I became a vegetarian while I was in college but will be the first to admit that it wasn’t the most intelligent nutritional plan. My caloric intake consisted of lettuce sandwiches and hashish brownies; certainly not a diet or lifestyle that I would condone today.
Several years out of college and out of my fog, my boyfriend and I were preparing ourselves for an ice climb up Pico D’Orizaba in Mexico late one winter. I went to the doctor for a check up and was promptly told that I was borderline anemic and that if I wanted to make this climb (18,700 ft) I needed to get smart about what being a vegetarian really means or start eating meat. My beau du jour being a world-class chef…I chose the latter. My first red meat meal in over 8 years was a delicious tenderloin of Elk, grilled rare, sliced thin and fanned out over a bed of creamy skin-on mashed potatoes, drizzled with a savory blueberry glaze, and accompanied by scrumptious and lightly seasoned sautéed carrots and asparagus. I ate every bite. Couldn’t believe what I’d been missing as I licked the plate clean, and within 4 hours violently hurled the entire contents of my stomach back up into the toilet.
Fast forward 10 years; I’m married to the chef, living in his home state of Oklahoma on a 400 acre cattle ranch and kicking down mass quantities of ribs, lamb and bison burgers. It’s in this Rodgers and Hammerstein environment that I find myself drawn more and more to the practice and ethics of yoga. Two years into embracing my inner Okie, I make the decision to return once again to the vegetarian lifestyle.
There are numerous principles in the philosophy of yoga that call upon us to mind our mouths; ahimsa (non-violence), asteya (not stealing), aparigraha (non-hoarding),
brahmacharya (moderation), and saucha (cleanliness/purity), to name a few. Each of these concepts serves to remind us that every bite we take has personal ramifications as well as global repercussions. We’re called to take responsibility regarding what we consume; taking a critical look at how our choices around food affect not just our own health but the health of the planet as a whole.
I don’t need to reiterate the documented facts which you can easily find in numerous studies, books, and films (see “Food, Inc.” to get you started) regarding the extraordinary health and environmental benefits of moving towards a whole foods and plant-based diet. I just know you can do it; simply take it one step at a time. No need to drink the kool-aid and become a card-carrying member of Peta, just consume a little less flesh and a few more plants. That’s all.
Sam, my Rib-Lovin’-Okie-Chef-Husband, went veg for 3 months once as an experiment. His cholesterol had gone through the roof and rather than submit to a life-long ingestion of pharmaceuticals as was suggested by the doc, he made the decision to try a change in diet. In 90 days, his cholesterol dropped 40 points….While he’s not currently a full-on veg (yet), he continues to make very thoughtful and educated choices surrounding what he eats – how far its’ travelled, how it’s been handled, and certainly the cleanliness of the facility in which it’s prepared. He calls it ‘conscious consumption’.
A couple of years ago, I was back in my physician’s office awaiting the results of my annual physical. The PA sat in front of me, shaking her head in disbelief. “Are you a vegetarian?” she asked.
“Yes, why?” I answered.
To which she responded that she’d never seen such great numbers. Actually, her exact words were “Awesome numbers”. I left there wondering, then, why more medical professionals don’t promote a whole foods, plant-based diet rather than statins.
It’s been stated that if Americans ate 10 percent less meat, enough grain would become available to feed 60 million people. Don’t take my word for it; do your own research and check the numbers out for yourself. In the meantime, celebrate Earth Day! Eat one less hamburger a week this month, making your own contribution to a cleaner, healthier body and a cleaner, healthier planet!
Lisa Bracken teaches yoga at The Canebrake which she owns with her husband Sam. She can be reached at Lisa@TheCanebrake.com.