Getting Into Gear This Winter

The winter has always been a time of excess, festivities, consumption, and (oftentimes) needless spending. What typically goes undervalued is the importance of physical and mental health. After all, we go into somewhat of a hibernation mentality in which our physical and emotional selves take the backseat. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Health is always a choice that we make us individuals, though admittedly, some have an easier time than others with those choices. Every single thing we do in a day from exercise to diet, meditation to education is all part of our individual work to live healthier, happier lives.

These choices are not always easy, or perhaps they are in fact easy but they might not be the best for us. So how can you transition and make small adjustments in your everyday life that will lead you to a more fulfilling existence, especially during these wild times?

Perhaps the transition to a vegan lifestyle could be the structure or guidance you’ve been seeking. When presented with the concept of veganism, most people react with an array of questions.

Here are some of the most common:

Why exactly is a vegan lifestyle so popular these days?

What is all the rave about?

Will I lose weight immediately?

Is it really that restrictive of a diet?

All great questions, and legitimate ponderings. Now, we’ll try to answer some of those fundamentals of elusive veganism.

Veganism has become perhaps the largest global health movement over the past two decades, responsible for lowering obesity, diabetes, and heart disease across the globe. Other positive ripple effects have been a decrease in our overall carbon impact on the planet, and perhaps the most important- veganism has spared the lives of millions of animals each year! People transition to veganism for so many different reasons.

Main Motivators:

-saving animal lives

-reducing carbon footprint

-more economical

-health-related concerns

All of the aforementioned reasons benefit not just the individual but also the planet. Healthier humans means an overall countrywide decrease in collective healthcare costs. Consuming vegetables reduces our carbon emissions on the planet by an astronomical margin. Animal lives can be spared, and we can find real replacements for nutrition from a plant-based diet. Personal wealth as well as national wealth is conserved when people eat less animal products. If these reasons aren’t enough already, the last one is that veganism just feels good. People report feeling lighter, more energetic, and enjoy a more regular emotional state. Vegans and vegetarians are less likely to get sick and more likely to live for longer, as compared with meat-eaters.

So there you have it.

And in theory, it all sounds great. Though for someone just switching to veganism, how would you know what to eat, or be able to differentiate between something that is vegan from what isn’t? Luckily there are hundreds of blogs, vegan social media accounts, books, and now entire movies detailing the vegan diet. And one of the best resources here in Southern California is Joshua Tree-based Elive Food. Owned and founded by Ayurvedic enthusiast and mother, Julie Atri, Elive Food is the one-stop-shop for your favorite vegan staples, desserts, and a wealth of plant-based knowledge from her bi-weekly recipe blogs. Julie is not just a vegan cook and Baker, but an all-around health advocate and plant-based guru. Her vegan creations range from cashew vegan cheesecakes to salad dressings, dips, sauces, and even turmeric cauliflower burger buns! So don’t worry about being able to cook amazing vegan dishes just yet. Get your main vegan staples sent straight to your doorstep by ordering online at Elivefood.com today!