Sherry Hoppock†presents Sarah Spiker Rainey (left)†with a gift basket†for being named NTCC?s Fittest Employee†of the Month†for November. To receive this award, an employee must†be caught practicing†overt wellness behavior and attitude.†
The Wellness Committee is on the lookout for a December recipient!
Here's a message from Sarah regarding her†personal wellness plan?
I have joined an elite club--with some of the fittest, strongest people on the planet: vegan body builders. I'm no vegan body-builder, but I certainly eat like one. As a vegan, I refrain from eating any meat (including fish) or animal by-products (no eggs, dairy, honey, etc). I do so as I object to the routine and systematic destruction of sentient lifeforms, but I have also found the vegan lifestyle to be extremely healthy as well.
You can do any diet nutritionally wrong, and the same can be said of veganism. It takes some getting used to: learning new recipes (what can you whip up in 5 minutes?) and finding alternative ingredients you like (Please! That doesn't taste like cheese!). As my family has shifted from vegetarianism to veganism in the past five years, we have found a happy, healthy diet that gets, at minimum, 80-130g of vegan protein a day and exceeds minimum calcium requirements. We incorporate flax seed, hemp seed, commercialized fake meat (MorningStar vegan riblets are amazing! and so is soy-free Field Roast "meats"), coconut flour, liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, quinoa (its a complete protein with all essential amino acids!), chia seeds, and much more to create a diet that is well-rounded. Since we have busy schedules, we meal prep on the weekend and freeze portion-controlled servings. Quick, easy, microwaveable vegan meals that are nutritionally balanced work for the entire family--and only takes one afternoon to make an entire week's worth of food.
In the past month, I and a few willing student volunteers hosted two vegan food sampling events in the SUB where we gave out more than 400 samples to NTCC employees and students. Vegan food doesn't have to be complex or inconvenient. (It's also not always healthy--Oreos are vegan! Just don't overeat them!) We hope you join us in the Spring for Vegan Junk Food in the SUB where we will be featuring vegan hotdogs, vegan sausages, vegan mac and cheese, vegan field roast sandwiches, and more--most of which pack 25-35 grams of protein per serving (as much or more than a steak of the same size!).
So maybe I'm not a body builder, but with a vegan diet, I've maintained a lifestyle that is healthy for the planet and for my body.
Sarah Spiker Rainey
