Today I'm reviewing Going Vegan, Your Daily Planner: Everything You Need to Transition to a Vegan Diet by Michelle Neff.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

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Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am identify as a magical Buddhist. I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I believe in spiritually and holistic wellness.  I find that we can heal the world if we just sit down and and listen to the breath.  I believe that magic, science and nutritional well being are the cornerstone to a well rounded holistic life. I have recently updated my site from Confessions of a Modern Witch to my new page To Live Whole.  I welcome you to come along for my journey of health, wellness and self exploration.

I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts over 438,000 views.


As you know I'll be switching over to reviewing only e-copies of books shortly.  I will miss handling the books but the amount of trash that I had piling up for all the shipping was just overwhelming.  I will be doing a giveaway for the remaining physical books that actually arrive as well as asking my publishers to provide giveaway copies shipped directly to my winner's homes going forward for all giveaways.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

My review copy was a soft cover slightly larger than average sized book. Its a soft cover book in a journal format that requires the reader to crease the seam in order to jot down all the daily food logging that this book recommends.  I should also add, that I am  not a vegan.  I do have a very vegan like diet. I believe that being vegan has a bit of a history around it and leads people to believe certain things about people who wear that badge.  I live a mindful, compassionate life.  I follow the eight fold path and practice meditation. I diet is best described as Whole Food Plant Based No Oil.  Being plant based, that means that it is a type of a vegan diet, however vegan diets include things like canola oil while excluding honey.  My way of eating would be opposite of that. I see tons of health benefits for honey, while oil on the other hand is quite harmful to the body.  That being said, many of the suggested recipes in this book would be strictly off limits for my household, but I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's talk about the first part of the book before going into the recipes.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

This book starts out with the author giving us an overview of the Vegan diet as a whole. She covers vitamins and minerals and includes a section on that all important question we are all asked, "Where do you get your protein??"  I like the inclusion of a vegan pantry.  While, I wouldn't recommend going out and purchasing all this at one time, it is a great place to find a list of all the typical things one would find in a vegan pantry.  Keeping in mind that a large majority of people I am meeting in my groups are also gluten intolerant, I would skip the breads altogether in our house. And of course, no oil at all.  We don't use any type of processed oils, spreads, mixes, butters or anything of that nature. I think that some of these items are great to help wean you off of the bad stuff but overall they contain just as much harmful ingredients and should really just be skipped completely. I found the vegan substitution chart to be useful in some cases and in others a tad redundant.  The yogurt substitution is vegan yogurt.  I think that's pretty self explanatory and seemed like just a space filler.

There are a lot of charts in this book. One on fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, meat replacements and of course vegetables. There's even a few blank pages for you to fill in with the nutritional information around your own favorite foods.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

The planner section is next.  It is broken down into weekly sections over twelve weeks.  Each week has a recommendation for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack, with a review page to jot down what you ate, including the nutritional break down, a section for thoughts and a plate diagram to show your fruits, grains, protein, veg and even a little place to tick off your water consumption.

The very first day recommends whole grain toast with peanut butter and sugar free jam with a banana for breakfast.  A veggie burger on whole grain bread with cake and baked beans for lunch and vegetable marinara with whole grain pasta for dinner with a kale and tomato salad.  Not a horrible day but for me, I would have to do a lot of removing.  The pasta and bread are both highly processed and have gluten so both of those would be out for me.  I don't eat nut butters or jam, so both of those are out and of course that veggie burger is processed as well.  Instead of this I would have something like an oat bowl for breakfast with oat milk, blueberries, raisins and strawberries.  For lunch I might have a veggie stir fry *no oil* over brown rice or maybe some vegan Tom Kha soup with Soy Curls.

The book does include a recipe for every day of the week in the book.  I found that the Vanilla Date Breakfast Smoothie looked really good. I use frozen bananas and dried dates for an assortment of recipes. Once you are able to cleanse, your taste buds will go back to their normal unprocessed setting and you'll find that things taste quite different that you are used to. For example, oats are naturally very sweet. Oat milk is amazing without any sweetener at all and I pour it over my oat bowl every morning.  Raisins are another great sweet treat. Once off the processed sugar you'll find that so many foods are just great tasting on their own.  Over the years (even documented in this blog) you'll find me posting about how much I hate onions, mushrooms and peppers.  I now eat them everyday. It is quite amazing how quickly you can switch over to a healthy lifestyle if given the chance.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Image Source - Book

Overall I think this is a great book for becoming vegan. The daily entry allows you to take responsibility for your eating habits and the charts and tables provide a great deal of information. I think that going vegan is a great step in the right direction to getting back to where I believe we were naturally intended to eat. 

If you think you might be interested in learning more about the whole food plant based no oil lifestyle, be sure to check out my Facebook page - Real Rations and my Facebook group Real Rations Recipes.  Here my hubby and I share information on health, holistic wellness and nutrition as well as great recipes that will get you on the way. I have lost 137 pounds changing to this lifestyle and Elijah has lost 120.  We welcome you to come over and check it out!

3 Years WFPBNO

I've become a fluffy bunny.  I look back at all the posts I used to make about my angry Goddess Hecate Brimo and how she was going to be a destroyer of all those who had wronged me. I

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson (artist Georgi Mishev)

I saw her riding in with her mighty torches, dagger in hand ready to bring forth justice for me. To in a sense destroy all those who were not aligned with my way of thinking. I saw this metaphorically. I followed Hecate as a light bringer. One who has the keys to ancient knowledge that I needed in order to go forward in my life. I was angry, so Brimo was who I identified with.

Today I'm feeling much more centered in my life. I don't practice as much as I used to, spells and rituals but I do meditate.  I feel that even if I'm not chanting her name I am still calling upon some of the other representations that she is know for. I love this list here.


Some new titles I'm thinking of identifying with:

Alkimos: Strong/Stout/Brave/Powerful

Ameibousa/Amibousa: One that Transforms

Angelos/Angele: Messenger

Aregos: Helper

Erototokeia: Producing Love/Bearer of Love

Eukoline: Good-Tempered

There are so many  more facets to this life we have in front of us. Learning to become more and not hold on to those things that cause suffering is something that we all need to learn. On the hunt for a fight, looking for someone to defend is just furthering suffering. Instead I choose to offer compassion. I choose to offer understanding and be there for those who need it. I choose to send out, light and love.  There I said it.  Light and love.  For all those years, I was quick to say, I'm not all light and love.  Well I know why. I was so full of suffering that I couldn't see the way to give that light and love to others, because I hadn't given it to myself.

Today I choose to love myself. Today I choose to be a fluffy bunny.

Today I'm reviewing Your Astrological Cookbook, The Perfect Recipe for Every Sign by Catherine Urban.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source Your Astrological Cookbook

Author Links - Link
Amazon Book Link
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Good Reads Book Link
Good Reads Author Link
My Good Reads Profile
My Facebook Page


Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am identify as a magical Buddhist. I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I believe in spiritually and holistic wellness.  I find that we can heal the world if we just sit down and and listen to the breath.  I believe that magic, science and nutritional well being are the cornerstone to a well rounded holistic life. I have recently updated my site from Confessions of a Modern Witch to my new page To Live Whole.  I welcome you to come along for my journey of health, wellness and self exploration.

I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts over 438,000 views.


As always I'll start out with a review of the physical book.  This is a beautiful book. The cover is vibrant and has two lovely photos with a place setting with outlines the houses of the zodiac.  It's a hefty book and is large. I would think too large to put in a bag for a quick read on the go.  There is a lengthy index index in the back with references to pages for specific dishes, astrological signs and ingredients.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source Your Astrological Cookbook

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source Your Astrological Cookbook

As someone who is strictly whole food plant based I grabbed this book with hungry hands and a skeptical mind.  It is rare now to find dishes that don't include some form of animal product, sugar or oil.  The majority of recipes out there are overly processed and lack any attention to a real healthy meal. I have to say, even though this book does contain books with animal flesh, I was able to find some that fit into my lifestyle.   Of course I bounced directly to the back of the book looking for the recipes for Pisces!  I was not disappointed.

Pisces is described as the intuitive chef.  The author has this to say:

Mystical Pisces are represented by two celestial fish. Pisceans are truly enigmatic, compassionate souls with vivid imaginations and a fantastically unique sense of humor.  Pisceans live in their own private world as the undercover start of their own life novel.  Fluent in nonverbal communication these intuitive water signs soulfully connect with the messages emoted through music, art poetry and film.  Mutable Pisces can adapt to any environment, though they are also psychic sponges who need to regularly retreat from the world.  Every celestial fish has at least one ritualistic escape hatch they swim to - be popcorn and move, their yoga mat or the local dive bar.

Wow!  Great intro.  I'm hooked (pun intended)

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source Your Astrological Cookbook

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source Your Astrological Cookbook

As if she read my mind the first dish was Chili Masala Tofu Scramble.  While not considered a whole food, tofu is minimally processed and it is something that I eat from time to time.  Looking through the recipe I only had to remove the olive oil and it was something I could eat.  Cool 1 for 1!

Each chapter of the book is dedicated to one sign of the zodiac.  Continuing through my chapter I found several dishes that I could either eat directly or pull out an ingredient here or there to make it compliant.  The Ginger Peach Smoothie for example was easy to fix up with a simple plant based yogurt replacement. The Buddah Bowl was great minus the avocado oil, but the Premiere Popcorn nearly gave me a stroke just reading the ingredients. While not my taste, I can say that I cannot imagine eating popcorn with an entire pound of bacon; someone out there is sure to say it is exactly what they're looking for.


The photos in this book were amazing. I loved the color and simple settings used to demonstrate each dish. I was disappointed that each recipe did not include a photo.  As someone who does a lot of recipes search for my site Real Rations, I can tell you that photos sell the dish. You have to have one to demonstrate the final product and I really think this book could have used that.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source Your Astrological Cookbook

Overall a great book with a lots of recipes for all sorts of tastes.  Something for everyone including some dishes for the vegans out there, which is hard to come by.  I was very pleased to see all sorts of tastes represented.

I love sharing information I have with others.  I want everyone to experience the joy of changing their lives the way I have. A little over 3 years ago I realized I was quickly headed for a untimely death. I couldn't walk up stairs or even fly in a plane due to my size.  I was morbidly obese. My hubby got me on the right track through reading and moving.  We started with little changes here and there and slowly transformed our lives.  Today I sit here writing this at 50,  feeling younger than I felt in my thirties. No pills, no needles.  Just real food. I want to share that with as many people as I can.


so, having a giveaway for my page over at Real Rations. I know everyone is looking forward to kicking off 2020 with a bang, so I'm going to do a little give back.  I have two FitBit Inspires (gently used) and two books (again gently used) that I'm going to raffle off for the New Year!  The FitBits contain the watch bands for small, medium and large and in the original packaging.  The books are second hand books that I pick up at library sales and thrift stores as a way of getting information out to those who are interested in learning about the Whole Food Plant Based revolution.

I will use rafflecopter to collect the entries. The giveaway is open to the continental US only, due to shipping fees. I'll draw and post two winners on New Year's Day.  Those winners will have 24 hours to reply to my email with a shipping address.  If none reply, I will re-draw.


The first set includes a book that I love.  It was one of the first ones I read on this style of eating.  It is called Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.  Dr. Fuhrman takes a very scientific approach to eating the Nutritarian way.

Here's a talk from 2019 - Dr. Fuhrman did on healthy eating.

Prize 1  - Used Copy - Eat To Live Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Prize 1 - Gently used FitBit Inspire Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

The second prize pack includes the FitBit Inspire as well as the book called Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.


Here's a video he did on curing diabetes and having super immunity.

Prize 2 - Used Copy - Super Immunity Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Prize 2 - Gently Used FitBit Inspire Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Remember, on the US can enter, sorry, that's just due to the cost of shipping and I will need a reply from my winners within 24 hours or I'll move on to a new name.


Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

https://happynewyear2020.com/wallpapers

Hi Everyone!  I just wanted to reach out to let you know there have been some (obvious) unexpected updates to the blog.  My plan was to switch over to reviewing strictly e-books just after my birthday in February.  I was going to make a switch over, rename the blog and start focusing more on my writing and less on reviews.  My goal was to bring you into the world I'm living in now.

Confessions of a Modern Witch is now To Live Whole

When I escaped into the book review scene it was mostly out of sincere frustration and pain. My body was hurting all the time and I was angry most of the time.  My bipolar was out of control and I was feeling pretty helpless. I couldn't focus on writing a single sentence let alone and entire blog post with any coherency.

Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson The Rio Grande

My days were filled with frustration and anger. It has been a rocky three years.  I ended up taking a much needed break and heading out to Las Cruces NM for a while to soak up the sun and try to recharge my broken spirit.

We ended up staying there for a year while we waited for the county's decision on buying our property after Hurricane Matthew.  I took some classes and found one that was called Holistic Wellness.  That was the catalyst for me getting my head back in the game.  I finished three other classes including crystal healing certification, mindful meditation and yoga certification. I have to say that it has changed my life.

Photo Credit - Elijah Trent Olson

Eli and I managed to switch over completely to a WFPBNO lifestyle and in the process reversed all of our medical issues including my type two diabetes.  We dropped weight significantly.  I have lost 135 pounds as of today.  He's lost over 125.  Together we're taking some time to get back to ourselves. We're back in NC now but we're not letting the poor weather get us down. We have started meditation sessions twice a day and are cooking our meals together.  Always looking for a great recipe to share in our group over on Facebook.  Our page there shares many of the medical opinions that got us where we are today. We would love to have you join us.

As part of our meditation, Eli and I read an hour every morning when we wake about Buddhism. We have begun to see a real change in our lives. Just yesterday I was thrilled and surprised to find see my resting heart rate has dropped down to 49 from 79 a year ago.  Such an amazing change.  So as a part of this I wanted to reduce my carbon footprint and switch over to e-books and stop buying things from China.  I wanted to live simply and share that experience on a new blog.  So I purchased a domain (To Live Whole) and began the process of getting it set up.

Well, let me tell you, Google is super easy about adding your domain to your blogger account.  I literally clicked a single button and boom all my settings were updated and here I was with a new URL for my blog a mere 3 months ahead of schedule!!  Instead of fussing with getting it switched back over I just took it as a sign that I was ready to go and changed my social media accounts as well as my media contacts over to the new blog and here we are!

I hope that my change in the visual appearance of the page w/o make you jump ship.  I'll be sharing the same types of books with a few more related to health, wellness and Buddhism as well as the old magical favorites.  I'll be adding more frequent and personal posts related to what we're doing in the kitchen, what new advances we're seeing in science and maybe a post or two about the Dali Lamma.

I look forward to inviting some discussion on the page and welcome questions and comments. I hope that you'll hang around for the direction. I feel as though it will be something quite special.

Thank you so much for your readership and your attention and I hope I'll be able to share more soon.

Renee

Today I'm reviewing Changing the World by One Meal a Day by Suzy Amis Cameron.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source - OMD

Author Links - Link
Amazon Book Link
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Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an contemporary witch.  I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts over 412,000 views.


As usual, I'm going to start my review with my opinion on the physical book. I received a hard cover dust jacketed book as a gift for contributing to the OMD Blog project.  You can find my interview here.  The forward of the book is written by Dr. Dean Ornish, MD.  A well renowned advocate for living a healthy lifestyle.  While not completely plant based I respect Dr. Ornish for his work related to helping create a holistic approach to lifestyle management. I have read many of his books and recommend them often.  My particular way of living is more in line with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. I am a firm believer that oil is at the root of the majority of the diseases of affluence that impact our society today. This book boasts a nice since index and notes section.  It even includes a list of packaged foods that are acceptable to those living a vegan lifestyle.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source - OMD

The premise of this book and the mission statement of OMD is to save the planet by switching one meal a day to a plant based meal. The book lists vegan options for reaching this goal.  To me, I believe in a whole food plant based approach to eating.  While it does fit the "vegan" moniker, it isn't your traditional vegan menu.  There are so many foods that are vegan but are not good for you.  Oreo cookies are vegan but are completely unhealthy. The book is a great resource for information on how much of our resources are used each day by continuing to eat meat and meat products. The author explains that having only one plant based meal a day for a year will save 675,250 gallons of water.  To put that in perspective, it is the same amount of water to fill an Olympic size pool.

I enjoyed the section of the book that included the lists of plant based sources for common vitamins and minerals. Page 113 for example, gives a pretty good list of Omega-3S sources.  A common source of Omega 3 is attributed to consuming fish.  The list contains 23 options for plant based sources of Omega 3 fatty acid.  Personally, I try to include chia seeds, sesame seeds and walnuts in my diet daily.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source - OMD

Chapter five kicks off your journey to OMD living. The author provides a list of tips and tricks for making your experience a success.  The table of grab and go options are a life saver for those just starting on this journey. The idea here is you're only switching one meal a day. As you begin to see how much better you feel, you'll want to change more and slowly remove meat and animal products completely from your diet.  I started out my journey by ordering HungryRoot food delivery service.  This is a vegan home meal delivery kit that provides a great way to slowly wean yourself off of highly processed animal fat and chemical laden foods. The same holds true for the new craze of the Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger which are making their way around fast food establishments across the united states.  While not on my menu, this is a great way to begin the path to removing animals from your diet.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source - OMD

Chapter seven is where the fun begins. The author takes us on a culinary journey to delight the vegan taste buds of every newly transitioning foodie.  From Jasper's Red Shake to Food Forest Organics Coco-Mint Slice you'll find a tasty plant based recipe to fit any taste level.  You'll learn how to use tofu and coconut cream to make a delicious meal that will convert even the most strict meat eater. There are recipes for chili sauce, pesto and even spring rolls! Eating a plant based meal doesn't have to be bland and boring. After all, most of the meat prepared today has herbs and spices added to it to make it flavorful.  Herbs and spices are plants!  This book includes a 14 day All-In Meal plan and shopping list to get you ready for the big move to a healthier plant based life style.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Photo Source - OMD

Over all this is a great book and I applaud the author for providing, to me, one of the most important parts of the book.  The Great Eater Meter on page 293 offers the reader a chance to see the impact of animal based foods on our environment. One stick of butter for example, takes 173 gallons of water to produce.  One cup of milk takes 43 gallons of water. When you begin to look at the impact of the individual choices we make everyday on our planet, you really can see how you can be the change you want to see in this world.

If you're on the fence about this, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book and taking the time to really learn about a plant based lifestyle.  You can look up several documentaries on the subject such as Devour the Earth, Eating You Alive, Forks Over Knives and The Game Changers just to name a few.

Today I'm reviewing Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul by Deborah Kensten.

Image Credit - Book Cover Src - Internet

Author - Link
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My Good Reads Profile
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Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an contemporary witch.  I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts over 412,000 views.


As this was sent to me as an e-Book I'll not be reviewing the physical book and instead going directly into the review of the material covered by the author.


I was a bit skeptical at first beginning this book. I sometimes find that when modern science begins to address things like prana or the metaphysical in general it usually ends in "magic" being labeled as bunk.  I was pleasantly surprised in this book.  The author takes a look at several different groups and shows how religion or spiritually applies to not only to the preparation of food but also our relationship to it.  She takes us through several traditions, as well as ethnic groups to fully digest, pardon the pun, the impact of food on our spiritual being.

She address the strength in ritual preparations that take place in the Jewish and Catholic communities as well as the spirituality of the meals prepared by Africans taken as slaves to the United States. within the chapter African Roots: American Soul Food, the section "Making Do",  really connected with me.  Living in rural North Carolina and growing up poor many of the food listed were staples in my grandmother's household.  We had many meals of tomatoes and rice or liver-pudding and rice. We made do with what we had, and what we had was pretty limited.  As I grew into an adult and looked back on these times, I remember my grandmother rationing butter and using saccharine because sugar was scarce.

The next section, "Cooking from the Feel", resonates with me.  I can usually tell just by smelling something if its "right" or not. While not subjugated to illiteracy by institutionalized racism, the majority of our recipes were shared by watching and doing.  I watched my grandmother make biscuits every day for years until I finally attempted them myself. And before her passing on, I was able to stand at the table beside her and make them with her.  On several occasions, as I entered the house she would yell in her 97 year old voice, "Rhonda Renee, get in here and make these biscuits. I've been waiting on you!"  Now, some 6 years later, I can still get a whiff of something and tell you if it's just right.

The author goes on to talk about Yogic Nutrition from India.  For me, a student of yoga and with a background in witchcraft, I believe that what you send out comes back to you times three.  If you send out negative, it comes back to you.  If you put in negativity into your food, your life or being it all comes back to you. I believe that the everything round us is made of energy.  That includes our food. For me this is what Empathetic Eating is all about.  I covered this in an article I wrote in February. I've also noticed when I'm in a mood or my husband doesn't feel just right, his dishes aren't as flavorful. To me, this is adding prana, or love to the dish.  The author goes on to tell us about how savoring food with your eyes first with the following quote:

"The food an natural colors are often arranged beautifully, so the eyes appreciated it first.  Then the nose smells the food and digestion has already begun." 

Making food appealing to the eyes is something I strive for. I believe that if you can look at it and see the beauty, you're taking that beauty into your body and becoming one with it.  For me that is the essence of soul food. You'll see and appreciate the life-force contained within.  Of all the eating styles in the book the Indian style is the most I am aligned with.

The author goes on to tell us about the Islamic meal traditions which include fasting as well as Buddhisms look at mindful meals.  She then journeys to China and Japan to explore food, folklore and tea. She reaches into the Native American vision quest and the wedding feasts of Hinduism showing us how teach culture connects the act of preparing and consuming food with our spiritual well-being.

Two important chapters are 11 & 12 - Enlightened Eating and The Starving Spirit take the reader into the mindset of what can happen to a person who has a disconnect between food and spirit. From a personal level, as a person with an eating disorder, body dysphoria and morbid obesity, I can tell you that when you have lost that connection to good food you suffer.  Filling my body with highly processed foods and an animal product rich diet, I felt ever bit of pain those animals endured.  I felt the pain of the chemicals in my body through Fibromyalgia.  I felt the sickness of pre-diabetes with each bit of garbage that passed through my lips.  My body ached from pain feeling each death blow dealt to the animals in the slaughterhouses that fed my addition.

Understanding the connection between the food and the mind is tricky. The author dedicates an entire chapter on understanding how each food type can work with or against our emotions. Leading us to crave foods that are good for us or foods that will break down our bodies.  That emotional connection is something I struggled with for a long time.  I'm happy to say that today I'm able to move past that and look at the food as sustenance, while thoroughly enjoying dishes I make with the same zeal, excitement and satisfaction of a young girl watching her grandma make biscuits.

Overall this is a fantastic book for those interested in understanding the spiritual connection we all have to food.  I love the way the author included the scientific background and included personal stories to fully demonstrate the power and the connection of food between human beings. As a foodie myself, I believe that those interested in learning more about how we as a race have similar practices related to food, will enjoy this book.

If you're interested in learning more about my journey you can find it here.  If you'd like to join me in learning new recipes and the science around Whole Food Plant Based living you can find my page here.

At some point in everyone's life there comes a moment when you look back at a relationship, a job, an event where your friends around you offered suggestions, encouragement or support.  After that moment has passed retrospection usually follows.  As an analytical person, I spend a great deal of time looking back over tasks, jobs, positions and the like trying to determine the best course of action.  Did I follow the rules?  Did I meet my goal?  Was the outcome, the best outcome?

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

One of my recent blog posts was a book review about a great book that helped me really sit back and look at what brought me bliss. This retrospection is all about understanding what brings you happiness and contentment.  Today I have a great job, a wonderful family and am working on getting my health to the best it can be for a 50 year old.  I may not ever be a kick-boxer, but I know that I will be able to take care of myself in my golden years, instead of relying on someone else to bathe me.

Over the last few years I have read everything I can get my hands on related to health and wellness. I have poured my soul into understanding the best course of action to fully take charge of my health, my well being and my surroundings.  I took a year to live in an RV in the desert just to come to terms with what is really important for me.



What I needed to do was read that my weight, while maybe normal for someone on a SAD eating plan, it wasn't normal for my body. In those articles I learned that all the oil I was putting in my body, all the sugar was killing me. And I needed to change that.



I commented this morning on a article about kicking wellness to the curb on a page called "Fat Fe..... Wi...."  Name blurred to protect the innocent.  I was met with the reply of, your comment is off topic and will be deleted shortly.  I removed my comment and un-liked the page.  You see, sometimes people, especially fat people who are unhealthy (and I can speak to this because I was one), don't like to be told they are accountable for their own actions.  This article was speaking to how people fall into stereotypes and go into one fad diet after another to try to "fix" what isn't broken. Because you know, if you just love fat people (who are unhealthy) they'll be fine.  To that I say bullshit.



Fat (who are unhealthy) people don't need to be told their beautiful. We need to be told we're in danger. And I say that with a loud fucking yell because I heard from all my friends how beautiful I was at 300 pounds.  I heard them tell me what I was loved and I was find just the way I was.  But you know what?  I wasn't fine. I was close to death. I couldn't breathe when I walked up a slight incline. I couldn't sleep well because the fat around my throat was choking me while I slept. What I need was someone to come to me and say:

Photo Credit Elijah Olson Pic 1  July 2016 - Pic 2 July 2019 128 lbs lost

1. Hey, Renee, you should really get rid of all the processed food in your cabinets.  
2. Hey Renee, you should toss out that milk because, you know you're not a fucking baby cow and you shouldn't drink it.
3. Hey Renee, you can't breathe because the fat around your neck is getting so think that its choking you to death while you sleep.
4. Hey Renee, your knee and hip arthritis is so bad because your knees weren't intended to carry around three hundred fucking pounds.
5. Hey Renee, stop eating pizza or you're going to die, way early and way painfully.

I completely understand being a support system for those who are unhealthy.  You see my weight, my size was directly related to my health. Today I'm a much healthier person and a side effect of my new eating habits are having lost 128 lbs. My blood work is amazing now.  I no longer have issues with sleep, my knees, my hip or my fibro. I have completely reversed my type 2 diabetes and have seem to have no continued issues with my congestive heart failure.

Photo Credit - Screen Cap UNC Health

Photo Credit - Screen Cap UNC Health

Just so I'm clear, I'm not saying we need to be ugly to people who are overweight. I'm not saying you need to call names or shun anyone.  What I am saying is look out for your tribe. If you see someone struggling, lend a hand.  A real hand.  Don't tell someone a dress looks great on them when it doesn't.  A real friend will tell you that you have a booger showing. A real friend will tell you that you need to address certain things.  Be someone who helps straighten a crown when NO ONE is watching.

I'm also not saying that everyone over a certain size is unhealthy.  We are all different. We all have different body make ups and there is no perfect size.  Your body will tell you what is right for you when you give it the nutrients it needs.  I figured this out the hard way.

I am putting this offer out there.  Anyone at all who is interested in learning about WFPB lifestyle and healing your body holistically feel free to reach out to me via this blog or on my support page at Real Rations.  I share science based resources to learning to live and heal your body using food. I share recipes in my group Real Rations Recipes as well as welcome stories and before and afters here.  Everything I share there is free.  My goal is to help those out there who were like me.  Those who were morbidly obese and utterly hopeless.  Those who felt as though they wanted to die.

I'm not trying to change your mind on plant based eating. That's not my business and frankly, I don't have the energy for that fight.  I'm here for those who want to change.  Who want to try something new. Those who need to try something new.  For those, this message is for you.  I see you.  I hear you. You are important. You are worth it.  <3

I'd like to start this post out by saying, I don't expect anyone to follow what I have done. I'm also not asking you to change your diet in any way. I'm simply going to share with you what worked for me. This isn't a a judgement nor is it a challenge to ask you to tell me how you can eat meat and dairy and you're fine. I know some believe that they must eat meat to live. They believe the whole bit about cave men eating dinosaurs. If you want to believe that, it isn't my job nor my desire to change your mind. Frankly, if you don't change your diet it doesn't impact anyone else directly (me included) in the slightest. Now that I have cleared that up, here's my story.


I was raised in a household that was basically white trash.  We were lower income. We were on food stamps and WIC and we also got surplus foods when the government used to distribute food commodities to the poor for free. To show you how limited our food was, my mother would buy a whole chicken (fryer) for dinner. She would cut up the chicken in pieces.  She got two breasts.  My stepfather got 2 thighs. I got a drumstick along with my middle sister and our youngest sister got 2 wings.  She would add stove top stuffing and green beans or some other canned veg.  That was it. This was typical. If there were hot dogs we would have 2 hot dogs on loaf bread with cold pork n beans.  We rarely had salad.  I never saw fresh fruit unless my mother was making a banana pudding for a family event.  I got two oranges at Christmas time and a few nuts in my stocking.  I didn't have a nut cracker so we would go outside and crack them with bricks. All the while the emotional, physical and sexual abused compounded my lack of food and nutrition into a full fledged eating disorder.



I remember stealing food stamps from my mother's purse and walking to the store to by food. I sat in the field behind the grocery store and gorged myself on frozen pies. Yes, I ate it frozen. I was 12.  I knew I was fat, and I hated myself.

By the time I was 18, I had already ran away from home and was on my second pregnancy. This one all I ate was McDonald's because the child's father worked there and we could eat for free.  I ate double quarter pounders (my own creation at the time) and tons of chicken nuggets.  Never salad or anything at all resembling healthy food.


The father would do things like make me get out of the car and pronounce my dedication to Jesus.  He would then walk off from he like he didn't know me when we saw people he knew in public.  I realized it was because he was lying to his wife and didn't tell her about me. I ballooned in size.  I starting working for a computer bbs company and became a new personal to hide the sadness and utter self hatred I had inside.



One year his mother took us to Walt Disney World and my child said to me as we waited in line to get in the Tea Cup Ride -  she whispered, "Mommy, can you fit in there?"  I was humiliated. I knew that being over weight "ran in my family" and was pretty much convinced by my doctors and my family that it was only a matter of time for heart disease and diabetes for me as well.

Faces blocked by their request

I finally found a doctor that would help me.  Dr. Brewer in Virginia Beach told me that he could help me lose weight. I was knocking on 300lbs and needed someone to help me.  He told me about the Roux n Y gastric bypass that would change my life he said.  He never one time mentioned whole food, never asked me what I was eating.  He never one time said to me, You can change this yourself by eating vegetables.  Yes, we all know that eating veggies is the way to go, but while we're there seeing what WIC gives us and what SNAP tells us to buy it is setting us up for obesity and health issues.  Just before he put me under, I heard him say, "You'll never be this fat again."



And I did lose weight. I was thrilled! I got all the way down to 108 lbs after being a a completely liquid diet for nearly a year.  During this time I also got kicked out of my house and moved into my first full time lesbian relationship. I could only eat 1/4 of a sandwich or one chicken nugget due to the size of my stomach pouch.




The doctor had also removed the majority of my small intestines as well as my gall bladder. He mentioned a support group, but I didn't go. I didn't think I needed it. After all, I just needed to get skinny.  It was my body that betrayed me after all, right?  It wasn't anything I was doing. It couldn't be. Look at all the skinny people drinking soda and eating pizza.  They were fine.

I ended up getting very ill from the surgery and nearly died.  I had to have several blood transfusions and was ordered to eat a high protein and iron diet.

Fast forward to around 2005 and guess what?  Here I was again. Closing in very quickly on 300 lbs yet again.  I knew I was big and I hated myself. Again.



I joined a gym (like we all do).  A 24 hour fitness club and went to work out sometimes 3 times a day. 45 minutes at a time. I lost down to about 170 lbs. I was eating a low fat diet with 2 jamba juices a day (with the weight loss boost of course) and baked salmon for dinner.  I thought I was doing the right thing to get myself healthy again.  The photo below was taken at LGBT Pride in San Diego.  I was so excited to be able to fit into this XL Leather Pride shirt that I changed in a porta-potty.  My face says thrilled and I was.  But still in the back of my head working out sometimes 3 hours a day, I still couldn't eat just fish and have a smoothie and get below 170 lbs.


We then moved from San Diego back to my home town. Goldsboro NC.  It was a tragic mistake. As I was confronted daily with the demons of my childhood my weight grew and grew and grew.

My family sabotaged me when I would try to eat well. I recall, after telling my mother I was vegetarian, she shoved a slice of bacon in my mouth. They all (all of them but my grandmother) made fun of me as an adult. They would say, don't show Rhonda (they call me Rhonda) the poor chickens and so on.  It was the one of the most difficult times of my life. So I ballooned.


I became so fat I could barely get around. My feet and ankles swelled and were so painful. I had Fibromyalgia,  Heart Disease, Pre-Diabetes and the start of sleep apnea. I was making scratch made biscuits everyday.  I was making bacon and pork. I was eating everything except for red meat.  Because you know - red meat is bad for you, right?

I went to visit my adopted sister, Kallan in Maryland and Eli and I walked around DC on 4th of July. We were exhausted. I could barely move the next day.  We couldn't get in and out of the car when Kallan took us site seeings. It was horrible and I was so embarrassed. I couldn't believe I had done this again.



Eli and I both decided that day that we were taking all meat back off our plates.  No meat at all, but we would leave dairy. I started losing some weight. I was walking every morning with my fit-bit trying desperately to get back a more healthy lifestyle.  As we were getting better, I finally realized I needed to get out of North Carolina.



By the time we had set up to leave NC I had lost quite a bit of weight and fully understood that all meat products were bad for me.  I didn't know why. And I didn't know if everyone was like me, but I knew that I couldn't eat it.  We updated our house, got it set up to rent out and headed back west.  I left all the negativity and tragedy that was my existence in NC behind.

I fell off the wagon and began eating cheese again. Just here there, as we went out to places and slowly we began to creep up again.  This time I noticed it and I suggested we try Hungryroot. A vegan food delivery service to help us get control over our inability to feed ourselves. As we began to do that, Eli completed more classes in his nutrition class and found many of the doctors we follow today.  I look back over the last 49 years of my life and decided that I need to be healthy. I cannot continue to put poison in my body and expect it to live.  As I cut out the sugar and the saturated fat of coconut milk (my replacement for cow's milk) I learned that I really didn't need those things. They contributed to my pain.

I'm still not where I want to be.  My goal is to have a kick-boxer body by my 51st birthday.  This morning I did five push-ups. I know, it's only five, but a trip around the world starts with a single step, and this is my step.  I need to be gentle with myself and not rush things.  I have lost to date 105 lbs. I no longer have any of the illnesses I had before. I am wearing a size 10 pant and a medium shirt. I am able to walk without losing my breath. Because of our wonderful results Eli and I started Real Rations.  A way to share what we have learned with others. Folks may not be able to afford the books or attend the lectures. So we're sharing that information free.  We want everyone to be able to be healthy.  We want them to know that this way of life isn't expensive. It isn't a gimmick. There's no quick fix.  It has taken me 2 years to get here.  I still have about 45 lbs to lose.  It is a process.



I wrote this because I have had several comments on my posts regarding how I don't know what its like and I'm just a skinny person fat shaming.

No honey, I'm not. I'm coming at this from a food addicted, abuse survivor. I was berated and attacked my entire life for being fat.  When I was 10 my step father told me I was too fat to be a cheer leader.  I was told I was too fat and stupid to do just about everything. I am coming at this as someone who spent an entire year (just three years ago) planning my elder living because I knew I would need diabetes treatment and probably cancer treatment.  I had accepted that my DNA had sentenced me to this.  But I was wrong.  I have taken my power back and changed my diet.  I don't exercise, I don't go to the gym, I even got rid of the fit-bit and started to become more present in my actual life.

I slowed down, I studied yoga, and mindful mediation. I got my wellness coach certification and studied aromatherapy and crystal healing. I changed all these things just by starting with my diet. Whole Food, Plant Based.  That's it.  No pills.  No powders.  Only the magic of  fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. I feel amazing.  I want you to feel that way too.