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Ok so since my project…well no…. since I have been taking this class..my whole state of mind has shifted….bare with me… I will explain and give examples…
My shopping experiences….CRAZY LONG!!! Lol…I actually read labels…no not just price labels but ACTUAL INGREDIENT LABELS!!…smh makes no sense…well to other people but to me it does now…..yes it lengthens my grocery shopping time but its SOOOO worth it to know what’s actually going through your body…but the joy that I get the most out of it is when people stop and ask why your reading the labels..lol I don’t know why that makes me smile but it does because I get to explain WHY I do it…lol …..
My school/lecture experiences…WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!!..lol seriously…everytime we talk about things in class I ALWAYS find SOME WAY to link it to Shiva or something that we have talked about in OUR CLASS….like for example…in my advertising class we had to look at a video on youtube about GE Ecoimagination and give our thoughts about it….and ALL I could thing of was THIS CLASS!!! Lol so creepy…its like I have a totally different mind now days…but what’s super funny about it is that I LIKE IT!!!! =)
I went to the movies to see LORAX when it came out and the ONLY thing that was in my head was THIS CLASS and how we always talk about saving energy and what not…THE LORAX screams “ WOMANS STUDIES SEMINAR” lol so serious!! when I have discussions with people some how this class comes up…on the daily as I walk to and from class..i actually slow down and enjoy my surroundings now…I never do that!! Im usually on a mission and moving fast..now I slow down and take in the world around me and I’m much happier!!!…
Has this happened to anybody else or am I just the only one??? Kinda creepy but its awesome at the same time…lol smh..
So throughout my project I tried to get as many people as I can to get involved with me…my co-workers, roommates, friends, and family, etc.
Well daily when I would go to work.…..my co-workers would tease me by reading all the ingredients in the foods that we had to make and as we would stock shelves they would ask me questions about different products…especially the organic ones because many of them figured that since it says organic then it must be organic…and I just basically told them that, that’s not always even the case…you MUST read the labels…now to make a long story short…..so many of my co-workers read labels now…even my manager…we have also started to save some of the foods that we would normally throw away and taking it to places that need it …like last week we took it to a local church where they have dinner for people who need the meal….<<<AWESOME!!!
Something else awesome that happened while I was doing this project was how my roommates and friends got involved…they changed their eating habits…one of my roommates even went a week without eating animal products!!! I thought that was really cool…never knew I could help inform people and help make a difference…just seemed like I should share that…. here I am trying to do a project for school and I end up helping to change the way people think and bring insight to peoples’ lives…..isn’t that great!!!??…..well I thought so..lol
Many people have asked me if this is it for me and if I plan on changing back to the way I was before I started this project. My answer is NO…I have learned SOOOOOO much with this project that it would be a WASTE to go back and continue to consume the way I used to. Don’t get me wrong though…a lot of the animal products like the ones I use for daily hygiene, I am going to go back and start using again but I will always keep in mind the amount that I will be using and how frequently I will be using it. As far as food is concerned.. I will not be going back to all of the meats…I feel that beef and pork will forever be off of my “eats” list and I will continue to try and discover new ways of finding good healthy nutritional dishes that don’t involve red meats. Honestly I have tried to go and eat a hamburger and it taste SOOO much differently…I don’t really enjoy it the way I used to…so I am solely done with it….
Overall, though, this project has made me so much happier and knowledgeable to the things that I was unaware of…..and knowing that I can help by starting with the little things is what really makes me happy and being a model for others to see and me knowing that others are following and asking me questions is like the greatest feeling in the world….”I gotta change myself first…before I can change the world”……The mind is a terrible thing but if you can control it…that’s where all the power is…
So as apart of my project I was supposed to find out more information and do a little bit of research about the consumption of animal products humans consume on the daily…Sooooo here you all go…this is what I learned and have research throughout my month of NO ANIMALS PRODUCTS… I will try to post some of the graphs too but im not sure how to post them in order so bare with me lol..but I used the FAO Food Supply data, to try and compute the ratio of dietary calories coming from animal products ( meat, fish, eggs, anddairy products).
You can see that most of them are rising, with China being the most spectacular. One thing that’s clear is that the diet measured in China in the 1980s has changed profoundly since then. Not all countries are changing so rapidly, though. For example, look at india…..animal product consumption there is rising much more slowly. It will be interesting to contrast the progress of industrialized country disease rates in the two countries as the consequences of the dietary and other changes are felt in coming decades…..
looking at developed countries, you can see that on the whole the trend is in the opposite direction….check it out:::
Italy and Japan look more like late arrivals in the developed country club…..but the long standing members of that club are, for the most part, moving away from animal products. I would guess that this is due to the perception that these products, high in saturated fat, are contributors to heart disease, etc…….All these countries have become substantially wealthier over the last forty years, so they certainly have not been economically constrained to eat less animal products…..make sense??
Here are some other links that I have been looking at….very interesting stuff!!!
http://awellfedworld.org/issues/scarcity
http://www.planetaryrenewal.org/ipr/vegetarian.html
As I journeyed this project…I’m not going to lie, it was terribly difficult but as I researched daily and asked around and learned theses facts and information about the over consumption….it kind of motivated me to continue this project.. And when I was able to get others involved and inform them about the over consumption of animal products that the would has endeavored, that too made me keep pushing forward with this project…Hope you all learned something and enjoyed this info as much as I did!!
WHAT YOUR ANIMAL PRODUCT USAGE…. =)
Last WEEK finally OVER!!!…..whooo–hooo!! =)…..So heres what happened:::
In my final week I had NO dairy…NO meats…NO animal products PERIOD…but also this week I found some VERY interesting substitutes for my daily use as well as my food consumption. I ALSO went to the cow, swine, and poultry farms here at K-state and in Kansas City for a class and to get more information about the whole “free range”, “organic” “caged”, “different types of feeds” and things like that. I needed a better understanding of this and now I think I better understand these different labels and why people actually purchases these things because before, to me, I figured that ALL eggs were organic…i mean , they ALL came straight from chickens right? there is no way a factory could mess that up….lol or at least thats what I thought……
Sooooo HERE we go…
My daily used products for hygiene was ultimately the most difficult…SO many female products have some sort of ANIMAL product in them…for example, makeup,lotions,hair care sprays and creams, bath soaps…etc…<<<Kinda crazy huh?? I thought so…buuut heres what I used instead:::There is a soap called “Black Soap”…its only 2 dollars. It comes in both bath soap, shampoo and conditioners and can be liquid or bar. It doesn’t really have a smell but it works AND its ORGANIC! not local though..lol….Another replacement product that I have been using is baking soda…baking soda is one of the BEST products to use for just about ANYTHING, for example, I used it to substitute toothpaste, cleaning products, mix it with warm water and it cleans your hair, for cooking; I soaked my beans in baking soda before cooking them because it reduces the amount of gas and bloating they cause at times, for laundry, and as an air freshener!!<<<<PRETTY AMAZING!!! I would have NEVER known that baking soda could be SO useful….Another product that I replaced was my makeup…<<=== That was pretty simple…I JUST STOPPED WEARING IT! lol!…As for my food replacements…I learned that I have a great deal of allergies to many organic foods….either that or I wouldn’t like the taste..lol kind of weird I thought buut it happened..so my food list was VERY limited for this product…I did, however FINALLY begin to like Almond milk, nutella..that crap is yummy!! but only the chocolate kind lol..rice, beans, tortillas, breads, veggies, fruits, almond milk,, veggie burgers, stir fry, noodles, and protein shakes has been my basic food diets…for deserts i tried sherbert, cakes (no frostings), snack bars, etc…One thing I did notice, was that I had to buy oil for once, alot of the veggies and when I made veggie burgers, it sucked up the oil …and Im thinking because it didn’t really have any in it but thats just my thought about it…lol i really dont know… but overall I am STILL overjoyed at the fact that I actually DID THIS!!!! and YES this was sooooo much more difficult than I EVER imagined but I REALLY am proud of myself and I learned about so many different recipes to use with even my little variety of foods that lasted me longer than my meals did before I started this project, I NEVER knew soooo many products had useless animal products in it that it really didn’t need, and one of the most things that I really began to realize with this product is just how wasteful we as human really can be…and even though waste wasn’t apart of my project, I still focused on that as well….so much so that I had my manager start looking for homes and places where we can take our breads and pastries instead of throwing ev everything away. Now when I go to work…some of my co-workers are actually reading the labels to things to find out what is in it and they all have been joking to me telling me not to eat it because it contains an animal product..lol soooo I really had fun with this project..I really did!! …it was different and took ALOT of getting used too but I enjoyed it…I enjoyed it even the more when I was able to get others involved with it along with me because most of the people I worked with NEVER realized how much waste we were creating and how much animal products we actually consume uselessly on the daily….
So this is week 3 of my challenge and it is by far the MOST difficult!!! SHEESH!! here let me show you all my step by step plan again because I KNOW I haven’t been blogging properly but ya go:
Step.by.Step Plan…
Week1…..cutting out the dairy products
Week2….cutting out ALL meats
Week3….No animal products period (food, daily use, etc)
Week4….continuing from weeks 1-3….continue finding other methods and foods that have nothing to do with any animals that will help me
The first couple of weeks was a BREEEEZE!!!! and my body feels so refreshed but now starting this “No animal product” PERIOD thing is …smh…TERRIBLE…do you all understand that even the simplest things (i.e. Toothpaste) has a type of ANIMAL PRODUCT in it???!!!! so crazy…
now I have to stick to baking soda for a while…so gross…but its working =)
Now…just to reflect on my first two weeks….
Week1: No dairy products
This week went by pretty smooth…I had a difficult time at first trying to cut out my cheese and milk but i managed. The first time I went to the grocery story and actually read all of the labels of what I was buying…People walking past me in the store like “omg! must she always pick up an item and read EVERYTHING!!”…lol but I did and it helped because it prevented me from buying ALOT of things. By the end of this week…I soon realized that beans and rice were going to be my BEST FRIEND this entire month…
Week 2: Cutting out ALL meats
So this week I kind of started early and mixed it in with my first week because it just seemed REALLY simple for me but….BOY i was COMPLETELY WRONG!…again..lol..I love me some chicken and shrimp!!! =( terrible…AND on top of all that ..it was spring break!! smh terrible AGAIN!!…..but im kinda proud of me…I did what i was supposed to do and stuck with my plan…No meats and No dairy….so far so good…
I will say that by far looking for replacement foods that aren’t so expensive are the most difficult thing to do during this project. But the most insightful think is actually finding those products and enjoying them even more than ever.
The real purpose for me doing this was to help educate others and frequently when i go to the grocery store or my favorite restaurant or something I know people and they know me so they already know what i will be getting and when they see me order something different or grab something different off the shelf, it makes them ask questions and wonder. And thats a perfect time to inform them about the things that they are eating. Especially this week because honestly I had NO idea toothpaste and most makeups have some type of animal product in them.
I can never look at TV or watch anything without thinking about this class and my project…recently, in my food science class we were speaking about foods and how humans go to extreme measures to draw attention to food…the dress it and put makeup on it..just so that it can be appealing to the human eye and most of all this is done using some sort of animal product…below I have posted a video to show you all just how far we go with food…
I wonder that if we didn’t make most foods look so good…if that would lower the consumption of animal products…because think if there was no commercial about oreos and milk…then who would really go out and buy milk to go with their oreos???..make sense?? what do you think??…
So I know I am OH SO completely late on this blogging thing BUUUUUT I have started my 30 day process(it all began on March 1st). Yet the process of deciding what I wanted to do was BY FAR more challenging than I think this whole 30 challenge is going to be.
Now whats MY 30 day eco-friendly challenge?… Im so glad you asked =)
::::CHECK THIS OUT::::
Title of challenge….:: Transformation from unconscious to conscious
Step.by.Step Plan…
Week1…..cutting out the dairy products
Week2….cutting out ALL meats
Week3….No animal products period (food, daily use, etc)
Week4….continuing from weeks 1-3….continue finding other methods and foods that have nothing to do with any animals that will help me
WHY no animal products??
- Animal consumption is being OVERUSED and I feel that other methods can be done in place of animal substances
- Animal cruelty has drastically increased
- So many people are unaware what really goes on with animals in this society
- become more aware of what I DON’T KNOW about animal products and human consumption
- I want to help make people consciously aware but I cant help anyone else or try to teach anyone else unless I know whats going on personally
WHY am I doing this…. I say..WHY NOT??!!!
“You can’t change the would until you first change yourself” -Ghandi
So with all that said….so far this is DAY5 and I am doing pretty good on account that my favorite food is FREAKIN CEREAL!!!! UGH =( buuut im coping….sooooo WISH ME LUCK!! lol….. *Perfection.In.Progress* …more to come…
Well everyone this is my official last blog. I would just like to say that I really appreciate all the comments and the support that you all gave me. The last week of my project was really difficult. I had no meat or animal products. I also had nothing from an animal in my clothing or in my toiletries. I think the most difficult part of this whole thing is that I did not wear any type of makeup for a whole week. Now some of you might not find this to be a real challenge but it was an issue for me, especially when I went out on the weekend. But I will admit that it was somewhat relaxing and calming to not have to worry about getting up extra early just to put some makeup on my face. It was also an ongoing challenge to try and find products at an affordable price. Things like shampoo and soap are hard to replace. The clothing really wasn’t that big of a deal because I like cotton and the way that natural clothes fit. I feel that I have really learned a lot throughout this entire experiment. I learned that it is not as imperative that I have meat in my diet and the body can work just the same. I didn’t have to worry about some of the illnesses that come from eating meats such as beef. It was a bit of a challenge to stay with not eating meats with my friends all around me continuing to eat as they normally would. But I found in the end that I did feel healthier and I had more energy than I used to. I am also very proud of how well I did on my project. The only time that I really messed up was over spring break and Easter. In class today we reviewed some books that covered mostly moving to a simpler and more organic lifestyle. I realized that taking those steps are really not difficult. Each of us can make simple little changes in our lives that can make a difference in the environment around us. By making a little change we can respect nature more. Through respecting nature even just a little bit more we could also begin to create a difference in women’s lives.
Hello again,
Well everyone I’m not going to lie but this has been a very interesting week. This week my goal was to use no more animal products in any of my products. This means that I had to get rid of all of my shampoo, make-up, toothpaste, soap, and almost everything else that you can possibly imagine. I have discovered that this new little lifestyle that I have adopted can be very expensive. I have pretty much just cut out make-up and all types of my hair gel. So if most of you have not noticed I have been looking a little haggard in class these last few days. Now that I can no longer wear make-up to cover up how “great” I feel you all will get to see me in all of my glory. A few of you warned me in class that I would not feel well after the first few days of cutting out animal products. Well you all were correct. I don’t remember feeling quite this poopie in a long time. But every time that I start feeling like a just want to quit I try to remember the reason that I decided to do this project. In an indirect way I believe that I am helping the environment and saving animals from not only cruel treatment but even just in general. In our class Ecofeminism we continually discuss how women and the environment are mistreated and taken for granted. Through my experiment I am protesting against this belief and practice. In our last class we discussed competition and basic equality. These ideas got me thinking about the basic rights that all people have. I was wondering why women, in our society are so undervalued. Everyone should be treated the same. I believe that animals as well as nature need to be treated as equals. I am continually learning from this experiment and I am so far proud of the progress that I have made. I am interested in seeing what happens next week when I can no longer wear animal products even in my clothing!
Going Good!
Well everyone this week was my last challenge. For this last week I went completely vegan. I have had no meat and no animal products in my food, clothing, and other products. The biggest problem that I have encountered this week was finding clothing that is cotton and doesn’t have types of animal products in it. Replacing some of my clothing wasn’t really that big of a deal because I found some fairly cheap clothes that are not expensive. I was very sad when I had to put my Etnie shoes into retirement, not going to lie! But lately I have been sporting the plastic flip flops. I have never really been a real big flip flop person and walking around campus in those things can really hurt your feet! The natural wardrobe doesn’t bother me because it’s really pretty comfortable. The good thing is that my work uniform is cotton, but the negative aspect is that I have to wear no slip shoes. So to work I have to wear leather shoes, sorry! If any of you read my last blog you would know that I was sick from this deal, and was just not very happy with my situation. But this entire last week has been amazing. I have finally learned to balance out my diet so that it works for me. I have finally adjusted to no meat and animal products, and my whole body just feels a lot better! I noticed that I have a lot more energy and I am even sleeping better a night. When I was thinking about all of the topics we have covered in class and the experiences that I have had with this experience it blows my mind. In one of our classes we talked about fairness and people get exactly what they deserve. We covered this when we were discussing they ways that we would change our surroundings if we could do what ever we wanted. I started thinking about how good I was feeling, and I realized that I may have made a small difference in my surroundings. By not eating meat and animal products I am not supporting the ways that some of those animals were treated. I felt as though I was being repaid almost for my actions. I am really glad that I stuck with this experiment and held out long enough to see the results!
