Real Food???

Well since I left you all at the edge of your seats wondering what crazy new diet I am on (the real food diet/lifestyle) I figured I better explain. There is much confusion about what I eat. When I say that I don't want to eat animals that were treated cruelly, I do not mean that I am a vegetarian. If you ever asked me what I eat I may have said vegetarian just because it is much easier to say that than to explain what I really am. That, and if I really got into it your eyes may glaze over in less than 30 seconds. But since you are here, trapped (cuz it's not like you could close this page at any time) I will explain. I feel called to eat foods that honor the earth, the animals, other people, and my own body. In short I want to honor all of God's creation. There are too many people groups that have survived from eating other animals, so I am not about to tell them they were wrong to consume another life. Also if memory serves, it was God who killed the first animal to provide clothing for Adam and Eve. While not ideal, consuming animals is one way we have been directed to for our survival. Finally I really and truly believe that life comes from life. Even vegans are indirectly taking life to prolong their own. When a field is cleared to grow soy beans, the wild animals inhabiting that field are sacrificed-gophers, mice, wild birds loose their homes and shelter. So that said, I am not delusional to think that my life continues without costing another's, and I find a position taken by some Native Americans to be more in unison with my own, which honors and thanks the life given to provide for my own.

You are probably thinking that I really haven't explained what I eat. You are right. So let's get to it. I try my best (I am flexible with my diet, trying to accommodate as different circumstances arise) to eat locally, and organic, or at least pesticide free vegetables, fruit, and herbs. I try to eat pastured (as in raised on a pasture, grazing in grass), or free-range (yes there is a difference, and if you really want to know what that is, ask in the comments and I will explain) meats, eggs, and dairy. It can be tricky finding foods that meet these criteria, but I have had the most success at farmer's markets. Also, remember that I am flexible, so I don't starve because I cannot find food that meet all the criteria. Now regarding dairy, I try to stay away from pasteurized (please do not confuse this with pastured-these are two very different things) because it leads to stuffy sinuses, and allergy attacks, or sinus infection (I try to avoid gluten-and sometimes citrus-for this same reason). I do however, eat raw dairy, and have found that it doesn't have as severe an affect on me. WooHoo!!! Cuz I have missed my quesadillas.

I just recently bought some raw milk and it was nice to drink milk like that, it has been a while. I plan on making some gluten-free cookies this weekend and having them with a glass of cold raw milk. Yum!!! Funny how excited I get over simple things like that, since I have had to go without those things for a long time. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, indeed!

The REAL part of my diet is the idea that I try to eat as many whole foods as possible. No foods with scary expiration dates/preservatives, chemical dyes, high fructose corn syrup, or instant meals. The idea is that I would live a life style where I make most of my foods, like folks did in the preindustrial era. That is the REAL part of the Real Food diet. It is taking us back to our preindustrial revolution roots. I think the main words behind this movement would be simple, whole, balance, and quality. This is a lifestyle not simply a diet. It is one that seems to encompass all the elements that I value, and it leads me to a life that I am already striving for. A life of dignity, honor, balance, wholeness, truth, and love.

So I can eat pretty much anything, as long as it is organic, whole, pastured, preservative-free, natural, and locally grown. Luckily McDonald's and Taco Bell's menus are just that! *wink*

Shipoopi!

The name of this park is Shabarum Park, but for some reason whenever I say the name I want to sing Shapoopi, from The Music Man. That was a really fun musical, both to watch and participate in, ( I was in the crew when my high school did that show). "Shapoopi shapoopi shapoopi, the girl is hard to get..." So silly, and innocent, I think that is why I love musicals. They are an escape, into a world of life and color and expression. Fun fun fun! Well not all musicals are as lighthearted and mindless, but the early ones at least were.

Aaaaaanyway, I wanted to tell you all about this beautiful secret, Shabarum. This summer a friend and I wanted to go for a hike. But where was there a trail in this asphalt jungle? I wasn't familiar with any good hiking trails, and walking the mall was NOT an option, so I called up my friend Rod, the local hiking trails connoisseur. He told me about Shabarum Park, a place he had recently discovered and was thrilled with.

Shabarum is located just across the street from the Puente Hills Mall. No wonder I never noticed this unlikely trail. Two seemingly opposite places sitting just across the street from the other. Yet there it was. And it was lovely, but only after you put a good 40 minutes into the hike. At that point the houses and businesses begin looking small enough to not be distracting from the view around you. In the distance (of the above picture) you can see rooftops, and this is also the point where the hike begins to get exciting!

Still no matter how high we got, and how small the city became, we could not completely forget it. These two towers were eerie reminders of the marks we have left on this world. They stood there as sentinels, alone and out of their element, but surveying the land nonetheless. I envied them, and the beautiful sunsets and sunrises they must see everyday.

These ghostly reeds almost made me believe we were in a different world. Like some place out of the fantasy books I read. I never knew places like this were so close. There aren't many, and you can imagine how many people we bumped into on the trail, still it was refreshing. There is something truly cathartic about exploring nature, and exerting your energy in the process. And as you sweat, the beads forming around your brow, your breaths becoming deeper and more calculated, your strides feeling more taxing than before, your mind and body at bay to the rigorous climb, your spirit is suddenly freed. Free to run around and play, to hide in the ghostly reeds, to explore the blue skies, and just rejoice in the realization that there is something greater at work here, and thank God for that.