Monow

* Does Ginger chewing also work as a breath freshner ? I like ginger and love the "wow" hot effect it gives to my juices. Just never chewed it by itself that's all. I ask, as I've recently given up chewing gum after thinking about all those ingredients they put into it. *

* Thanks for the nice welcome everyone, so thanks JW, lelle, SeaSiren, Trev, Richard, Offense74, Odidnetne, Loveliberate Jonzen - I will check more on Dr Joel Fuhrman and probably get some of his stuff from Amazon. I am always buying such books from there. I’m always looking for a better understanding on how I can improve. Robert - trying to write a first question posting, which I think will be done in the raw group as that seems to be the best place for the majority of my thinking at this moment. Just got to see how the hay diet can fit into the raw life style (which I think it should be easy enough). Also want to know how to sprout seeds and grains to work with it too. Oh so much thinking and planning required to be spontaneous Dudeofthedead – I am so frustrated with the main stream body building world, so nice to see you understand what I’m talking about. I mean when you’re sitting down to a meal why do you have to bring a calculator, scale and a clock every time, I mean how natural is that? I am glad I am breaking away from the “supplement guilt” and scam world of muscle ! Finbarrio – It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who has gone animal product free, yet still desires to strive for major goals! This site seems to be full of people who live very active and successful lives. Michelle - I was sure pleased when Google brought this site to my attention, as I was very mystified how to go about stuff, though I had read books why I should stop animal products, I couldn’t see how you could go into the lifestyle. But checking out the site it has given my a lot more hope. FormicaLinoleum – Those 2 books are just amazing. Easy to read and so powerful. I’m not the biggest of readers (as of yet), but both had me glued to them. I think that the silent conspiracy being uncovered was shocking to me, how marketing is used to hide the real facts. To think Roland McDonald and the burger king were major parts of my childhood. I sure won’t be as quick to trust any clown again Flanders77 - That pig story was awful, but also a truly heart warming ending to it. Anyone who couldn’t be moved by that story must have a brick swinging on a piece of rope where their heart should be. I have got my Dad to read the 2 books. He’s kind of shocked by it all too. I plan to get other’s to read them too, though I know not everyone will be happy to read them, as it will cause some level of conflict inside, that they don’t want. Since reading the books, I can’t even bring myself to have a crafty Christmas chocolate or even eat Quorn (which has egg white in it). I like your avatar Flanders77, it’s real touching and I assume that’s you and your child. Hopefully a new vegan has entered the world there Thanks everyone, I do appreciate the welcome !!!! *

* Wow I haven't even heard of the new "3rd wave" stuff you spoke about. Any links to videos or music clips of them...Ones that you think are pretty good. Did a quick search on amazon.com and looked at the compilations. Wow there is loads of new ska bands, I think there must be more happening in the states than there is going on in the UK at the moment. Going to do 2 tone stuff that is so cool. That is mainly The Specials' stuff, but there are also Madness and Elvis Costella early stuff on that label too, before the 2 went over to Stiff records. Just found a bit of a back catelogue of 2 tone at http://2-tone.info/uk_disco.html Now you have me thinking about importing the CDs Loved the horn work in your music too !!! *

* Nice collection there. Nice and raw, that is what I always liked that about Ska, its high energy and organic feel. What Ska bands are your influences ? I grew up with the late 70s early 80s Ska. With mainly English bands like :- Madness The Specials & The Special AKA The Selector Bad Manners And reggae / Ska variations like The Beat UB40 Plus I got into the Ska bands of the 60s from Jamaica, lots of good stuff in there, some are pretty rude in the lyrics too My Favourites will always be Madness and The Specials. Keep going with the music. Stay Ska'd for life ! *

Hi everyone, I thought I’d do an introduction before posting anything else on the site. OK, I have recently become a vegan. After many years of trying to determine what direction I wanted to take, I feel it’s just natural now for me to become a vegan. I went the traditional body building route, but always questioned the methods of eating and training associated with it. So after years of doing the meat thing, I made the decision to stop it all. To be honest for me it wasn’t a decision, it was more of a calling, as I found myself being repulsed by it physically and mentally. The change of view has been brought on by taking my weekly walks in the country and seeing all the animals. When you see lambs, cattle, horses and all the creatures on my walk, it made me wonder how I could eat animals. Along with the fact that you see rams, horses, and bulls getting so huge by just eating plants. The two things really made me think a lot. I was about 90% set on the idea that I’d try and go without meat and animal products, but felt kind of overwhelmed by the step. As no one I know is vegan, and when I had looked many years before on the Net about veganism, there wasn’t that much information (unlike now with great sites like this one). So I wondered if my thinking was as common as I hoped. Along with the thought that if there was any scientific basis to why you should drop animal products completely from your diet. I know vegetarianism is a popular and well documented lifestyle, but for me that isn’t what I wanted. By chance I came to read 2 books that basically gave me the last 10% I needed. I later came to realise that these books (along with a few others) have also helped others to make the transition from meat eater to vegan with a more determined outlook. The two books are, The China Study & The Food Revolution. I first read the China study, with its strong scientific emphasis, convinced me that if I only stopped eating animals for myself, it was the right thing to do, as animal products do so much damage to people on a health basis. Then the Food Revolution book gave me the necessary perspective of the poor animals. Two stories from John Robbins book will stick with me for life (anyone who has read his book will know the stories), they being the deeply sad Pig farmer story. The second one is the letter to John Robbins from an angry father who’s daughter defied him and became a vegan, and later becomes a better man by reading John’s book, on her request. So now I’m at the stage of “recalibrating” my thinking. Trying to forget all those articles about “quality” proteins only obtained from thinks like egg whites, chicken and protein powders. Now I’d like to look into things like the hay diet/food combining and raw food eating as a way to get optimum health. I have read a lot of stuff now on non-animal foods, yet I still have many questions I need answering. There is still lingering misinformation from the main stream body building media that I still need to remove, so hopefully I can find people here who can advise me on fact and fiction with regards to what is possible with plant based nutrition and health. Thanks for reading Mark