vegan diet benefits | Triumph Wellness

Running the Houston Marathon Vegan Style

February 17, 2013 by Emily Segal 1 Comment

Today’s guest post is by Triumph Wellness reader and vegan runner, Kanishka deSilva. I want to thank Kanishka for writing this post for us and congratulate him on his vegan marathon finish!

As soon as the gun went off, the rain started. I knew it was not going to be a day for a PR (personal record)! I was among the 12,000 marathoners and 13,000 half marathoners who had trained hard to achieve a personal goal and the time has come to execute it. The weather on January 13, 2013 in Houston, Texas was wet, cold and windy. The wind was gusting at 15 to 25 mph. The Cold Front bringing arctic cold air slammed into Houston around 6.30 am on race day just before the 7.00 am start time. Despite this nasty weather and the challenges I faced over the next few hours, I am proud to say that I completed the full marathon that day in a time of 4:24:29!!

I started running about 10 years ago. As years went by, I needed a goal to keep me motivated and continue running. I did 5K’s and 10K’s for a couple of years. During this time I was a non-vegan and ate a typical meat centered diet. I love nature, wildlife and the environment. As an environmentalist, I participated in local environmental causes and supported national organizations such as WWF, Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund. As I read about what causes harm to the environment, I realized that raising meat is one of the worst environmental offenders! So I started to cut back on meat consumption. I also started to realize the effect of red meat on my health and the benefit of eating vegetables. I slowly removed meat, poultry, and finally dairy from my diet and became a vegan in 2009. I was still running and competing in 5K’s and 10K’s.

Each year in January, the local TV station provides live coverage of the Houston Marathon. When I watched the coverage, I wished that I was at the starting line ready to run rather than watching it from the comfort of the living room couch. But running 26.2 miles was a huge jump from your typical 10K. In 2011, I joined a running club that was formed at my work place and started to run with some co-workers. We had folks who were Ultra Marathoners and some who couldn’t even run 1/2 mile. Each week we added miles and our training runs extended to 5 miles. A few times we did two laps and I was able to finish 10 miles! It was an awesome feeling to complete a 10 mile run and I knew that I was ready to do a 1/2 marathon. My fellow runners urged me to register for a local 1/2 marathon in March 2011. My goal was to finish the 13.1 miles. I finished in 2:10:16 at a pace of 9:56 min/mile.

By this time I was a total vegan and my vegan lifestyle certainly didn’t stop me from finishing a half marathon in good time. So I set my sight on the next goal, the Houston marathon. During the training for the full marathon I read about Scott Jurek, one of the top ultra marathoners in the US who is also a vegan. Jurek writes about running, veganism and how to get proper nutrition when you are a vegan runner. He was an inspiration for me as I prepared for my event.

In 2012, the runners in our club were running hard and fast in July-August, the worst times to run in Houston. Some days the temperature would be 95F with 98% humidity in the evening and we would still go out and run. My times were slowly improving and I PR’d most of my races in 2012. I PR’d the 5K, 10K and the half Marathon distances in 2012. I shaved off 15 minutes from my first 1/2 marathon and finished in 1:55 at a pace of 8:49 min/mile. My vegan lifestyle was definitely helping as I was running faster despite getting older.

On January 13th my big day arrived and with it, that horrible winter storm! As the marathoners started off, the atmosphere was electrifying and my adrenaline was in full swing. I was not used to running in a rain poncho (rain coat) and it took me some time to adjust to it. At 5K, I was running at 8:52 min/mile pace and realized that I was going too fast. I slowed down and was still making good time. At 15K, the weather was taking a toll. My pace has decreased to 8:56 min/mile and the cold windy rain was still coming down in bursts. My fingers were numb and I could not even reach into my pouch to get my energy gels! At the half way mark (13.1 miles), my pace has dropped to 9:06 min/mile. I was really slowing down and if I ran slower than this my finish time would be over 4 hours. At 30K, my pace was 9:28 min/mile! I resigned to the fact that my goal of finishing below 4 hours was over. A few miles after the 30K my legs started to hurt. The muscles were screaming for oxygen and energy and I had to slow down and walk as my legs refused to run.

At this point my goal was just to finish and forget about getting a PR! I think I lost interest in the race when I knew that I would not be breaking the 4 hour mark. The mind does play an important role in racing! If the mind is not fully engaged with your goal, things starts to fall apart. I believe training the mind to keep your goal in the radar is as important as training your body to finish 26.2 miles. As I was so tired and exhausted, I slowed down considerably and added a some walking to give my legs a break. As we headed back to downtown, the rain had ceased and the crowd was getting larger. I grabbed some oranges that folks were handing out and that gave me a little boost. As I got closer to the finish line, I gathered up the last few grams of energy and pushed on. My wife was there to cheer me and I put on a brave face for the camera. As I crossed the finished line, I was overcome with mixed emotions. Happy to finish the marathon but dejected that I could not achieve my goal.

The hardest part was walking back to the car to get home!

The weather affected everyone who braved it and ran that day. None of the top finishers in the full and the half marathon established records or PR’s. The local newspaper mentioned that only 40% of the marathon runners started the race. The normal dropout rate is about 10%. Out of the 60% who started, 98% completed. Which is really good. I guess only the die hard runners were at the start line. I am still trying to figure out what I could have done differently that would have changed the outcome. During the last two months of training, I had started to change my diet based on Dr Fuhrman’s Nutritarian program. I feel that I may have not consumed adequate calories as my weight went down by about 4 pounds during the last month before the race. Maybe I should have increased my long run from 20 miles to 22 miles and increased my calorie intake to compensate for the change in the diet? I will take notes of all these issues and adjust my training plan for next year.

Personally, completing the Marathon was a great achievement for me and the most physically demanding event that I have done.

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Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, Growth, Positive Thinking, Running, Triumph Race Club, vegan Tagged With: Achievement, Goals, Nutrition for Athletic Performance, Race Club, Running, Team Triumph Race Club, Vegan Athlete, vegan diet benefits

T-minus 10: How to Run a Different Race

January 6, 2013 by Emily Segal 4 Comments

Remember how last year while training for my first marathon, I latched on to Kelli Clarkson’s song, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger?

Well, this year there’s a new sheriff in town and she says:

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So, I am in my 12th week of training with 10 weeks to go until race day. As you know, I also made the conscious decision to have a different experience with running and racing this year. To accomplish that, I changed my training plan and I changed my training fuel. I don’t even feel like the same person right now, so I think it is working!

This year I am training with a personalized version of Hal Higdon’s Intermediate runner program. The biggest change in this plan has been the kind of speed-work the plan entails. Instead of just running intervals on speed days (short sprints or “fartleks”), this plan uses Tempo Runs. Tempo Training is a gradual process of training your body to be able to sustain a faster speed for longer periods of time, rather than explosive sprints which never helped me get any faster. You can read more about Tempo Training HERE.

(Incidentally, for those who didn’t see when I posted it on Facebook, the link above led me to this fascinating video on how to blow the perfect Snot Rocket while running. For that bit of edification, click HERE. Good stuff.)

Since incorporating Tempo Training I have actually seen my pace slowly improve. It took awhile for me to see any differences but I was persistent and this week I really turned a corner and cut off some serious time at the 5K distance.

Not only has my performance improved, but the shape of my body is changing as well. In the past, I tended to grow some pretty big quadriceps muscles when training for these distances events. This year has literally been a pain in the @ss with most of my new muscle growth in my hamstrings and butt. Why the difference? I have been ATTACKING hills this year. I used to kind of avoid them and we all say how Tel Aviv is a flat course. But it’s not really flat – ask anyone who has run it! There are some looooooong slow inclines that are killer and what about those two crazy hills on HaYarkon at the end?! (If you are thinking “what hills” imagine turning south on HaYarkon from Nordau. Oh yeah, that hill. Oh and what is this on the other side of the tunnel coming up to the Sheraton? It’s a nasty friggin hill at the very end of the race, baby).

Another thing I have changed this year is my nutrition. Back in November I committed to an Eat to Live challenge over on Dr Furhman’s website. I had a kind of wobbly start with being totally compliant, but once I got going, weight started coming down and energy started coming up. Becoming a Nutritarian is changing not only my physical shape, but my mental approach to how and why I feed myself, and undoubtedly it will change the way I coach others as well. I’m sure I will be writing much more about this.

It is crystal clear to me that on the days I eat to meet my nutritional needs and no more, I have great workouts, and days when I eat (or drink) for entertainment, distraction, or mere habit, my body gives me sub-par performance. I didn’t even realize I was getting sub-par performance before upgrading my nutrition! I thought I was doing pretty well. But yo-ho, there is a whole other level up here!!! And I don’t want sub-par anymore and not just in terms of running and working out.

So that expression about doing what you’ve always done and getting what you’ve always got? Completely true.

Luckily, the opposite is true as well.

Training song of the week, Vertigo by U2. This song is like a brick on my gas pedal!

Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, Growth, Inspiration, Running, vegan, vegan challenge, weight loss Tagged With: Achievement, Exercise, Goals, Nutrition for Athletic Performance, Running, Self-Improvement, Vegan Athlete, vegan diet benefits, weight loss

Guest Post: Confessions of a Newbie Vegan

December 13, 2012 by Emily Segal 2 Comments

Our guest writer today, Fred Schlomka, is the husband of a dear friend of mine. I asked Fred to share his story with my readers and he generously does so very honestly below.

Now, I know that for some of you, the fact that Fred identifies as a vegan but is willing to eat a few non-vegan items or push pieces of meat off the top of a dish and still eat it, is problematic. If that troubles you, don’t read this post. If on the other hand, you can focus on the changes this man has made, the impact those changes have had, and allow that we each walk our own path, then I think you will really be inspired by Fred’s story.

* * * *

It’s really not that hard to be vegan. People are always asking me “How did you do it?” or gasping “What? No milk or meat products?! What on earth do you eat?”

Well, here’s my secret: There isn’t one!

Most people know whether they are living a healthy lifestyle or not. Some of us have metabolisms and psychologies that enable a life of moderation and balance. I believe that most foods in moderation do not harm us, and that includes milk and meat products. However most of us in the ‘Developed World’ learn various types of addictions at an early age, sugar, milk and meat tend to be the worst culprits. From our earliest years these products are shovelled into our bodies in quantities far exceeding our nutritional requirements. Our bodies then become dependent on them, and subsequently prone to all kinds of cardiovascular problems and exotic cancers. Our parents, schools, communities, corporations and governments all work together to reinforce the idea that these foods are needed in huge quantities.

Thus we become addicted, except the people I mentioned earlier who seem to float through life unaffected by all the food indoctrination. They remain gloriously healthy.

There was no real decision point for me to alter my eating habits. It was more like a continuum of knowledge easing me towards a healthier lifestyle. My daughter Maya was an inspiration. She has been vegetarian since she was twelve years old, and during the summer of 2011 stopped eating milk products as well. She never proselytized to my wife or myself, but our kitchen was always a reflection of our daughter’s culinary needs.

Meat was never a big factor in our diet. At home we used to have meat once or twice a week and I would eat the occasional shwarma or steak at restaurants. However I did like slabs of bread and butter, and snack foods such as chips, chocolate, ice cream etc., which, as I passed through my 50′s, started adding to my girth. It was becoming a problem. After a blood test last year, my doctor wanted to put me on drugs to reduce my cholesterol, and giving me red flag warnings about heart disease and cancer. I have also been an on-again/off-again smoker for most of my life.

So in early 2012 I started mulling over what to do. I think my wife’s comments on my emerging breasts had something to do with it. Then my daughter suggested I take a look at a video, Forks over Knives. If anything tipped my decision it was that movie, plus some research it prompted me to do. My reasons are for health alone. I have no ethical problem with the eating of animals or their products, although I am pleased to now be on the side of more ecologically sane eating.

Like most people I have a mild addictive personality so I knew that ‘going on a diet’ would not solve my health issues. Diets are by definition short-lived, so I have chosen a lifestyle change which includes new and permanent eating patterns. Most people have addictive personalities to a greater or lesser degree. This is possibly why most diets do not last. If you bristle at the idea that you are some kind of addict, then I challenge you to give up sugar for the next 60 days – zero sugar – none. This means no sugar in hot drinks, no fizzy soft drinks, no ice cream, cakes, etc etc.

I made a decision to remove from my eating plan any meat, dairy, sugar, bread, and processed foods. I am not fanatical about it. Just last night I had a little slice of birthday cake at a dinner party. So sugar and the like become occasional treats, not daily fare. Sometimes I visit my Bedouin friends who might serve Makluba for lunch, a delicious dish of chicken and goat meat cooked together with rice and vegetables. It arrives at the table on a huge platter. I just move aside the meat and help myself to the rice and veggies. A little meat flavour does not bother me.

During the first six week after beginning my modified eating plan, I dropped from 76 kilos to 69 kilos. That was ten months ago. Since then I have fluctuated between 67 and 70 kilos. I believe my healthiest weigh should be around 64-65 kilos so am working on reducing my “healthy” snacks which tend to include a lot of nuts. Now when I am on the road I take fruit or nuts with me, or snack on falafel. Just about any falafel shop will provide a bag of falafel or a platter of falafel and salads without the pita. But I need to still cut down on the nuts.

Of course real health comes from a combination of proper eating and exercise. I practice karate 2-3 times a week and visit my personal trainer at the gym once a week, plus more sporadic working out at home, a little biking (which I want to increase), and lots of walking. I recently had a full blood workup and my doctor informed me that everything was 100%. No one was more surprised than he was! “I wish all my patients were like you.” he admitted.

Oh, did I mention I stopped smoking several months ago? Now, as I approach the end of my first year as a vegan, I believe I am doing everything possible to improve my health and extend my life as much as possible. It really hasn’t been that hard. The American Philosopher John C. Lilly once wrote ”What one believes to be true either is true or becomes true within the limits of the mind. Those limits are beliefs to be transcended.” Once upon a time I believed I was a meat-eating smoker, and I was. Over a period of time I came to believe I was a non-smoking vegan – so I became one. No trauma. No cravings. We all have within ourselves the capacity to change, but for change to come successfully, we have to first imagine a new status, a new way of being and relating to the world. This creates a window of opportunity for change. I stepped through the window and haven’t looked back.

Fred & Cindy_cropped When he is not eating well or practicing karate, Fred manages Green Olive Tours, an “alternative” tour company. He spends a great deal of time driving around the country, introducing foreign visitors to the culture, social mores, religions, and politics of the region.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Positive Thinking, vegan, weight loss Tagged With: Achievement, Dieting vs Lifestyle, Self-Improvement, vegan diet benefits, weight loss

30-Day Vegan Challenge Give-Away

December 11, 2012 by Emily Segal 20 Comments

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, of Compassionate Cooks, with a rescued cow at a farm sanctuary. Photo: Courtesy Of, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau / SF

For many years, I have been a faithful listener to the podcasts by vegan cookbook author and animal advocate, Colleen Patrick-Goudeau. Colleen’s podacasts, called Vegetarian Food for Thought, available on itunes and her website, cover every single topic you could think of concerning veganism.

In fact, before I made the switch from vegetarian to vegan, I pointedly ignored the episodes that concerned eggs and dairy! Colleen is so clear and true that I knew if I listened, there would be no going back. When I was finally ready to let eggs and dairy go, I then listened to those episodes to educate and motivate myself.

I was delighted when Colleen gave me an opportunity to review her new membership program! I was even more excited when after I had tested the program and given my feedback, she thanked me by giving me a free membership to hand out to one of my readers!

We are going to raffle this free membership off right here, right now! But first allow me (and Colleen herself) to tell you about the program.

Here is a list of topics that are covered day-by-day in The 30-Day Vegan Challenge:

Day 1 – Taking “Vegan” Out of the Box (turns out veganism isn’t as fringe as you thought!)
Day 2 – Stocking a Healthful Vegan Kitchen
Day 3 – Reading Labels
Day 4 – Getting to Know the Grocery Store
Day 5 – Eating Healthfully Affordably
Day 6 – Trying New Foods
Day 7 – Making the Time to Cook
Day 8 – Starting the Day off Right: A Bevy of Breakfast Ideas
Day 9 – Eating Out and Speaking Up
Day 10 – Packing Lunches
Day 11 – Rethinking Meat Cravings: Fat and Salt Taste Good
Day 12 – Discovering there IS Life After Cheese
Day 13 – Cutting out the Middle Cow and Getting Calcium Directly from the Source
Day 14 – Plant-Based Milks
Day 15 – Putting to Rest the Great Protein Myth
Day 16 – Better Baking without Eggs
Day 17 – Strong Like Popeye – Increasing Your Iron Absorption
Day 18 – B12 – A Bacteria-Based (Not Meat-Based) Vitamin
Day 19 – Finding Abundant Options while Traveling
Day 20 – Skipping the Middle Fish: Getting Omega 3s from the Source
Day 21 – Keeping Things Moving with Fiber
Day 22 – Demystifying Tofu: It’s Just a Bean
Day 23 – Special Considerations for Particular Groups
Day 24 – Eating by Color
Day 25 – Eating Confidently and Joyfully in Social Situations
Day 26 – Finding Harmony in a Mixed Household
Day 27 – Compassionate Fashion: It’s Cool to Be Kind
Day 28 – Understanding Weight Loss – Part One – Calorie Reduction
Day 29 – Understanding Weight Loss – Part Two – Calorie Expenditure
Day 30 – Keeping it in Perspective: Intention Not Perfection
Day 31 – Wrap Up and Reflection

Seriously, Colleen leaves no stone left unturned here. Material is delivered entirely online. You can log into the website at any time day or night and read the material, listen to audio, watch video, and interact in the member forums.

And some of the recipes you receive:

Creamy Leek Polenta
Simple Bean Burritos
Lentil Mushroom Barley Stew
Panzanella (Bread Salad)
Tofu Scramble
Black Bean Squash Quesadillas
Southwestern Quinoa Pilaf
Mexican Chocolate Cake
Green Smoothies
Lemon Artichoke Tapenade
Tofu Cacciatore
Coconut Red Lentil Dal
Spicy Red Bell Pepper Soup
Soba Verde Salad
Truffle Popcorn
No-Bake Apple Crumble
Un-Split Pea Soup
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

By and large, Colleen’s recipe are simple and use easy-to-find ingredients, even for those of us outside of North America.

While I felt that The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, was probably best for a new vegan just learning the ropes, I did listen to every single day’s material and even learned a few new things, such as the trick to making the tastiest tempeh and how to make fluffy vegan biscuits (which I will eagerly save until Israel gets healthy vegan margarine! Speaking of which, I did find the grocery store tour a little depressing. American vegans, you have some seriously amazing choice of food products!)

Here are some of the FAQ’s from the website:

I’m vegan already. Will I get anything out of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge™?

Absolutely! The vast amount of information provided in this program is perfect for vegans who want to arm themselves with the knowledge they need to answer questions, debunk myths, and guide others. Colleen is continually told by long-time vegans that they continue to learn through her work, which encompasses so many aspects of living thoughtfully and well. Colleen’s no-nonsense approach will quite literally have you walking away each day with succinct, relevant, compassionate responses to the typical questions and challenges vegans hear. In addition, her nutrient-dense recipes and resources and tips for eating as healthfully as possible are helpful for everyone, whether they’re vegan or not, brand-new vegan, or long-time vegan!

I already own the book, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Is the content of the online program different from the book?

All of the recipes are completely different from the now out-of-print book. They are brand new, created for The 30-Day Vegan Challenge™ online! Though some of the content is similar to the out-of-print book, it has been re-worked to suit different mediums: print, video, and audio, making it very fresh and new. For instance, the online program enables Colleen to share video cooking demonstrations and messages, which is impossible to do in a book.

So, if you’d like to save yourself the $20 sign-up fee, you can enter to win the free membership here! Just leave me a comment below telling me why you’d like to win The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Then check back on Sunday, December 16th, the last night of Hannukah, when I will announce the winner! Contest is open to anyone with a computer and internet access, anywhere in the world.

If you’d prefer to skip the contest, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge can be purchased directly HERE.

(This is not an affiliate anything. Colleen is just generous and I love helping her spread her work.)

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Filed Under: Events, Holidays, Inspiration, Product Reviews, Recommendations, vegan, vegan challenge Tagged With: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, vegan diet benefits, Vegan Recipes

Incorrect Assumptions

June 14, 2012 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

Several of you have asked what’s happening with my suspected gluten intolerance. So I am happy to say that I have good news! I think my “gluten intolerance” was more of an “over-eating intolerance”.

Yup, that’s correct. I made an incorrect assumption. Allow me to explain:

You see, every time I ate gluten, I had gastric distress. But when I looked closer (thank you Health Coach!), I realized that every time I ate gluten, I also tended to over-eat because I just LOVE breads, crackers, tortillas, pasta, crackers and crackers. However, when I woke up to this fact and began to carefully measure and eat a small portion, voila, I am OK.

That got me thinking about how we often attribute an effect to a cause without properly evaluating other causes.

For example, a million years ago I worked at a family planning clinic. Women would often complain that the birth control pill they had recently started taking had caused them to gain weight. While I am sure that in some cases there may indeed have been a hormonal problem caused by the pill, many times, when we dug a little deeper, we found a different cause entirely.

These women were going on the pill because they were in new relationships. In new relationships we often eat together with our lovers often as a form of romantic entertainment don’t we? We eat out in restaurants a lot more than we did when we were single. And as time goes on and we get more comfortable in the relationship, maybe our previous desire to stay slim when we were “on the market” mellows a bit, we eat a bit more, workout a bit less and waistlines expand. But it’s a lot easier to blame the pill than to take responsibility for our own actions, isn’t it?

I also see this incorrect assumption effect in play when I hear people say “Yeah, I tried to be vegan but I just didn’t feel well.” Usually when I can get these people to open up a little more, I hear them say that yes, they really weren’t eating very well in that phase. They were not cooking or were relying on processed vegan foods, or never took the time to learn about their nutritional needs or how to meet them as vegans. They rarely ate the large amount of green vegetables vegans need to thrive or they were eating too much fat or sugar.

And quite often I think that new vegans don’t adjust for the lower calorie density of plant-based foods. The fatigue and loss of vitality they experience as vegans is quite likely due to a too low caloric intake. (Yes, you must eat a higher VOLUME of food on a plant-based diet. Can I get a yay to that??)

Could there be people who ate great and ate enough calories and STILL felt bad as vegans? There probably are. But it’s a lot easier to blame veganism than to take responsibility for our own actions.

Are there places in your life where you are drawing incorrect assumptions?

Maybe you assume that your metabolism is “messed up” because no matter how hard you try, you just can’t lose weight? Get your metabolism tested and I’ll bet it’s just fine. You probably have trouble losing weight because you have never gotten to the root of why you gained it in the first place. Or because you have a problem being consistent with your changes or sticking with it long enough to see results. It’s a lot easier to blame our metabolism than take responsibility for our own actions.

Perhaps you have drawn the incorrect assumption that you need to eat some low-carb fad diet in order to lose weight. Incorrect because you never counted your calories and if you had, you would have seen that your low-carb fad diet is simply a lower calorie diet. You could have achieved the same weight loss by just eating smaller portions of the regular food you enjoy. It’s a lot easier to blame a certain food (carbs) than to take responsibility for our own actions.

I don’t mean to sound preachy. We all do this. I did it with the gluten issues above and as I am learning with my coach, I have done it repeatedly with my incorrect assumption that I cannot achieve anything without OVERCOMING some sort of major adversity. I am stuck on my hero scenario. (in case you, um, hadn’t noticed…)

I hope you can see how believing incorrect assumptions takes your power away. It makes you a victim. It gives you no hope.

The only way to move forward is to… take responsibility for our own actions.

Explore your assumptions. Shine a big ole flashlight on them. Expose them for what they are, and

Filed Under: coaching exercises, Growth, health coach, Rants, vegan Tagged With: Dieting vs Lifestyle, goals forgotten by February, Self-Improvement, vegan diet benefits, weight loss

The End of Milk

June 3, 2012 by Emily Segal 18 Comments

As most of you know, I am currently a vegan. I am a vegan for mainly ethical and environmental reasons but also appreciate the tremendous health benefits of a plant-based diet.

It has been a long journey to reach full veganism and I am still not perfect at it. At around age 16, I realized that what was on the dinner table used to be a cute little animal and I no longer wanted to eat meats. I gave up veal first, then all beef, then fish, and finally chicken. It was not a straight path and there were many regressions to various levels of meat-eating over the years.

I kept dairy and eggs in my diet because I loved them, and at first I did not think they presented an ethical problem – the animals did not die to give us eggs and dairy, right?

But then gradually I learned the truth. The truth that the dairy and egg industries are the MOST cruel and horrible and that by continuing to eat eggs and dairy I was participating in the absolute worst of animal agriculture.

Still, it took me a loooooong time to get to a place where I could give them up. I mean, CHEESE! I adored cheese and could not imagine a life without it.

But as I had done before with becoming vegetarian, I took things slowly. I did a few days dairy and egg-free at a time. I learned how to bake without eggs and how to make scrambled tofu and tofu egg salad that totally satisfy and how to make nut cheese and cheesy sauces without the dairy. One day I was able to look back and not even remember the last time I had eaten either eggs or dairy. Yay me!

My family however… not on board.

Over the years, I have stopped cooking meats, chicken and fish for my family. My husband cooks those for them once a week. The rest of the time I cook vegetarian food. But it became increasingly uncomfortable for me to buy and prepare dairy for them knowing what I know about the dairy industry.

And then I watched Forks Over Knives and heard the scientific evidence that even a small amount of dairy each day activates cancer cells and causes tumor growth and I wanted me to get my loved ones off dairy immediately!

But when I would mention not buying milk anymore as a first step, children and spouse would stamp feet in protest. ”Mommy, now you are going too far!”

That looks creepy and weird, right? But it’s what we are doing when we drink their milk. They make that milk for their own calves, but we take their babies away at one-day old and steal their milk. Because apparently, we are not weaned.

Then…

One…

Day…

I saw some photos on Facebook of the Israeli dairy industry that stopped my heart. It had been easy for me to distance myself from the horror that is the cow milking madness, because it was over THERE, in America. Here in Israel, we thought, in order for food to be kosher, the animals have to be treated humanely, so conditions must be better than the States. Right? Right?

I mean, I had seen some cows on our cousin’s moshav and yes, their udders were horribly distended, but still…(denial, denial, denial…)

Then these photos and I could no longer keep my head in the sand. Not only are the cows’ udders insanely and sickly distended, bloody, pus-y, and horrific, there is one photo giving instructions for milking cows who are “smelly with diarrhea”, “have a suspected infection”, are “limping”, “bloody”, and “sick”.

End of Story. Last Straw. Tipping Point.

OK, even if you are the cruelest person on the planet and cannot muster a tiny bit of compassion for these MAMMALS, who in the world wants to drink the breast milk of a limpy, shit-covered, hormone-pumped, genetically-modified, bloody, pus-y, infected, postpartum cow boob??

I showed the photos to the kids and they agreed (sort of) and that was that. It has been a couple of weeks now and everything is going well in my no-cow-milk home. We have been experimenting with all different sorts of plant milks. Soy tastes the best and is the creamiest, but too much processed soy probably isn’t a great idea either, so I am mixing 1/3 each: soy, almond, and rice usually. I throw in a few drops of vanilla and a tablespoon or two of coconut milk and it is thick and delicious and YUM and no one is complaining.

That is just milk and this is just our starting place. No doubt they will still eat ice cream when they go out and we will still order pizza for my little one’s birthday party. Those things may change someday or maybe not, but cow milk itself, we are done with, and I feel awesome about it!

Not to mention my older son’s teenaged skin is looking MUCH better and he said “I used to have a stomach ache everyday at school. Now, not so much.” You have no idea how hard I have held back my told ya so’s!

People often say “Just me, not drinking cow’s milk, won’t make any difference.” In my opinion it DOES make a difference. First, it makes a difference for YOU. You feel better, you feel like you are making a compassionate choice, your skin clears up, your tummy doesn’t bloat, you don’t have all those hormones coming into your body and disrupting your own hormones, your cholesterol level comes down, your blood flows easier, you don’t farty fart fart all the time.

Then MAYBE one day someone will ask you why you don’t drink milk and maybe you will tell them. Maybe you will show them these photos and explain about the dairy industry and maybe, just maybe, you will cause them to think twice too. The ripple effect from just one person’s choices reaches far and wide. I know, because I see it in effect daily.

There are so many delicious alternatives. Just give them a try and see what happens. You don’t have to commit to veganism or anything. You don’t have to commit to ANYTHING. You can choose what to eat and drink at every meal. Just make sure you understand what you are choosing and what the cost of that choice is, for yourself, for the animals and for the planet.

There is no such thing as humane meat, dairy, eggs, fish poultry or pork. Would it be humane if we were treating humans this way? No, of course not. I’m not going to get into the whole thing here – take an hour and watch the amazing Gary Yourofsky video for yourself and learn what is true about animal agriculture. Video can be found HERE.

If you drink dairy or eat cheese or yogurt, you owe it to the cows to look at these photos. And this is Israel where we are mandated by religious law to treat animals humanely! If this is happening here, you can only imagine what it is like in your country.

Photo album is on Facebook HERE.

I know this is hard for many of you to think about. I know there is major cognitive dissonance happening in your brain and heart. I know, because I went through it all too. Just keep your mind as open as you can. Use your common sense. Don’t drink the Dairy Industry Kool-Aid. Try a few days without cow’s milk. Experiment. Allow your thoughts and opinions to change and evolve. Thank you for reading this entire post. Please share it if it means something to you…

This post is participating in Healthy Vegan Fridays HERE.

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Filed Under: Growth, health coach, Picky Eaters, Rants, Recommendations, vegan Tagged With: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, milk substitutes, vegan, vegan diet benefits

How to Dissolve Fear

March 18, 2012 by Emily Segal 1 Comment

I have a few recipe posts waiting in the wings, but first have some good stuff to share.

1. The 2nd annual WISH Summit is underway. WISH stands for Women’s International Summit for Health and it is founded and headed up by Tera Warner of the Raw Divas. WISH is 40 days of amazing interviews with some of the top names in health, spirituality, finanial health, business, sexuality, and creativity. Tera is an excellent interviewer and things rarely get boring!

I download the talks onto my ipod and listen while I am running or doing chores. In fact, I am still listening and re-listening to some of the amazing talks from last year’s summit! I keep hearing new things. This year’s summit has also been wonderful and I have already had a ton of light bulb moments as I listen. My favorite speakers so far are EFT Master Carol Look, comedian Kyle Cease, and writer and physician Bernie Siegel. The program is totally free and you can listen to past talks as well. You can sign up HERE. This is not an affiliate program. I am just recommending it because it’s great.

2. The Tel Aviv Marathon is in 11 days and I am in taper mode, which means short, easy runs to keep up fitness levels without tearing down muscles or courting any injuries. I am as trained as I’m gonna be!

An amazing thing has happened in terms of my previous high level of terror and fear surrounding this race. While listening to one of the WISH talks I mentioned above, new age comedian Kyle Cease described a technique he uses to beat stage fright and to allow himself to be more in the zone during performances. Instead of doing affirmations like “I am running the Tel Aviv Marathon successfully”, you say “Remember when I ran the Tel Aviv Marathon and it was so fun and so inspiring? Remember how the spectators were so great and there was so much camaraderie with the other runners? Remember how the sky was so blue and the city and the sea looked so beautiful? Remember how wonderful and strong I felt the whole way through and how proud and excited I was when I crossed the finish line?”

So instead of making an affirmation that is off in the future somewhere, you put what you want to happen in the past. Then your mind looks on it like it already happened. When I started doing this, I found that 1.) much of my nervousness dissipated and 2.) I realized that my main goal in doing this race is to have fun! Sure I have other reasons why I want to do it, but having FUN while doing it is really the most important thing. I actually am thinking about bringing a camera along with me!

This is my toe. It is half purple and the nail is contemplating jumping ship. It is seriously cramping the having fun part of running a marathon! Apparently this toenail business happens often to marathoners and it’s not a big deal except that it hurts like the dickens and I am a little worried about it coming off right before or during the race. If just talking about this is grossing you out, do NOT google “black toenail syndrome”! I hereby promise to not post any pictures grosser than this one.

Do you think it will help me to say “Remember when my toenail spontaneously healed before I ran the Marathon?” I will try anything.

4. One of the things I worked on with my coach Karen, is being brave enough to refine the direction of my business. The thing I am truly most passionate about is eating compassionately without harming animals. That has gotten lost in the shuffle of working with everyone no matter how they want to eat. So as I slowly re-align myself with my core values, I am looking for writing opportunities that fit better than some of the websites I have previously written for. Case in point The Vegan Woman! This website is truly head and shoulders above the rest, with fantastic writers and an extremely talented and organized editor. The amount of synchronicity that happened around this transpiring for me was truly stunning. Remind me to tell you about it one day.

My first article for them is up and it’s all about why some people lose tons of weight when they go vegan and others don’t. Why Did the Magical Vegan Weight Loss Skip Me? can be found HERE. Please visit, look around, participate, comment, re-post and re-tweet whatever you find useful. I greatly appreciate your support in this new endeavor! If there is any vegan topic you want me to cover over there, just let me know.

Oh, and if you are a happy omnivore with no interest in plant-based living, and you have been on the fence about working with me, do it NOW. I am not sure how much longer I will be working with people who are not in some way interested in vegetarianism or veganism.

“Remember when I started devoting my business to Plant-Based Nutrition and it was so wonderful and successful?”

I think I just said that out loud…

… and the fear is gone!

Filed Under: coaching exercises, Growth, health coach, Inspiration, Positive Thinking, Product Reviews, Recommendations, Running, Tel Aviv Marathon, Triumph Race Club, vegan Tagged With: Exercise, Running, Team Triumph Race Club, Tel Aviv Marathon, Vegan Athlete, vegan diet benefits, weight loss

What Doesn’t Kill You…

February 8, 2012 by Emily Segal 2 Comments

image by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/petrus01/

We are now 8 weeks from Marathon Tel Aviv. This journey which began 10 weeks ago, back in November, is drawing to it’s conclusion. When I started, I was able to run 8K. Now I am up to 24K, and have 26K scheduled for Friday. Back in December, I got panicked when I realized I had embarked on a 10 mile course (16K) rather than a 10K. I struggled to complete it. Today, 16K, to Sde Warburg and back, is an “easy run” (except that it’s really 13K now that I have adjusted my pedometer. Hey, at least this time I calibrated it BEFORE the race!).

At the start of my training, I was experiencing terrible knee pain, plantar fasciitis, and was immobilized by a back injury. Last Friday I ran for 3 hours and 17 minutes with very little of any pain at all, and then spent the rest of the day on my feet cooking and cleaning and even managed a walk on the beach before Shabbat. The only pain I am currently suffering (pupupu) is sore toenails and post-long run insomnia, both common side effects of distance training.

I have run through armpit, butt, groin, and boob chafing. I have run through depression and blues. I have run through wind and rain. I have run when I did not want to run, and when I was stuffed up with a sinus infection and stiff with a sprained ankle.

I have seen spectacular sunrises. I have run through orchards, heavy with dizzying smell of ripening fruit. I have experienced endorphin highs lasting all day and well into the night (ergo insomnia). I have spent more time outside in nature this winter than I have in all the years since summer camp!

When I walk in the door on a Friday morning and my family turns to me expectantly and asks “So, how far today?” I about bust my sports bra with pride as I tell them what I have accomplished while they were still sleeping.

A year ago I struggled to complete a Half Marathon. Now, I run more than a Half Marathon every Friday morning and then go about my normal day!

Despite how challenging the path has been this far, it’s only the introduction. The next 8 weeks are when things will get serious. Actually, there are only 6 weeks left of active distance training, as the final two weeks are a “taper” down towards lower mileage, in order to preserve strength and lessen the chance of injury.

Already this week, my plan has really turned up the intensity: My mid-week runs are longer and closer together, lowering the recovery window between runs. I attribute my vegan diet for helping me recover as fast as I am between runs. I have tweaked my nutrition to include more (vegan) protein and will then increase carbs again closer to race day.

Mentally, I can tell you that on hard days it’s a little hard to see the forest for the trees. When people ask me “Why do you even WANT to do this if it’s been so hard?” I am really struck blank. Remember when I warned those of you training for events to get some GOOD motivators and write them down? Mama told you there’d be days like these!

I know enough about the psychology of change and achievement to know that the mind will do everything it can to preserve the status quo, and that includes needling you to quit, making you forget your purpose, and filling your head with doubts and fears of failure and defeat.

MY reasons (now that I am clear-headed):

To push myself beyond my current boundaries, mentally and physically
To prove that I can achieve this
To become the person I want to be - a 45-year old Vegan Marathoner – and just a heads up that my vision also includes being a 50-year old Vegan IronWoman so stay tuned!
For the major confidence infusion that comes from taking every step of a grueling journey towards an achievement that seems beyond possibility
To build a strong body, awesome cardio capacity, excellent heart function, reduction in the likelihood my diabetes or obesity will return, strong bone density, less depression, mental clarity and creative insight and on and on and on and on.

I believe very strongly that most of us use a very small amount of our potential in life. We plod through our days, rarely stretching our limits, hardly using even a drop of the abilities we possess. Training for this race has been about systematically stretching my comfort zone and pushing down mental and physical barriers in my path. But in the end, it will require an inner strength I have yet to meet, but am confident lives inside of me. After 45 years, it is high time she came out to play!

To see the entirely frightening course map, click HERE. I don’t know exactly how, but I am going to run that mother, and this is what I will be singing when I do: Kelly Clarkson “Stronger” …

Filed Under: Exercise, Goals, Running, Tel Aviv Marathon, Triumph Race Club, vegan Tagged With: Achievement, Anti-Ick Techniques, Exercise, Goals, Nutrition for Athletic Performance, Running, Team Triumph Race Club, Tel Aviv Marathon, Vegan Athlete, vegan diet benefits

Vegan Jewish Holiday Cooking is Here!

September 21, 2011 by Emily Segal Leave a Comment

As you can see, I have been a busy little cooking bee! I created this little e-book, available for immediate download and am selling it right HERE. I priced it low, just $10 USD (36 nis), because I want to get it into as many hands as I can. These are really delicious recipes and even complicated-sounding things like stuffed cabbage or apple pie, I totally simplified and idiot-proofed (not that any of you are idiots of course!). I also listed instructions for cooking ahead and storing as most of us can’t pull off this entire holiday season without advanced planning.

My recipes use no bizarre or hard-to-find ingredients and there are instructions and substitutions listed for readers who live and shop both in Israel and abroad. All the measurements are in metric AND US Standard. You’re welcome.

All the recipes are parve, so even if you are serving a traditional meat meal, you can incorporate some of these in as side dishes or desserts.

Also great if you have vegetarians/vegans in the family, or vegetarian/vegan guests!

How wonderful to have no cholesterol, healthier and delicious foods to share with your loved ones this holiday season!

Recipes are great for Rosh HaShanah of course, but will also be perfect for meals in the Sukkah, or frankly all year round. I, for one, have been sworn by my husband into a promise to make him the apple pie every week for the rest of his life. It’s that good.

Same husband, a notorious tofu-fearer, gobbled up the stuffed cabbage and said “This is way better than the kind you used to make with meat.” Seriously.

And my kids want to tell you that the blondies and the kugel are their #1 and #2.

You can pay securely via paypal, credit card or debit card in your choice of US$ or Shekels.

If you have ANY questions, don’t hesitate to email me at Emily@TriumphWellness.com.

Now, stop contemplating and go buy my e-book! Yay for non-subtle marketing.

E-book sales page and recipe list HERE.

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Recommendations, vegan Tagged With: Getting Kids to Eat Healthy, vegan diet benefits, Vegan Recipes

Finding Your Tribe

September 11, 2011 by Emily Segal 3 Comments

OK, so I need to write a blog post about sports injuries but apparently it is stuck in me and causing a log jam behind it, so I decided to set it aside and just write what is trying to get out. I’m going to just follow this thought and see where we go.

Tribes. Humans are tribal people. We don’t do well in isolation. We need communities and within those communities we form tribes of like-minded people. Belonging and being heard and understood are important for our well-being and survival. In fact, on this 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, what most of us remember is the sudden feeling of community in NYC and across the USA. For the first time, we were speaking to our neighbors and even though the situation was horrible, it felt good to be part of a community.

My father specializes in Community Psychology and over the vacation we were discussing how hard it is for people to make changes in their lives when their tribe does not support change. People can literally be held back by the very people who love them the most. One of the first things I talk about with my clients, is building a tribe of like-minded people who will support them as they make healthy changes in their lives. Twitter and facebook have allowed people to find and form tribes of support even if none exist in their real day-to-day lives. My Facebook stream for instance, is a constant mindbath of positivity, inspiration and healthy happiness. People who post otherwise are not shown in the stream – not part of that tribe.

Like most people I imagine, I have several real-life Tribes as well as online. First is my family tribe – the people I am either related to or who have been in my life for so long that I’m as good as related to. This includes mostly humans, but also several animals who have been, or currently are, members of our pack.

Then there is my religious tribe, both the large tribe of Jews and the smaller tribes of actual belief and practice where I find the most ideas I happen to agree with. (Just as an interesting aside, for those who don’t know this, Jews actually track their tribes from biblical times! This tribal legacy is passed down through the patriarchy, so when I married my husband, I became part of his tribe.)

Then there is my work tribe. I don’t have co-workers so that can be lonely. Most people make connections with the people at work with whom they spend their days. I, on the other hand, am finally in the fabulous position where I can choose my clients and I only work with people I actually LIKE. My clients are people I want to be friends with, people I like to talk to, people who are interesting and inspiring, and people who teach me as well as learn from me.

Then I have my women’s tribe. These are my girlfriends. Every woman has her tribe and I don’t think I need to say much about them except that I love them, they love me, we like to laugh, we always lovingly tell one another the truth, and we always have one another’s backs.

Finally, when I look at my life, I see that the other thing that is really important to me, is my feelings about animals/vegetarianism/animal rights and welfare/environmentalism/deep love and care of Mother Earth and her occupants. But where is my tribe for this? I did some research and I found that there is an active vegetarian society in Jerusalem, but that is too far for me to travel at night. I also found an on-again-off-again group in Tel Aviv, but didn’t see any centralized organization of events.

So a couple of months ago, inspired by a Vegan Meet-Up group that a facebook friend organizes in Montclair, NJ, I thought “If I can’t find my Tribe, then I will just create one.” I sent out notices everywhere I could think of about a Vegan Potluck and a friend of mine agreed to host it in her very beautiful home. Then I sat back in wonder as a stream of amazingly kind and beautiful people began to reply. I wondered hopefully if this realization of my tribe could really be happening.

Well, it did. In the end, there were 20 of us who showed up for the dinner and as I have mentioned on facebook, the energy of the group was positive and glowing. I felt that everyone was so open, so caring, so gentle and so interesting! From all sides I felt loved and appreciated and I knew I was with a group of people who “get” me. My Tribe. Huuuummmmm….

We shared many ideas of how we can move forward. Things we would like the group to be and to do. I know that skirmishes and negativity can arise at any time and that group dynamics are often difficult to manage. But I feel AMAZING to know that just by putting out the call “Hey, this is me. This is what I care about. Do you want to join me?” that I easily attracted a beautiful Tribe.

And by the way, not everyone there was vegan, or even vegetarian, but something brought them there and no one was judged in any way. As it should be, and sadly, most often is not.

On the last episode of her long-running show, Oprah Winfrey said:

“I’ve talked to nearly 30,000 people on this show, and all 30,000 had one thing in common — they all wanted validation. … They want to know, do you hear me? Do you see me? Does what I say mean anything to you?”

This is what being a Tribe member feels like. You still get to uniquely be yourself but other people see you and smile at you and sometimes even raise their glass to toast your existence.

Here are some photos of the event. Check out these beautiful faces!

What Tribes do you belong to? Are there more Tribes you would like to build? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

P.S. Yet one more Tribe – Team Triumph – has several new members. I have added them to the group page HERE. If I have forgotten to add you, forgive me and tell me again!