Hi, my name is Lola (aka Kimberly Lola). A lover of all things human, earth and animal friendly, I’ve been itching to start a blog that might help others on a similar journey towards a fully healthy and peaceful way of life. But I’m not going to go on about how perfect I am and how noble and great a person I must be for wanting to do this. Instead, I’m going to tell the truth.
A few years ago, two friends of mine went raw vegan and I watched them transform their minds and bodies in a miraculous way. Having dealt with the common health issues that most Americans face such as allergies, fatigue, joint pains, and even a benign growth in my body that, the doctor said, would have become malignant if left untreated, I knew I had to do something to make a similar change. Also never having been a fan of putting chemicals in my body, and growing tired of doctors prescribing me this or that drug, I figured there must be something I could do that didn’t require unnecessary medicine.
I talked to my friends who had already been on a plant-based raw vegan diet for the better part of a year and was instantly intrigued with all of the ways it was truly helping them. After reading articles and blogs and watching videos on the subject, I was convinced that this was the only way to live. Everyone knows fruits and vegetables are good for you but who knew just how many benefits there were, I thought?! So I went raw for 30 days. It was beyond hard.
There was a lot I hadn’t learned with regards to how to properly go raw and so, for me, it ended up not being a sustainable way of life. It was expensive, I felt sick most days, I was hungry and tired… so I quit. I felt like a failure. The little voice in my head said, “You must like being average. If you really wanted it, you’d try harder. There’s no excuse for giving less than 100%.”
The problem with thinking that way is that it isn’t true and certainly isn’t helpful for everyone. Not being a fully raw vegan doesn’t mean you can’t continue to make healthier choices every single day. But a lot of people do feel this way and so they don’t even try; they think it’s an all or nothing game. There are also a lot of people who don’t realize how brain washed they are by the food industry; feeding into the mentality that just eating plants and nuts isn’t actually healthy or cool. What’s more, there are too many misconceptions, among non-vegans, regarding the lifestyle. I often hear people poking fun at vegans, making reference to a holier-than-thou complex. They hear about individuals in organizations throwing paint on fur coat fashionistas and the rest of the vegetarian world gets labeled as aggressive and judgmental. That just doesn’t represent all of us.
I grew up a meat eater. To this day, when I smell meat cooking, I can still remember how it tasted and am not bothered by the fact that I remember it tasting good. Really good. I also vividly remember the comfort a warm piece of chicken gave me and how meat was at the center of many wonderful gatherings with friends and family. But deciding to go vegetarian (in the hopes of one day being fully raw) was actually a really easy choice, for me. After watching an extremely graphic and informative documentary, I no longer had the desire to ever touch meat again (yes, it was that serious, haha). Though I don’t recall the name of the film, it was along the lines of what you’ll find in the documentary Earthlings. And somewhat of a closet geek, I have, since, watched many more food and animal documentaries that have only made me a stronger believer in not eating animals. But I don’t think meat eaters are bad people. I get it, I do.
My hope with this blog is to provide information that might help meat eaters, pescatarians, ovo-vegetarians, vegetarians, vegans, fruitarians, and raw vegans alike make healthier dietary choices and to also be knowledgeable about where their food comes from and how what we buy and eat affects more than just ourselves.
It would be hard for me to stop at the dinner table, though. The food industry is closely connected to the environment, for better or worse. So this blog will also give readers more information they ever thought they wanted to know about the products we use (in the united first world of America, especially) that have lasting affects on this great bigger world of ours. There is so much we can all do to make make this earth a happier place that we just don’t realize because it isn’t talked about on TMZ, wasn’t addressed on the latest episode of Scandal, or isn’t being promoted by the Real Housewives. Maybe we can gain an interest in these things without compromising our current interests but, rather, by finding a common ground within these important topics.
Also worth mentioning, I have noticed something interesting during these last few years; a lot of the vegan blogs (particularly plant-based raw vegan blogs) have a tendency to give the impression that, 1) being a plant-based raw vegan is not really that hard, 2) raw vegans are part of an exclusive club, 3) eating cold food all the time is always super duper fun!!!
I have also noticed that it is hard to differentiate between healthy living blogs; a lot of them seem to have photo after photo of perfectly placed food above a recipe and some uber jazzed person smiling while holding a smoothie in the bio section (or doing a yoga pose or some other fill-in-the-blank fitspo stance). That isn’t realistic for many people. It also is a bit daunting; it can make a you feel like if you don’t share the same level of enthusiasm, you aren’t going to get into the veggie/yogi/gym rat club.
Don’t get me wrong, without these other blogs, I would be many steps behind where I am, now, on my journey (writing the word journey makes me laugh… what a nerd). But I think I can add something unique to the discussion. My ultimate goal is to infiltrate mainstream culture in a way that doesn’t alienate but, instead, welcomes people to the conversation and makes them want to try new things. Also, to be honest, I really want people to think (read, “know”) that it’s super legit to be healthy (I mean the real healthy, not the artificial sweetener, fat-free “healthy”). I also want people to think that caring about the earth is fresh to death and that not eating animals can actually be quite liberating. With your help, I can succeed with my mission.
I’m counting on you to be an active part of this blog; to take the knowledge I impart on you and to do something great with it. I’m counting on you to school me on what you know, so that I can grow and share that information with others. It’s up to us to be the change that gives this world a better opportunity to thrive.
Let’s give peas a chance. *wink*
Lil’ Lola
