The vegan life

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Published: July 20, 2007 10:07 am

The vegetarian life

For Brenda Lee, eating healthy and organically is second nature

By Lacie Morrison
lmorrison@mineralwellsindex.com

All summer long, Brenda Lee is busy teaching swimming lessons, water aerobics and life guarding at the city pool, often working long hours.

During the other seasons, Lee keeps busy with other programs the Mineral Wells City Gym offers to the public.

Where does she get all that energy?

It doesn t come from eating hamburgers or spaghetti or any other meal containing beef, chicken or pork, for that matter. As a vegetarian, she s all about the vegetables, fruits and other organic dietary options.

Born in Fort Hood, Texas, Lee moved to Mineral Wells at the age of 2. In her family growing up, they were meat-and-potatoes diners.

My mother was an excellent cook. We d never eat out, Lee recalled. There was meat at every meal.

And while it was served, Lee said she didn t always partake.

My mother told me I always had a problem with meat. I d always cover the steak with ketchup, she recalled. I never liked meat growing up.

Without realizing the precise reason why she and her body didn t like meat, Lee didn t make a conscious decision to become a vegetarian until after a lot of consideration.

She estimated that 16 years ago, she opted to cut milk from her diet.

I started doing the process of elimination of food, she explained. When she removed milk from her diet, her health improved; re-introducing milk to her system made her ill. Lee said she learned that her milk allergy was something she shared with others in her family. However, cutting out milk still left her with the problems encountered when she consumed meat.

About 12 years ago, I was having health problems, she recounted. After a visit to a doctor in Grapevine who practiced medicine through dietary choices, among other things, Lee said he d asked if she consumed a lot of meat. That was when she learned that her body had difficulty digesting animal fats.

I thought I needed to seriously think about that, she said. After bouncing back and forth about cutting all meat from her diet, Lee said, I just decided I want to live a long time. I made a conscious choice.

At her last annual checkup, Lee decided to quit eating red meat and has opted for organically grown fruits and vegetables.

I joined an organic food co-op through Learnin Tree. I absolutely love it! she said. She gives you a list of things available. Two weeks later, you pick it up. You eat the way you re supposed to eat. It s seasonal [and] there s no preservatives.

Laughing, she added, Because there s no preservatives, you better cook it or freeze it within the next week.

In addition to the knowledge that she s eating healthier, Lee said, I ve noticed almost all my allergy problems have disappeared.

While becoming a vegetarian in a small community where the health food choices appear limited, Lee said it s not difficult to shop and she doesn t really see a change in her grocery bill.

Even grocery stores carry unrefined products that you can buy in Mineral Wells. You can get bread without preservatives. You can get organic butter and cheeses, she noted. I ve become an avid label reader.

She used the example of peanut butter. Lee said that peanut butter should only have peanuts and oil listed in the ingredients instead of additional preservatives and additives.

I very rarely buy anything canned. Anything I buy has to be cooked, she said.

Lee pointed out that she s a vegetarian, not a vegan. She explained that a vegan omits all animal products from their diet, including dairy items and eggs.

For vegans, it s really hard to get protein. That s why I eat fish three times a week, eggs and cheese, Lee said.

I feel better. I notice that I don t have muscle aches, she observed. At 52, I don t have to take any pharmaceuticals. She smiled, adding, If I go to the doctor with a problem, she doesn t even try to give me a prescription.

Sticking with her organic lifestyle, Lee said she cross-references alternatives for natural items for her symptoms.

When asked if she saw a change in her energy level since she began eating organically, Lee replied, Yes, because I work 14 hours a day and this session, with water aerobics and swim lessons, I work till 9 p.m.

I m a certified lifeguard and we have to swim. I have a very active lifestyle. That s the key to sleeping good.

While it may seem like a lot of work label reading, shopping conscientiously and healthy cooking Lee doesn t perceive it as work; for her, it s become second nature.

They think it s a lot of work. It s not a lot of work. It s a habit, she stated. Stopping to eat out for breakfast is a habit. Five years ago, I was literally eating out three times a day. Now, I fix a protein shake for breakfast and bring my lunch to work. It takes a little work at first then it just becomes routine.

The longer you do it, the more you become aware of what you re using every day.

Making healthier dietary choices doesn t mean never eating out at restaurants, either. More and more restaurants are offering options to cater to healthier dining.

You can order off the menu and modify, Lee said. She recounted a recent visit to Razoo s where her friend asked if they could grill her fish instead of fry it. Lee said it wasn t on the menu but they were willing to change the cooking method.

Lee fully committed to a vegetarian lifestyle in November.

I m not going to waiver from this lifestyle, she remarked. It s not a diet. It s not a fad. It s a lifestyle change.

For those interested in finding out more about the vegetarian lifestyle, Lee said the Internet offers several venues.

There s way to much information out there, she chuckled. You have to be aggressive in your search. It s not going to come to you.

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Additional information:

From www.mineralwellsindex.com:
Welcome to our natural food store! Explore the site for up to date health information, the latest news on natural products and accurate.
Online guide to vegetarian restaurants and natural food stores in the United States and Canada. Includes commentary, menu selections, directions, and hours.
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Organic and conventional foods and products. Includes newsletters, schedule of classes, articles, membership information, and links.
Our goal is to provide our customers with the highest quality of service and natural.
A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells organic foods. Natural foods are simply foods that contain no artificial.
At Rainbow Grocery, our purpose is to provide natural, organic, vegetarian food and environmentally and health conscious products at an affordable.
LifeSource Natural Foods is a retail store located in Salem, Oregon. It promotes healthy lifestyles and environmental.
A searchable dining guide to vegetarian restaurants, natural health food stores, information on vegetarian nutrition, raw food, veganism, vegan recipes.

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