I made a delicious dinner last night.
I cooked some Spanish rice, steamed some broccoli florets, and sautéed some fresh shrimp.
Yes, I am vegan for the most part, but on rare occasions (once in a blue moon) I may chow down on scrumptious shellfish.
Later on, I sunk my teeth into three juicy mouthwatering icy-cold fresh oranges.
I love my fresh fruit!
During my twelve hour shifts this past week I made sure I was prepared with healthy and nourishing meals to take along with me beforehand.
I had bottles of Mango juice smoothies, large cut portions of watermelon, a six-pack box of raisins, organic corn and organic broccoli florets that I heated up in the microwave.
I ate shrimp and rice for dinner the night before last. Afterwards, I drunk one or two full cups of ice-cold apple juice.
When I cook that particular meal it always comes out delicious and filling. I’ve bought and fixed shrimp quite a few times lately. It had been a while since I’ve eaten shrimp.
I don’t have a problem finding the product on the shelf. They are a little expensive compared to the other items of seafood stocked in the local supermarket, and certain people aren’t too eager to purchase these particular quality of shrimps on account of the price, even though they are worth the money.
As I sit here in my living room I decide what to prepare for dinner tonight and at the same time I have a memory enter into my mind.
The thought reflected on one of the wealthy clients I worked with for a few months a few years ago. She was a retired business attorney who practiced law for nearly 20 years at Home Box Office, specializing in satellite transactions and international partnerships with movie studios and cable companies to bring HBO abroad.
Anyway, one day we took a cab from her million-dollar rented apartment that she came to eventually own, situated in Manhattan, NY to her hair-salon that was located on the second floor of a fancy building.
While I waited for my client to get her hair colored, washed, blow-dried, and styled I killed time by going down to one of the first floor restaurants to order me some food to take back to her apartment.
I was staying at her home for nearly the entire week straight-working a double and extended day shift. Usually I’d do four days a week overnight with her, but her day caregiver was temporarily off schedule, and I covered her shifts as well as mine.
There inside the restaurant I ordered shrimp with french fries, a side of vegetables, two packages of mixed fruit, and a vegan smoothie.
I placed my order for take out; the order summed up to a little over fifty dollars.
I saved all of my food to eat later that night except for the smoothie, and one of the packages of fruit.
I sat at one of the restaurant tables and ate my delicious fruit while I sipped on my green-colored smoothie that was made purely of vegetables, fruit, and spices.
Aside from having juiced raw fruit and vegetables in my juicer years ago, I had never tasted one of these modern-day smoothies that are usually made with dairy yogurt or whatever else.
I was surprised at how very good the smoothie that I had tasted, considering the combination of the raw vegetables mixed in together. I can’t remember the entire ingredient list but the beverage did contain spinach, carrots, apples, celery and a few other nutritious edibles along with lemon and spice.
Plant-based is absolutely the best way to go and I go that way naturally and that diet is also compatible with my blood-type as our blood-types have a lot to do with our distinct personalities (https://misslatoya.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/blood-typepersonality-type/).
In the early nineties a little over twenty years ago there was a health food store that I use to go to and purchase vitamins and vegan food from because back then I had stopped eating poultry and seafood altogether along with red meat. I hadn’t eaten red meat since I was about twelve. It was until I turned about eighteen that I would eat poultry and fish here and there and I still do from time to time but I never went back to eating red meat and I never will.
Then I use to head a little further down to Grand Union supermarket to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables-oh, those were the good ole days!
This particular health food store sold quality products and they had a veggie protein soy grounds item that came in a package inside of a box that didn’t need to be refrigerated. And I use to cook it in a sauce and stuff it inside a pita-like pocket bread and it was so healthy and delicious I don’t see anything like this nowadays.
My mother and one of her friends had ate a meatless veggie burger from there once back then and told me how good that it was I had never ever had a veggie burger until recently.
I had a black bean veggie burger that tasted good and that filled me up as I heated and covered it with Chao brand original creamy vegan cheese slices (the only non dairy cheese that I ever tasted that could actually pass for cheese).
“Daiya” vegan cheese slices were the nastiest thing I had ever tasted in my life and the shit had made me sick for a few days. “Tofutti” cheese slices were more on the style of Kraft singles American cheese yet the product still didn’t taste all that hot.
Just because something is labeled vegan or vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean that it is healthy or nutritious for us it all depends on how the food was processed and manufactured. I don’t trust too many items which is why I do stick to simple fresh foods and grains like broccoli, pineapples, rice and the rest of that yummy stuff that is so very nutritious and healthy but I do like my soy milk by “Silk”, soy ice cream by “So Delicious” and oil and fruit-based buttery spread and white cheddar vegan puffs that is not made from any dairy by “Earth Balance”.
This past Friday, Sunday and Monday which was yesterday I enjoyed a nice and wonderful day at work doing my occupational activities and so far everything was professional as it should be and that is the way that I like it; to go to work enjoying what I do with no bullshit just doing good business, providing sufficient performance and helping out the customers as they need and inquire none of us that are genuinely productive and constructive and that mean well have any time for nonsense just peace and contentment.
When I got off the job I went straight to the neighborhood grocery to pick out some items and was so delighted to come across a great quality non dairy plant-based buttery spread that I had heard of and a non dairy vegan/vegetarian cheddar style cheese that I hadn’t paid attention to even notice was stocked there in that supermarket for as long as I have been going there. Now I don’t have to go out of my way or spend a fortune to buy my certain other non dairy items to indulge in as they are at a reasonable price and nearby location.
My day was made after I left that supermarket as I love to eat and live healthily it is just exciting to me to know there are so many foods becoming more available for the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle to choose from. I love my soy meat (textured soy protein that I deliciously discovered years ago back in the early nineties) I love my very vanilla non dairy soy milk, vanilla non dairy ice cream and non dairy alternative cheese and butter all made from plants, fruits, vegetables and vegetable oils.
Our own personal environment and lifestyle play a significant role within keeping our aura/energy field as well as mind, body, and spirit maintained, unaffected and protected against negativity and darkness and that livelihood comes natural when we are in tune to the universe within our own specific innate tendency.
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I am so into healthy eating and caring for the body I even use a natural deodorant product that contains the safest of ingredients and that is endorsed by many cancer treatment centers as it does not supply any harsh chemicals like the commercial brands do only mineral salts and plant based extracts and the deodorant works so well and wonderfully for me.
That would be really great if the Turmeric does turn out to be a solid remedy for you within the long run I hope that it does, if not, hopefully you will fine another natural source that works in harmony with you and within your corresponding food regimen and body chemistry, because that is the key for all of us as unique individuals with different bodily constitutions and the circumstances that effect our overall functions as well as our digestive tracts.
We need to find things that are agreeable with us in order for it to work properly and thoroughly, and what may be a remedy for us may not always be or serve as the same productive treatment or cure for someone else.
In our occasional search to find the specific things that will cater to our own personal individual needs and growth that may also call for the vital improvement within whatever it is that may sometimes ail us I am sure that at the same time we are all reaching for that ultimate goal of consistently endeavoring to maintain the most optimal of health that is possible.
I take good bites out of life; the chunks that I know are going to be the most nutritious and beneficial for me. I eat and live very health-wise. Aside from feeding our bodies we also have to feed our brains and without a healthy constitution our minds will lack the virility that it needs to properly energize and function.
We are spirits walking around within our shells of flesh yet while we are here on the earth it is very important to maintain that vibrant and flexible shell with love and respect.
Normally, i’ve always had a very healthy digestive tract. I move my bowels frequently just about every day, and sometimes twice in a day.
The first time i had ever encountered hemorrhoids i was ten years of age. I remember sitting on the toilet seat of my home straining to defecate. I was constipated and parts of my stool would just not release. As I continued to put strenuous effort upon my rectum i had began to feel sore, sharp stinging pain, and burning sensations.
I developed swelling around the both sides of my anus. Two hard and severely painful lumps. It was bad. So bad that from then on I never put any extra strain other than necessary during a bowel movement. I never forgot the experience of having those terrible external hemorrhoids.
As I grew older i developed prolapsed internal hemorrhoids which sometimes flare up before, during, or after one of my menstrual cycles. These type of hemorrhoids enlarge and protrude outside the anal sphincter. Mine have itched, bled, and caused burning and shooting pains.
One remedy that i’ve found to relieve most of the annoyance is a vitamin named “Rutin”. Rutin is a bioflavonoid that has strong antioxidant properties. One of the reasons why Rutin was effective in helping my hemorrhoid discomfort is due to the fact that it strengthens the blood vessels. I took 500mgs daily.
Aside from that, i also occasionally developed a severe constipation that would reoccur. My stool would get stuck inside the passageway of my rectum. And i could feel the poop as it stretched my anus.
The only solution that i had at the time was to get up from the toilet (if no one at home was available to head out to the store for me or able to bring me up something to eat or drink) with hard stool partially exited out of my behind, to go consume a fruit or vegetable.
Prune juice, raisins, or some quickly boiled plant food usually did the trick. I’d be successfully discharging the stopped up remains of my bowel movement in no time.
This one day though, I wasn’t so lucky. Nothing worked. Not the prune juice or anything else that i tried. I literally had to take one of my hands and pull out a portion of my stool and, it was huge. I had to dig in a little around the inside of the anus to remove extra fecal excess so that i could push out the rest.
After going through that I decided to never be in that situation ever again. At the state I was in I knew that constipation if-severe enough-could kill an individual.
I am a health fanatic. And i take a good load of top quality vitamins. So in my search to add to my collection of supplements when needed, I had come upon Probiotics. And i saw that they were good not only for the digestive system but also for overall health-which I was looking to improve on in certain areas.
The Probiotics worked very well. And every time I go to purchase a vitamin for one reason I end up finding out how they serve to help me out in other ways. And that is always a great thing to discover.
The same thing happened when i read up on the herb Turmeric. When I studied the benefits that Turmeric had to offer I became interested in giving the vitamin a try. And i did.
When I took my first vegetarian capsule of 400mg standardized turmeric extract (root) and 372mg curcuminoids i noticed a change within my body the same day. And after taking my Turmeric supplements for four years straight i have never been constipated again.
Some people think that going vegetarian means an end to the appetizing meals that usually taste good. It is quite the contrary. There are a number of pleasant foods out there for us vegetarians to consume.
Eating is one of the natural enjoyments of my life. And I love to cook for myself when I am in the mood. Anyone who knows me knows that I eat the things that are very nutritious yet at the same time, satisfying.
Vegetarians are not limited in their options when it pertains to the choices of meal plan.
Potatoes are a fantastic example. There are a wide variety of ways in how to use potatoes. They can be baked, boiled, roasted, mashed, scalloped, wedged and so on. No matter what style or fashion that they’re prepared in they make a great dish.
French fries are one of my favorites. I fry them in pure vegetable oils. I notice that sunflower oil gives them the most distinct and crisp flavor.
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Chicken is another wonderful example. There are also a large variety of ways in which chicken can be prepared. Chicken is baked, boiled, broiled, roasted (and also rotisserie), barbecued, grilled, smothered, fried and sauteed.
I like pasta a lot. I eat meatless pasta dishes such as baked ziti, lasagna, macaroni, and spaghetti. I love pizza too.
The cheeses, seasonings, and sauce is what brings out the good flavor in the pasta. Spaghetti, lasagna and ziti taste so much better to me without the meat. That is just my preference.
There is a high quality pizzeria that has been located in my old neighborhood for over a decade now. The establishment even gained public notoriety by the media for being the number one best tasting quality pizzeria in all of New York. I saw footage of the television program that one of the cooks appeared on. And I recognized him from the restaurant.
I’d been eating from this particular pizzeria for years, since childhood. They serve this delicious chicken pizza that is loaded with parsley, tomatoes, cheese, and chunks of chopped chicken. They also serve broccoli and spinach pizza pies.
Vegetables always liven up a meal. Especially when they are mixed in with rice, green peppers, shrimps, onions and the like.
I cannot resist the taste of corn, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, string beans, green peas and lima beans. And, do not mention salad. There was a nice zesty Italian “Good Seasons” brand dressing that came in a packet that I use to prepare and pour over my freshly made salads. The flavor was simply grand.
Most corn bread and cake mixes have lard ingredients in them (vegetable shortening). I only use the ones that do not. There are some name brand all butter and/or pure vegetable oil mixes. They are just hard to come by.
Popular name brands are not always a guarantee of quality. Lesser known and lesser expensive items can be just as good or effective and, sometimes even better.
I am not into and never have been into yogurt or tofu. I never had a smoothie either and I do not desire to. I’ll stick to my french vanilla and vanilla ice cream milk shakes and “Ensure Plus” health drinks.
My diet consists of a blissful food regimen. One that keeps me essentially happy and healthy. My lifestyle is not at all demanding or compromising. It comes naturally and easily.
I was raised and brought up on quality. My mother always made sure that i had the best of things. She never introduced me to any type of junk. And food was no exception. I was a very well taken care of little girl.
I also had my own naturally developed sense of style and taste that helped to distinguished my identity growing up through the years. From the beginning, i was always my own person, not influenced by anyone or anything. I was very observant, very opinionated, and very analytical.
And while other young teens were out running wild, hanging tough, partying hard, and selling their royal oats, I was home deciding what i wanted out of my life.
I knew that i wanted to be a writer and i would write and type up stories on the electric typewriter my mother had bought me. And i also knew that i wanted to lose a little bit of the weight that i had gained.
I was never a chubby child. I had always been on the slim side. It wasn’t until after I turned twelve that i noticed my body starting to fill out a bit. I was never at all self conscious about the way that I looked. My figure was solid and very well proportioned, I had a very attractive shape. However, when i walked my legs would rub together and that felt annoying. I’d also get tired kind of fast. My energy lagged a little.
As I was in the process of change upon entering into my teenage years I decided to change my eating habits. And i didn’t waste any time in doing it. Once I put my mind to something I will see it through.
I was very interested in becoming a vegetarian. The idea just seemed so right for me, it agreed with my personality. A young girl who was clean, healthy, and pure.
One of my favorite music super stars at the time was “Madonna”. I loved everything about her back then. And when I read In a magazine that she was homeless and would eat french fries out of public garbage cans before she became famous-from people who had thrown away the remains of their fast food meals-I was dead set.
Madonna claimed that she refused to eat any left over pieces of burger due to the fact that she was a “vegetarian”. So she did serve to me as a boost of inspiration.
At the start of my endeavor I became a very strict vegetarian. I only ate grains, vegetables and fruits. I drank only water and juice from fruits that i juiced.
When I turned nineteen years of age, I decided to settle and make a few adjustments to my diet. I accepted eating poultry, shrimp/fish (I love whiting), and dairy along with my usual regimen.
I still did not drink any soda. I didn’t have any desire to. And I still don’t til this day.There is no real nutritional value in those beverages. I did, however, start to drink milk again because I just loved vanilla milkshakes. And I drink only concentrated natural juices with textures that are “transparent”.
I am well aware that some people in particular do not consider chicken and seafood eaters 100% “pure vegetarians” but, nevertheless, I do fit into the category. I continue to refuse to consume anything that is derived from beef or pork.
I am very particular about what i put into my body. I check ingredients religiously and I will call up the company in which a product is manufactured in order to find out further detail regarding the quality.
I love breads. The majority of breads sold out on the market contain mono and diglycerides. An ingredient that I am not fond of and will not intake. There are the vegetable diglycerides which I do not prefer either. Certain labels are making an effort to bake breads with more natural contents now. They are starting to come out with bread titled “Simply Natural”.
Nothing beats Nature’s Pride breads in my opinion. It was an all natural brand. I just loved the honey and whole wheat flavors. Since “Hostess” shut down-the company which produced Nature’s Pride-the product was discontinued.
Haagen Daz is my favorite all natural brand of ice cream. The vanilla and butter pecan flavors are my preferences.
I am careful about cheeses that i eat as some are made with pig enzymes.
I purchase “Purdue” brand chicken and “Shady Brook Farms” turkey wings. I love the fact that purdue packs their chicken pretty clean. There is not so much messy slime to rinse and wash off. And their poultry does not have any animal by-products, hormones, or steroids. Their chickens are fed vegetarian diets and proteins.
I’m a constant rice eater. I love “Near East” brand and flavors. And i am crazy about “Uncle Ben’s rice. I’ve been eating that product ever since childhood. Both brands are vegetarian suitable, and Uncle Ben’s rice is naturally fat free.
I’ve been a fifteen year V.I.P. member of the “Vitamin Shoppe”. Every time i enter into their establishment I feel like a kid in a candy store. A great place to indulge in all of the vital necessities that contribute to good health.
I take Vitamin A. Both retinal palmitate and beta carotene. I also take the Vitamin B Complex supplements, Vitamin C, Vitamin D2 ergocalciferol (plant derived), Vitamin E d-alpha tocopheryl succinate, and quite a few more other vitamins and minerals.
How we treat ourselves on the inside will inevitably compliment us on the outside. As vegetarians we constantly and continuously rejuvenate ourselves. A lot of benefits come along from watching what we eat. Our cells function more properly. Our bodies ultimately cleanse and detoxifies-which results in regularity and better circulation. We heal better, and much faster. And we may even look better.
I know that a lot depends on a person’s metabolism and genetic make up but I have tremendous energy as a vegetarian. I am very youthful in my appearance. I have the figure of a teenager. And I feel just great. I’m in the best of health and shape as far as my “way of life” is concerned.
We become incredibly rich within our well-being altogether when the state of our wealth is valued to us for having great health. What better is there to reap the excellent rewards of a lifestyle that is dedicated to loving oneself.
"My Voice" Weblog By Miss LaToya Lawrence 
I agree with the turmeric remedy to get rid of constipation. I had started getting constipated and had such a food regime to keep it under control. It would be fine for ten days and then return on the 11th day or so. I gave turmeric a try and I haven’t been constipated in two months now. It’s probably too soon to say anything but the problem was so frequently recurring earlier that two months have been such a relief!