Well, I've finally done it. I've started a blog for all to see. All that know me know that I'm not a blogger. I really need to start because I know that journalizing things is a great way to keep track of your personal and spiritual growth, which is something I intend to begin. Let's start by classifying me, because in order for me to grow, I need to know where I started from.

I AM...

...a Christian - a Christ-loving, God-fearing, nowhere-near-perfect, human being
...in love with Jesus
...a vegan (mostly*)
...a black woman intent and content on having natural, untreated hair (napptural hair)
...excited by the jouney to come

I've decided that I'm making a change in my life. I no longer want to feel bad about myself, or conform to society's views as to how I should be, or how I should live. I am completely turning over a new leaf. I wanna be a different person. The me I was created to be. Some might say that I'm trying to be something that I'm not. What I've come to realize is that I can only be who I am, and who I am is who I am. Only I can tell the world who I am. No one else. I've been sick and tired of being sick and tired, and God is making a change in me. For the better. I fully believe that, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for me.

Now that I've stated an introduction, let me just kinda rant about all the plans I have, lol. So you might have read that I'm a vegan. For those of you that don't know what a vegan is, (I have run across people who don't know, so please don't think I'm insulting your intelligence) let me define it here: "a person who does not eat or use animal products."

Some of you may be wondering what the asterisk (*) was about up there. Well, looking at our definition, one might say that it's a bit extreme. And I would agree with that. lol. I, currently, say that I am mostly vegan, because in the true definition of the word, I am not "allowed" (meaning that I would find it repulsive) to eat anything that was made from animal byparts, nor would I be "allowed" to use products that had been created from animal parts. It's not that serious for me. Let me define more in depth the definition stated earlier, and then, allow me to proceed with what I personally am doing.

In the true sense of the definition, vegans do not eat ANYTHING made from an animal. That is to say, no meat (clearly!), no dairy (eggs, milk, cheese), and no food that contains any of these items. Meaning, if you bake a cake, and you use eggs and/or milk, vegans won't eat it. There are some vegans that go as far (and this is where the "extreme" part of the definition comes in) as to not eat honey (because they are a by-product of bees) and will not purchase leather (which comes from cows) or any other materials that are made from animal skin (alligator shoes, fur, etc.) Like I said earlier, it's not that serious for me. The reason I wrote mostly up yonder (yes, yonder) is because although I do not eat meat or dairy, I DO still eat foods that contain dairy (cake, sour cream, caesar dressing, etc.) Now. On to the part that you care about. Why I'm a vegan.

Why have I become vegan, you ask? Well, it's quite simple. It started with me just becoming vegetarian. (?!) Before you get your underwear in a bunch, let me start from the VERY beginning.

At the dawn of the summer of 2007 (June 2007), I decided that I wanted to be healthy. I was very sick (emotionally and physically) and was at my breaking point. I had constant headaches, back aches, intestinal pains, abdominal pain, and was (I apologize now) constipated. On top of all of that, I'm lactose intolerant. Well, you could imagine that I was a wreck. Combine this with me being stressed out, burnt out, and just all around depressed, you could imagine how I was feeling. Fed up with being overweight, and using my new-discovered hypotheses (you have to make a mental change before you can make a physical change) I decided to alter my diet (diet defined in this blog means WAY OF EATING) slowly. I figured that I would start by eliminating fried foods, sodas and juices, and red meat out of my diet. A lot you might say. Well, it was ok for the first week. I was doing well. But something was still missing. I still CRAVED a change, even though I'd made one. Daily perusing of other people's blogs (natural hair blogs mostly) I found myself looking at the YouTube account of another natural. On it, she'd posted a video about her hair care regimen. Immediately following that video, I saw another video she created about why she'd become a vegan. I watched it. I thought "OK. That's nice." But I just KNEW that it wasn't something I could do. I liked chicken too much. And sushi. But, because I am who I am, I did some research to find out what exactly veganism is and what vegan do and do not eat. I also noted her BEAUTIFUL skin and BEAUTIFUL hair. I thought that maybe I'd give it a try.

Upon doing research, I came across a great site that gave me all the insight I needed about becoming vegetarian and how to stay healthy on a vegetarian diet. Once I thought it over, it made sense to me. Why? Well, I'd already cut out red meat and fried foods. Since I don't eat pork anyway, that was one less thing to worry about. That leaves chicken, fish, and beef. Well, cutting out red meat took care of the beef. I usually ate chicken in its fried form, and since I'd cut out fried foods, no more chicken for me. That really only left fish. Since I live alone and am away at college, the only time I eat fish is either a) when I'm home and my mom cooks it, or b) when I eat sushi. I figured I'd be ok without the sushi and that I should at least try a vegetarian diet for 30 days. So, I made a plede on that fabulous website to become vegetarian for 30 days. Well, they say it takes 30 days to make something a habit. Needless to say, I was hooked. I didn't feel deprived or hungry and there were even times that I was grossed out by meat (go figure). Well, I haven't turned back since. I did discover something else on my research to become vegetarian. I'll explain that later.

Well that explains the vegetarian thing, but it doesn't explain the vegan thing. Well, that is actually very simple. I'm lactose intolerant. I don't drink milk anyway. Eggs began grossing me out about 6 years ago, so that takes care of them. Cheese? Well, cheese was my vice up until 2 weeks ago. So I stopped eating it (besides the fact that it was giving me terrible gas on account of the lactose intolerance). And there's how I became vegan.

In the event that you haven't been properly reading what I've typed, the short story is just that my body started rejected everything I ate. Meat, cheese, eggs...they were all the "devil". So the vegan thing just makes sense.

Wow. Ok. I've been yapping for quite sometime, and I still haven't told you about the other thing I discovered. I'll make it quick. Basically, I discovered a thing called the raw vegan diet. What the hell is that? Well, it's a diet that's comprised of any food you want, as long as its raw (obviously, lol). Raw vegans, or raw foodists, as they're alternatively known, eat ALL fruits adn vegetables (as long as they're raw) and SPROUTED nuts and grains. Water is a staple. That's pretty much it. There is SO much to explain, so I'm going to create an FAQ for you all, so that there's no confusion.

F.A.Q.

What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you a vegan?

I am vegan because it's healthy for me to eat this way. Years of abusing food had finally caught up to me, and I needed to make a change.


What is a vegan, anyway?

Vegan is defined as follows (as taken from Wikipedia): Veganism (also strict or pure vegetarianism) is a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans do not use or consume animal products of any kind. The most popular reasons for becoming a vegan are concerns for animal rights, the environment, or human health, and spiritual or religious concerns. Of particular concern are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources required for animal farming.


So what's this thing about you eating raw meat or something?

Not raw meat. Raw food.


What is raw food?

AlissaCohen.com explains it this way: Raw and living food is uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. There are also some other foods that fall within this category such as seaweeds, raw carob powder, cold pressed olive oil and certain spices and seasonings. Whole, ripe, raw, organic foods in their natural state are what help to keep us healthy, vibrant and free of sickness and disease.


Why do you wanna eat that way? Are you a freak or something?

Nope. Not a freak at all. I would consider my aware. Again, I'll let Alissa Cohen explain: The benefits of eating a raw and living food diet are too numerous to mention in entirety. The living and raw food diet has helped many people feel better when nothing else has worked.

Many people have healed themselves of diseases and ailments such as diabetes, fibromyalgia, acne, migraines, back pain, neck and joint pain, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hypoglycemia, colitis, diverticulitis, Candida, arthritis, serious allergies, depression, anxiety, mood swings, heartburn, gas, bloating, skin diseases, obesity, chronic fatigue, cancers and many more. Excess weight seems to just melt off your body when you eat a raw and living food diet!

By eating a raw and living food diet you will begin to turn back the hands of time. By eating a raw and living food diet you will start to look younger and more beautiful. You could turn your hair back to its natural color and stop hair loss. You could erase wrinkles and deep creases and age spots, your circles, bags and eye puffiness would disappear. Your acne and blemishes would be gone. Your teeth would be tighter and your gums would stop bleeding and your skin would glow and your eyes would sparkle. You would notice that you look better without make-up and that you have a natural sunny blush. People eating a raw food diet are the healthiest looking people I have ever seen. They have a glow in their skin, a shine to their hair, a sparkle in their eyes, a healthy, fit, body and look younger than their age. They have a youthful energy and they feel good about themselves and happy to be alive!

If you are sick, tired, overweight or just want to feel better than you do right now, know that this way of eating could be the answer to your prayers. Does it sound like I’m promising a lot? Well, I am because I have seen this raw diet work time and time again. This has been one of the greatest miracles in my life and in the lives of other people whom I’ve shared this with.


Why is raw food better than cooked food?

http://www.alissacohen.com/faqs.html#why


Who is this Alissa Cohen person, and why do you keep quoting her?

Alissa Cohen is a raw food expert. Instead of typing a bunch of information on her, I'll direct you here: http://www.alissacohen.com/about.html



Well, I think that's it on the questions. If you guys have any, let me know, because I can't think of anything else.


I have not started the raw diet yet, but I plan to. This blog will be about my journey to a 100% raw way of eating, my journey to napptural hair, and my journey to have the best relationship with God that is possible. I wanna work on a glossary of terms so that I can use shorthand and not have to explain so much, but that's to come. I am very excited to start changing for the better, and welcome you all to join me! :-)