Oprah has been doing an “experiment”…she has been following a vegan diet for 21 days to increase her spiritual awareness of food. The experiment was induced by author Kathy Feston of the book, Quantam Wellness. The diet puts into practice the removal of alcohol, animal products, gluten, and sugar and caffeine from a person’s daily meals and snacks.
Oprah documented her journey through her blog. http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_1.jhtml In theory it sounds great to eat healthier; and, to eat foods that aren’t having a negative influence on your body or the animal world. Whole foods that are grown and prepared with fresh herbs and spices are so much more satisfying to the body.
However, I know how much work is involved preparing enough food to satisfy a family…and i think definately, that Oprah had an advantage as she had help through the first week by having someone (Chef) think about the menu and prepare it. Not to mention she can “financially afford” to eat any way that she chooses to.
Eating right can be costlier than eating on the cheap; especially with the cost of shipping food from one distributor to another. I read somewhere recently that more and more people are choosing to buy from local markets and farm markets to help keep freshness in the food; and as a way, to help green up our planet by not adding to the greenhouse gasses of having food shipped to the local grocery store from up to 1,500 miles away where it was grown or produced.
Being an informed consumer is never a bad thing. We are all connected in a multitude of ways…human beings, planet, animals, and plants…making informed decisions about how we live our lives can have a huge impact on the world around us. Most of us don’t stop to think on those issues. I think that the native Americans came the closest to living in a spirtual way of balance on these issues from the beginning of our nation’s origin; and, we would be wise to follow that example of respecting life and planet.
I do admire Oprah’s willingness to agree to try this new way of life and to follow through it, on principal. Thinking about what we put into our bodies and understanding where that food comes from is important. There are so many people in the world going without the basic food necessities; and, most American’s are spoiled in the fact that we have so very many choices about what we eat. Educating ourselves to eat healthier and with a state of awareness is, something that i can get behind. Good job of leadership Oprah!
Like Oprah, I grew up growing and canning alot of what our family ate. I had gotten away from that way of life over the last few years. However, we are once again growing some of our own food which i will preserve. This way i know about the safety of the food too…what kinds of pesticides (none) and fertilizers were used. Where the water comes from and that it is clean water used to prevent adding additional bacteria to the produce. It feels good to grow your own food and know what has happened along the way of the growing season; before that food hits the family dinner table.
So…Oprah has declared that she will never eat food again without an awareness of where that food comes from. If nothing else, Oprah has set a trend and helped people to think about the fact that we do have choices in what we eat; and, where we get the food that we serve to ourselves and our families.
Write where you are 
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