If it wasn’t sprinting and I couldn’t be guaranteed to be done within a few seconds or minutes, I would refuse to run. In high school I would run for training or during basketball practice, but I always ran to just get it over with and move on. 


I started running in barefoot shoes almost a year ago, and since then my relationship with running is completely different. Running no longer brings me down and makes me annoyed. Instead it lightens my heart, brightens my day, and makes me feel unstoppable. 


On Tuesday I went for my longest run ever. I have never been a fan of anything over 2 miles, but I have been slowly adding mileage. What was supposed to only be a short run turned into an amazing 5.5 mile night run. There was something about the warmth hanging in the air after the hot day and the dark sky that made running feel like meditating. At one point I got so caught up in running that when I saw a playground it was like being a little kid all over again and I couldn’t help but sprint to the swings. 


I don’t think I can ever settle for running on a treadmill again. Nothing beats the outdoors and the rush of the wind as you pick up speed. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

All red meat is bad for you, no matter what the serving size, according to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times. A study that followed more than 110,000 adults for more than 20 years has found significant correlation between eating red meat and the chance of dying. Even just adding a 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat (no bigger than a deck of cards) daily was enough to increase the chance of dying by 13 percent during the course of the study.


According to the article, “All red meat is bad for your, new study says:”

“Even worse, adding an extra daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon, was linked to a 20% higher risk of death during the study.

“Any red meat you eat contributes to the risk,” said An Pan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead author of the study, published online Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.” 

So what are your options? Obviously not eating red meat would be best:

“Eating a serving of nuts instead of beef or pork was associated with a 19% lower risk of dying during the study. The team said choosing poultry or whole grains as a substitute was linked with a 14% reduction in mortality risk; low-fat dairy or legumes, 10%; and fish, 7%.”

What is it about red meat that makes it so bad for your health? Researchers have hypothesized that the nitrates and nitrites used to preserve them, the chemicals created by high-temptertaure cooking, and the iron and saturated fat in the meat may be to blame. 


If you really are absolutely unwilling to cut red meat out of your diet at all costs, the researchers recommend limiting yourself to one or two servings of red meat per week and to eliminate all bacon or other processed meats (such as hot dogs). 

With finals beating down my door I am drowning in what feels like endless stress. One of the worst parts about finals is how long they drag on for. For some classes I will end up studying or writing a paper over a week or more. 


To deal with some extra stress I have been cleaning. It’s amazing how much better I will feel after cleaning the kitchen floor or unloading the dishwasher real fast. I can study for hours and then see progress after only a few minutes of scrubbing. To finish something and actually see progress makes the biggest difference.


What do you like to do to relieve some stress?

With my recent project on veganism (a magazine piece that I will link to or post when it’s published), a lot of people have been asking me if I am vegan. So here it is, my complicated explanation. 


I have been vegetarian for six years. My original reason for going vegetarian was because meat really freaks me out. I don’t see the difference between eating an animal and chewing on human flesh. I am also lactose intolerant, so I rarely, if ever, eat dairy. So why am I not vegan? Well, to a certain degree I am. I eat vegan for many meals, but if something was made with a slight bit of whey, milk, or other animal products, I will still eat it. I will also eat desserts or other items made with eggs.


I have recently been exploring vegan alternatives to many of these items, and although I have mostly cut out butter from my daily meals, as of right now I don’t see myself going completely vegan (although I do not use products tested on animals or buy things made out of animal products when I can avoid it). It is too frustrating to not be able to eat something because it has a small amount of an animal product in it, or make people feel horrible when you are a guest in their house and you can’t eat anything they made. It is already such a struggle for friends and family to be able to meet my dietary needs, and to add one more thing in would cause a lot of problems.


To all of the vegans out there, I completely admire you, and perhaps one day I will go completely vegan, but for now I am happy the way things are. I will continue to eat as little animal products as possible without sweating the small stuff. 

In my research for the project on veganism that I am currently working on I stumbled across an article that lists “75 reasons being vegan is awesome.” Although I am not a vegan myself (a topic for another day), I thought the article was interesting, if not slightly ridiculous. 


Here are my top 10 from the article:
1. Never having to wear leather pants (honestly, no one can pull these off)
2. Never having to eat spam (I have avoided this for 20 years so far, and I hope to make it my entire life. eew.)
3. Not contributing as much to global warming
4. No dead bodies in my refrigerator
5. Eating food that’s less prone to incubating bacteria
6. A lowered risk of osteoporosis
7. Better skin and fewer zits
8. Reducing the risk of acquiring many chronic diseases
9. Never having to cut and prepare blood-soaked food
10. Cheaper groceries


To see the other 65 reasons, go to VegNews.


What are the things that you think make being vegetarian or vegan so awesome?

It seems like everyone around campus is sick right now, professors and students alike. All of my roommates are currently battling some illness or another, and I am trying everything I can to avoid getting sick. 

I know I have said it before, but I am going to say it again – I am so tired of people asking me how I get my protein. But at the same time I understand why people are curious, so today I will honestly answer the question. 


Many vegetarians and vegans get a boost of protein from nuts, but I am unfortunately allergic to all tree nuts, so I have to be even more creative to get my protein. Soy and whole grains on the main ways I get my protein. I eat some form of tofu or edamame, pasta with added protein, quinoa or brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and soy yogurt daily. 


Most Americans eat too much protein, and many think that the more protein you eat the bigger your muscles will be. While to a certain degree this is true, research has shown that too much protein can damage your kidneys and does not necessarily lead to larger muscles. Women should get about 46 grams of protein per day and men should eat about 56 grams per day. As a vegetarian or vegan it’s important to count your protein carefully and be sure you are getting enough. Don’t forget to leave enough room for your fruits and vegetables. 


Need some ideas on some ways to get more protein? This website provides a reference for some foods. I also read the nutrition information on foods or look them up individually when I am curious. I recommend keeping a food journal for protein until you are able to easily eat the proper amount of protein daily. It took me about two weeks of calculating my daily protein intake and measuring out my portions until I got where I needed to be.