When I became vegan, it of course meant it was time to clean out the closet and donate any leather, wool and silk items to charity. I proudly separated by wardrobe into two piles: the kind and the unkind.
Before long, I noticed that I’d more than halved my wardrobe. Gone were my sexy leather boots, my vintage silk scarf and even my warm woolly socks. This (as any fashion-loving gal would agree) is quite the predicament when one of my favourite phrases is “ugh, I have nothing to wear!”.
After much deliberation about what to do now I absolutely had nothing to wear, I came to a conclusion: donate at least 90 per cent of the cruel items to charity. The remaining 10 per cent stayed in my wardrobe, and then, when I would buy a new vegan piece, I would donate one of the old items.
Until my wardrobe became completely vegan, I made sure I wore any leather or wool item consciously, thinking about the animal and what it gave (ie its life) to make me warm.
This is my point: when you choose to lead a vegan lifestyle, it’s important to remember to be kind to yourself in the process—rather than beating yourself up because you couldn’t part with a pair of 1960s suede cowboy boots given to you by your late dear grandmother.
This also extends beyond the wardrobe. While I’m extremely strict about what I put into my mouth, I’m also kind to myself if I make a mistake. There have been times when I’ve found out there was indeed a fish sauce in the green curry, when there wasn’t meant to be. I consciously acknowledge it, and move on.
As for my wardrobe, I’m now eye-ing off this eco-fabulous coat from Vaute Couture, a hot vegan fashion brand that specialises in coats. I’m pretty sure I need a new tee too…
Glowingly-gorgeous Alicia Silverstone is sharing her beauty and health secrets, with the release of her book The Kind Diet, with a forward by fellow-veg Sir Paul McCartney.
The actress writes about the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin. She also spills the beans on how her vegan diet has given her boundless energy and a digestion that works how it’s supposed to.
While her name may be associated with Clueless, the health-happy celeb is anything but. While the vegan diet she recommends will be kind to your bod, Silverstone also explains why chowing down on meat, fish, milk and cheese causes permanent damage to the planet—so deleting it from the diet is a sure fire way to keep people and the planet healthy.
May The Kind Diet hit the bestseller lists everywhere!
I’ve been travelling a lot lately. Country hopping via long haul flights, sandwiched between lengthy hours on the road. Tripping from country to country has affected my diet much more than I expected. My usual raw food diet, which I eat around 80 per cent or so of the time, has turned to mostly cooked (gasp!).
The great thing about such a big change in my diet, besides the not-so-good noticeable decline in my usual joie de vivre? It has been a fabulous experiment.
I can easily tell the difference in my body from transitioning to mostly cooked, from raw, meals … physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My energy levels have dropped, my thinking isn’t as clear and my usual Reiki practice and meditation has come to almost a complete standstill.
But why, one may ask, does eating cooked food make so much of a difference? Well, because I’m a) not thinking clearly and b) tired, I thought it best I get the lowdown from living-foods.com.
What are Living and Raw Foods?
They are foods that contain enzymes. In general, the act of heating food over 116 degrees F destroys enzymes in food (enzymes start to degrade in as little as 106 degrees F). All cooked food is devoid of enzymes, furthermore cooking food changes the molecular structure of the food and renders it toxic. Living and raw foods also have enormously higher nutrient values than the foods that have been cooked.
What are Enzymes?
Enzymes assist in the digestion of foods. They are known to be the “life-force” and or “energy” of food.
Why are Enzymes Important?
They assist in the digestion and absorption of food. If you eat food that is enzyme-less, your body will not get maximum utilization of the food. This causes toxicity in the body.
A raw creamy kale salad from chef Russell James. Delish!
