I decided, since the official Earth Day is coming up, I'd talk about ways to help the earth through fashion. I actually mentioned a few ways in my other blog posts, but I decided to go into detail here.
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Quarantine has really been messing with my anxiety and causing more physical symptoms than I normally experience. The first few weeks were rough, my focus was terrible and the future appeared so bleak to me. I felt as if everything was going downhill. I noticed that I was tired and needed naps more; the hours of the days were running together and slipping away so fast. Once those first few weeks were over, I began to feel better, feel more optimistic. I had developed an indoor life that had more normality and rhythm to it. I had been furloughed from my job and felt motivated to focus on my businesses. However, my anxiety prevailed, and so my jaw became tight, teeth hurt from grinding, developed neck pains and headaches, and a lack of appetite. Even when I thought I was better, my body has been telling me otherwise.
I have been plant-based since before “plant-based” was a commonly used label. I was eating this way before veggie burgers changed colors while cooking, before there was a plethora of vegan milks other than soy, before chain vegan restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, though, I welcome most of those changes.
The first time we visited a restaurant 8 or 9 years ago, my children distrusted everything. They all prefaced their order with, “Is that vegan?” We now visit that restaurant several times a year and it’s an outing that we continue to enjoy. In the beginning of our journey we were a soy milk family. Of course, that was all that the major grocers were selling at the time. We’re now regularly drinking almond milk. My point is that we embrace change, but this new plant-based burger boom frightens me. I’m still trying to figure out if it is real food. During this time we are supposed to stay at home, but that is almost impossible considering we have to constantly restock on supplies. There are people who still have to go to work as well. Now, there are ways to prevent yourself from getting sick, like washing hands, wearing masks, and keeping yourself distant from others, but there is also another way that is not talked about as much. Eating foods with good sources of vitamin D and C is known to help boost your immune system. Strengthening your immune system helps you have a smaller chance of getting sick. So, for those who have to go to work or just want to not get sick, here is a list of vegan vitamin D and C sources.
A few years ago it came out that RoundUp (a pesticide) and the chemicals in it were harmful enough to cause cancer in farmers and others who used it. The harm doesn’t stop there though, as traces of the product can be found in the grains it is used on, including oatmeal. My mom was alarmed by this and cut off all oatmeal making and oat products from being brought in the house in no time. It was a great decision, except now, we had to rethink breakfast entirely, because, literally, every morning was either oatmeal as a hot cereal or oatmeal in homemade granola.
I haven't been sick with a cold or have had intense cold symptoms in years (knock on wood). I literally remember the last time I was sick. It was my second year of college. My colds always began with a sore throat, and that one started bothering me at night as I was trying to sleep. My nose was also blocked, causing my throat to be dry, worsening the pain. I wen't to school that morning, but ended up coming right back because the instructor suggested that I take a day. Back home the intense throat pain made me feel as if I were going to vomit.
Though I wasn't sick as often as some people are back then, catching a cold when I did was very frustrating for me. I couldn't imagine what it's like having the flu, which I've never had. Sleep is a very important part of maintaining a healthy body; it's like recharging your batteries for the next day. Unfortunately, a lot of us aren't getting enough sleep. We are staying up late to finish projects, or homework, watching TV, Netflix, Hulu, etc., playing video games, or partying. We kind of dismiss the importance of sleep. We’ll wake up the next morning feeling drowsy and get a fix of caffeine to wake us up, which can hurt the body in the long run. If we understand sleep, we will take it more seriously.
“I don't like the taste!”
“I'll have to use the bathroom all the time.” “I have a hard time remembering to drink it.” Do you use any of those excuses, or any other excuses, for why you're not drinking enough water? It's time to consider the health benefits of chugging h2o before we utter another tired excuse: I don't know what happened. I was making stir-fried tofu on my messy stovetop (because I still needed to clean my kitchen), and I randomly began singing Marvin Gaye. I ran through a few songs off of the What's Going On album, one that my mom played a lot when my siblings and I were younger, and was suddenly filled with emotion. The album spoke about so many things that felt so relevant today such as environmental destruction, sickness, war, hatred, the power of spirituality, etc. I grabbed my phone and pulled up the album, and played the songs back to myself. I cried...Hard.
One of the biggest concerns in a vegan diet is, where do you get protein? This information is not very common when it comes to learning about veganism. There are, surprisingly, a lot of vegan options that have good sources of protein. They are actually consumed daily by vegans, but because of the lack of knowledge about these products, we think we are not consuming enough protein. So, I decided to make a list of the most common foods that are consumed by vegans that are a good source of protein.
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Our BlogLooking Through Vegan Colored Glasses is a vegan lifestyle blog curated by a Black mom and four of her vegan raised kids, covering their opinions on health, food, and fashion. ArchivesCategories
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