Profile
Name:
Sara
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Age:
29
Joined:
Mar 29, 2008
Latest Activity:
1 year ago
Subscribers:
79
Website:
About Me:
I am a Vegan. This is a personal choice I made about 6 years ago. If someone had told me that I would change my eating habits so much, I probably would not have believed them.
It is a bit of a story about how I got to where I am today. Should I tell you how it all started well you are still reading so that tells me you are interested in knowing more.
My Mum and I were in a plane on our way to Banff for a 10 day holiday. She was reading a book Diet for a New America by John Robbins. My Mum leaned over and asked if I would be interested in not eating any animal products (which includes meat, fish and dairy) on our holiday. I wasnt convinced until she started reading me portions of the book. So saying yes to the challenge wasnt too difficult.
Even before our trip I was having problems with my digestion and elimination. I would feel so sluggish after eating meat. It just seemed to sit there forever and it drained me of my energy. Dont get me wrong... I loved the taste and texture of all meat but the feeling after eating was not pleasant. Dairy was easy to give up. As a singer I was eating very little because of its mucus building factor. Even so, I still really enjoyed my ice cream. The biggest challenge for my Mum on this trip was all the homemade ice cream stores. She loved tasting new ice creams. But she kept her word and only looked.
I noticed my digestion and elimination was on the up and up. Now I had a taste of what it felt like to eat and be energized. There was no turning back. My Mum had asthma. Within a few months of becoming Vegan, no more asthma attacks. She was bothered by stiffness in her ankles and fingers...gone, gone, gone!!!!
You may have heard that what you think about you bring about.
'Ever think about buying a certain car and all of a sudden you see them everywhere?'
Since I was focusing on health I started to attract all sorts of health conferences to sing at. I was singing for doctors turned naturopaths, herbalists, natural therapists...all sharing their wisdom about food and well being. I was starting to learn about a whole different world and I was loving it!!
One day my Mum told me there was a speaker coming to our community to speak on the benefits of raw eating. I said, 'What do you eat, just carrots and celery sticks?'
Off we went to hear a man speak about the benefits of living foods. I was impressed with the analogy of a raw almond vs. a roasted one. If you put them both in the ground only the raw one will grow. The raw one is living, the roasted one is dead.
So I thought, I want to eat foods that give my body the most nutrition. But I wasnt totally convinced quite yet.
My Mum was the first to go totally raw. I had never seen her so grumpy and irritated. She was just eating seeds, fruits and vegetables. It wasnt enough, plus she really didnt know what she was doing. So she went back to her regular vegan eating while she investigated further into raw. We found a raw food restaurant in Toronto (www.livefoodbar.com). The flavours, the texture, the desserts literally blew my mind.This opened a whole new world of possibility. Then my Mum bought a few raw preparation books and new kitchen tools (dehydrator, saladaco, juicer, vita mix, mandolin etc). We started making raw crackers, tortila chips, raw veggie burgers and best all the most delicious healthy raw desserts...we were really on to something.
My Mum lost the 40 lbs she had been trying to lose for the last 10 years and had fun doing it while still eating her fav desserts with chocolate (all raw).
I loved how creative I could be with this way of living and how much fun I was having. My body loved this way of eating. I soon realized that everything comes down to taste and texture. Anything you can buy prepackaged (processed) or create with cooked food you can create as raw.
It is not about dieting and depriving yourself. It is about fuelling your body with natural, whole superfoods that provide the ingredients for a long, healthy life and enjoying every morsel.
I realize that being totally raw is not for everyone. I still enjoy my cooked non GMO brown rice and lightly steamed veggies. With this in mind all my recipes, whether cooked or raw, include only healthy ingredients.
"Each of us has the ability to create an extraordinary life through the choices we choose to make." Sara Westbrook my voice your choice
Watch for the launch of my new vegan recipe book. (some raw, some cooked/baked)
'Let's Start a Love Crusade' our bodies will love us forever.
Country:
Canada
Occupation:
speaker/singer/songwriter
Interests:
painting, baking, preparing food, decorating, running, weightlifting, arts and crafts
Movies:
Anchorman, Old School, Iron Chef, all cooking shows
Music:
All Genres
Books:
Law of Attraction
so because our bodies evolve while eating a variety of foods (so we know it works), and because we don't have the ability to know EXACTLY what to eat, we SHOULD eat the variety because it's the only way to be sure we didn't pick something bad.
or more shortly, eat whatever variety works for you. so keep up the good living because you're doing what counts: whatever works.
lovelovelove,
-T-