Over the past two years, my mom took her granola way of life to a new extreme. She stopped eating a lot of meat and started consuming only non-processed, organic, non GMO foods. Everyday for breakfast, she utilizes her shiny new Nutribullet to make herself a smoothie made of hemp seeds, chia seeds and frozen fruit. Then she will make another smoothie for her lunch. This time a green smoothie concocted of kale, spinach, bananas and who knows what else. She's also invested in coconut oil: a substitute for the fat-rich canola oil. Coconut oil significantly reduces the unhealthiness of chocolate chip cookies and other desert options. They are interchangeable except for a slight distinction in taste. For dinner consists of mainly a spinach kale salad, or a different vegetable option, and small piece of meat.
My mother says her new way of life is based on research indicating plant based diets reduced the rate of developing cancer (read more about it here). However, I believe the motivation for the change in diet initially came from her place of occupation. All of her yoga friends always talk about their new 'diet fad' and how amazing switching over to the 'green side' has been. My mother took their persuasions of the granola people to heart, did a a couple days of research, and began conforming her life to the new information. She bought new cook books and began making quinoa. As a result, her whole family has started eating healthier. The word 'conformity' is usually associated with losing individuality and carries a negative connotation. However, as my mother conformed to the healthy lifestyle of her friends, she started feeling better physically and emotionally. She now believes she's on the right track with her food decisions and if she "had know better would've never fed you the same junk back when you were little."My mom has twice taken her plant based diet to extremes. It's called her "Ten day cleanse". She coerces my dad into joined her and together they go vegan and gluten free. They are on strict diet with every calorie mapped out each day. They are attempting to 'rid themselves of toxins' and loose weight. Only allowed to eat beans, fruits and vegetables, my parents are cranky for ten days. My dad, whose an avid runner, went hungry between every carefully planned meal. My mom relished the challenge and felt proud of her new food accomplishments. This extreme form of conforming to new fads and trends frightened me because I thought I would be the next victim to coerced into the ten day cleanse. My mom loved the extremism and drastic change from her daily life. There cleanse is also an example of nonconformism because both my parents steered far from a 'normal healthiness person's diet' of chicken, salad, and fruit.
Every person has a different relationship with food. Some see it as an outlet for their feelings. Other's see it as the devil and leads to their destruction. My parent's viewed their new diet as a way of bettering themselves. No matter where the initial motivation came from, our whole's families diet has changed for the better even if my mom sometimes takes it too far.
