Going the Distance

It’s happened to all of us. Our idea or dream is knocked down by someone’s negative thoughts or comments. We’re told we can’t do something and are given various reasons why. Sometimes we even sabotage ourselves based on circumstances, statistics and obstacles. At this point, we have two options: give up or keep trying. It is this decision that separates the extraordinary from the mundane. But how do we keep going when the odds are stacked against us? I’ve found that perseverance is always present within us. We just have to learn to wake it up.


Throughout my life I’ve always been a determined person. Telling me I can’t do something is a sure fire way to get me to do it. I’ve also always believed that anything is possible. So it should have come as no surprise when my husband and I announced that we were looking into surrogacy as a means to become parents. Surrogacy is a controversial subject all by itself, but the fact that I have stage IV cancer and am considering this is unheard of. Besides being extremely dangerous for me, from what I’ve found, no stage IV woman has ever attempted it. So why have I decided to do it? Well, it boils down to something very basic. I don’t believe that “it’s never been done before” is a good enough reason not to do something.


When Columbus decided to sail around the world people warned him of the dangers, stating that the world was flat and that he would fall off the edge. It had never been done before. Still, he set sail. When the Wright brothers decided to build an airplane, people told them they were crazy and said that if man were meant to fly he would have been given wings. It had never been done before. Still, they took flight. All of the wonderful things we enjoy today had never been done before, until someone decided to be the first. And if we gave up every time we wanted to do something unheard of, nothing would ever be accomplished.


Tapping into your perseverance is easy with the right mindset. First, you have to decide from the very beginning that you will succeed. You must believe in yourself beyond anyone else’s doubts. How do you do this? Give yourself a pep talk if you have to. Tell yourself that you will not let any outside sources come between you and your goal. When you allow others to negatively influence your progress you’re giving them control over something that belongs to you.


Second, you must remove the word failure from your vocabulary. We all know what happens when we start to think about the worst case scenario. It’s a downward spiral of one negative thought after another. Eventually we’ve convinced ourselves that everyone who told us we couldn’t was right and we give up. The minute you allow fear and the possibility of failure to enter your mind, you’re setting yourself up for disaster.


Third, commit to yourself and whatever it is you’re attempting. Resolve to stand by yourself and go the distance no matter what. Colonel Sanders pitched his chicken recipe and heard “no” 1009 times before someone said “yes”. Most of us would have given up after the first rejection. You have to be willing to walk through that rejection and keep on going.


Finally, be prepared to endure negativity and resistance to your goal. Obstacles arise regardless of what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s turning those obstacles into opportunities that will change the course of your journey and ultimately determine your success. And when I'm feeling challenged and need to stay on course I repeat the words of the great Yoda - "Do or do not, there is no try". We all have the ability to persevere. When will you stop trying and start doing?

 

The Great Milk Debate

The decision to stop using milk was a difficult but important one for me. It was prompted by a seminar called Living Health by Tony Robbins in which he explained in very plain terms why using milk just didn’t make sense and was unhealthy. Still, as a die-hard milk lover, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to give up something that I loved so much. That is, until I discovered the wonderful world of milk alternatives.

Growing up, I consumed large quantities of milk. I took after my father, who drank milk practically every day. My mother would buy at least 2-3 gallons of milk in a week and people would joke that it would be cheaper for us to just buy a cow. As an adult, my love for milk sustained. Friends would ask if I wanted a little cereal with my milk as the bowl was usually overflowing. I let them tease me. After all, wasn’t milk good for you? Everything on TV and in magazine ads tells us how milk does a body good. We’re told that milk contains the calcium we need to keep our bones strong and to prevent osteoporosis. We see models with milk moustaches and are asked “Got Milk?” I never thought there was any reason to question my milk consumption, until I began to re-evaluate my food choices.

Why I chose to stop drinking milk:

Humans, like all other mammals, are weaned from their mother’s milk as soon as they are able to tolerate whole foods. In Living Health Tony Robbins mentions that not only are we the only mammals that continue to drink milk into adulthood, but we don’t even drink our own milk, we drink that of other mammals. This fact alone was enough to make me stop and think. Does that really make sense? He also explains how milk actually leeches calcium from our bones instead of adding to it and really breaks down the facts, stating scientific studies that have linked milk consumption and the bovine growth hormone that most milk contains to a variety of adverse health issues, including cancer. Add to that the fact that the majority of the population is lactose intolerant and that our bodies simply aren’t built to tolerate milk after the first few years of life, especially cow’s milk, and it just made sense to stop using it.

Now the question was what to use in place of milk in my daily life. There were many options and like most things, it was tough to know what to choose. As usual, my husband was more than happy to assist me in my taste-testing journey. We tried several types of alternative milk options until we discovered what worked best for us. The most important thing to me at first was finding something that tasted the most like milk, but I also factored in the ingredients used and amount of sugar in each product before making a final decision. Below are my reviews of each:

Soy Milk: I was already familiar with soy milk thanks to my husband being lactose intolerant. We always had soy milk in the refrigerator and I didn’t care for it much the first time I tasted it, but I decided to give it another try. It costs around $2.50-$3.00 for a half gallon.

• 8th Continent – This is my favorite brand of soymilk as far as taste goes. It is superior to all other brands in terms of palatability, and the sweetened original version has only 80 calories and 7 grams of sugar per 8 oz serving, compared to 13 grams in your average cup of cow’s milk. http://www.8thcontinent.com/
• Silk – another great tasting soymilk and the most readily available. Only 6 grams of sugar and 100 calories in the original sweetened version. http://www.silksoymilk.com/

Almond Milk: This is my number one choice for milk alternatives. To me, it has the best taste and texture. It's smooth, creamy and has a hint of sweetness. It costs about $2.50 for a half gallon.

• Almond Breeze – The ultimate in almond milk. This is my favorite brand. It’s smooth, just sweet enough and doesn’t have a strong almond taste. The original sweetened has 60 calories and 7 grams of sugar. I also think that chocolate almond milk tastes almost exactly like chocolate cow's milk. http://www.bluediamondfoods.com/
• Pacific Foods Almond Milk – Tried this and didn’t like it. Has a very distinct almond flavor, which some may prefer, but I didn’t. http://www.pacificfoods.com/
• Almond Dream – Again, this had too much of an almond after taste for my liking. But it has only 50 calories and 5 grams of sugar in its sweetened original flavor.        http://www.tastethedream.com/
• Silk Pure Almond- This would be my second choice if I were unable to find Almond Breeze. This had a very light, smooth taste that wasn’t overwhelmed with almond flavor. It has 60 calories and 7 grams of sugar. http://www.silkpurealmond.com/

Rice Milk: Rice milk to me has a very grainy taste and texture, which makes sense since it made from a grain. Nevertheless, it didn’t appeal to me. Since I disliked it so much, I only tried one brand. It costs about $2.50 for a quart.

• Rice Dream- I’ve heard from people who prefer rice milk that the Rice Dream brand is their favorite. It has 120 calories and 10 grams of sugar.   http://www.tastethedream.com/

Coconut Milk: This isn’t the same as the coconut milk you’re used to seeing in small cans on the shelf. This is found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. So far I’ve only been able to find it at whole foods. I was intrigued and decided to try it. It costs about $4.99 for a half gallon.

• So Delicious Coconut Milk – It really is So Delicious. This was the closet alternative I’ve found to actual milk. It has a slight coconut taste, but it’s not overwhelming. The original version has 80 calories and 6 grams of sugar. A trivial thing I found about coconut milk is that the color is white, like cow’s milk; psychologically that makes it more appealing. I’m not a huge fan of coconut in general and that’s really the only reason this one isn’t my favorite.                  http://www.turtlemountain.com/

Hemp Milk: This conjures up mixed emotions for some people. They hear hemp and immediately think of marijuana and they either get really excited at the thought or really afraid. I only recently tried this and was pleasantly surprised. It costs about $3.99 for a quart.

• Living Harvest Tempt Hemp Milk- Like most alternative milk options, this has an aftertaste, and one that I can’t quite describe but it’s not a bad taste. It is however, incredibly smooth and again, very similar to cow’s milk in taste and color. With 100 calories and 6 grams of sugar, it measures up nicely to the other milk options.  http://www.worldpantry.com/

Most milk alternatives can easily be used in recipes that call for cow’s milk, but check the website and package for more information. I love to use almond milk when cooking, as it adds a light sweetness to certain dishes. Coconut and hemp milk are my next favorites, but I use them sparingly as they are a little more expensive. Also, most of these come in a variety of flavors, usually original, vanilla and chocolate as well as sweetened and unsweetened versions. The unsweetened versions have 0 grams of sugar. I like to mix unsweetened with sweetened to lessen my sugar intake.

When shopping for milk alternatives it important to remember that no matter how similar to milk it tastes, you won’t match the taste exactly. Whatever your reason for eliminating or decreasing your milk intake, it's best to approach the change with an open mind. You have to be prepared to try something new and be disciplined enough to want to make the switch.