I think Lisa was the very first person who ever commented on this blog back when it was on Blogspot. We’ve followed each other ever since and emailed each other about our various passions, and now we’re swapping guest posts.
Lisa blogs as EcoYogini about….yup, you’ve got it, yoga and the environment. This girl goes out of her way to make everything in her life as eco-friendly as she possibly can and I’m constantly amazed by her committment to what she believes. I am priveleged to have her guest blogging here today on my two passions, Yoga and Food.
Enjoy the post and check out her site for some of the best eco hints and tips on the web!
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Yoga and Food… when I first began to practice I would have laughed at the thought that there was a connection, let alone a heated debate (among some!). Add a bit of ‘Eco’ in there and the confusion and decisions become increasingly difficult.
After a lot of thought (and a lot of reading) I have decided that what we eat, beyond whether it is nutritious and in a healthy manner, is a personal choice. I do understand that many individuals (many yogis) choose to be Vegan or Vegetarian for personal and moral reasons, which I think is amazing, however there is this sense of morality and guilt that is attached to our modern ways of eating. Especially the Western world. Our culture craves guidance on eating, with body image, self esteem and attaching intrinsic attributes to food (‘rewards’ or ‘punishments’ using food).
I leave the debate alone as to whether yoga and meat go together; because I truly believe it is our culture’s appropriation of food=moral values.
At the same time, I thought I’d share a bit my choices with food and yoga… and how I worked through my beliefs… being all ‘eco’ and stuff (as much as I can!).
The reality, is that meat and most ‘Big Ag(riculture)’ are HUGE burdens on our planet. Meat production in those ginormous CAFO (Concentration Agriculture Feeding Organizations) requires 10 to 20 percent more energy to produce compared to edible grains, is responsible for 18% of the worlds greenhouse gasses, have cause growth hormones to leak into our Canadian rivers and lakes and use up one fifth of the worlds land for grazing (Ecoholic, 2006).
Sadly, buying free-range, local, grass fed beef is extremely difficult and VERY expensive, so even responsible meat eating becomes unrealistic (for myself).
The alternative; eating only veggies, fruits and grains, isn’t as straightforward. In order to assure the proper amount of nutrients, vegetarians and especially vegans need to eat responsibly. It involves planning and research to know where you can get protein, iron, calcium… and assure a nutrient rich diet. (Rachel here – this is so true, early experiments with veganism left me iron deficient because I hadn’t researched well enough). Whenever I hear discussions or read articles about the wonders of vegetarianism, I am always struck by how very ‘non-local’ and non-seasonal it would be for myself.
This is a major issue for the way I have chosen to prioritize my food. It is very important, for myself, to eat within my region’s abilities. I don’t think that I have the right to eat a banana, which has never grown in Nova Scotia, just because I am wealthy enough to have it shipped across the ocean for my convenience. We rarely buy exotic fruits or non-local produce in our household. Which, if you know a bit about Nova Scotia, Canada, means that there isn’t a whole lot of variety year round for fruits, vegetables and grains. Our fruits include apples year round, frozen blueberries and sometimes strawberries in the winter and pears, peaches, plums with other berries in the summer. Mostly.
Another consideration with our locavore attempts (attempts, since we are far from perfect), is the actual distance and carbon spewed out when fruits and vegetables are shipped from other countries. Add packaging, pesticides sprayed excessively for growth and bugs, worker conditions and soil erosion… and eating non local produce just wasn’t worth it anymore.
Finally, my ultimate reason for not going vegetarian or vegan? Tofu. And it has nothing to do with taste or flavour, I have had fantastic tofu while I lived in Montreal. Nope, it’s the soy. Soy is one of THE crops for Monsanto, the pesticide and seed company that controls 95% of all seeds in America. Monsanto is also responsible for RoundUp, the pesticide used on GMO soy monocultures. Unless your tofu is certified organic, it was grown in soil eroding monocultures, with GMO seeds, pesticides that are causing an increasing (scary!) ‘deadzone’ of inhospitable waters off the Atlantic coast and supporting a business-model of control over our food production.
I do believe that it is wonderful if a yogi can live a healthy lifestyle while being vegan or vegetarian. I also feel that my choices regarding my situation are equally valid and healthy for our planet. Each individual should look at their lives, love their bodies and make the choices that are right for their situation. By accepting and learning from each other, we all can grow and connect, instead of practicing a sense of narrow righteousness.
So do I eat meat? Yep, chicken mostly. Do I feel guilty? Nope. 
Many Blessings and Many thanks to Rachel for asking me to speak my thoughts on such a complex topic. Rachel is a fabulous example of how practicing compassion and kindness allows for us all to learn from each other. As I have learned from her fantastic Vegan and Vegetarian recipes, which I will definitely have to try out soon (with local produce around our corner-spring!).
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Remember to check out Lisa on her blog, twitter and facebook accounts!
Thank you Lisa for your wonderful post.
So readers, what are your thoughts? “What are your food principles?”
