for ages to drop meat. At the time he was living in America, and I Skyped him and told him the change I had experienced. He was so excited for me. He then sent me a documentary that I watched via you tube in which it showed the whole process of how the meat gets on to your plate. At the end I was in tears, I felt so much sorrow that we could do this to our beautiful animal friends. If it wasn’t sealed in concrete before then, it was now.
How has your life changed since?
My life has definitely changed; my soul feels so amazing and so light. It is like a massive weight has been lifted and I feel closer to Heaven. When you feel this feeling, there is no turning back – you just want to continue feeling it. I actually get covered in goose bumps talking about it. The feeling is indescribable, you feel like you are floating on a cloud the whole day and you want to share that with the world.
Can you tell me about Vegan Era and why you decided to start it?
Vegan Era started in 2009 and has been going strong ever since. Along with my partner Amanda and of course our little staffy girl Trudi, we felt the need to spread this feeling to the world.
Initially we found a lot of information about how much damage the livestock industry has done to our planet. We just couldn’t believe that this information was not out there. We felt a very strong need to create a place where people could come and learn more about the choices they make and the impact their diet can have on reversing climate change.
Then in 2010, Amanda was diagnosed with cancer. In the beginning Amanda was determined not to go down the conventional path as we had done lots of research into the harsh impact chemo has on our bodies. So we did a lot of research on how diets can help heal the body. Again, we couldn’t believe how much information was hidden from us. We came across a great book called The China Study, and from that moment on we wanted to share the health benefits of a Vegan diet.
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I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. And then again in 2009. After weighing up my options and doing a lot of research I decided to put all my faith in my body and employ so-called “radical” natural therapies to heal myself. This meant lots and lots of juicing, a clean plant-based whole food diet, meditation and numerous daily coffee enemas. Yes, coffee enemas. Coffee that goes up your butt.
Once upon a time I wouldn’t even do a number two with my boyfriend in the house. These days, we talk about enemas at the dinner table. As a health and wellness blogger, I love that I have created a safe online space where people can share their bodily concerns with me. But the achievement I am most proud of is that it seems I’ve made conversations about enemas a little less taboo. Questions about rear-end irrigation constantly appear in my comment feeds from people desperate for more information about how to clean out their colons. It seems I’ve started a movement. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. No more toilet puns, I promise.
So why are coffee enemas such a big deal? Why is it that I often say that regular DIY enemas will change your life? Because they offer a helping hand to your poor, over-worked liver! Your liver is easily the hardest working organ in your body. All day long it is busy sifting through everything your body consumes (this includes through your mouth, your nose and your skin). Your liver decides what is good enough to stay in your body and what is toxic and needs to be eliminated. This is no easy feat when you consider the amount of toxins that we consume on a daily basis. There are the cosmetics, chemicalised foods, cleaning products and petrol fumes – just to name a few. This is where enemas come in and work their magic. Coffee enemas help to stimulate the liver and increase bile production to excrete toxins more rapidly. They literally flush it out. They have the amazing ability to rescue people from all kinds of ailments including headaches, hangovers, colds and flu and yes, even cancer. At the end of World War I coffee enemas were employed as effective pain relief for wounded soldiers. Panadol shmanadol.
Coffee enemas help to stimulate the liver and increase bile production to excrete toxins more rapidly. They literally flush it out. They have the amazing ability to rescue people from all kinds of ailments including headaches, hangovers, colds and flu and yes, even cancer.
If you’ve read this far into the post, you must be intrigued by how to actually do a coffee enema, right? Don’t be shy. It is nowhere near as uncomfortable or gross as it may seem. To get things started, you will need to buy an enema kit (search online or ask at your local pharmacy or health store) and some organic ground coffee. Make it fair trade also, just to be nice. Then, once you’ve worked up the courage to give it a crack (I know, broke the promise), follow these instructions:
• Boil enough coffee for two enemas just in case you can’t hold the first one and want to try again. For two enemas, bring one litre of water to the boil in a pot on the stove. Once boiling, remove from the stove and add six tablespoons of coffee. Boil for three minutes, then reduce to simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove from the stove and strain the coffee. Add eight ounces of coffee to your bucket and top it up with 16 ounces of purified water. Once you get used to this amount you can bump it up to 24 ounces of water to make the solution 32 ounces in total.
• Lay a yoga mat or towels on your bathroom floor (for padding).
• Release the clasp and let the liquid run through the tube and drip a bit into the sink. This will remove any air bubbles. Hang or sit the enema bucket on a chair – it needs to be higher than you so that gravity can do its thing. Not too high though or the liquid will go in too fast and you won’t be able to hold it.
• Lie on your right side with your legs pulled up towards your chest. Lube up the end of the tube with a bit of coconut oil and insert about two inches into your bottom.
• Let the solution flow all the way in and tighten the clamp before removing it. Then lie back and relax for 10 to 15 minutes.
See, easy. Contrary to popular belief, regular coffee enemas will not cause your bowel to rupture or your bowel movements to become impaired. I have been doing at least three every day for over a year now and my bowels are still fine and dandy. Enemas can become addictive though. My mum has joined me on the enema bandwagon and now she can’t go a day without her upside down coffee break. They have even helped her get through the horridness of detoxing from her regular coffee habit. Bottoms up!
Jess Ainscough is a writer, blogger, holistic health coach and the founder of The Wellness Warrior. When she’s away from her computer Jess can be found juicing, meditating, practicing yoga or in the bathroom.
Connect with Jess:
Coaching: www.jessicaainscough.com
Blog: thewellnesswarrior.blogspot.com
Twitter: @JessAinscough
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewellnesswarrior
I’ve often thought about why we deem some plants “weeds” and others fit for planting or eating. As I’ve delved into raw food nutrition (I’m studying through The BodyMind Institute) I’ve been amazed at how readily I’d dismissed some of the most healing herbs on the planet as little more than mower clippings.
Now some of the most common weeds take pride of place in my kitchen, ready for use in herbal teas, poultices, raw food recipes, natural beauty preparations and more. Weeds are particularly nutritious because they have had to make it on their own … withstand nature’s elements to remain strong and vibrant. It takes a lot of energy for them to simply live – energy that we directly benefit from when we eat these incredible herbs.
Here are my favourite four:
DANDELION (parts used: leaf and root)
Dandelions are those plants with the fluffy “flower” that, as kids, we likely made a wish or two with. It’s a wonderfully nutritious herb that has been used by ancient cultures, including Chinese and Ayurvedic healers. The leaves are a natural diuretic and are great for relieving the bloated feeling that can come with PMS. The root of the dandelion is a good liver tonic and is brimming with antioxidants such as vitamins A and C.
BURDOCK (parts used: roots)
Known as a blood purifier, and as the most effective herb for treating chronic skin problems. It has been known to ease such conditions as eczema, acne, psoriasis, boils, herpes and syphilitic sores, styes, carbuncles and cankers. It contains polyacetylenes – natural killers of fungi and bacteria. Burdock also expels toxins and promotes urine flow and perspiration (the Chinese use it to calm).
NETTLE (parts used: leaves)
Nettle tea has been widely used to combat intestinal weakness, diarrhea and malnutrition. It also acts as a diuretic and is said to be good for treating kidney weakness and bladder infections. Nettles can help rid the body of excessive fluid, be used topically to treat eczema and rashes, as well as soothe arthritic and rheumatic conditions. It’s also great for bone density.
RED CLOVER (parts used: flowers and leaves)
Red Clover, an anti-cancer herb, is great to use powdered (sprinkle it on salads) and it can also be used as a tea. It’s also a source of nutrients including calcium, chromium, potassium, thiamine, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus and vitamin C.
Find out more – books that include some valuable information on common edible weeds:
• Herbal Medicine, The Natural Way to Get Well and Stay Well
• The A to Z Guide to Healing Herbal Remedies
• Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
There are certainly weeds out there that aren’t edible, and those that aren’t are generally very bitter to taste. If you’re keen to go grazing, be sure to take a wildcrafting workshop first or know without a doubt what you’re looking for. Some herbs may look similar, but can be poisonous.
I’d never really given much thought to the healing properties of herbs and spices, until recently. Now the herb and spice aisle at my local organic grocer is one of my favourite places.
I received an email yesterday from Dr Steven Joyal’s publicist, who, besides promoting his new book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes
SD: How did you come to be an advocate of adding spices to the diet in order to achieve good health?
SJ: The scientific data in support of spices like curcumin, ginger, rosemary, cumin, and cinnamon is strong.
SD: How are spices best consumed for maximum impact?
SJ: Fresh or dried, spices have a wealth of health benefits. Scientific research suggests that spices/herbs like marjoram, thyme, and rosemary may help reduce the formation of cancer-causing substances called heterocyclic amines in grilled or broiled foods.
SD: Have we come full circle, understanding perhaps what our ancestors did, that spices have profound health-boosting properties?
SJ: Before the pharmaceutical companies found disease profitable, ancient traditions like Ayurvedic medicine understood the value of herbs and spices in helping to maintain optimal health.
SD: How can spices help someone with diabetes?
SJ: Cinnamon and cumin are two spices with interesting anti-diabetic properties. Scientific data suggests that these two spices can help support healthy blood sugar levels and reduce the oxidant damage from diabetes. Efficacious doses are about two teaspoons daily.
SD: What are your must-have spices for your rack and why?
SJ: Ginger (anti-inflammatory), cumin (support healthy blood sugar levels, anti-oxidant), cinnamon (anti-oxidant, supports healthy blood sugar levels), turmeric (curcumin) {anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant), rosemary (anti-oxidant, anti-cancer) are all great spices and herbs for supporting optimal health.
SD: Turmeric is often a spice touted for its amazing healing properties. What is it about turmeric that has such a big impact on the body?
SJ: Turmeric’s “secret” is curcumin, and this interesting ingredient has anti-cancer properties, antioxidant properties, and anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, several experimental studies, as well as human clinical studies, show benefit for curcumin in Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating neurological illness!
1. Start with you. While scientists once believed we were separate from everything else on earth, we now know that couldn’t be further from the truth. We human beings are made up of the same stuff that makes up the stars we gaze at, the grass we walk on and the very food we eat. Spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra says it best: “At some point in our lives, the realization dawns upon us that freedom does not come from external situations or circumstance. All of creation, everything that exists in the physical world, is the result of the unmanifest transforming itself into the manifest. Everything that we behold comes from the unknown. Our physical body, the physical universe — anything and everything that we can perceive through our senses — is the transformation of the unmanifest, unknown and invisible into the manifest, known and visible. The physical universe is nothing other than the self curving back within itself as spirit, mind and physical matter.”
With this in mind, how we think about ourselves, treat ourselves and feed ourselves becomes a whole new ball game: every negative thought we hold and reaffirm to ourselves is also reaffirmed to the universe, every bad diet choice directly affects the health of universe, every unkind action or thought towards another has a direct affect on the universe and so on. Making conscious, educated choices every day is the first and most important step in healing the earth. A great place to start the education is with inspirational author and teacher, Louise L Hay and her bestselling book You Can Heal Your Life
2. Change your diet. While the meat and dairy industries do everything in their power to ensure consumers believe meat and dairy help us grow healthy and strong, there is much evidence to the contrary. Besides the undeniable health risks of eating meat and dairy that can no longer be ignored due to the rise-and-rise of cancer cases, there’s another reason it’s important to reassess the amount of animal products in your diet—and that’s the detrimental impact meat production has on the planet. A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined. When asked by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) what personal change people could make to help the environment, ex-Beatles star Paul McCartney answered, “I think the biggest change anyone could make in their own lifestyle would be to become vegetarian.” Find out how here.
As with anything, it’s about being kind to yourself during the process if you decide to give up meat and dairy. Do your research to ensure you do things at a pace that works best for your body and lifestyle. An important thing to remember: vegetarianism and veganism are not diets in the common sense of the word, or religions for that matter. Rather they’re a lifestyle choice—an action resulting from understanding how everything on the earth is deeply connected, and how what we put in our mouth has a profound effect on everything we are and do. That means taking it all one meal and day at a time, so leave any feelings of guilt or failure at the door. Every step you take towards making a difference adds up. Be proud of yourself and tell yourself often.
3. Stop buying plastic water bottles, shopping bags or containers. We’ve all certainly heard it before: buying water in plastic bottles and getting plastic bags at the supermarket isn’t a good choice for the environment. Treehugger.com has an article that gets straight to the point detailing what is known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” or “trash vortex”: (it’s) essentially a floating expanse of waste and debris in the Pacific Ocean now covering an area twice the size of the continental U.S. Believed to hold almost 100m tons of flotsam, this vast “plastic soup” stretches 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. Gotta see it to believe it? Watch this.
As said before, being kind to you, also means you’re being kind to the world around you. Plastic water bottles contain the cancer-causing chemical known as Bisphenol A, which leaches from the bottles to the water you consume. Step one: buy a reusable water bottle. Step two: fit a reverse osmosis filter to your kitchen tap (same goes for the shower: many municipal water supplies are not only highly chlorinated, but also contain high levels of pharmaceutical drugs—such as antibiotics, oral contraceptives etc—which get ingested through the skin, which is the body’s largest organ. Read more here.
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There are so many good reasons to read the label on any cosmetic product you intend to buy. I used to think, albeit naively, that if a product was for sale then it must have been put through rigorous testing and deemed safe for human use. But alas, that wishful thought was just that—wishful.
Amongst the thousands of cosmetics brands on the market today, a good number contain chemicals toxic to our health. Just like food in the supermarket, if you can’t pronounce a word on a label, chances are it was brewed in a lab not in nature. Many of these ingredients are used as fillers; cheap additions that give the illusion of more product, without hurting the manufacturer’s bottom line.
Just because a lipstick, face cream or the like is expensive also doesn’t mean it’s any safer than the alternative $2 bottle in your local drug store or chemist. In fact, that cheap bottle may be a hundred times safer than the cream that comes in the fancy packaging.
With cosmetic safety regulations lacking in many countries, it’s up to ourselves to be our own judge and jury when it comes to what we’re willing to buy and then put on our skin—our body’s largest organ. Anything you slap on the outside ends up on the inside. If you’ve read this blog before today you’ll be familiar with the phrase: “if you can’t eat it, don’t wear it”.
If you’re starting to wonder exactly what chemicals are lurking in your bathroom cabinet, be sure to check out The Cosmetics Database.
In the book Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, cosmetic chemist and herbalist Aubrey Hampton is quoted as saying: “Buyers in department, drug, discount and supermarkets don’t know anything about the chemicals that go into cosmetics, and assume their customers don’t know much either.”
These chemicals have only been proven safe with animal testing. If you put them in your product you rely on or accept those tests. Also, many of these chemicals pollute our environment because they aren’t biodegradable. This affects all species. You won’t know this if you don’t read the label.
Besides the cocktail of chemicals that make up many beauty products on the market today, there’s also the very real issue of animal testing. Just because a manufacturer didn’t test on an innocent being, doesn’t mean the manufacturer they bought their chemical ingredients from wasn’t tested on an unsuspecting monkey or rat. What it boils down to? Labels also lie.
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A few years ago, I was completely addicted to coffee. A soy latte here, a mocha chino there. But from the moment I became vegan I also gave up my love affair with caffeine and switched to health-boosting herbal teas. Now, I drink just about every herbal tea around, from dandelion leaf to sage. There are now loose leaf teas in my kitchen I’d never dreamed existed.
One of my favourite places on the planet to drink tea was Dr Tea’s on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles, until it temporarily closed its doors last year. The man behind the much-loved tea sanctuary Mark Ukra dared opened the tea garden in a city known for its countless Starbucks and loyal coffee addicts who frequent them.
So while the English swear by it and the Japanese cherish it, in the United States, Mark (or Dr Tea as he is affectionately known) says tea is one of the least favoured drinks, despite its documented health benefits.
Considering he comes from a family of Middle Eastern tea merchants dating back more than 400 years, it’s little surprise Dr Tea has become the unofficial spokesperson for tea in the United States. His book, The Ultimate Tea Diet, also showed that tea was good for more than just getting your daily dose of antioxidants.
I recently caught up with Dr Tea and asked him to share some interesting tid bits about the ancient beverage that comes in many varieties, yet is derived from just one powerhouse plant: the Camellia Sinensis.
SD: How can tea help coffee drinkers kick their habit?
DR TEA: I had this exact issue. I found that tea is essentially consumed exactly like coffee, hot and or cold. It can be placed in the same cup so you have the same feeling. They both have caffeine, albeit, tea has less as well as L-Theanine which counteracts caffeine’s harmful effect in the brain. Now taste of course is not easily matched although I sell a coffee tea, which is a tea I have roasted in a coffee roaster so it looks and smells like coffee.
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