How do I become a Healthytarian?
You become a healthytarian by making lifestyle changes in your personal life to reflect the guidelines that healthytarian promotes. The term is simply used to describe a certain way of living, thinking, and eating. There is no club to join, no test to pass, and no fee to pay. If you feel the guidelines shared on this site resonate with you, your way of thinking and interacting with yourself, others, and our Earth, then you may wish to use the term healthytarian to describe your lifestyle. Anyone who feels a resonance with the values shared here is free to call or refer to themselves as a healthytarian or someone living the healthytarian lifestyle.
How do I connect with other Healthytarians?
Please visit the connect with healthytarian page, which shares about the different online healthytarian communities. You are also always invited to start your own healthytarian community in your area, or online. (See the next question below for more ideas.)
Can I start my own Healthytarian community?
Absolutely! Whether it is a small local initiative, like a meetup, or a large online group, anyone can create or host their own healthytarian communities. If you resonate with the guidelines of the healthytarian lifestyle you can inspire more people to transform their lives in positive ways through optimal nutrition, a heart-centered perspective, and a mindful approach to life.
Our world is full of so many labels, isn’t Healthytarian just another fad label?
While it is true that many people define themselves by the numerous labels we have in our world today, the whole point of healthytarian is to provide a term that encompasses a new and rapidly growing population of people on our planet that are interested in a deeper, more connected and health-conscious way of life in terms of the mind, body, and spirit. The intention is not to give people another label to have their Ego use for personal self-definition or to be limited by, but rather provide a guiding term that can best reflect their lifestyle choices.
Is the Healthytarian lifestyle the perfect way to eat and live?
There is no such thing as perfect; this is a variable term that greatly depends on the context and each person’s personal definition. The whole premise of choosing to follow a healthytarian lifestyle is knowing that we are constantly Evolving Beings, and everyone is at their own stage of personal and spiritual evolution. There is no one lifestyle that is going to be the perfect fit for each person’s needs. We need to be mindful of our personal needs throughout our life as we continue to evolve and respect the choices of others on each of their personal journeys. To label something as perfect is to limit its infinite potential and continued evolution.
Does a Healthytarian lifestyle include living by strict rules and regulations?
No. A healthytarian chooses to eat and live as they do, they are not forced by anyone or anything. If a person feels that the healthytarian lifestyle represents their way of life, they choose to express and experience it based on their free will at any given time with respect to the choices they make. Although there are guidelines provided for what a healthytarian lifestyle encompasses, it is up to each individual in terms of how they will best put those guidelines to use, to benefit the health of their mind, body, and spirit.
I see the terms “spirit” and “spiritual” mentioned in reference to the Healthytarian lifestyle. Does it have any religious basis?
No. The healthytarian lifestyle has no ties whatsoever to any man-made religion, religious belief system, or religious organization. The references to “spirit” and “spiritual” are simply used to indicate that we recognize that there is something bigger, beyond the current physical form and reality. A healthytarian recognizes that we are spiritual beings, having a physical experience. Finally, nourishing the mind and body, without acknowledging the needs of the soul and/or spirit is to leave out a major aspect of our multidimensional nature.
Is the Healthytarian lifestyle backed by science?
The healthytarian lifestyle is first and foremost backed by each individual’s inherent knowing as they progress in their personal and spiritual evolution, of what is best for them at any given time, and what makes the most sense for life on our planet today. As for science, that depends on what science you are referring to. Most of what is called science today is nothing more than corporately driven, biased pseudo-science and misrepresented studies or outdated information. The healthytarian diet is fully backed by science, and the lifestyle has a foundation in the most leading-edge sciences, including quantum physics, epigenetics, energy and integrative medicine and other similar disciplines. There is also an emphasis on ancient wisdom and the laws of nature. For example, the information about eating plant-based and living foods are both supported today by a wide variety of health experts and organizations, based on sound science about the human body and nutrition. As well, it has been adopted and promoted throughout the ages by various cultures as being highly beneficial for optimal living.
Is the Healthytarian lifestyle just another name for Vegan or Vegetarian?
No. The healthytarian lifestyle encompasses much more and is much broader than the terms vegan or vegetarian. While those terms focus mainly on not eating or using animal products, a healthytarian focuses on the holistic basis of our entire existence and takes into account healthy habits for the mind, body, and spirit. A vegan or vegetarian can easily eat a diet of processed plant foods, paying no attention to the quality of their thoughts, words, or actions in daily life, whereas a healthytarian takes into account each of those aspects and more.
Does a Healthytarian consume any animal foods, like meat, seafood, eggs, or dairy?
No. While some of these foods may exist in the diet at first, as one transitions to healthytarian eating and living, the goal and intention are to remove them completely as they are not in alignment with optimal physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health. The more we become aware of the consequences of eating any animal products not just on our health, but on our environment, the animals, and the wellbeing of other people involved in producing and processing these foods, the less we are inclined to have any of these foods in our diet. There is no need whatsoever to eat such foods, they do not provide anything that we cannot get elsewhere and in better ways. Thus, there is no need to participate (directly or indirectly) in the inhumane treatment, exploitation, and killing of animals and all the negative consequences associated with that.
Does a Healthytarian consume any grain products?
Yes, if grains are desired, but not just any grain products. If you refer to the Smart Eating page, the nutrition guidelines for healthytarian living have their foundation in the most natural, wholesome, and unprocessed nutrition. Common grain products that are refined and heavily processed, like bread, bagels, cereals, pasta, cookies, cakes, and dough products are all very inflammatory, and acid-forming; they lack quality nutrients and contain lots of harmful ingredients. The healthytarian lifestyle includes the consumption of grains that are real, whole, unrefined, potentially minimally processed or not processed at all, and soaked, sprouted, or fermented. Examples include brown rice, buckwheat, oats, barley, quinoa, Teff, Kamut, amaranth, and sourdough or Ezekiel bread.
Does a Healthytarian consume any gluten?
This all depends on the personal needs of each individual, as some people must avoid all or most gluten due to Celiac disease or a gluten allergy. Generally speaking, a healthytarian lifestyle minimizes the use of gluten, even when it is not necessary to do so. A healthytarian may wish to entirely avoid wheat products specifically, due to the various modern modifications, hybridization techniques, and pesticides used that render wheat a controversial and risky food today.
Does a Healthytarian consume any sugar?
That depends on what sugar you are referring to. The term sugar is used to signify many food products or compounds today. It can refer to anything from the refined, common white crystals to the glucose molecule in our bloodstream. As per the Smart Eating guidelines, a healthytarian does not generally consume any refined or processed food, this includes all refined sugars like white sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, commercial honey, and artificial sweeteners. Most, if not all, sugar consumed comes in whole-food form from natural, whole plant foods, namely fresh and dried fruits.
Does a Healthytarian consume any coffee?
Generally, very little, if any at all. The healthytarian lifestyle does not support the consumption of any addictive or harmful substances that can interfere with optimal physical and psychological health. If any coffee is chosen to be consumed by those adopting a healthytarian lifestyle, it is typically of the purest and highest quality to maximize the medicinal benefits of the coffee bean and used as an infrequent or rare beverage by those who enjoy it. A healthytarian would typically have no need or desire to consume coffee on a regular basis in an effort to improve energy levels, as their diet choices, thought patterns, and lifestyle habits support and promote optimal energy levels naturally.
Does a Healthytarian consume any alcohol?
No. As mentioned above, the healthytarian lifestyle does not include the consumption of any addictive or harmful substances, especially ones like alcohol that depress the nervous system and degrade our consciousness. Alcohol is a known neurotoxin, carcinogen, and depressant. The healthytarian recognizes that for optimal clarity of the mind, conscious awareness, personal accountability, human potential, and mental function, no substances that interfere with these are conducive to one’s health and wellbeing.