Ian (again and again), The Positivity Project, Health Risks of Eggs (again), and Building Muscle
Gratitude (“ the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”) has been over-used on this site as of late, because there’s frankly no end of thanks in sight; but I’ll retire it for a fresh synonym after shining a light on the man who generated this word while participating in our school district’s Positivity Project (<— explanation/illumination of that found within.)
I met and fell in love with Ian when he donated resources & time ( <—to clean the space, create the space, set up the space) for an art show (<—he donated art too) raising money for a single-mother who’d lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. He was the rare sort of serious/sensitive/hard-working college guy who’d step forward to help anyone who needed him; and his help/work was never haphazard or rushed, it has forever been methodical, fastidious, and exacting.
In the background of this starting-a-(zero-waste)-business-from-scratch it is Ian who is taking those methodical, mechanistic processing skills to not only clean all the zero-waste containers, but also design a process in which we can streamline this in the future. This is no small feat (there are hundreds of containers we will need to clean each week!), it is something he does outside of his 10hr-day full-time job (<—that he wakes up at 4:30AM for); and yet he still comes home full of smiles, hugs/kisses, sighs of “I’m a lucky man!”, then kneels down on our hardwood floor to give his son art/drawing lessons.
It’s been 15 years of wondering what I did to deserve him, mixed with deep-seated appreciation for all the innumerable things he does to keep this wild Jasquatch roller coaster kicking; and if he wasn’t so bashfully resistant to praise you’d hear harkings more often, but I have to balance it out. :-)
Continue for: The Positivity Project and endless appreciation for Ian; plus fresh studies (a Cambridge one about how eggs increase your risk of diabetes —with some added links from previous egg posts—, and another discussing rice vs whey protein for building muscle) plus how leucine is imperative if muscle building is your aim.
Live Kindly, Feast Kindly, Grow Forward.
While often simplified as “grit” or “self-control,” character is more than simply individual achievement or a person’s behavior. It is a broad and complex family of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are recognized and encouraged across cultures for the values they cultivate in people and society. Character is the aggregate of who we are; it’s “what’s inside every one of us.”
Dr. Chris Peterson led a 40-person team, over a three-year period, to better understand character and its manifestations. Alongside Dr. Martin Seligman, Dr. Peterson then wrote an 800-page book on the research called Character Strengths and Virtues. This book explains that:-24 character strengths that are evident in the most widely influential traditions of thought in human history.
-Robust evidence of all 24 strengths existing throughout time and in all cultures of the world.
-All 24 character strengths exist in every individual.
Ranging from bravery and forgiveness to integrity and gratitude, these character strengths are the foundation of The Positivity Project’s model.
Making children aware that every one of them has all 24 character strengths, provides the foundation for genuine self-confidence grounded in self-awareness. At the same time, it helps children better understand why everyone is different and how to appreciate those differences. Unlike our height, weight, or skin color, character is something that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, understanding and valuing it — especially in other people — requires a framework of consistent reflection and discussion.
Character strengths aren’t about ignoring the negative. Instead, they help us overcome life’s inevitable adversities. For example, you can’t be brave without first feeling fear; you can’t show perseverance without first wanting to quit; you can’t show self-control without first being tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t.
The above is from the Positivity Project: a program our school district uses to celebrate the different ingredients we each bring to the table. This program has lit our students right up (especially now that they are often communicating across a screened-void), and it’s good for the heart to see kids learning how they can each brighten their community and connect with souls based off shared strengths.
When we sat down to fill in the questions, I was sure Ian’s answers would point to “creativity” or “love of learning”, yet he received “gratitude”, and what followed was hours of discussions and contemplation. I was aware that Ian is a thankful soul, but I had no idea the depth to which he acknowledges and appreciates his lot and it made me look at him through a whole new lens.
“Out of all 24 character strengths, gratitude is the single best predictor of individual well-being. And, the great thing about gratitude is that it can be intentionally cultivated. Numerous studies have concluded that gratitude is like a muscle. The more you practice it, the stronger it gets – and the more you’re able to reap its benefits. On a group level, gratitude is associated with reciprocity and social stability. When a person does a favor for you, you tend to feel thankful and be motivated return the favor. Groups that operate with gratitude, then, are usually more cohesive.”
I guessed myself wrong as well, and ended up with “appreciation of excellence and beauty” and balked at first, until I realized that a protective appreciation for the wonder of this earth is a large part of the passion behind my perpetual roaring, and a cord that is tightly aligned with Ian’s core aims (also explains why I can’t get through a day without crying or goosebumping over some song I’ve likely heard a million times already, or doing the same in response to some beautiful view):
“Appreciating beauty and excellence means that you notice and value the world’s beauty and people’s skills. This is the ability to identify and enjoy that which is admirable in the world. There are three types of goodness in which positive psychology focuses: physical beauty (e.g. a sunset, song, or building); an exceptional skill or talent; and moral goodness (e.g. a character strength). Appreciation of beauty can generate awe; appreciation of a skill can generate admiration; and appreciation of moral goodness can generate moral elevation. All of these feelings (awe, admiration, and moral elevation) help us forget ourselves and find increased joy and meaning in the world.”
If you appreciate this earth, I beg of you to start shifting plant-based before it is too late.
You have our leading organizations urging you to for environmental stability (and you better your health in the process and spare a soul from suffering.) Win, win, appreciative win.
Here’s some appreciative/grateful views of this paragon of paternity.
Forest Snowball Fights
Carrying Q when the incline gets too much. <3
He even remembers to take pictures of me with Q.
Ok, and so what is a good way to appreciate the body carrying your soul through this wild life?
Feed it plant-based foods as whole-food as you can, because every major organization is in agreement that plant-based diets promote vast health benefits, and animal products come with harm.
Here’s one of the latest research articles on eggs:
Here is the link mentioned above: “Higher egg consumption associated with increased risk of diabetes in Chinese adults – China Health and Nutrition Survey”
One egg a day increases your risk of diabetes by 60 percent! And how many folks do you know/love with diabetes or pre-diabetes that are fretting about their sugars and not paying any attention at all to the saturated fats propelling that disease?
Here are all the essays where I’ve mentioned the health risks of eggs (<—and this is coming from folks who once loved them, and also fully understand you can eat them compassionately….but not at all healthfully.)
And here’s some info copied from a previous egg post:
Eggs were the last animal product we cut from our diet, and it was for pure nutritional reasons. You can raise chickens with low environmental impact, love them dearly, and feed them all organic foods. We know many chickens raised in such conditions, and we ate their eggs all the livelong day.
We saw no reason to limit eggs from our diet until we watched Game Changers (<—inspiring documentary showing all the folks/Olympians/professional-athletes who’ve become stronger though plant-based whole-foods, cut with interviews with doctors explaining the mechanisms to explain why.) Hearing, learning, seeing the effects of animal products on our endothelial system was a mental blow to the whole family. We’d already cut out meat and cow breastmilk, but we were still eating eggs from our organic CSA.
Never one to trust one source (even if it is multiple doctors within that source) we went off in search of the research and found it was very clear, and the mechanisms were well explained.
Here’s how I explained the endothelial system in a previous post and how it is harmed by animal products:
Your endothelium refers to cells that line the interior surface of your blood vessels. Endothelial cells control the relaxation and contraction of your vascular system, as well as enzymes that control blood clotting, and immune function.
If you think those sound like they are important and critical to your health, you would be correct.
Guess what clogs them up, hardens them, and prevents them from working properly? Animal products.
And this isn’t a many-years-down-the-line situation.They become dysfunctional and harden moments after you eat (<—helpful video) that egg, cow breastmilk byproduct, and animal carcass. If you’re eating them day-in-and-day-out, plaques/streaky fats build up and it gets harder and harder for your cardiovascular system to function properly, because our bodies are not meant to process animal fats and cholesterol.
Did you know that there is startling evidence that our CHILDREN show signs of streaky fats clogging up their arteries? It’s increasing their blood pressure, setting them up for heart disease, and giving them high risk of diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, etc.
Keep it up and the arteries become so clogged they lead to dementia, Parkinson’s (<—which my grandfather died of, and he was my favorite soul on this earth), and Alzheimer’s.
For TASTE, folks!
If you needed some more reasons than all of the ones listed above, here’s a few more illuminations on why you want to avoid eating another creature’s ovulation:
Eggs are full of dietary cholesterol, and dietary cholesterol is tied to cancer. Here are some studies reflecting this:
“Role of Cholesterol in the Development and Progression of Breast Cancer”
“Cholesterol and Prostate Cancer”
“Serum cholesterol and risk of high-grade prostate cancer: results from the REDUCE study”
“Cholesterol metabolism and colon cancer”
"Serum High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Metabolic Profile, and Breast Cancer Risk"
Eggs are full of choline. Choline is essential in moderation (ie from plant sources), but it is abundant in embryos and the increased consumption is tied to cancer:
“Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival”
“Dietary Choline Increases Prostate Cancer Deaths”
All of that choline creates TMAO (Trimethylamine N-Oxide) which is a metabolite caused when you consume of animal products. How does this work? Animal products are high in choline (all of them: cow (milk), pig, chicken, eggs, and fish), when choline hits your gut micro-biome it is converted to TMA, and your liver converts the TMA to TMAO. TMAO is associated with cardiovascular decay, colon cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, kidney disease, increased diabetes risk, the list goes on.
Eggs are full of methionine, an essential amino acid that like choline would be fine in moderation, but once you start eating concentrated forms of it you run the risk of cancer:
“The Role of Methionine in Cancer Growth and Control”
“Clinical Studies of Methionine-Restricted Diets for Cancer Patients”
“Methionine metabolism in health and cancer: a nexus of diet and precision medicine”
“How a dietary change might boost cancer therapy”
“Mechanism behind metabolic vulnerability of some breast cancers”
It’s my dearest hope, that people wake up and save their bodies —and this earth— from the daily harm we throw at both for the simple standstill of comfort and taste; and given how much cardiovascular disease and diabetes is rampant in souls we love, we hark this out of big breaking-heart LOVE.
And here’s some positively illuminating info from Nutritionist Simon Hill.
A meal we ate on repeat (with varied sides) through these last few busy days: a casserole made with Crystal’s “Cheese” Sauce, broccoli, brown rice, and topped with hemp parm (hemp hearts, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast).
Here seen: served with some pumfu and ruby kraut.
And because my mornings and free-time have been weeding around in the bowels of nutritional labels, we can now see what metrics are going on within a full cup of Crystal’s delicious “cheese” sauce. <3
Unlike the ol’ harmful/hurtful cow breastmilk we used to love, this deliciousness boasts ZERO cholesterol, yet has protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to offer. :-)
And food like that fuels us up to load up twenty-eight 35lb boxes of more zero-waste containers into our cars. :-)
And the strength to be schlepping in additional fridges for Your Kind Kitchen’s produce.
And we can talk about one other gift that keeps on giving: this property.
As mentioned before: Ian and I stumbled into this property in 2017, and it was not at all planned. (All of the below happened in a little over 2 months.)
Q tested with high lead levels at his 2 year check-up, we learned our rental had lead and we’d need to get out for a massive lead abatement, we realized we couldn’t afford Syracuse rent and a mortgage would be cheaper, we knew we wanted to stay in South O and this place (across the street from Ian’s parents house and childhood home) was the only house for sale at the time, and it had been sitting for over a year….because there are 4 buildings to upkeep (<—insert all of the swirly emoji faces you can imagine), it needed a new roof, it was a daunting forever-project, and the original South Onondaga General Store has the property oddly zoned.
My mother and grandmother had just recently died, my father found himself unexpectedly (sadly) with additional funds, and he helped us with a down payment we never would have had ourselves.
From the start this entire property has been more than we ever imagined or needed; and our hope for the General Store was to rehabilitate it into something useful. When our parents turned it down as a home for themselves, we began thinking it’d be a great Community Center, and then Crystal and I were launched into entrepreneurship and this handy/helpful building is now free storage and the hopeful base of our future kitchen (that will also still house a Community Center because our community needs it and this space is a perfect beacon.)
What’s the most impactful thing you can do as an individual to help your kin, community, millions of species, and planet? Transition as plant-based as possible.🌎♥️
Why? Plant-Based foods are environmentally imperative 🌎. They also promote ideal health💪 (which takes stress off our overburdened health care system), are inexpensive🙌, delicious🤤, & compassionate. 💕
Why imperative, though? 🤔We’re approaching (& have crossed) climate tipping points that will doom our kin & millions of other species. 😱📣Reducing/eliminating animal products is the *most impactful thing an individual can do* to prevent worse. 🌎🔥
Why? Animal Agriculture creates more emissions than the entire transportation sector combined, it’s tied to water waste/loss/pollution (<-- freshwater is our most precious resource💧), land loss/deforestation (<-- exacerbates climate change by reducing our ability to sequester carbon🔥🌎), ocean acidification (<-- FYI 50-85% of earth’s oxygen originates from oceanic plankton🌊) & vast species loss/extinction/suffering💔📣🌎
Plus, consuming animal products is tied to increased risk of cardiovascular disease❤️🩹, diabetes👎, cancer👎, and chronic disease👎; whereas Plant-Based feasting is linked to preventing/reversing some of our most common diseases (<— like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer); plus it promotes ideal health & robust strength (ie Olympians, Weightlifters, Endurance Athletes are thriving via PBWFs too). 🎉🙌♥️
What organizations are promoting plant-based diets for best health and environmental stability? National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, Yale, the United Nations, Harvard School of Health, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, National Kidney Foundation, even the Parkinson’s Foundation.
We’re all overwhelmed in one way or another, but for the sake of our kin (and the millions of species we share this planet with) we need to start pivoting forward. As someone who once rarely ate green things & used to eat animal products at every meal, I can assure you that is possible, affordable, enjoyable, & purposeful to pivot Plant-Based. In fact, our whole family is now healthier/stronger than ever. 🙌♥️
Anecdotally, our son had failure-to-thrive, was also plagued with perpetual ear-infections/sinus-infections, and had an omnipresent runny nose. What was he eating? Grass-fed milk, organic/antibiotic-free/grass-fed/local meats, eggs from organic-fed/well-loved chickens from a neighbor, every meal came with vegetables, and we limited junkfood. He was healed via a plant-based diet: he’s launched out of that diagnosis and the last time he had a sinus-infection (or was sick at all) was in 2019 when he had some cheese at a school Christmas party. Before shifting to PBWF’s he was sick every month, and how he’s a robust, vital, thriving kiddo. 🙌🎉♥️
If you think any of the above sounds over-reached/absurd/impossible, please go read the links above. I understand the inclination to hackle-raise (<—because I was once totally there) but the science is clear: any step we make forward is imperative (<—and again “STEPS” is the focus. Don’t leap, just start making steps!). It’s as simple as starting with one meal a week and growing from there.💕
We have the ability (deliciously, healthfully, kindly, inexpensively) to *preserve/protect* the planet we share with millions of species & our kin. How are we going to use that power today?✌️🤟🖖
