the thing is...

...I hate suffering and discrimination. It hurts me. It saddens me. I cant watch the news about the devastation of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. I don't want to see anymore death and destruction, I've seen too much as it is. For the past 8 years all we hear about on the news is war, death, suicide bombings, child abductions, murder, hatred, suffering and discrimination.

Enough!

I can't help but to think about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr today. The man was assassinated for speaking out for what he believes in. Yes, he mainly fought for equality for the African American minority, but he also fought for the equality of all.

"that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!".

The speech he is most well known for is the "I Have A Dream" speech. I've included a link to it. Please take some time to watch it.

While I was watching it again today, I noticed something. Throughout the speech, he looks down at his notes except during the "I Have A Dream" part. That part seemed to be ad lib and spontaneous. He never glanced at his notes, he spoke from the heart and he was sincere. The man truly had a dream, a vision, that one day ALL people would have the same rights and equalities.

There is one part in the speech that always gets me choked up...here it is

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character".


The content of their character.

That reminds me of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. See, when you die, the content of your character is what people will remember the most. Your reputation, your integrity.....the content of your character.

Hatred, bigotry and discrimination have no place in my life. I was exposed to many different lifestyles, religious beliefs and cultures during my childhood.
I grew up in a racially diverse neighborhood.
I Had black friends, Mexican friends, Asian friends and gay friends.
We all had a great time together and it really didn't occur to me that we were all different.

I guess we all judged each other by the content of our character.


Just a few days ago, Teddy Pendergrass died. This song seems appropriate. Take a listen.

The world will get no better if we just let it be....

the thing is...

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. They're silly. Besides, you probably have already broken yours. I strongly believe that if you need to make a change in your life, a date on the calendar wont help you. That change needs to come from within, on your terms, when you feel its appropriate, no matter what the date. Coincidentally, I made a serious change in my eating habits exactly 4 years ago. I cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup from my diet. Not my family's diet, just mine. I had to do it for myself. I became exactly what I despise in people....a hypocrite. See, I was working as the chef at Paragary's Bar and Oven, educating the front and back of house staff about organically grown produce, sustainable farming practices, meat raised without growth hormones or antibiotics, in essence, a healthier lifestyle. But on my way home from work EVERYDAY, I would stop at my favorite fast food restaurant and load up on burgers, tacos, sodas, etc. I would feel so guilty, that I ate everything before I got home and discard the trash elsewhere in order to hide my addiction.

Yes, addiction.

HFCS does that to you, it tricks your brain into thinking your not full, so you eat and drink more.

You crave it.

You need it.

You'll lie and sneak around to get it.

You'll beg your friends to get it for you.


It's the worst drug of all, and it is EVERYWHERE! Try buying a loaf of bread in the grocery store without HFCS. You know that box of granola bars? That yogurt? That box of "healthy" cereal? That gallon of O.J. in your fridge? All of those healthy items contain the poison known as HFCS.

Ever wonder why our nation has the highest rate of child obesity in the world?
Look no further than

H I G H F R U C T O S E C O R N S Y R U P ! ! !


So, that is where I started. I cut out HFCS from my diet. Gradually, it would diminish from the shelves of my pantry, and subsequently, from my family's diet. My main goal was to get rid of HFCS, not sugar. If an item had sugar in it, fine, at least it didn't have HFCS. Did you know that in one year's time, you will lose 10 lbs. just by omitting soda from your diet? That's it, just stop drinking soda, yes even diet soda, and BOOM 10 lbs lost! What's even better, substitute water for the soda you drink and lose even more weight!

It gradually progressed from one end of the spectrum to the other. From processed foods to foods raised or grown naturally, locally and organically. We have been eating 100% organic food at home for the past year now. All produce, meats, dairy etc....everything...100% organic. I cant begin to tell you how much better we feel. We have more energy, we naturally lost weight, my blood pressure went down, we laugh more and argue less, since eating organically requires you to cook, we spend more quality time at the dinner table together, the food tastes way better than non-organic food, grades have improved and my kids actually prefer organic food over processed foods.

So if you resolve to do anything this year, to make any changes at all, take baby steps and set your goals to eat organic food. It's food to live by.

Happy New Year!