Long-term relationships have ups and downs. They may contain habits, behaviors and thinking that are not at all conducive to well-being and health. Realizing this and wishing for change, you need to make a decision: go through the transformation together or accept that your paths have diverged.
Natasha and Luca, an Australian couple who met at the age of 10 and became a couple at 18, decided to do some serious personal development introspection and path revision, which eventually led them to a consistently healthy lifestyle and inner fulfillment. However, this transformation did not happen to them overnight. Once in their lives there were cigarettes, alcohol, poor-quality food, endless dissatisfaction with what is happening. Until there were serious health problems, followed by other personal problems. A bold decision to change their lives 180 degrees is what saved their couple.
Changes began in 2007. Since then, Natasha and Luka have lived in many countries, learning different approaches to life. Being minimalists and healthy lifestyle enthusiasts, the couple traveled to various parts of the world, where they taught yoga and English, practiced Reiki, worked on organic farms, and also with disabled children.
We started eating more plant based for health reasons, but the ethical aspect was added after watching Gary Jurowski’s “The Best Speech Ever” video on YouTube. It was a significant moment in our journey to awareness and understanding that the refusal of animal products is not so much about health, but about causing less harm to the world around us.
When we went vegan, we ate mostly whole foods, but our diet was still high in fat. A wide variety of vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and coconut. As a result, the health problems we experienced on omnivore and vegetarianism continued. It wasn’t until our diets shifted into a “more carbs, less fat” regimen that Luka and I began to feel better and experience all the benefits that a purely plant-based diet offers.
A typical meal plan is: a lot of fruit in the morning, oatmeal with pieces of banana and berries; lunch – rice with some lentils, beans, corn or vegetables, as well as greens; for dinner, as a rule, something potato, or pasta with herbs. Now we try to eat as simple food as possible, but from time to time, of course, we can treat ourselves to curry, noodles and vegan burgers.
By changing our diet to a high-carbohydrate, predominantly whole, and low-fat diet, we got rid of most of the serious things, such as candidiasis, asthma, allergies, constipation, chronic fatigue, poor digestion, and painful periods. It’s incredibly cool: we feel like we’re getting younger as we grow up. There has never been such an amount of energy that we have now (maybe only in childhood 🙂).
In short, stop eating any animal products. Some prefer to give up meat step by step (first red, then white, then fish, eggs, and so on), but, in our opinion, such a transformation is even more difficult. If the taste of an animal is present in your body (no matter in what form), it is extremely difficult to refuse completely. The best and most adequate way is to find plant equivalents.
Yoga is a wonderful tool for relaxation and connection with the world. This is a practice that everyone can and should do. It is not at all necessary to be a “pumped” yogi in order to begin to feel its effect. In fact, soft and slow yoga is often exactly what a person who lives in the fast rhythm of the modern world needs.
We used to smoke a lot of cigarettes, drink alcohol, eat everything we can, go to bed late, do not exercise and were typical consumers. We were the complete opposite of what we are now.
Minimalism represents lives, in possessions and everything material that we own. It also implies that a person does not indulge in the culture of consumption. Minimalism is about simple living. Here we like to quote Mahatma Gandhi: Have only what you really need instead of hoarding what you think you need. There are perhaps two reasons why people are becoming interested in a minimalist outlook on life:
While these intentions are great, it’s important to understand that sorting your belongings, having a clean workspace, and reducing waste are just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is that the food we eat has a far greater impact on our lives and the environment than anything else. We started our path to minimalism even before we knew that the word “vegan” existed! Over time, we realized that these two words go well together.
Absolutely. The three phenomena listed above have transformed us: from unhealthy and dissatisfied people, we have become those who care about the environment. We felt the need to help others. And, of course, they began to feel great. Now our main activity is online work – a YouTube channel, healthy nutrition consultations, e-books, work in social networks – where we try to convey to people the idea of awareness for the benefit of humanity, animals and the whole world.