Our philosophy for healthy living is pretty simple - most importantly a healthy lifestyle has to be sustainable, it needs to be something you can carry out for the rest of your life.
For any lifestyle to be sustainable it needs to be enjoyable, it needs to make you feel good, and it has to allow for some flexibility. In a sustainable healthy diet moderation is the key. There shouldn't be any specific foods or foods groups that are off limits and there shouldn't be any eating "rules".
On the outside, a vegan diet and/or lifestyle may look quite restrictive but it varies from other "diets" in one very big and very important way. Veganism and the choice to abstain from animal products is deeply rooted in our morals and ethical code. Veganism is about aligning your morals and beliefs with the food on your plate. Regardless of how much I enjoyed non-vegan foods in the past I just know that veganism is simply my way of life now, there is no other way to live!
Fueling our bodies properly is extremely important. We need to be informed and educated when we decide what we put into our bodies. Seeing your health as a top priority is vitally important, we simply cannot live the way we want to if we don't feel our best. Taking the time and making an effort to build a healthy diet that you truly love is one of the best gifts you can give yourself (and your loved ones!)
A diet that's healthy for your body and your mind should be built around wholesome, fresh foods. Eat a wide variety of whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds, but don't be afraid to enjoy your other favourite foods too! Again, moderation is the key!
We promote healthy, balanced, compassionate lifestyles. We build the bulk of our recipes around wholesome ingredients but that doesn't mean you won't come across some "less wholesome" ingredients too. Our recipes are meant to provide healthy sustenance while being delicious, enjoyable, and fun! The key is finding that delicate balance between fueling our bodies with the foods that make us feel our best while also enjoying the foods we've grown up with and enjoyed throughout our lives.
I've learned first hand how quickly an innocent desire to lose weight or "get healthy" can turn into a full blown eating disorder that consumed my every thought. From that experience I've learned to stop labeling foods as "good" and "bad" and I avoid terms such as "clean eating" or "cheat days". Learning to live healthily is a process, the less you push it and the more you have fun with it the more successful the changes you make will be. Living healthily should never be stressful - it has to be enjoyable.
As I continue to improve my relationship with food my philosophies on healthy living and eating will probably grow and change too. Now, over 2 years after first deciding to heal my relationship with food and my body, this is where I stand. Much of my understanding of the damaging effects of dieting and restricting foods came from the book Intuitive Eating by RD's Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. If you've ever felt like your relationship with food is stressful or negative in any way, or if you've dieted and felt badly about yourself when you either "failed" or gained the weight back, I encourage you to please find this book. It was one of the single most important factors in shaping the way I eat and look at food today.