Transitioning into a vegetarian lifestyle

As I've mentioned before, my natural hair journey has caused me to desire a healthier way of living and nourishing my body. My body is a temple, which means I should treat it better than I do - inside and out. I previously shared with you my fitness goals, training for a 5k, as well as my desire to become a vegetarian. I've found some wonderful resources to help me in this effort...so I'm sharing them with you (You will find a few of them linked in my "Knowledge is key" area to the left.) As with any undertaking I am careful to do my research and not make any "fly by the seat of my pants" decisions. There is so much information and support on the internet, it's AWESOME!!!

Blackvegetarians.org has been of tremendous help to me. Here you will find a list of transitioning tips for newbs (like myself!) If you read the information listed there (quoted below), you will find websites that will mail you a Vegetarian Starter Kit FOR FREE and there is one you can access directly from the internet.

Get free vegetarian and vegan starter guides at www.tryveg.com, www.goveg.com/vegkit/index.html and http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/index.html.

During my research I learned that there are several different "levels" or types of vegetarianism.

1.	Semi-Vegetarians aka Flexitarians
	Semi-vegetarians limit their intake of either certain types of meat or the amount of meat. For example, they might eat no red or white meat (beef, pork, venison, etc), but eat fowl and fish. Or they might only eat meat once or twice a week. Someone who only eats fish can also be called a pescatarian. (Purists would say that semi-vegetarians are not vegetarians at all, but I have included them in order to show the complete hierarchy.)
2.	Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians
	The most common type, ovo-lacto vegetarians do not eat any animals, but do eat eggs and dairy products. Subcategories: * Ovo vegetarians (eat eggs but not dairy) * Lacto vegetarians (eat dairy but not eggs)
3.	Vegans
	Vegans eat no animal products - no eggs, no dairy, no honey, etc.
4.	Raw/Living Foodists
	Raw or Living Foodists eat only raw food, because enzymes are destroyed by normal cooking processes.
5.	Fruitarians
	Fruitarians eat only fruit, fruit-like vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers), and sometimes seeds and nuts.

Here are a few of the cookbooks that I want. Don't they look GREAT?!

• Delicious Jamaica: Vegetarian Cuisine - Yvonne McCalla Sobers
• Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African American Cuisine - Bryant Terry

Let me re-iterate that while I love animals, my purpose for this is to improve my quality of life and overall health. Whatever YOUR choice, whatever YOUR reasons for your current lifestyle I encourage you to live your best life...you only get one!





Toodles!

On My Journey

Yep, that's me...literally and figuratively. You can call me OMJ, Journey, whichever you like.
Hello everyone and welcome to my little piece of the world.

Initially, this blog was going to be closed to the public and just serve as my way of documenting my journey and expressing my feelings about it. But recently, I've had a change of heart. I think the perfect first entry for Natural Sunshine is a post I created and shared with my dear friends at Black Hair Media. It sums up my feelings at this present time.

I started this journey as a way of reaffirming for my daughter that natural hair, specifically her natural hair, was beautiful and to help her love and be proud of it once again ... after having dealt with some ignorant comments made by family members. As a result I have fallen in love with my own, which shocked me because to me, my hair was always "just hair."

Now, the fact that I'm transitioning to my natural hair gives me strength and a pride I never had before. It was an interesting feeling when I felt it developing and now it's one that I relish in. So here I am, wishing not to put any chemical straightener in my hair, not wanting it straight period. No flat iron, no blow dryer. The straight look on me just isn't cute anymore. I look at older pics and I look "funny." lol

At any rate, the point of this thread is that as I follow this path I have come to use more and more natural products. Using things straight out of my kitchen along with oils and the like and I find that our hair is all the better for it. I have also started to be more cognizant of what I put on our skin and in our bodies. My skincare regimen has become more organic - using baking soda, water and a tea tree cleanser by Dessert Essence to wash my face and shea butter to moisturize our face and body. My daughter and I both use these and our skin is happy.

Most recently I've started to look closer at the foods we eat, how I prepare them, etc. Now we've always been "aware" in this regard. Always ate lots of vegetables and fruits, no white rice/bread etc. -only whole grains and whole wheat, 1% milk and cheese made with 2% milk, lots of water, etc. I don't remember the last time I purchased red meat. But now, I've decided that I am transitioning into vegetarianism. I did not make this decision lightly. I've been reading (for some time now) everything I could get my hands on, searching the net, watching YT vids from others who have, etc.

Now, let me clarify (and don't y'all get mad)...while I love animals and wish no harm upon them, this is not my reason. For me, it's about trying to be as organic and "clean" in my approach to how I treat my body (hair, skin and internally) as possible. I'm doing this for overall health reasons and mental balance. It seems like a natural progression (no pun intended).

As to not send my body into shock and to maintain appropriate intake of protein, I've been eating my usual abundance of fruits and veggies, and the only "meats" I've had are shrimp, tilapia and salmon. I've also had some dairy products with cheese and eggs. (Had an omelete yesterday, but typically I don't do eggs). As I understand it this level is called Pesce-Vegetarianism. This typically isn't considered "real" vegetarianism, but I'm not doing this for anyone but me. As I said, I'm transitioning into this, so this is my "first level" and I'm not sure what I'll cut next.

As I continue to learn and grow I'm sure the progression will continue to be a natural one and things will fall into place. I've found so many awesome recipes on YT and across the net and to be honest it doesn't vary that greatly from my regular diet (i.e. way of eating) anyway. I say all this to share that my journey to natural hair has inspired me to refocus my view of my body and recognize that it truly is a temple. I've gotten back into my exercise routine and trying to get more sleep and (though the internet makes it difficult ) and am working on my personal relationship with God and Jesus.

At this point in my life's journey I feel something stirring in me. Very hard to explain with words, but I feel a transformation in process and I just wanted to share all of this with you because you feel like family to me. You've supported me and encouraged me, laughed with (and at ) me and I love you all. When I decided to stop relaxing my hair, I never knew it would inspire such change in my life. So sorry for this SUPER LONG post, but this has been on my heart for some time now and every time I begin to write this I stop..but today was the day and I was determined to get it all out. I don't know if anyone else's hair journey has sparked change in their life (in any way) or not, if so please share, but I just wanted to tell you all about mine.

Has your natural hair journey sparked any change in your life? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Thank you in advance for sharing with me.



Toodles!!