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chrwrites · 4 years

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Lavender Tones

@lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Fic Challenge Prompt:"Pink and blue make purple”

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Pink is the colour of my first love. Pink is the colour of the lips I haven’t tasted. Pink is the colour of her cheeks when I compliment her. Pink is her kindness. Pink is her creativity. Marinette is smart and strong, beautiful and pink. She’s pink, like the most beautiful flower and the most mesmerising sunrise. Pink is the way she stands up for herself and for the people she loves. Pink is the way she taps a pencil on her sketchbook a beat too quick when I play for her. Thinking about it, she is different shades of pink. She’s bubble-gum pink when she’s happy, thulian pink when she’s sad, raspberry pink when she’s embarrassed, deep pink when she’s angry, coral pink when she’s determined to get something, shocking pink when she’s so focused on what she’s creating that she forgets about her surroundings. She’s amaranth pink when she avoids what bothers her and doesn’t want to burden people with her problems. She’s light pink when she’s serene. That’s my favourite pink on her, and that’s when she’s herself. I see light pink on her only when she’s with me. I'm lucky to see it, it means that she trusts me and that she feels safe with me and that’s what I want for her. Pink is the way she scrunches her nose. Pink is the amused smile on her face now that she’s looking at me. Pink is the colour dripping from the brush she is holding in her hand. There’s pink on my cheek now as well.

I am natural blue. On most days, I am sky blue. I am sky blue when I meditate, I am sky blue when I play my guitar. I am sky blue when I write songs. I am sky blue when I listen to someone’s heart. I am sky blue when I paint my nails. I am cyan when I see the people I love happy. I am electric blue when I play my songs on stage, looking for my favourite shade of pink in the crowd. But there are days where I am indigo, and I am gloomy and I wish for the world to disappear. I am indigo when I’m at my most vulnerable. I am indigo when I let myself fall and I make sure that no one can hear me. But I turn aquamarine when I pick myself up and start again, I go back to sky blue as I take deep breaths when I meditate. I am teal blue when I let her in. I am * when I look at her. I am * when I hold her. I am * when I play her heart’s song. And I go midnight blue when I watch her walk away. I wonder how someone like me can expect to have someone like her by his side. I was indigo when I realized that I could never have her and I had to accept that I can only admire her from afar.

Pink and blue make purple. And purple is dark and cold, and it’s the colour mom had when dad left us. Purple was my sister’s uneasiness before she won it over, purple is a colour I’ve learned to love when I noticed how good it looked on her. But at the same time, I don’t want for Marinette and I to be purple. It would be cold and decadent, not warm and soft like love is meant to be. I wish I were yellow, pink and yellow make peach, and that colour is warm and sweet like summer. It’s carefree, light and joyful, that’s how I’d imagine a relationship with her to be. She must have found her yellow already, and I shouldn’t let my hand dip into the paint bucket and stain her face with my colour. Now she’s blue, and the blackness of her hair highlights the electric colour that got tangled in some strands. I wish she was mine, but I would never let my blue take away her pink. “You’re so gonna pay for this!” she protests, taking some pink form her own bucket and smearing it on my face again. My lips can taste pink now, but it’s metallic and salty, and I don’t think the taste of the paint matches her colour, her pink would be sweet, like strawberries. I laugh as she gets closer, her brush is still in her hands, and for a second I don’t understand what she is doing. She’s right in front of me, and all I can see around me is pink, pink and nothing else. She is looking at me in the eyes, had they always been this shade of blue? They’re like sapphires, it’s the most beautiful view I’ve seen. I try to smile at her, but my body can’t seem to move. The blue paint in my hand is starting to dry, we should be painting the murales with our friends, what is she doing?

She is * when she stretches on her tiptoes to get closer to my face. “You know, pink and blue make purple…” she whispers right before she presses her lips on mine. This can’t be real, if this is a dream don’t wake me up. It’s fine, I can taste purple if that’s what she wants, I want to savour it, even if it’s not my favourite colour, I want to savour her. I respond to her kiss pulling her close and putting her face in my hands. Her cheeks are warm, but I wonder how they would feel like if they weren’t full of paint. The taste of the paint is fading as I feel her tongue slide into my mouth, she really tastes as sweet as strawberries, maybe it’s the lilpgloss she always wears. Everything is so perfect. And pink. And blue. I feel her smile on my lips, her hands are tangled in my hair, and I smile, too. This is too good to be true, my heart is light and ready to welcome her in full. But as soon as I feel this, she pulls back. She is still smiling, and her lips are a peculiar shade of purple. It’s warm and delicate, it’s not the colour I’m used to see. She is purple now, and I am too. I bring my hand to my lips, still feeling dizzy from that gentle kiss. I can’t hear what the people around us are saying. I can only see her. And she’s purple, maybe purple can be warm after all. She’s the one who breaks me from my trance state, “It’s more of a lilac, don’t you think?”, she is still smiling, what a vision.

“It suits you” leaves my lips before I pull her close for another kiss. Oh, I hope I can kiss her many more times after this.

#lbsc sprint fic challenge #lbsc sprint fic #lukanette fic #ml fanfic #lukanette #my work

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livinginahicktown · 7 years

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fanfic writers asks: #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 30, 38, 40, 42, 45, 46? any fandom you like ^^

1) things that inspire you

Honestly, a lot of things inspire me to write. Gaps in stories, the way characters interact, other people’s ideas and head canons, random things that happen to me, songs…

2) things that motivate you

My brain and my body don’t agree on when I can write. Like, I can have all the motivation and inspiration in the world and still spend hours staring at a blank document. But I almost always have either a story or art idea banging around in my head, waiting for the moment things line up right.

5) since how long do you write?

I’ve been writing both my own stories and fanfiction since 2005. At least, that’s when I started holding on to what I wrote. It wasn’t too long after that that I started posting stuff on quizilla (that just made me feel really old XD)

6) how did writing change you?

Honestly, along with reading, it gave me an escape from the fact that I was always alone. And then later it gave me an outlet for the crap that was happening in my life. It just….been a way I can keep myself calm and process everything without overwhelming my damaged brain. So, I think the answer is that it’s kept me partly sane XD

17) favorite AU to write

I like writing modern AUs, regardless of the series. I have a USUK Hetalia one that’s unfinished on fanfiction.net that I may or may not ever finish XD

18) favorite pairing to write

A lot of my fanfics are OC/self insert stuff (because I use writing as a coping mechanism), but if we’re talking canon characters, Sinbad/Ja’far from Magi.

19) favorite fandom to write

The list of fandoms I’ve written for is actually pretty small. Magi is always a lot of fun. So is Sengoku Basara (the one I spend the most time on these days). Hetalia used to be my go to though.

20) favorite character to write

I honestly really like writing my OCs. Ja’far is the easiest for me to write, usually, so he’s top of the list. Maeda Keiji’s a lot of fun too.

22) favorite story you’ve ever written

Well, let me dig through my story folder…that’s hard…Gaia’s Protectors (Saint Seiya) and its prequel, Sengoku Madness (Sengoku Basara), Black Eyes (Saiyuki) and The Monkey has a Sister (Hakuouki) and its various spinoffs. None of which I’ve posted because I’m highly self conscious of my writing and can’t always keep the characters 100% accurate.

24) favorite scene you’ve ever written

It’s from one of my Hakuouki spinoffs. My OC had never had sake before so some of the characters remedy that. The scene picks up the next day when they all wake up and my OC has a hangover and is just downright miserable so everyone takes pity on her. The next in line is any interaction between my OC and Keiji or Yukimura in Sengoku Madness.

30) hardest part of writing

Actually writing. I can want to, have the inspiration an motivation, and still nothing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

38) do you reread your own stories?

All the time. None of them are finished and I’ll take week, month, or year long breaks between writing sessions so I almost have to just to remember where I was going.

40) which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series

I don’t really want to see any of my fanfics as a movie or series. I’d far rather see one of my original works get that kind of attention, but that’ll never happen.

42) do you plan or do you write whatever comes to your mind?

I almost never plan. Sometimes I might know where or how I want the story to end, but I’m generally just writing whatever comes to mind and seems to fit.

45) share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet

Hahahaha I never publish any of my work. Um…this one’s from a very rough, unfinished, and untitled Slayers story.

Left in a magic-induced slumber, a young dragon is awakened by a group of travellers only to find that she’s been asleep for 900 years. Stranded without anyone she knew, the dragon follows the ragtag group as she tries to figure out what happened and get by in a world that moved on without her. Hope springs up when she hears news that someone she knew may still be alive, but panic sets in when she hears that the one who took them in is someone she knows as an enemy. Will she be able to save him? Will she even be able to survive herself?

46) share a scene of a story that you haven’t published yet

Oh jeez…from Gaia’s Protectors. It makes almost no sense without context and knowing who the characters are, but it’s goofy and fairly light-hearted.

Dohko woke up the next morning and went to check on the two anomalies currently calling his Temple home. He knew that many would criticize him for letting the two stay in the same room, but he hadn’t been worried about it. And what he saw when he walked in the room proved that he had been right. Amaranth was sprawled with her knee against Regulus’ hip. In turn, the Leo was stretch out upside down with his foot next to her face.Shion stopped in the doorway next to his friend. “Think we should wake them up?”He shook his head. “Let them sleep. The smell of breakfast will probably rouse them soon enough.”Once again, the Libra was right. The smell of frying bacon soon drew two drowsy juveniles from the bowels of the Temple. Amaranth proceeded to collapse at the table across from Shion, who was questioning if she had even noticed him, while Regulus offered to help prepare breakfast if there was anything left to do. Absentmindedly, Amaranth started humming to herself, head bobbing side to side to the tune.“Now what song is that?” Shion looked at her with interest.She cracked an eye open, noticing the Aries for the first time. “Fo'c'sle Song.” She said, then dropped her head to the table with an audible thud. “Fiddler’s Green.”“You’re singing about dying first thing in the morning?” He seemed unsettled by that fact.Amara yawned. “It’s an upbeat song. And it was stuck in my head when I woke up.”“That seems a bit odd.”“Well, Fiddler’s Green is the Celtic fishermen’s equivalent to Elysian. And I fell asleep thinking about having to go work for Hades.” She closed her eyes again. “Wake me up when the food’s ready.”“Wait, you have to work for Hades?” Shion frowned, far from pleased with the idea.“It’s nothing major.” She waved her hand limply. “Just have to muck out horse stalls. For the next hundred years. Could be worse.”“So you’ll be travelling back and forth between here and the Underworld?” Dohko set food on the table and took a seat.“Mm.” She stuffed a slice of bacon in her mouth. “I probably won’t be here for the next hundred years. Too long in one place. But while I’m here, yeah.”“And how long will you be here?” Shion asked, scooping eggs onto his plate.Amara shrugged. “I could stay until Gaia leaves, up to a few months.” She scooped breakfast onto her plate haphazardly. “Or I could hang around for a while after that. I’ve found Zeus’ll only bother me if I’m in the same place for a really extended period of time. Up to ten years, if I’m careful.”“It’s a miracle you’re not dead yet.”A shrug was all he got in response, as the immortal was far to engrossed in her food to answer.Regulus bumped her leg under the table. When she looked up, he was looking at her with his head tilted to the side. Her lips curled up in a slight smile. The silent exchange went on for a few moments, concluding with the Leo laughing and Amara shaking her head in amusement.“How do you two do that?” Dohko had stopped mid-bite to watch.They exchanged a look and shrugged in tandem, immediately digging back into their food.Shion, deciding to change the course of the conversation, took this as his chance to speak. “What are you two going to do about your relationship?” He couldn’t help being a little nosy. He was the Pope, after all, and wanted to keep tabs on what was going on in Sanctuary. Or so he would say if anyone questioned him. Really, he just wanted to tease the two allies he hadn’t seen in so long.Regulus’ face went bright red and he froze, the bite of egg falling off his fork.Amaranth choked on her toast. Coughing and sputtering, she locked him with a watery-eyed stare.“H-huh?”“I asked what you two were going to do.”“Why?”“Idle curiosity.”“Right…”Dohko smiled. “I’m more curious about what Regulus is going to do when Amara decides it’s time to move on.”“I-I haven’t thought about that.” He looked at the girl briefly before turning his complete attention to his plate.Amara mentally sighed. Time to redirect the conversation again. “Oh, oh! Change of topic.” She grinned. “How’re we going to introduce Reg to modern day everything?”“Why don’t you take him to Athens with you?” The Libra gestured with his fork. “He’s going to need stuff, too.”“…So, you want me to take him, to Athens, and return in one piece? Dohko, what do you think is going to happen the first time he sees a car? Or a television?”The Saint opened his mouth to say something, then slowly closed it, the smile slipping from his face.“Dohko, I think she has a point.” Shion chuckled.Regulus looked at the three in front of him. “What’s a television?”

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sarahburness · 6 years

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How I Got Stronger and Healthier After Giving Up Animal Products

“Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” ~Buddha

Not that long ago, I ate meat every single day. Every. Single. Day. For breakfast, I used to have fried eggs with feta or cottage cheese and turkey ham. My lunch consisted of minced beef or chicken with veggies. My dinner was then either leftovers from lunch or more meat/fried eggs/sometimes fish with veggies and cheese.

I followed an intense workout routine, went to the gym five to six times per week to lift weights, and on top of that did another two cardio sessions per week in a beautiful park close to my apartment.

The best I could do for my health, according to my personal trainer, was to stick to a high-protein, low-carb diet with lots of animal protein and avoid refined sugar. That also meant to drink one or two whey shakes per day.

For some people, this might sound exhausting or even brutal. At the time, though, I loved my fitness lifestyle and was proud to be as lean as I was.

For two years, this was my life, until I was offered a job abroad, which I accepted totally thrilled. This new opportunity was so exciting and full of possibilities! Sadly, I had to reduce my workouts and started to lapse when it came to my diet, meaning I ate significantly more carbs than before.

I worked non-stop around the clock. Soon, I started to get sick more often. Despite a job change, things got worse.

There was always something wrong with my body, either infections or injuries, which prevented me then from working out. The lack of exercise in turn led to feeling weaker. On top of that, I had to deal with a very toxic work environment, constant stress, internal gossip, difficult clients, and a lack of professional structure to only name a few unpleasant job-related factors.

Whenever I was feeling slightly better, I used to fall ill again. I started to gain weight and lost muscle mass. It was like a vicious circle with no way out.

The biggest support came from my boyfriend, who was there to take care of me. He was and still is my emotional rock. I don’t know what I would have done without him.

Once you move abroad, your social circle shrinks considerably (at least mine did), thus making it hard to not feel lonely at times. Most of my closest friends who are my social support system live either in my home country or in other parts of the world making it difficult to connect.

This state of mental and physical exhaustion lasted for a year and a half until I found the courage to walk away and quit my job. Once I had done that, I’d gotten rid of one of my biggest stress factors. Finally, I had time to focus on taking care of my health, body, and mind again.

As a documentary lover, I started watching food and health related documentaries. They all had one strong message in common: the promotion of a plant-based diet. According to those documentaries, following a whole-food, plant-based diet solves a lot of environmental and, to my surprise, health issues. I was intrigued!

I had a couple of friends following a plant-based diet already, so the idea wasn’t entirely new to me. A few weeks before quitting my job, I had suffered another internal infection and, therefore, reduced my meat intake to only once a month, following the advice of my gastroenterologist.

Questions started popping up in my mind: What if I could get rid of all infections by cutting out animal products completely? What if my body could recover from all the diseases?

I made my boyfriend watch those documentaries as well. He was shocked about the impact of animal products on our health. It took us a split second to decide that we were more than ready to give the plant-based diet a go!

The change was easier than expected; there was not a lot we had to get rid of in our kitchen and not a lot of new ingredients to buy either. Cooking and preparing healthy dishes has always been one of our favorite hobbies, and having things like quinoa or amaranth in our kitchen has been normal.

I quit drinking milk in 2013 and have loved almond milk since then, (Did you know that humans are the only animal species drinking milk from another animal, though this hormonal drink is only intended for baby calves to grow?)

The only dairy products left in our fridge were five cups of Greek yogurt, a piece of butter, and a variety of cheese. Together with our last organic eggs, everything found a new home in a friend’s kitchen.

Since the change, I feel so much better. It turned out that my new lifestyle wasn’t as complicated and hard to follow as I first imagined it would be. (I have to admit, having a special someone by your side doing the exact same thing makes it a whole lot easier.)

The infections in my body have decreased, and I don’t get sick as easy and often as before. Finally, I’m able to go to the gym to work out again. Not as intense as I used to, but on a regular basis.

I’ve consumed a high amount of animal products in the past, which is kind of the norm in our society. However, triggered by the lack of exercise and paired with a high stress level, it’s likely, that among other things, my high-animal-protein diet led to the many infections, a high level of inflammation, and a variety of illnesses I was struggling with.

The change to a plant-based diet isn’t a magic bullet, but it plays a big part when it comes to living a healthy life, in my opinion.

Sure, there are more things to consider like surrounding yourself with loving and compassionate people, regular exercise, being kind to yourself and others, and practicing gratitude, forgiveness, and mindfulness. Having said that, it would go beyond the scope of my post to delve into those topics.

There’s this cliché and certain image that comes to everyone’s mind as soon as you mention the word “vegan.” Unfortunately, it’s often seen as being difficult or just plain weird.

That’s why one thing has been very important to me right from the start: I don’t want to be defined by the diet I follow. What does that mean? I simply don’t broadcast it and especially don’t use it to strike up a conversation. What I choose to eat and what not is not that big of a deal. Even some of my friends still haven’t noticed yet.

However, when the subject comes up, the questions from friends, family, and sometimes complete strangers are often similar. Some people are really interested in my choice; others judge me for it. That’s the reason I felt compelled to write an honest Q&A, including the challenges I face in my everyday life and the personal benefits of my food choice.

Being vegan and following a healthy whole-food, plant-based diet shouldn’t come with a stigma in our society. Let’s encourage an open, respectful, and honest conversation instead.

Honest Q&A

Why did you change to a vegan diet?

Mostly because of health issues I was facing. I wanted to know if my health would improve with a plant-based diet. The high amount of animal products that our society consumes increases the likelihood of getting type 2 diabetes, cancer, strokes and heart attacks. All those diseases run in my family.

What did you have to change in your everyday life?

Not much, since I ate veggies and fruits lately most of the time anyway. I don’t cook with regular cheese or eggs anymore, which was the most difficult part in the beginning, because I truly was a cheese-aholic. There’s a scientific explanation for that, though. Long story short: Cheese triggers the same receptors in our brains as heroin, which is why I never met someone who doesn’t like cheese. Our society is simply addicted to it.

Ok… what documentary did you watch?

The first documentary I watched was Cowspiracy, followed by Food Matters and What the Health? The most comprehensive and objective one, in my opinion, is Forks over Knives. If you’re interested in the topic, I recommend to watch that one first. All documentaries are available on Netflix.

Will you never eat meat again?

I’m not entirely sure about that. Right now, being on a plant-based diet is definitely the right thing for me. However, a certain diet doesn’t mean that you have to be abstinent or else you’ll relapse and you have to start from zero again. Everybody should decide that individually since diets are such a personal topic.

But you’re so limited now! What do you eat? There’s nothing left!

At first glance, it might seem that way, especially if you’re used to eat only animal products. But there’s so much variety in all kind of different cuisines. So here’s what I eat:

Fruits

Vegetables

Whole-food options

This Vegan Food Pyramid breaks it down nicely.

My usual breakfast consists of:

Oatmeal with berries, banana, and almond milk

Or smashed avocado on dark bread

For lunch I often have:

Stir-fried veggies with brown rice or quinoa

Sometimes I order veggie pad thai without any egg

Veggie sushi with brown rice (there are many different options at our local sushi stores)

A yummy salad with steamed vegetables, nuts, avocado, and pomegranate seeds

For dinner, I love to make for example:

Zoodles (zucchini noodles)

Whole-wheat pasta with tomato sauce or pesto

Pineapple curry with dhal

Guacamole with sweet potato fries

A fresh tomato soup

I currently live in the Middle East, so I also indulge in the local cuisine e.g.:

Hummus, one of my favorite dips made of cooked, mashed chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil

Falafel, deep-fried balls made of ground chickpeas

Baba ghanoush, a dip made of grilled eggplants and diced vegetables

Moutabal, another grilled eggplant based dip mixed with tahini

Loubieh bil zeit, green beans in olive oil with ripe cooked tomatoes and garlic cloves

Mouhammara, a spicy paste-like dip consisting of mashed hot peppers, olive oil, and ground walnuts

Alayet banadoura, super yummy sautéed tomatoes stewed with garlic, pine seeds, and olive oil

There’s a ton of plant-based desserts as well that can be made at home easily. If I ever need a sugar fix, I get a piece of 90 percent dark chocolate, which also is vegan.

But what about proteins? You need meat to cover that!

Yep, I get that a lot. While this is wrong, it’s a strong belief in our society. But here’s a thought experiment: Where do the animals that we eat get their protein from? They eat plants; it’s as simple as that. High protein plant sources for example are lentils or edamame.

You can’t eat pizza anymore. Or burgers. Don’t you crave those sometimes?

I do crave pizza and burgers. And I eat them. The funny thing is that I don’t crave the meat or the cheese, but the comforting experience eating with my hands.

There are vegan pizza ordering options or great recipes for easy plant-based pizza dough and vegan cheese. Same thing with burgers: There often are vegan patties available when ordering in. It’s also easy to make them at home e.g. crispy quinoa patties. And yes, they’re really yummy!

Isn’t a plant-based diet expensive?

Surprisingly, it’s not. The most expensive things we used to get at the supermarket were meat and eggs followed by cheese. Now we save up to 30 percent when we do our grocery shopping.

I’m sure you’re not getting all your vitamins and nutrients without animal products.

I hear this often, but it’s not true. A plant-based diet provides a ton of vitamins and minerals. I only take one supplement, which is Vitamin B12. Not only vegetarians and vegans suffer from Vitamin B12 deficiency, though, but also people consuming meat. Apart from that, I don’t lack anything.

Sometimes, I read that you have to get Vitamin D supplements as well. Vitamin D however is produced by our own body as soon as our skin gets exposed to the sun and not by eating animal products. Other people believe they need to drink milk in order to get their calcium intake for a healthy bone structure.

Surprisingly, studies confirm that a higher calcium intake leads to weaker bones and a higher amount of bone fractures. If you’re interested in those findings, please read here for further information.

Don’t you miss anything?

Surprisingly, not as much as I thought I would.

What do you miss most?

One of my favorite drinks was Baileys on ice, which I don’t drink anymore. Sometimes I miss that. And chocolate ice-cream.

Are you now also a hippie-kumbaya-singing activist who only showers once a week and chains herself to train tracks?

Okay, I made that one up. But unfortunately that’s the image a lot of people have once you mention being “vegan.” Let’s change that together!

So you don’t eat fish?

No, I also don’t eat fish or seafood anymore. But I do eat sushi stuffed with vegetables and avocado.

Challenges I Face in Everyday Life

Restricted choice of dishes in restaurants. Some restaurants only offer food options with animal products, and every dish contains at least butter or cheese. I only noticed that once I started studying the menu more intensively, and was really in disbelief.

The wait staff gets often confused as soon as you mention “plant-based” or “vegan.” So I usually avoid it whenever I can and order instead the vegetarian option “without [insert animal product].”

Depending on the country you live in, there’s a limited availability of some products. I’ve never seen the vegan Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream, for example, or any vegan cheese options in the U.A.E. In my home country Germany, however, there are even vegan supermarket chains.

Few coffee shops offer milk substitutes like almond and coconut milk. Okay, this is kind of a first-world problem, but I need to get my daily coffee fix. Some coffee shops offer soy milk as the only milk alternative, but I don’t like the taste of it. Also the many controversial studies regarding soy simulating estrogen in our bodies confuse me, so I try to avoid larger amounts like a cup full of soy milk.

Endless discussions with so-called friends or acquaintances who feel entitled to judge my food choices. It saddens me.

Encounters with people who offer their unsolicited advice on how veganism is bad for my health (without having a nutritional background or an interest for healthy diets in general).

I never try to educate people without them asking me first, but rather respect the choices everybody makes. Sadly, I rarely come upon the same behavior. However, if someone is genuinely interested in my choice, I’m happy to tell them about it and share my experience. I strongly believe in the saying ‘live and let live’.

Noticeable Benefits of My Whole-Food and Plant-Based Diet:

I sleep like a baby.

My digestion improved significantly.

My life got simpler. I always read the ingredients table on the food packaging in the past. Most of the time, I was worried about the origin of animal products. Did that hen live in a tiny cage in the midst of her feces? What did she eat and where did she lay her eggs? Does “organic” really mean organic? What about antibiotics? Is that really grass-fed beef?

Since I cut out animal products, I only have to worry about the origin of fruits and veggies. Most of what we buy has organically grown in the U.A.E. or has been imported from Asia. I don’t like the thought of fruits or vegetables being flown around the globe, often only ripening on the plane, so we humans can indulge in whatever is not in season at the moment (or never) in the country we live in.

My skin got a lot better.

I feel healthier and more energized.

I cook and bake more and love it.

Some people claim that going vegan helps with weight loss. I’d say it depends from which weight and lifestyle you’re starting. I didn’t lose any weight, but my weight and body composition are also considered normal. Still, my goal is to fit into my jeans and tight dresses from my lean past with more ease, thus to reduce body fat. The journey is the destination.

We spend less money on grocery shopping.

I believe, that my choice reduces animal cruelty and environmental pollution.

My action alone might not make much of a difference, but the actions of a lot of people do.

Have you ever struggled with your health? What was your approach towards getting better?

About Nina Grey

Nina is the creator of A gorgeous Soul, a mindful lifestyle blog. Do you want to feel less anxious and be healthier and happier within 30 days? Download Nina’s free Mindful Lifestyle Mini Guide and learn how to master your day with more ease and joy within 30 days, even if you've got a soul-sucking job and a demanding or stressful (family) life.

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from Tiny Buddha https://tinybuddha.com/blog/got-stronger-healthier-giving-animal-products/

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