Why should you go vegan? | What You Eat Matters - 2018 Documentary H.O.P.E.

What You Eat Matters - 2018 Documentary H.O.P.E.

 If you care about yourself and this planet WATCH THIS MOVIE! If you are a Christian and preach love, mercy and compassion but eat animal products WATCH THIS MOVIE! We must stop this madness, this evil in the name of food, GO VEGAN!

Thank you! 

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Cooking Beans, Legumes, Split peas in a slow cooker | Easy plant based!

   Eating plant based is easy and it can be much cheaper than buying animal products. When we go whole food plant based we eat healthier, lose weight, feel better and save money. And who doesn't want that? All it requires is some information, planning and a will to succeed. In this article I want to give you the basics to help you get started as well as instructions on how I make healthy plant based slow cooker meals that taste great with minimal effort!

First of all when I talk about a vegan diet I mean a whole food plant based diet. I feel that's the healthiest with or without being all raw food based. I also like to KEEP IT SIMPLE! That's my motto, because if it's not simple I don't want to do it lol! That's just one reason why I prefer to keep it fruit based myself. What is simpler than grabbing some fruit and just eating it! Salads for me are a little more complicated but it is easy to make a simple salad too. 

The first thing you need to do when starting a whole food plant based diet is to go through your pantry and fridge. Get rid of the dead animals, and their secretions once and for all! Who needs them anyway? These food are high in fat, cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics, steroids and way to high in the wrong kind of protein in my opinion. Take a stand and stop buying the stuff :) It's not good for your body, the planet or the animals. 

Next thing is getting rid of the processed foods! Pretty much anything that comes in a box and has more than one ingredient, itself! The only exception to this would be whole grains, and pastas. Not that those products are the best, but fine for making plant based meals. Also keep your herbs, spices, seasoning packets as long as they aren't loaded with a bunch of junk like MSG, remember simple ingredients. You're going to need your seasonings for the many soups, stews and stir fry dishes that you're going to make.You may also want to keep some salt, pepper, and olive or avocado oil on hand. 

Here is a list of whole food plant based foods that you will need to stock up on and or buy weekly. They are ordered here from most optimal to least optimal. 

• Seasonal fruits/berries/melons. 
• Greens, such as baby spinach, spring mix and lettuce.
• Vegetables. Carrots, celery, and potatoes are great to have on hand.
• Legumes as in lentils and split peas.
• Beans. Black beans, white beans. garbanzo beans are among the best.
• Seeds. Sunflower seeds, are cheaper, side, and digest well. Also a bit more pricey, hemp seeds are a easier digestible fat/protein item. Chia seeds are also great to have on hand, get them on sale. Chia seeds go well in salads, and smoothies.
• Whole grains. Brown rice, quinoa, oats, and farina for hot cereal are good to have on hand.
• Nuts. But use sparingly! Nuts are high in fat and protein, and may also be hard for most people to digest. No more than a very small handful a day is needed, if any.
  

You should be able to eat daily with these items and the cost is minimal compared to pre-cooked packaged foods, fast foods, restaurant foods, and animal products! Pound per pound. a much cheaper way to eat!

Appliances that you will need; A slow cooker, rice cooker, blender, fridge, and stove is pretty much all that you need. I have a cooker (Instant Pot) that is a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, etc.. so that makes it pretty convenient although two of them would be better. 

I personally prefer a fruit based diet. That means that I eat fruit for my first two meals, and then salads. If I don't eat a salad then I will either do more fruit or whatever cooked food I have prepared for my family that day, in the evening. I recommend that you eat a diet that is at least 75% raw! That's raw whole foods most of the time. For more info on that see www.myfruitthing.com

Focus on fruits, berries, melons, and simple salads! I recommend that if you are eating cooked foods to do it at the end of the day after you have had your fruit day, and after your salad. You should never mix fast moving foods (easy to digest) foods with slow moving foods that are harder to digest. If you do this you will find that you won't have many stomach troubles eating this way. You go mixing your fruits in with cooked food and you are just creating more problems for yourself. Fruit typically should be eaten alone. 

For planning your meals it's a good idea to decide what you will be making in your slow cooker and make it a point to get something going in the morning. I prefer lentils, black beans, and hardy soups made with lots of veggies. The best part about the slow cooker is that you can start it in the morning, tend to it a bit in the afternoon, and have a hot home cooked plant based meal by the end of the day. 

IMPORTANT! When using your slow cooker use less water then the recipe says. I prefer to add water in gradually as needed. It just makes sense because the slow cooker uses up less water then cooking at high heats on the stove and you don't want to end up with a watery end product. 

Here are some meal options for you to try...

I use these recipes myself and loved them.  

Slow cooker black beans with vegan corn bread :) 

As for other beans, legumes, and lentils that I make, I do them the same way with excellent results. In the next part I will illustrate how I do it so you can try it at home. I personally try not to use broths, or bullion cubes. I have in the past but I find that I can cut the cost down by avoiding buying these products or making them myself. You also end up with a much healthier product in the end! 

This method will work for any kind of beans, legumes, or split pea. 

1. I start with some beans, lentils, or split peas, what ever you got! Rinse about a cup or two depending on how much food you're making, place in the slow cooker. 
2. Add. Thinly sliced small to medium size onion. It doesn't matter what kind just whatever you happen to have or sounds good to you. Also thinly slice 2-3 cloves of garlic. 
3. Add, just enough water to cover the contents in the slow cooker. Remember not to much because we are adding it gradually as needed. 
4. Turn on your low cooker and let cook. If your cooker has a setting, set it for 7 hours. It may be done in five depending on what you are cooking, but you can still just let it go for the 7 hours if you can't get to it, or if it needs to cook more. Lentils/legumes cook faster while beans a little longer.
5. After an hour or two check to see if you need to add a little more water and do it as needed. You will notice that the onions/garlic are beginning to cook and get translucent. Allow it to continue to cook. Make sure to check it before you leave your house to make sure there is enough water in it.
6. Add vegetables if you want, just depends on the kind of beans or soup you are cooking. I like to add carrots, sweet potatoes, celery, and pretty much whatever I have. You want to make sure that the vegetables aren't added in to early, but after the beans begin to cook a bit is a good time, so that they don't get to mushy. 
7. Add some salt, pepper, and any other seasoning you wish. The onions and garlic will cook in and give everything a nice flavor. If I do red lentils I like to add cumin or curry powder. You can also add some tomato paste for chili beans and all kinds of soups.
   

That is my general way of making beans or a simple bean soup in my slow cooker. Please refer to the recipes in this article as well as look for a good slow cooker recipe book that you can use. I suggest looking for a plant based one. Below is just one great suggestion but there are many books on the subject.

There is so much more I could say, so I will leave that for another post. I hope you enjoyed this article and that it will be a help to you along your journey to better health, and a more compassionate way of eating. I will be doing a lot more writing on the subject of plant based eating but from a Christian perspective as is my specialty, so stay tuned for that. Remember when you use my links to make your Amazon purchase you are helping me, help you and the others who find my articles helpful. Thank you!

Until next time God bless you and your family!

Sincerely Joanne Utke

Slow-cooked, healthy, vegan meals ― fast preparation

Create healthy, whole food, vegan masterpieces that take 15 minutes or less to prep. The Super Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook features over 100 simple slow cooker recipes for mouthwatering plant-based plates. From Curried Ginger Butternut Squash Soup to Spicy Ethiopian Lentil Stew, discover how easy cooking real food with real ingredients really is.

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Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Red Lentil Soup

What you need;

half on onion chopped
one large carrot chopped
two stalks celery chopped
one clove of garlic chopped
one cup dried red lentils rinsed
one container of vegetable broth
tsp onion powdered
tsp garlic powdered
tsp of dried basil or a handful of fresh chopped
tsp dried parsley or a handful of fresh chopped
pinch of salt and pepper
Handful of spinach to add at the end

1. Heat tablespoon of oil in a sauce pan medium high heat 
2. Stir fry all of the vegetables for a couple minutes
3. Add broth 
4. Add rinsed lentils
5. Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils start getting tender
6. If you need to add a little water do so a little at a time. (don't make it to watery)
7. Add all the powdered or dried seasoning (if you are using some fresh herbs wait until the end)
8. Let simmer until lentils are falling apart and very tender
9. Add spinach and fresh herbs
10. Pinch of salt and pepper

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Biblical Christmas and Easter

Christmas

It all started with a prophecy of Isaiah;

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." 

(Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33 ESV)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known." (John 1:14-18 ESV)

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14 ESV)

Jesus, The Word of God Personified was born so that we may have forgiveness of sins. We celebrate Christmas on Dec 25th as a way to commemorate the birth of Christ, The Savior of The World! "He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God." (Rev 19:13 ESV)

The Church officially in AD 354 using the date of Dec 25 as the day in which to celebrate the holiest of days the birth of Christ. It is unknown exactly what day Jesus was born and whether in winter or another season is debatable but according to the tradition handed down to us, we celebrate this holy day in the winter.

We also know that some Christians had been identifying December 25th as Jesus' birthday at least a century and a half before this time. Around A.D. 206, St. Hippolytus of Rome wrote in his Commentary on Daniel that: "The first coming of our Lord, that in the flesh, in which he was born at Bethlehem, took place eight days before the kalends of January." In ancient Roman time reckoning, the Kalends was the first day of the month, and if you count back eight days from January 1, you arrive on December 25.

Easter

As The Lamb of God Jesus lay down his life as the Sacrificial Lamb. As prophesied by John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"(John 1:29 ESV)

"So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:8-18 ESV)

"As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” (Matt 17:22-23 ESV)

It was a Friday the day of preparation of the Passover Holy Day in the Jewish calendar when Jesus was taken to be prepared that morning for his death before sunset the same day, he was placed in the tomb this same evening. Christian Easter is the fulfillment of the Jewish Passover, the day Jesus died for our sins. We see in the King James Version of the Bible Acts 12:4, that the term Easter is used for Passover.

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,... (1 Cor 15:3-4 ESV)

And (1 Cor 15:12-28) "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all."

It is the hope of our own resurrection, and the celebration, commemoration of what Jesus has done for us why we celebrate Easter as Christians and believers in Christ! Like I said this Christian Easter is the fulfillment of the Passover celebrated by the Jews. Christianity is the continuation of Judaism thought Christ! There is literally hundreds of more scripture that I can quote but it is not for me to do your Bible reading for you. You really have to go from beginning to end, going through the prophecies in which Jesus fulfilled in himself, from his conception to his death.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phill 2:5-10 ESV)

In 325 CE the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox.

Why do I celebrate Christmas? Because I believe Jesus was born for us and died for us. I also believe what he says and that the Scriptures are His Word! Y'all can believe what you want but this is why I celebrate.

Thanks for reading!

You may also like! 

The Christmas Story

Is Easter Pagan 

The Season for Giving and Charity 

Thank you! 

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Best Speech You Will Ever Hear #2 - Go Vegan !

This was an incredibly eye opening presentation! 

   With my background study in health and striving to live a healthier life. I have always wanted to eat a vegan diet. This has kinda been a dream of mine :) For one, it is the healthiest way to live, provided that you are consuming lots of raw fruits and veggies. And two, it's a cruelty free way of eating. I have always loved animals and never would want to cause them harm. Yet I would eat hamburgers, yogurt and cheese with little thought into the process of obtaining these products.

That is the disconnect that he is talking about here. We wouldn't eat our family pet for dinner! So, why a cow, or pig, and even chicken? All animals, like your dog, is a thinking and feeling creature. They are capable of suffering like all of us. But, we seem to think that causing them unnecessary suffering is some how our right as human beings. Sure, suffering is a part of life for all of us man and animal. But does that mean that give us the right to cause suffering? Absolutely not! Americans already are animal fat and protein overloaded. To show for this heart disease kills 610.000 every year! And that's not from eating a plant based low fat, high carbohydrate diet. That's from consuming animal products folks!

In addition to always striving to live a healthy life, I have always considered myself a 100% pro-life person. This means that I am opposed to capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide. All cruelty based actions in my opinion must be avoided as much as possible. I prefer to support only actions with positive ends in mind for all involved. You may or may not agree with me on one or all of these, but that is not my point here. My point is. Wouldn't it be a better and more happier world if we always strive to live our lives cruelty free in all areas of our life? Why Not? Why choose to kill when we don't have to? Humans were designed to be plant based eaters and I will add primarily fruit. Click here for an introduction to Fruitarian Living. How about a Step by Step plan to go plant based?

After watching this video I sensed the disconnect in my own mind and I began to think about it. In fact I have thought about this many time,s but I guess this time I was ready to change. It's about loving all of God's creatures and to love we need to make loving actions. Animals are best left in nature and not on our plates! Love yourself more go vegan.

Anyway, watch the talk! Let me know what you think in the comments. Keep in mind that I will not be debating here about life issues. I just believe murder in any form is wrong and so it killing animals. It's just not necessary to cause any extra suffering in this world. Don't we have enough? We don't need meat and it's better for our planet to grow food rather than raise it. We certainly don't need to consume animal products as long as we got plants to consume. Why would you want to eat dead things anyway? Just my thoughts. I really enjoyed the talk and I will never be the same.

Please like and share with your friends. Go vegan! 

Try it for a week and feel the difference.

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Fruits, Berries and Melons! Dr. Robert Morse

Fruits, Berries and Melons humans natural food!

   For the past month and a half I have been studying the teachings of Dr. Robert Morse N.D. I stumbled upon him after beginning research on how to cure or get rid of my thyroid nodules. I will spare you the details of my condition but that is pretty much it. This article is about some of the things I have learned from him as well as resources where you can learn too. 

   I have always ate a pretty healthy diet with emphasis on whole grains, vegetables, some meat and dairy. I have always prepared my families foods from scratch or purchased a healthier option. Have we been perfect? No way. But as far as the Standard American Diet goes I have always been on the healthier side. Yet, weight gain, low blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, low TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and three thyroid nodules is what I have to show for it. I know some people who are in the same and even worse position who have cancer, heart disease or diabetes to show for there "healthy" diets. 

   I thought, there has to be more to health than that. In fact what our medical community and governments see as "healthy" is actually nothing but a lack of a medical diagnoses. A few trips to the doctor, along with some testing will fix that real good! DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT SAYING DON'T GO TO THE DOCTOR IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY OR LEGITIMATE MEDICAL NEED. I am saying that you are your best advocate to your health and you know when something isn't right with your body especially if you learn what to look for and how to properly cure it. 

   In his book The Detox Miracle Sourcebook: Raw Foods and Herbs for Complete Cellular Regeneration, Dr Morse says "Energy or the destruction of energy results from what we eat, drink, breathe, put on our skin, and from what we think and feel. These are the six ways we either make ourselves healthy, and vital, or sick and weak."

   Diseases don't just happen! Disease or what we think of a disease as being is simply our body trying to tell us something. And "disease" often times takes a lifetime or many years to develope. Obviously the sooner you can recognize problems the sooner and easier you can cure it. It's very simple. If you are suffering from any of the thousands of health conditions that plague our societies than this is for you.

   I have been studying holistic health for a long time and no one that I have come across before Dr. Morse has made so much sense to me. His teachings are about simplicity and helping our body to help itself. Our bodies are nothing short of miracles capable of curing itself. But in order to do that you have to give it what it needs. You wouldn't put peanut butter in your gas tank and expect it to run properly would you? The same goes for our body. If we don't put the right things in and on our body, it won't run properly and we will begin to see problems. "What you eat has a direct effect upon your health." This is true despite what medical doctors may say to you. In fact any doctor that denies this is not worth your time.

Dr. Morse and many others (especially his students on YouTube) teach that a raw vegan diet that is low in protein is the way to go. You also need to avoid health food junk food like tofu, all natural packaged foods, protein shakes, etc.. He teaches that human beings are frugivores by nature and that anything outside of that is toxic to us. This means that raw fruits, berries and melons are our primary food. Raw veggies are also a food source for us but only to be eaten when you are in between detox fasting. Spinach, kale and green leafy veggies alike are your best choices.

Try this for a week and feel the difference! Try consuming raw fruits all day and for dinner have a nice raw spinach and veggie salad with lemon juice for dressing. Stay away from anything packaged. Keep it raw and simple! Cooking renders foods carcinogenic and also promotes acidosis in our systems. "Human beings are the only species that feels like we have to destroy our food before we eat it!" Yes it will be a challenge but haven't you had enough? Let this be a lesson in detachment for you. Begin to detach from worldly foods and experience true health!

Acidosis has to do with the acid build up in our bodies and the cause of all diseases. I have learned that all cancer is are damaged cells and cells can regenerate if given the proper environment. "There is no magic or mystery to health or disease. Disease is a natural process! When we understand how the body works, and what causes the tissues in the body to fail, we will then understand what causes disease symptoms and how to revers it." Allopathic medicine (what we know as traditional medicine) only knows how to treat symptoms (diseases) and has very limited understanding of how the body really works. Whereas the holistic approach is concerned with the cause of the symptoms and eliminating the cause, to eliminate the symptoms or diseases.

I don't know about you but I don't want to go to the doctor with a specific list of symptoms, be diagnosed with a "disease" and given pharmaceutical products to treat my symptoms only while ignoring the cause of the symptoms. This approach cures nothing and only leaves people dependent on drugs for the rest of their lives in most cases, and a lifetime of more sickness! I know, you know what I'm talking about. How many people do you know who are stuck in what I call the "Pharmaceutical Vortex." You may be in one right now! I know, because I was in one once and thank God I am out of it. And doctors don't stop trying to get you locked into one.

Dr Morse teaches that detoxification and the regeneration of cells is the only way to true health and healing! That is what his book is all about I highly recommend that you get a hold of one. I have provided a couple links on this post for you to do just that. Also see the YouTube links so you can learn from Dr. Morse yourself.

Here are some bullet points to help you understand the basics of what Dr. Morse is teaching...

• Raw fruits, veggies, herbs is primary food/medicine for humans. 
• Humans are frugivores!
• We shouldn't destroy our food before we eat it. GO RAW! 
• Meat and dairy is highly acid forming foods not suitable for a frugivore.
• The cause of all illness and "disease" is acidosis.
• Treat the cause not the symptoms.
• Fruit makes the body alkaline, supplies the body with needed nutrients and hydration.
• Fruits, berries and melons detoxes the body and regenerates cells.
• There is no "disease" that can't be cured!
• There is a difference between a healthy diet and a healing one!

I hope this was a good introduction for you regarding the teachings of Dr. Robert Morse. I want to encourage you to watch his videos, get his book and just get started on your healing process. Take the week challenge that I mentioned above and feel the difference. I want to continue to do some more posts on this subject. If you have any questions please ask me in the comments of this post and I will do my best to answer or direct you to the answer. I will also do more posts on my own journey to optimal health and healing.

God bless you and your journey!

Scroll down for a video to get you started...

The Human Immune System

What does it take to heal the body?

For more information on Fruitarian Living and health please visit my other blog www.myfruitthing.com 

Check out my post on Diabetes Cure.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, what are you doing with it? 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and please stay tuned for the next one! 

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