Sunday Song Day: "When I Drink" & a revisit to why alcohol is rare in this house
Living in an American election year within a pit that keeps getting deeper, we all have more spinning plates that we've likely ever had, and they aren’t even dainty light-hearted obligations: it’s all heavy, wild stuff.
Usually, we’d be riding it out with some manner of inebriant and likely cheersing back to all the refreshing concoctions I see across my social media feed with tales of hard days lived & stresses relieved; but we found ourselves at the beginning of this pandemic (March for us) with a dry house and decided to continue on that path. If you knew us back in our beer-loving days or have been to one of the parties where I made up all sorts of different syrups for cocktails, I’m sure that’s a head shaker. It’s just as much of one for us, maybe even more so because there was no concrete discussion about it, just a dual drifting.
Is it possible to cut back on alcohol consumption in these calamitous times: totally.
Is it easy? Nope.
Does it decrease your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease? YEP.
Wrap that up with some health-promoting plant-based whole-food feasting, and you may find yourself with the dynamic health, energy, and positivity to power you through a week without a night-cap. ( <— We did and it is still shocking me because these have been some of the hardest months of our lives!)
Continue for: what folks like the CDC and National Cancer Institute say about Alcohol & Cancer (don’t just roll your eyes at my Country Karen voice: follow the studies yourselves, loved souls); how alcohol increases your risk of the #1 cause of death in the world (<—cardiovascular disease <—animal products perpetuate this disease too); yet another Avett Brothers song that wraps up our thoughts perfectly; and 4 days full of Lifestyle Medicine living-by-example (and learning as we go) with the benefits being profoundly more than personal health: plant-based feasting is an environmental forward-moving imperative…it also happens to be delicious, compassionate, and the least expensive way to fillingly-feast.
Live Kindly, Feast Kindly, Grow Forward.
From Undo It by Dr Dean Ornish and Anne Ornish
In this section “bad carb” has been described as refined/processed carbs, and “good” are whole-foods.
From Undo It by Dr Dean Ornish and Anne Ornish
Is there a feast of flavors in the fermented liquid realm that are absolutely delicious? Goodness yes.
Is there a tremendous amount of craft within that realm? Staggeringly so.
But did you know it is categorically tied to cancer and cardiovascular disease?
We sure didn’t, but the more we researched the more we realized we needed to grow forward with that knowledge. Are we teetotalers? Nope, and as you can see above, Dr Ornish isn’t telling you to be one either. We’ve had rare (and minimally administered) dalliances with loved ones, yet so far each of those rare occasions has involved a next-day “Gah! Why did I do that? My body feels terrible!” from at least one of us.
If you’re thinking, “But wait! There are antioxidants in wine!”
There are indeed polyphenols in wine, and even in beer, but there are vast magnitudes more in foods that are not tied to cancer and cardiovascular disease.
If you’re thinking, “They must not be drinking enough water.” Think again.
If you’re rolling your eyes and thinking, “Well maybe they didn’t even like beer/wine/etc as much as me!” or “Maybe they were alcoholics, and that’s not me!” here’s my past (and it mirrors Ian’s):
I used to end every day with a beer, cocktail, or glass of wine. I liked the taste of it and I wasn’t interested in getting drunk, but after a stressful day of work I enjoyed the buzzing numbness that would blanket me. If it was a “bad” day (<—my past was full of stressful jobs) there’d likely be more than one. On the weekends or during social occasions, we could be lightly drinking for hours.
I had no idea that “heavy drinking” = “Eight or more drinks per week for women, which is just over one drink per day”, but I sure as heck knew a lot of fellow “heavy drinkers” who were having one glass of something a day and considering themselves (like me) a-ok.
The more we learned about alcohol’s affect on our body, however, the more reticent we were to indulge…not only for our own health, but out of fear that Q would watch us and want to replicate this unhealthy cycle. So we went from no week-night drinking, to rare weekend drinking, to eventually giving away all the remaining beers in the household and no longer buying alcohol. (When folks came over —if they brought some-- we still had a little, but most of our dearest friends don’t drink for myriad reasons, so this is especially rare.)
At this point it’s been well over a year.
I thought this would be difficult and I’d feel more stressed without that crutch, but I found it made me more even-keeled and content. Without alcohol, I have navigated some of the hardest months in our lives: COVID-19 craziness, intense flare-ups (including the threat of legal action) with family regarding that post about my mother and the abuse I endured, and the heartbreak of severed-ties with both family and friends who could only respond with vitriol/apathy to the truths I’ve amplified.
In the past, I would have wanted to curl myself up around a cocktail and have a good weep, but getting that junk out of my system brightened my whole outlook. Why? Because over 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut and you’re degrading the microbiome pumping out that serotonin when you drink alcohol (or eat refined sugars). Take liquor out of the equation, and you have microbes pumping happiness through your system all the livelong day.
The farther you get away from refined carbohydrates the clearer your brain and space will be. Stress is reduced, inflammation is reduced, your outlook is brighter, your budget is lightened, and you’ve reduced your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Don’t believe me? Here are some handy resources:
“The Truth About Alcohol” short/illuminating documentary Q and I watched on Netflix.
“Alcohol, microbiome, and their effect on psychiatric disorders”
“What is the evidence that alcohol drinking can cause cancer?” (<—National Cancer Institute)
“Alcohol and Cancer” (<—CDC)
“Drinking Alcohol Really Does Raise Your Cancer Risk, Doctors Warn”
“Alcohol and Cancer: A Statement of the American Society of Clinical Oncology”
“Women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer”
There are plenty more out there if you want to go down your own rabbit-hole.
Daily alcohol consumption causes mental health harm, increases cancer risk, and it’s a terrible example for the soul learning through our example if we want him to grow up healthy.
Aside from the body benefits (<—no longer feeling stiff/sore, decreased risk of multiple diseases), the mental benefits (sharper focus, cannot remember the last time I felt anxious or depressed), financial benefits (Boy Howdy does cutting out drinking save some well-needed funds), there’s the added benefit of showing Q how to push through discomfort and stress with our mental wherewithal.
If any of the above rattled your brains as much as it did ours, good luck on your journey and know you always have a yard to sit in (or a fire to sit around) sans booze.
Want a song that slapped me right up the head? The Avett Brothers “When I Drink” is a beautifully crafted song that ties up the worries of moments lost whilst imbibing, with the all-important lilt to refocus on forward movement:
But when I drink
I spend the next morning in a haze
But we only get so many days
Now I have one less
Just do your best:
it's the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don't have to be good
But I can try to be at least a little better than I've been so far
Look at all these things that have more polyphenols than wine. :-)
Changing up the structure from here on out (to help me condense days so I can do living and a little less writing), so there’ll be groups of Lifestyle Medicine pillars for preventing/reversing chronic disease: eating well, keeping active, stress relieving strategies; maintaining relationships (love).
Best part about that first one? Eating well can taste really, really, really good. :-)
Q excited for another bite of one of Crystal’s purple sweet potato flatbreads, right after saying, "Could I have this for breakfast tomorrow? And the day after that? And the day after that?”
Plant-Based Whole-Food Breakfast: Crystal’s purple sweet potato flatbreads, Miyoko’s Cashew Butter, peanut butter, and an apple.
These flatbreads will definitely be an offering through Your Kind Kitchen. They are AMAZING: rich in flavor, packed with fiber, and so very versatile!
Plant-Based Whole-Food Breakfast: blueberry oatmeal, almond butter, and banana.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Lunch: stuffed pepper casserole (<—roasted poblanos and onions from our Stone’s Throw Farm CSA share, Crystal’s PBWF cheese sauce, black rice, “cheesy” hemp topping), homemade marinara, and CSA greens (mizuna) with a balsamic drizzle.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Lunch: brown rice, baked black beans, ruby kraut, fresh greens, olives, ten-minute tomatillo sauce, and whole-grain chips.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Meat Alternative Test and Success.
Crystal bought me a pack of this to try out and it was a pleasant surprise. It’s one ingredient (pumpkin seeds) and it cooks up just like tofu, but has a nutty flavor.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Dinner: pumpkin seed “tofu”, brown rice, quick-pickled cabbage, balsamic roasted beets, furikake, greens, and Q’s Sesame Dressing.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Dinner: brown rice, baked black beans, fresh greens, balsamic tomatoes, olives, ten-minute tomatillo sauce, and cashew queso.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Dinner: taco-style lentils (<—made these lentils and then added them to a pan with a little oil, cumin, garlic, and smoked paprika), quick-pickled cabbage, fresh greens, balsamic tomatoes, olives, ten-minute tomatillo sauce, cashew queso, and easy avocado.
Plant-Based Whole-Food Dessert: black bean brownie (shaped like a shai-hulud for sandworm obsessed Q), peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, and breakfast cereal cashew cream.
Plant-Based Whole-Food S’More Bowl Dessert: black bean brownie, almond butter, and breakfast cereal cashew cream.
Remember that great podcast with Dr Kim Williams titled “The Food We Eat Is Killing Us”? If you haven’t heard it yet, or given this essay a read, you’re missing out on some life bettering information from a powerfully wise voice.
Picked up the above array on Saturday from Stone’s Throw, and these beauties will now fuel us through the next week’s plant-based feasting.
Eating well won’t get you to health on its own.
The hardest thing for me is remembering to get the daily recommendation of cardio. I’m the sort who is standing/active for most of the day, but like a grazing animal or some primate swooping through the canopy. Reminding myself to actually kick it into high-gear is a challenge and something that is definitely motivated through Q’s energy and an urge to do/be better. We run laps in the yard, we dance, we do jumping jacks, we do yoga, go for walks, run around the forest; and with his father, it’s all of those things plus a mix of martial arts and sports.
You do you, just try to do your best and keep it moving.
Some action seen around these parts. <3
Virtual PE
He’s dancing in the rain with a discarded romanesco leaf. (<— *shrugs* :-) Q’s going to be that guy at the concert who is always the first to start dancing and doesn’t care a lick who’s watching.)
Virtual Yoga
Playing Tag <3
Running laps in the yard to “Champion” (from Game Changers <—one of Q’s favorite movies) and “Balrog”
Climbing over rocks and running trails with friends at the Rand Tract
He’s running around in circles (<—his idea) and counting to 100, and I’m folding laundry. ;-)
And with all that physical activity, comes the need for flexing mind-muscles and finding creative outlets. As well as Q does at school, he always needs some manner of artistic vent and here are some fun ones from the week.
I’m always over here laughing outloud to myself imagining what his teacher must think when she’s opening Q’s Google drive. If she didn’t know about Dune/Beetlejuice/Tremors/Bobbits, she sure does now! :-D
Also, that Q lists rolling dice to make math equations and then solving them under his umbrella of “fun” astounds me and delights me.
Every letter is still getting some manner of Q-crafted sentence and drawing, and the details he throws into these are good for the heart.
The movement in that little guy! <3
Q - I'm going to put this sandworm drawing here because Papa made it for me, and because it reminds me of him. *pats it* He's a good man, a real good man.
Me - **heart-squeezes* and let's out the tiniest exhalation of shocked laughter at the serious sweetness of his statement*
Q - Don't laugh! I'm very serious! He's the best Papa ever!!
<3 <3 <3
And, Q’s been working on honing his skills with his tablet. Started with rustic drawings of apple-picking with sandworms. :-)
And he’s getting better…
…and better. <3
Last but not least in these tricky times is to maintain relationships across the void and deepening the ones in your immediate circle. Why? Social isolation is deleterious to overall health.
Quillan & Callan: friends since first consciousness. Cal’s mom started watching Q when she was pregnant with Cal, so they’ve been friends for as long as they’ve been aware of other souls.
Last year this time they were riding the preschool bus and thrilled as heck to be starting school together. This year, they haven't seen each other in person since March; and the highlight of Q's day is when Cal logs on to their zoom Kindergarten class. He's so overcome, he zooms in on Cal’s face like a love-filled creeper and then hugs the computer.
Would it be better if they could be actually hugging eachother? Of course. But seeing each other each day and getting to remote learn together is a silver-lining we appreciate.
Family Hiking with friends, finding worms, and sharing them with Papa. Seeing the sweet gentleness in which Q approaches life/nature is good for the heart.
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?✌️🤟🖖
