announcing this month's winner of a signed copy of the kind diet
This year, I'm giving away a signed copy of The Kind Diet each month. In January, I asked how you discovered The Kind Life. Our randomly-chosen winner Raya wrote:
"I heard about your book and website from your Twitter. I was always constantly wondering what you were linking to and I finally came and checked it out! I was already a vegetarian, but your website and book (I borrowed from a friend) just really hit home for me. I had seen all the documentaries you mentioned, and when you just laid it out there for people to get, it all clicked. I absolutely thank you for helping me make the transition to vegan and an over all kind lifer! My boyfriend has even given up meat and dairy because of it! Next up? Composting!"
Congrats, Raya!
This month, I'm giving away two signed copies of The Kind Diet (one for February and one for March). To enter to win, tell me what has been your most surprising discovery during your kind journey. Share your answers in the comments below, and I'll announce two winners next month!
Related Stories:
win a signed copy of the kind life
selma blair's kind diet
my kind gift guide
"the kind diet" paperback edition is here!
153 comments
-
What surprised me was how easy it was to just leave the animal products out of my usual recipes. I didn't even need to empty my recipe box and start over. I could continue eating what I was used to, just in a healthier, kinder way!
-
I've been vegetarian for 8 years and I'm planning to go 100% vegan within the next year or so. Becoming a vegetarian was so natural for me (made the switch overnight and never looked back), but going vegan has been a little harder! I'm learning to cook vegan for myself, and loving it!
-
Since reading 'The Kind Diet' and making the transformation from vegetarian to vegan, I am constantly surprised at how well I feel. I am also surprised at how many people want to talk to me about the reasons why I became vegan - there is a curiosity there amongst my friends and family - and it gives me the opportunity to touch on the issues that were covered in the book. My father is now embracing more vegetarian meals and incorporating tofu and lentils into his diet (which I never thought would happen), and my friends are beginning to contemplate their own food choices and how that has a wider impact. Very cool indeed!!!
-
Well, I have to be honest and say I'm not quite on the vegan train just yet. However, I have been meat free since June of last year (2011) and have eliminated many dairy products over the past couple of years. The most surprising thing for me has probably been the realization that I don't have to have a fully stocked cupbord all the time. (Something in me struggles with the idea that "if my cupbord isnt' full to the brim = Old Mother Hubbord.") The reality is that when I am focused on making a menu for the week and loading up on the veggies that it's enough, and I feel better to boot!
-
I became and vegan about 3 months ago and the surprising thing I do not miss meat, dairy products or the such. I feel healthier and am very glad my daugther asked me to join her in her choice to be vegan. It is great to see so many people have made the change and are enjoying their choice.
-
Making the transition is slow in my house. I have a husband who is open to the idea but not quite ready to commit entirely. I have three boys who are also open to the switch and have, on their own, been learning about the way meat and veggies get from the farm to frozen food section of the grocery store. They were appalled. However, they've come to understand how important it is to make better decisions about the food we eat. So as I slowly adjust our meals to be vegetarian and most often then not, vegan, they welcome the idea. Our small garden I started has also helped to further excite their desire to eat the veggies we grow ourselves. It's a young garden but we've already harvested kale and cooked it up for dinner. Heading down the road to a vegan lifestyle is becoming easier than I thought. :-))
-
I was surprised when I didn't feel like eliminating dairy was a sacrifice. After becoming vegetarian I was vegan several days a week for a few months and cutting out cheese, which I adored, wasn't so hard. I even planned a "farewell to dairy tour" which included my favorite pizza place and wine and cheese bars. I never finished it! It feels good to be free of those cravings and now when I get the urge to have something melty, Daiya and Teese work perfectly.
-
The last day I ate any meat was on an eight hour road trip back home from my sister's college graduation. I had a cheesey gordita crunch wrap from Taco Bell. This was May 2008. My last meal with any dairy in it was December 2008, from a local health food store, an Apple Brie sandwich. I made the switch for my boyfriend (now husband) who had been vegan for most of his life.
Being vegan is just a part of everyday life. We don't spend a lot of money on fast food or buy unnessicary things. I am constantly learning about how to live greener and make a better impact everyday. I now find myself paying attention to everything that goes in my body, if there are too many ingredients or the wiki article sounds scary, I don't use it.
Some personal changes I have made: I make my own face wash from just olive oil and brown sugar (right now I'm using argan oil, it feels so good!), I have switched to the co-washing method (no shampoo, just conditioner- I started this Feb this year. My hair has never been so soft, shiney, and full of body without product!)
I don't even consider meat a food category anymore. I don't look down on people who do, but when they ask I will tell them the benefits I have seen. My mom practices making vegan dishes for when we visit and finds that she has been using less and less meat since I went vegan as well.
I could go on and on about how awesome being vegan is, but I think one of the greatest things- cutting out all those chemicals from my diet and being able to really taste the food I was eating.
-
The most suprising thing I've discovered since beginning my kind journey was how natural it would feel. It started with just avoiding animal products but has now become more than just a diet, it's a kinder, more wholistic way of living. I feel more calm and centered and love sharing my new kinder journey with others.
-
I never realized how heavy I felt before after I ate until I became vegan! When I was eating meat and dairy, I felt like I needed a "recovery period" after every meal - I felt so sluggish and bloated. Now I'm ready to go after I eat!
-
I was most surprised when along with becoming vegan, somewhere along the way I also became a supporter of locally grown food and farmer's markets. I felt so much better when I switched to a vegan diet, and the experience has been even more rewarding now that I've gone local. I didn't set out with this goal, but it was made me feel kinder than ever.
-
I can't tell you how much more peaceful and closer to the Earth I feel. I feel healthier and lighter. I havn't really lost any weight at all but I'm hoping that will come some day. I'm about 30 pounds over weight. I suffer from hypothyroidism. I have been told no matter what the weight might not come off. That really bums me out, but all I can do is keep trying. I work out 5 days a week on an eliptical machine for a half hour. I have 6 kids, 5 at home, so I don't have allot of time!
-
I'm new to vegan. The word "vegan" was something I never knew exsistd. I knew only vegetarian.
I stopped consuming dairy products 6 years ago (my stomach didn't like it anymore). Unlike going vegan, It wasn't hard doing that (the hard part in being vegan is my family).
I started not so long ago (about 8-9 monthes), but I find myselfe having to proove my familly (especailly mom and dad) that I know what I'm doing.
Unfortunately where I come from there are no books about veganism at all. Finding books about vegetarianism is hard also (and the ones that I find has lots of dairy and eggs).
I love vegetables, but I don't believe that living only on vegies is healthy.
ever since I became vegan, I search much more for information and recipes.
I love cooking, backing, making food... I love being in the kitchen! Buying food at the supermarket is not an option for me (I want to controll and know what my food contains).
What this change did to me?
Well, I love food better (It's like my palate has changed or something), my nails are harder, my hair is shiny and healthy. the best thing that has happend to me was that the digestion prpblems (or any other issue with my bowls) has almost disappear. :)
tho only thing that bugs me is getting weight (about 4 Kg, still thin though). I look healthy, feel healty and feeling greate!
Getting your book will help me to know better about veganism in order not to destroy my body, and, hopefully, making my parents dishes and meals to proove them that this food is great (I havn't succeeded so far).
The thing that urged me to write here for the first time was a wedding I went to on thursday. I had nothing to eat at the main course (It was all meat). One of the girls said quietly that she feels sorry for me. I heared that and the answer that came out of my mouth and amazed me was- "I'm not suffering, I'm enjoying and loving it"
I guess I do love it :) -
My greatest discovery is that my health improved, and food tastes better. Also, that there is nothing made from animals that I miss at all. In fact there is a vegan version of everything!! Two of my favorites: Vegan Reubens and Vegan Eggs Benedict!!!
-
The best suprise i have had by going vegan is feeling completely alive! I am more open to new experiences and adventures, and my mood has improved so much. I have so much more energy to hike and swim and dance and do yoga! I've lost about fifteen pounds effortlessly and i feel so much more comfortable in my own skin. Some of my coworkers have even started coming up to me asking for advice on how to be healthier and lose weight!! Thanks so much for writing this inspiring book you've changed my life and many others too!
-
It really surprises me how much my sugar cravings decreased, and how when they do hit, they can often be satiated with a green smoothie to which I added a banana and some almond butter. To a life-long chocoholic and sugar addicte, that is truly shocking.
-
I never received a copy when I bought one online (another company) so getting a free one, especially autographed, would be a great present! : )
Delle Sherer, South Carolina
-
Hmmm, I can't even tell you one because there are so many discoveries physically, mentally and spiritually. It started off with my taste buds changing. I never realized how delicious fresh spinach was until I made the transition. Now, I crave fresh vegetables more than anything. It really shocked me how easy it was to give up all the foods I had once "loved." My body suprises me more and more every day. I feel wonderful and look better than I ever have at 32 years old. I have never a day in my life smiled at myself when I look in the mirror and now, I smile at my reflection everyday. I think my most favorite thing is my spirit and compassion. I am amazed at how my outlook on life has done a 360. My compassion for all living beings has tremendously increased. There is nothing but positive energy coming from this chick ;)!
-
I am amazed at how great i feel on a kind diet.. and how much love i get from others around!
-
The most surprising thing about my journey is that its helped me to forgive and to become a gentler person. I'm sure that sounds strange, but I don't get as rage-y and as intractable in my opinions as I did when I was a carnivore. I feel calmer most of the time and I've expanded my view of who I can be and what I can do. If you'd asked me 20+ years ago to run a marathon or to consider running an ultra (or skydiving or performing at a street festival in front of strangers), I would have scoffed and thought you deranged. Now I envision things and I do them, no matter how impossible they may have once seemed.
-
This most surprising, and wonderful, discovery during my journey was finding out that my family supports me. I am 27 years old and come from a large Middle Eastern family. And, as you've seen from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, eating meat is a MUST (remember the line "What you mean you don't eat no meat?")!
Telling my family, including my husband, that I'm staying away from animal cruelty of any kind was a shock, but after they tasted some wonderful recipes (that I gathered from this site) and reading stories about animal cruelty, almost every has changed their ways!!!! My husband is now cooking vegan recipes, and let me tell you, the boy can bake!
I came across your website because I loved you in Clueless. I wanted to see what you were doing lately and if you had any movies coming out. I saw this website and it changed my life. Thank you for everything you do!
-
The most wonderful discovery for me is how what you eat changes what you crave! If I eat grains and beans and greens I absolutely crave quinoa and kale and so look forward to a big bowl:)
-
Tofu or not to Tofu? ... that is the question (ha) and the answer is yes if you enjoy it add that too a healthy, fresh array of Vegan food choices to have a healthy lifestyle each day! Majority of my eating plan is Vegan, so I do feel and think better because of it. The better fresh natural food fuel we put into our bodies, makes us feel and think better. I'm all about helping people to feel and think better and recently did that in my debut eBook "Life on A Shoestring .. In Beverly Hills?" If your shoestring spending plan allows the time and money to be Vegan each day then do it, the rewards are life changing! Thank you Alicia for bringing your inspiration and suggestions to help people feel and think better too! I knew you had a kind heart when I met you and you starred in our play "Carols' Eve" years ago -- so kind heart equals The Kind Life! Keep up this wonderful work!
-
Determined to start a whole new life in college I came across Skinny Bitch and the Kind Diet; and though I swore I would never stop eating cheese, I decided to try veganism. What I have learned in my vegan journey is that its a process, one where I continue to strive to be a better/healthier version of myself. The two most surprising changes that I saw in my life were how easy it was to live a healthy vegan lifestyle (and cheaper too!), but most importantly how my body can heal itself rapidly and naturally when I am not feeding it meat, dairy, and processed sugar. I no longer suffer from chronic nose bleeds; which would occur with even the slightest touch of my nose. In the 8 years that I had these nosebleeds, no doctor could explain to me what was going on, and veganism helped me understand what no doctor could explain; that my body was having an allergic reaction to milk. I am now doing my best to maintain a superhero vegan lifestyle, but am satisfied with a simple vegan one :)
-
The most surprising discovery that emerged as a result of going vegan is how much one's diet can transform their overall point of view. One's diet isn't just about the food one eats, it reflects what that person thinks about themselves and the world in which they live. Putting some thought into every meal you prepare and eat eventually emantes from you in other ways: in how you relate to yourself, to other people, other beings, and to the world as a whole.
Available at:
Available at:
Join the Discussion!