And on the fifth day, there were more vegetables...

and he saw them, and they were good. Today was another good day in the dietary experiment. I think this is a sustainable lifestyle based on what I've experienced so far. I can honestly say that meat has not even tempted me, despite walking by counters full of fresh cuts while doing grocery shopping this evening.

Today I've noticed that I'm feeling kind of nasty, but I believe this to be a product of cleansing of toxins due to my practice of chi kung sped up by not consuming additional animal toxins. I don't feel any lack of nutrients since my body is quite good about telling me what it needs and I am good at listening to it. It definitely feels like the deep-seated "gunk" is being flushed out. It seems like a little breakthrough! I'm very excited about that.

I'd like to express my deep gratitude to my Sifu for transmitting the skills I needed to successfully practice Shaolin Cosmos Chu Kung. The Shaolin arts are, from my very limited experience, quite amazing. There's so much more to it than you see in the movies - it's not just Matrix-style Kung Fu. Traditional Shaolin arts cultivate the body, mind, and spirit.

Love and blessings,
Charles

Day 4: The Vegetarian Project

Today was another good day for my experimental 30 day vegetarian diet. I've noticed another interesting development which I believe to be a direct result of this diet: the circles under my eyes aren't so dark anymore. I've had dark circles under my eyes for as long as I can remember. After four days, that darkness is starting to fade. I'm sure my Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung practice is also speeding this progression along.

Today's breakfast menu consisted of three whole-wheat "buttermilk" pancakes along with a single scrambled egg using rice milk and half a wedge of Laughing Cow herb & garlic cheese. I got the recipe for the pancakes from Nava Atlas' book, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. They have a texture reminiscent of pancakes from IHOP, which is great, because IHOP's pancakes are my favorite.

For lunch, we used some Morningstar Farms original grillers crumbles to make sloppy joe's which we had with mixed vegetables. Delicious! Many tasty snacks also ensued.

And for dinner, we had some breaded tofu nuggets. This was my first experience with tofu, and I must confess that I enjoyed it! I prepared these from a recipe from the same book that I got my breakfast recipe. So simple and so tasty! The texture was a bit rubbery; I'm not sure if that is just because that's how tofu is when baked, or if I just didn't drain and blot the tofu well enough. Any thoughts on this one?

I know I said I was going to try something using TVP today, but that just didn't happen. The Morningstar Farms crumbles are essentially TVP that's ready to go, though.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other positive health effects this diet holds for me. Hey, maybe I'll even lose some of my excess poundage!

Preparation for a vegetarian diet

I am preparing to exerience the supposed health benefits of a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Lately, my body has been telling me that it is preparing for a break from its dependence on meat and it wants my mind fo follow suit. I believe I should listen to this message. It is important to listen to what our bodies are telling us so we can keep ourselves fit and healthy.

At this point, I am in a stage of information gathering. I am have found some interesting information that should get me started down the path at http://www.veggie123.com/ - there is a useful e-book there that I am currently reading.

I believe my body's desire to shift toward a vegetarian diet is no accident nor a mere whim; it is the direct result of my diligent daily practice of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung. I have been practicing "Plucking Stars, Changing Galaxies" at least once daily to work on my digestive health for the past month, and I can say definitively that the results have been positive. Although my body mass has not really begun to change much, I have noticed that some of my excess fat is converting into muscle and my food cravings have almost entirely disappeared. Smaller quantities of food are satisfying to me now, and I am actively seeking out a more nutritious thoroughfare.

If any of my readers are established vegetarians, I would love to hear about your experiences and also hear your pointers and tips about maintaining a balanced but varied and tasty diet.

Update 5/13/2009:
I have done additional research on achieving a balanced vegetarian diet, and it seems the primary fears are that of the paradigm shift. I've checked out The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, by Nava Atlas and it seems like a great place to start. I have the support of Faythe, my wife, and for ethical and dietary reasons we are going to make the switch together. At this point, we are going with a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. This should be fairly easy to accomplish. We are planning on the first full day of vegetarian diet starting on 5/15/2009, after we have used the remainder of our ground turkey supply.

It's time for a change...

I've been plumbing the depths of myself quite a bit lately, and I am discovering the primary source of my life's discontent: I am not doing the work that I am meant to be doing.

I am a "computer guy" - I'm pretty good at what I do, which is network and server maintenance. I keep the internet running for more than 8000 people in the small city I work in. Is it exciting? Well, maybe. There are regularly new challenges. There are always new technologies to research and deploy. Why is this dissatisfying to me? It is because I am supporting a product which creates "technology junkies" - people who simply "cannot live" without an internet connection. Imagine what happens when someone cannot log into their email account 300 times per day! Hell hath no fury like a customer without email.

For fun this morning, I did a little search to find out what sorts of careers would suit my personality type better. I came up with this little gem on monster.com.

Life as an ISFP
(Introvert, Sensor, Feeler, Perceiver)

People of this type tend to be kind, humble and highly empathetic; thoughtful, faithful and affectionate with those they know well; sensitive to criticism and easily hurt; quiet, soft-spoken and gentle; adaptable, responsive and curious; realistic and down to earth.

The most important thing to ISFPs is feeling peaceful and harmonious with the people and places that matter most to them.

Great careers for ISFPs

Here are just a few popular and often satisfying careers for people whose Personality Type is ISFP:

• Primary care physician
• Occupational therapist
• Designer: interior / landscape
• Massage therapist
• Customer service representative
• Fashion designer
• Chef
• Paralegal
• Surveyor
• Registered nurse
• Dental hygienist
• Travel agent / tour operator
• Home health worker
• Medical assistant
• Alcohol and drug addiction counselor

As you can see, there are no computer-related professions listed for my personality type. No wonder I'm not happy to be your company's computer guy! Three of these career choices have sounded great to me for a long time: massage therapy, chef, and interior/exterior design.

You'll also note the high incidence of medical professions. This is also no accident - I am keenly interested in promoting holistic health care. I am a practitioner of Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung, which at a beginner's stage (where I am at) brings fantastic health benefits. As my sigung (teacher's teacher) says - good health is your birthright. I will elaborate on this subject in future articles, as I gain more experience. For now, it is sufficient to note that I had been practicing from my sigung's books for about six months before formally learning from my teacher approximately one month ago. In that one month I have had excellent progress.