Mentoring the young minds for a greener future!

Mumbai smiles

Anchoring the young minds is as important as educating them. In this era of technology and information, children are often faced with the stress of not knowing what to accept and what to reject.

Integrating this in the Future Smiles project of Mumbai Smiles, a scholarship distribution project, recently launched a one on one mentoring program by the name of Green Batti, a program that will pair 150 trained professional mentors to 150 underprivileged mentees through a collaboration between Mumbai Smiles and Thincquisitive Foundation. The objective behind this program being to bring together mentors and mentees from various backgrounds that will develop and nurture a relationship that provides the mentees with an exposure and experience beyond their immediate means as well as the mentors with an opportunity to learn and gain insight from the program as a whole.

The impact areas of the project will be health, life skills, social skills, and will also focus on developing social perspectives. The mentors will generally be working professionals in the age group of 21-29 years and will mentor children from under resourced communities in the age group of 10-12 years.

With a specialized process that will involve selecting the mentor and the mentee, the program will be more fruitful, effective and productive.

A total of 24 meetings have been scheduled for a period of 4 months for one on one interaction and group meetings. These sessions will include confidence building activities, special workshops, movie screenings and many more valuable activities!

It is through such initiatives that Mumbai Smiles hopes to provide the right guidance to the people from the underprivileged backgrounds and ensures their holistic development.

 

Pre-session meetings with the beneficiaries and their parents 

Co-founder of Thincquisitive Foundation interacting with the beneficiaries

Mumbai Smiles – Hope

Ankita and Vandana; our Champions

Affordability, accessibility and utilization of the health facilities are directly proportional to the socio-economic status of the family. In India, there is a need to help and psycho-socially support the children suffering from Cancer so that their lives can be saved. It is essential to help them maintain a balance in life and manage the disease condition in holistic manner. Most of the cancers in children are curable. However, many children die due to lack of comprehensive medical care. The social and economic realities prevent a sizeable population from seeking timely treatment and following up on the treatment.

In Mumbai Smiles, the HOPE project and its interventions are designed to address the financial, psycho-social, emotional and diagnostic need of 25 underprivileged children suffering from Cancer, aged 0 to 18 years coming from all over India, admitted at Holy Spirit Hospital, Andheri (East), Mumbai.

This project envisages giving importance to comprehensive and holistic care. It emphasizes on the aspect that is excluded from the medical care in the typical Indian hospital setting.

Among the various activities under this Project, ‘Champion of the month’ is one such activity that recognizes and honours these children who have successfully undergone a surgery or completed the chemotherapy cycle.

This month marked the celebration of consistent fortitude of our beneficiaries, Ankita and Vandana who completed their course of therapy and are determined to stand strong against the adversities of the disease. Ankita, 18 years old, finished her surgery for Brain Tumor and Vandana, 15 years old suffering from Retinoblastoma completed her 8 Chemotherapy cycles and 40 Radiations. Both the champions were given gifts to motivate them to continue their therapy. The hospital staff, nurses, Mumbai Smiles volunteers and other beneficiaries extended their support to both of them. Ankita’s words while she was leaving “I could have never been able to do this without all of you” were filled with immense gratitude and affection towards everybody present there. Vandana was touched by the involvement shown by the other beneficiaries into her treatment and this brought a bright smile on her face.
This effort ensures that the beneficiaries don’t fight the disease alone. A society that supports can make a huge difference just by being there for them. The event was concluded by distributing medical kits to all the beneficiaries.

 Written by Mumbai Smiles volunteer Chiranshu Kumar. Thank you!

 

Mumbai Smiles – Hope

Mumbai Smiles – Hope

Mumbai Smiles – Hope

 

For more info:

www.mumbaismiles.org
mumbai@mumbaismiles.org
www.mumbaiaction.org

An introduction to Mumbai Smiles

A very dear friend of mine, Laia, recently visited India and got in touch with the organisation Mumbai Smiles. She told me she was impressed by their work and would like to help them out. From Europe the easiest way to help them is to get them exposure. I offered my blog for that, so from now one you can expect articles on Mumbai Smiles and their work regularly. 

Mumbai Smiles
http://www.mumbaismiles.org

Who they are:

Mumbai Smiles is a non profit organisation founded by a Spanish journalist, Jaume Sanllorente in the year 2005. He was on vacation to Mumbai which happened to be a life changing experience for him. He started what he calls a “peaceful struggle against poverty”, a struggle that has today been taken up by a growing team of dedicated professionals. It engages with thousands of people with multiple projects focused on Education, Health and Livelihood.

Mumbai Smiles operates through their projects in and around the slums of Andheri East area, Mumbai. Mumbai Smiles believes in delivering quality services to its beneficiaries and hence has strategically chosen to work in a specified area for holistic development of the community.

Their target population is the children, women and youths in the slum communities of the operational area. Their projects on education, health and livelihood are interlinked with each other and aligned with the MDG goals to contribute largely in the overall socio- economic development of the area.

What they do:

This integrated program aims to end poverty and the violation of the most fundamental human rights in the poorest communities in Bombay.

Their education program includes:

• Balwadi project focused on Cultivating a Healthy Lifestyle through Education to children in below 6 years of age.
• Future Smiles project focused on adolescent youths above 14 years of age providing financial support to underprivileged youths to continue their education and build a bright future.
• Girl Child Education project focused on adolescent girls by providing them scholarship support to continue their education thus alleviating the gender disparities existing in society and giving equal opportunity to girls to continue their education.

 Their health program includes:

• HOPE project which gives psychosocial and financial support to children with cancer.
• Eye check up and health camps.

 Their Livelihood project includes:

SEED Project: This project on vocational training rolled out in the year 2012. It was initiated with the vision to connect with ongoing education programs and provide a link to those left out youths who were not covered under the Future Smiles project. Thus it aims to provide marketable tangible skills to underprivileged youth in the age group of 18 – 29 years and women above the age group of 29 years providing them meaningful employment to lead a dignified life. The larger objective of the project is to promote gender equality by empowering women financially. Mumbai Smiles believes that a woman is a foundation to a healthy society and plays a central role to development as a whole.

 Those interested in visiting Mumbai Smiles Projects can do so by simply writing them  on: mumbai@mumbaismiles.org, and they will organise a one day visit for you to all their projects.

You can also visit their Blog: www.mumbaismiles.org to learn more about them.

Thank you!

Mooncup menstrual cup

Remember the post about the Mooncup? 

Would you also experience a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads? To have a more carefree and comfortable period?

 Click HERE to be directed to the shop where you can order yourself one!

Post any questions you might have about the use of the Mooncup, I will then consult Mooncup and get back to you with the answers!

 

An alternative for tampons & sanitary napkins… the Mooncup!

Recommended to me by a friend, I decided to test an alternative to tampons and sanitary napkins. After experiencing the “monthly thing” for over half of my life as an extremely unpleasant experience…..

(Dear men, please don’t run away, don’t be scared, this is a normal subject! I promise I won’t make a habit out of it, but I do intent to sell this amazing alternative via the blog),

…..I decided it’s time to make a change. A change to caring about my own body, as well as caring about nature. 

To me it seems like the big brands (a.o. Procter& Gamble, Johnson & Johsnsons)  have got a huge lobby, to make us think tampons and sanitary napkins are good for us. Are you conscious of what you eat? Of how you take care of yourself? Ofcourse you are! Then why do you still put a bleached piece of cotton inside you or a chemically perfumed thing in your underwear? 

I tried the Mooncup, and hope to be offering you all a link here soon, where you coukd buy your own body- and environmentally- friendly menstruation cup. I decided I will help spread the word, create awareness of this alternative, because every woman should have the right to choose how she can take care of herself. Did you know, that where I live, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, I only  found 1 shop where one can buy a menstruation cup? 

The Mooncup – known in the USA as MCUK – is the original silicone menstrual cup designed by women to be a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads. Loved by women all around the world, and made in the UK by a multi-award winning ethical business, the Mooncup menstrual cup offers an end to the waste, discomfort and expense of disposable sanitary protection.

The Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup, around two inches long and made from soft medical grade silicone. It is worn internally a lot lower than a tampon but, while tampons and pads absorb menstrual fluid, the Mooncup collects it. This means it doesn’t cause dryness or irritation, and also that it collects far more (three times as much as a tampon!). Because the Mooncup is reusable, you only need one so it saves you money and helps the environment, too.

The Mooncup is designed to be folded and inserted into the vagina, then removed, rinsed and reinserted up to every 8 hours. A light seal is formed with your vaginal walls, allowing menstrual fluid to pass into the Mooncup without leakage or odour. This seal is released for removal, allowing you to empty the contents, rinse or wipe and reinsert. Comfortable, convenient and safe: the Mooncup can be used overnight and when travelling, swimming or exercising.

Safer

Made from soft medical grade silicone, the Mooncup is latex-free and contains no dyes, BPA, toxins or bleaches. It’s also great for women with sensitive skinTampons can cause dryness and leave fibres behind. The Mooncup is designed to respect your natural balance.

Cheaper

One woman uses up to 22 items of sanitary protection every period. Regardless of your flow, you only need one Mooncup, and it lasts for years and years, making it the most economical sanitary product you can buy. One Mooncup lasts for years, and costs the same as the average woman will spend on disposable sanitary protection in three months.

Eco-friendly…

The reusable Mooncup offers a simple way to dramatically reduce the amount of waste you produce.

• One woman will use over 11,000 disposable sanitary products in a lifetime
• 22 tampons or towels are used, on average, each period
• In the UK alone, 4.3 billion disposable sanitary products are used every year

These items, their packaging, applicators and backing-strips will end up in landfill or in the sea.

Mooncup Ltd. is the first sanitary protection manufacturer in the world to be awarded Ethical Business status for its people and environmentally -friendly practices (for more information on Mooncup Ltd., visit the About page)

Healthier…

The Mooncup is made from soft medical grade silicone and is latex-free, hypoallergenic and contains no dyes, BPA, phthalates, plastic, bleaches or toxins. Because the Mooncup is non-absorbent, it will not cause dryness and does not disrupt your body’s natural pH levels (35% of the fluid tampons absorb is natural moisture!).

The Mooncup has measurement markings, enabling women to accurately report menstrual blood loss to a doctor or gynaecologist.

The Mooncup does not contain any absorbency gels, additives or perfumes. Unlike some conventional cotton sanitary products, it is also free from pesticides and GM materials.

Tampons can cause dryness and leave fibres behind. The Mooncup is designed to respect your natural balance.

The Mooncup is produced to ISO 13485:2003: a regulated quality management system specifically requiring that the service provided by an organisation “consistently meet[s] customer and regulatory requirements applicable to medical devices and related services”. From ISO online

Convenient…

The Mooncup holds at least three times as much fluid as a tampon, giving longer lasting protection on heavier days. And, because it is non-absorbent, it won’t cause dryness when your period is light.

Because there is no string, the Mooncup is completely discreet – and you only need one so there’s no need to carry bulky spares or worry about disposal of used products or packaging.

So I hear you think… won’t I get dirty fingers? In general NO! Maybe the first few days when you are testing what is comfortable, but after, I assure you, in general you will make less mess than you are used to! The only negative aspect I came across during my testing phase (Mooncup even has a helpline with qualified nurses to answer your questions!), is that Unfortunately Mooncup does not ship to Italy or Israel. Feel free to ask questions! I will forward them to the Mooncup advice centre and let you know. 

Mooncup Ltd. is the first sanitary protection manufacturer in the world to be awarded Ethical Business status for its people and environmentally -friendly practices (for more information on Mooncup Ltd., visit the About page) 

 

 

 Click HERE to be directed to the shop where you can order yourself one!

 

 

 

More info: http://www.mooncup.co.uk
FAQ’s: http://www.mooncup.co.uk/advice-centre.html

Dear women, have a happy period. And dear men, thank you for sticking with us.

Natural flu shot

I still didn’t *KNOCKS ON WOOD get the flu this year.
Everyone seems to have already gotten it here in The Netherlands.
Wonder how I’ve been battling it?

*Peel and grate some ginger, put in a teapot or cup
*Crush a chilli pepper and add to the pot or cup
*Add boiled water, cover with a lid or plate or tin foil
*After 5 minutes, add half a lemon, squeezed
*Add a spoon or 2 of honey
*Drink hot; a cup (or 2) in the morning and a cup (or 2) before going asleep.
This tea is also supertasty when drunk cold.

Good luck & stay healthy!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Conscious colouring; natural and plant based hair colouring

I’ve always loved experimenting with different hair- styles and colours, but for a couple of years I’ve stuck to my own colour, ‘cause I had my doubts about the standard chemical ways of colouring. I recently met Dianne te Mebel, director and owner of the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid (Institute for Hair & Health) in Amsterdam. The Instituut Haar & Gezondheid is one of few salons in Amsterdam and even The Netherlands, which aims to use as much natural products as possible and integrate this in anything they do. Ever since Diane was young, she has a passion for nature, which she decided to incorporate into her profession. She developed herself as an expert in natural and plant based hair colouring.

I’ve always thought that to colour my dark hair,  the only way was de- colouring with ammoniac and then dying with chemical colours. Dianne dared me to test otherwise. She said that not only she could naturally add a hint of colour to my hair, but also promised to revitalise and regenerate my hair, to give it a “healing” treatment to prepare myself for winter. Perhaps, just like me, you don’t know too much about natural and plant based hair colouring? The ladies of the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid, definitely know their field of work and took their time to make me feel comfortable and inform me about anything I was interested in and more.

So.. well.. then what is natural and plant based hair colouring exactly?

The base is henna. Henna is a plant (a shrub actually, called Lawsonia Inermis, more info HERE ), with leaves that contain a tannin dye molecule. This molecule is called Lawson, and  is released when the leaves are pulverised, acidified and made into a paste. This paste can be applied to hair (or skin), to give it a deep, reddish brown stain, because it binds to keratin (that’s what the outer layer of our skin and hair is made of). The colours added to the henna, are extracted from parts of amongst others flowers, trees, and plants that are dried and pulvarised until powder. For example coffee, onion peel, blue wood, cinnamon, hazelnut, rhubarb, salvia, tea, marigold, grains, elderberries and birch bark  are commonly used. Before the colouring- process, the hair is first washed with a mild shampoo to open the hair scales (yes, just like the ones a fish has..), so the pigment can go in between. In my case the hair was washed with a shampoo of Pure Pact (Over HERE you can read my introduction to Pure Pact). When the hair is dried, the hair scales close and keep the pigment inside. The colour will stay in the hair for about 6 to 8 weeks. By washing the colouring, it will slowly get more vague, here for there  will not be any visible outgrow like with chemical hair colouring. Natural hair colouring does not change the colour of your hair, so being a brunette and becoming a blonde, is not possible (but if your hair is grey, you can become a blonde again with the help of marigold!). If you have some grey hairs, as effect of the colouring you’ll get highlights instead. Plant based hair colouring is transparent, it forms a layer around the hair instead of penetrating it. You will keep your own hair colour with a nuance in the colour. From solely natural resources, 40 nuances are possible. By repeating the process of colouring regularly, the colour will become deeper and more intense.

Dianne loves nature and the environment. While working in her hair salon, she realised that even if she was using natural products, in the process of colouring the hair was being packed with tin foil, which was trashed after use. It’s necessary to keep the hair warm after one applies the colouring, so it attaches better to the hair. This caused Dianne to think about a more sustainable way for this process, after which she invented and developed the sustainable heat cap for colouring. With this cap she got nominated for Duurzame Dinsdag 2011, where the countries’ best sustainable ideas are put in a suitcase and offered to the cabinet in order to create more awareness.

All over the world there are millions of women that colour their hair. Many of them do this themselves, at home. Natural and plant based hair colouring is completely safe and simple when you have the right ingredients and tools, so Dianne did a lot of research, imported products and developed a starting package to make it possible for you to create your own natural hair colouring and dye your hair in the comfort of your own home. The package comes in 15 different nuances, but you can also get in touch with her to create a colour combination of your choice, or pass by the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid to get advised, ask questions and pick up a personalised package. Over HERE you can order the package.  A starting package costs € 47.50,– (exclusive €2.30,– for delivery in The Netherlands) and consists of; a bag of colouring, a sustainable heat cap, and enamel bowl, a wide paintbrush, a twine of cotton wool and a manual. The package fits through your mailbox.

Check out a small introduction & explanation clip over here; 

When I visited the salon, the ladies made me a personalised mix of auburn, mahogany and henna colore. The nuances in my hair are mostly visible outside in daylight. Indoors, besides the exception of a very attentive individual, it’s only myself who notices the colour difference. BUT, even after having seriously neglected my split ends, a summer of sea and sun, living in a city with plenty of exhausts, as well as having often coloured my hair chemically in the past, my hair is obviously revitalised. It’s voluminous, it’s shiny, it feels soft and it looks healthy. I LOVE IT!  I’m already looking forward to my next treatment and curious to how my hair will be when the colouring gets more intense and deeper!

Have you ever coloured your hair? Are you conscious about what hair and beauty products you use? Are you aware that natural products are better for you than chemical based products?

Starting package natural hair colouring

Thx 2 Wiki.
For more info, personalised advise or to order the starting package; CLICK HERE
Questions on natural and plant based hair colouring? Ask them to experts on a specialised forum; HERE 
VERY SOON the brand new webshop of Instituut Haar en Gezondheid will be online, I’ll keep you updated of course. ‘Till then; http://www.instituuthaarengezondheid.nl

Health Benefits Of Juniper Berries

A juniper (genévrier/ jeneverbesstruik/ brinje) berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour.

Juniper is also a symbol of longevity, strength, athleticism, and fertility.

Health Benefits Of Juniper Berries
American Indians have used juniper to treat diabetes; such treatments by the Navajo, for example, are under clinical study. Native Americans also used juniper berries as a female contraceptive. The 17th Century herbalist physician Nicholas Culpeper recommended the ripened berries for conditions such as asthma and sciatica, as well as to speed childbirth.

Even nowadays, due to the many juniper health benefits, these berries are used in treating a variety of ailments from rheumatism, arthritis, to cystitis and catarrh. The berries may also be crushed and applied topically to slow-healing wounds as they are a powerful antiseptic. Washing joints with a tea made of juniper berries helps to relieve pain and soreness from them. Juniper berries are steam distilled to produce an essential oil in aromatherapy. Some of its chemical components are alpha pinene, cadinene, camphene and terpineol.This essential oil has astringent properties and is helpful in treating toothaches and strengthening the gums. It can also be used to retard hair fall. Among the many juniper health benefits are its carminative properties which make it one of the best natural cures for flatulence and gas. Massaging with the essential oil of juniper is the best way to get rid of unwanted aches and pains and skin infections.

Not only are there many juniper berries health benefits, but they can also help you lose weight. This is because juniper is a diuretic (elevates the rate of urination) , depurative (depurative herbs are considered to have a purifying and detoxifying action) , and a sudorific (makes you produce sweat) . It not only helps to cleanse toxins from the blood, but also helps to increase the frequency of urination and perspiration. This can significantly aid in weight loss. Since juniper is also a stimulant, it also helps all the various organs of the body to function more efficiently.

The color of juniper berries vary from green to red, brown and black. The flavour for consumption is best when the berry is black.

Precautions: Although there are many health benefits of juniper, it may result in contraindications in case of pregnancy. It should be avoided by pregnant mothers, as well as by those with kidney problems.

Thx Wikipedia!; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_berry

I want it all. Inspired by Holland’s sexiest vegan.

After hearing an interview on Dutch radio 1 with Lisette Kreischer on June 30 (click) , I was impressed.
 

This woman seems to know her food.

In fact, she seems to LIVE FOOD too.

PLUS she has ideals and communicates these.

On top of all this she sounded very happy, intelligent and approachable and after listening to the interview a few questions arose to me.  On the radio they mentioned how sexy she is and that she participated in the “sexiest vegetarian of 2010 election”. Of course after hearing this I instantly googled her and wow.. I read some articles, checked her sites, her work, some clips….. from that moment on, she’s a total source of inspiration to me. I thought; why not just try to ask her the questions that came up to me? In the worst case she just doesn’t want to answer them…  

Unfortunately Lisette  didn’t win the sexiest-vegetarian-competition though (Re-run in 2011? Let’s all vote for her!),  the winner was Sanne Vogel. I had to look her up too.. doesn’t look bad, seems talented, but I’d still vote for Lisette because after speaking to her I figured out one can’t be more aware of food than she is! She was the only vegan (For the layman, check what that entails here on Wikipedia -click- ) entering the competition so let’s just call her Holland’s sexiest vegan. Initially I just wanted to ask her 3 foodie-Q’s, but after some research I figured out she has many passions and interests and that she found a way to professionally combine these. That is exactly my goal in life. I am currently trying to figure out how to shape this.

Anyway…
She indeed turned out to be as nice & communicative as I thought (and yes, I did honestly tell her I’m a meat- lover. I also told her that I try to eat meat -and anything else- consciously.) so here’s the result of my talk to her;

LISETTE:
…Funny! I just talked about this with a friend; Roos (click). She’s capable, brilliant, she can do so much, she wants a lot, and she asked me; Do I have to put aside everything I like to just focus on one thing? I told her that I think if you keep track yourself and have an overview, and keep 1 vision in mind in everything you do, even when expressed in different ways and shapes, those ways and the outcomes will be pure. As long as you have a clear image of what you want yourself.

DLCS:
I was one of the people with the prejudice that all vegetarians look unhealthy. You look healthy and even sexy! What is your secret? I mean…I’ve never met you, all I know of you could be photo-shopped or adapted, but I don’t get that impression..

LISETTE:
Everything you see, everything I present, is real-life. The pictures have not been photo-shopped, the food is real, there’s no hairspray over it, we just eat it after making pictures of it.

Humans are not meat-eaters, nor plant-eaters. Man can perfectly well live on any kind of diet. Shortages have often been discussed in the medical world: everyone is ill, allergic, sensitive.. I just see the possibility, the option of taking care of myself well. I’m just a human. I don’t eat healthy and balanced because I have knowledge, but because I listen. I didn’t study for this or anything like that. I listen to myself. To the signals my body gives. For example; what do proteins do to me? What gives me energy? What is the effect of certain nutrients? Is my stomach bothering me? You feel that. You listen to it. I’m vegan for 10 years, vegetarian for 20 years and I’m almost 30. Food is energy. I have no ailments, no illnesses… I do have to knock on wood now. I consume enough vitamins and feel good. I can enjoy everything. I am the human I am,  a phenomenon on earth, a creature, an animal.. I need energy and make sure I get it down. I’ve gotten stronger and more resilient in the past few years. I do Yoga, dance and in the most recent years even feel the desire to practise active sports such as surfing and kite-surfing. When I want some extra energy I have nuts, grains or extra Spirulina. If your diet is good and balanced you don’t miss out on anything else.

DLCS:
I do think you have much more awareness of what you eat than some others…

Lisette:
More aware.. well yeah it’s my profession. You have to think about what’s your mission on this earth. What is your dream? Who do you want to be? What would you like to do as a human? I think about these kind of things since I was little. I used to really think about the big questions-of-life; What is life? How does nature work? Many people are disconnected from what it’s really about. Food is very important. You put it in your mouth, so you have to know what it is.

DLCS:
I really love tasty, good and healthy food but do catch myself on sometimes being too lazy or undisciplined when it comes to food. You know; I work, I have a busy social life… Do you think that even the lazy-and-always-busy-youngsters-of-today could be vegetarian/vegan?

LISETTE:
5 years ago, my goal was to reach “The Mass”. Now I’ve reached everything but the mass. Of course I got through to the “cultural creatives” first. They are first in line for everything that’s hip AND they are aware. I also want to reach those crazy, busy sweet-tooth’s, hence my next upcoming cookingbook; “Ecofabulous, wat de pot schaft”. I was writing just now, today is my writing-day. This book will contain simple but tasty and healthy dishes such as the Dutch “Stamppot”. Many youngsters ARE interested in the background of food, but the background is not always clear nor easy to check. Here for I would like to reach a wider target-group, hence the stand on Mysteryland (Are You going to Mysteryland on August 27 (click) ? Visit Lisette in the Ecofabulous Area!) . There you find the “mainstream audience”, the “snelle Jelle” (Snelle is the Dutch word for quick and Jelle is a Dutch boy’s name. Dutch expression for person in a hurry). I would like to make them aware of what they eat. I DO understand why they are so busy, but I always did what I wanted. Never got “stuck” in a job. I don’t recognise being lazy related to food but when it comes to Yoga or sports I do. That is for me less natural than being aware of what I eat. I know it’s good for me. The easy way has less and less power for me. The escape of the easy way out doesn’t do it for me anymore then.

DLCS:
After my first question you have actually already answered my 3^rd one…

LISETTE:
Oh but I have more to say about this, ask me!

DLCS:
Ok. Why would you convince me to not eat meat anymore anyway?

LISETTE:
It’s just Win-Win. You spend less money, you can buy more products, you can keep your products longer. I buy a lot in bulk, for example big chunks, grains. I live by the seasons. Digesting meat and dairy costs a lot of energy. Plants are much easier to digest. 45 billion animals die a year because of meat and the bio-industry. The Meat Industry is responsible for 18% of the total CO2 emissions and 13% of the transport sector. Eating meat is also very environment-unfriendly! It creates a giant part of the climate change problem. If we would all consume plants it would matter so much! In 2050 we’ll have to feed 9 billion people and we are already low on food! If we would all only consume plants, there would be many more possibilities for use of the earth, we could for example feed 4 billion people extra.

There are many sensitive people like you, people who think about what they eat, who are aware of what they consume, if they would all quit eating meat to make a statement, it would still not be enough. Most people don’t know that because of animal-consumption we also waste a lot of water. If you really want to know what you eat as a consumer, you would have to study this 7 days a week. There is too little knowledge and information is tough to find. On top of this, the government already subsidies the dairy and meat industry. From being small and onwards, one hears that drinking milk is good, but IS milk suitable for human consumption? We could completely live on vegetable food; seaweed is the future. It is easy to produce on small scale. You just need water and sunlight! The protein-level in seaweed is very high and easier to take in by the body than proteins from meat. Calcium from milk is for example not easy taken in by the body. Calcium from broccoli on the other hand is. Are we meant to consume diaryproducts? Because of the surplus of milk, we even over-consume it. Does this have anything to do with all those allergies people have? I’m not a dietician so I don’t know this but I do wonder…  

DLCS:
Do you use supplements on top of your regular nutrition? How do you make sure you take on everything?

LISETTE:
I use Spirulina (click for Wiki) and eat a lot of seaweed. I also take vitamin B12 (click), because usually we take this on from animal consumption. It’s for example produced in the stomach of the cow. I could also retrieve it from cow-manure, but I doubt that it will be very tasty with some salt and pepper..

For more info on Lisette Kreischer, her activities & living Ecofabulous, CHECK; www.veggierose.nl 

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Lisette for your time, info & pics

& Thx Wikipedia for making us wiser !