The 80-20 rule

I love my children dearly. They are little beings of light that challenge me to be the best version of myself. They love me in a way no other has before, and they bring me immense joy! That being said I find parenting difficult sometimes. Love is not always enough. Sometimes I need to be a teacher and like with any significant group or enterprise sometimes leadership is required. I want them to love what I love, but they have their own ideas and their own direction. I may influence their voyage but I try to do so without taking over the navigation of their experience.

Heres the thing. I am vegan. My children are too. Well, for the most part. At times my eldest will make non-vegan choices, and it is his life to live, but I know what I know and eating meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy contribute to the leading cause of global pollution, many lifestyle diseases like, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. These topics are difficult to talk about with other humans my age let alone my preadolescent son. But the facts are indisputable. We are the food we digest and assimilate.

Humans choose to expose themselves to growth hormones of other mammals by drinking that animals milk or eating products made from the liquid growth formula they produce. Whether it be goat or cow, the exposure to these hormones has dangerous effects on the body. Human consumption of dairy products could promote the conversion of precancer lesions or mutated cells to invasive cancers and enhance the progression of hormone-dependent tumours. Doing anything to encourage cancerous tumours in our bodies is insane and surely avoidable through education and food labeling.

Cows milk contains estrogen and stimulates the growth of hormone-sensitive tumours. That is enough motivation for me to educate my children on a vegan lifestyle, but is this the information that will inspire my children? Should I be more honest about the procedures that take place at the slaughterhouses? Would my little indecisive preadolescent be more swayed to stay on a vegan path if he knew the full truth? Would he do it for the animals?

I make lovely and colourful dishes at home, and my boys (my husband included) love my cooking. But navigating the waters outside our home is difficult and can feel at times antisocial. My eldest is finding his voice, but it is awkward and scary to go against the grain. We talk about our innate healing potential and how vitalistic chiropractic keeps his body in perfect balance. We talk about how reducing chemical and emotional stress to the body allows it to function as it is designed to do. He knows his body is adaptable and wonders what the “big deal is” why can’t we just be like everyone else. Usually, we have these conversations on the way to or from a class party or a school function. But a discussion about “everyone else” or the status quo feels angry and cynical. I aspire to inspire him, not scare him or challenge his foundation. I do however insist on a paradigm of global awareness, innate connection and social responsibility. At times it is just hard to parent.

Daily I applaud my children growing up in this disconnected – hyper-connected world. There are so many paradoxes. We have so much excess and scarcity all at once it seems we can do anything we want, but the mystery is at what cost? We eat store-bought muffins, cakes and cookies rich in refined carbohydrates. These foods are often at the centre of a celebration of life, like a birthday or an anniversary. Oddly we celebrate life with food that can shorten it. I live life with the 80-20 rule in mind. The occasional slice of birthday cake is not the problem here. The fact is we indulge far too often, and portion size is out of control.

It makes no sense to trust in our innate healing abilities and nourish our bodies with cancer-promoting hormones and destructive oxidised fatty foods. When fats or oils are heated to high temperatures, they become oxidised, creating free radicals. These free radicals are detrimental to the body. We need to teach our children about food. What to eat. How we choose healthy macronutrients, why we choose them and in what ratios. We need to make eating healthy, fun, social, and easy.

I’m hoping to start a revolution amongst my friends, family and community, one that has staying power, one that makes us feel united, satiated and loved. Let’s have the conversation! Doing what has always been done will only get us the results we have already experienced. I want more for my family, for my friends and my community. High vibrational living means doing the right thing, taking care of your self, and taking care of this planet along with all its creatures. We have a responsibility to our children’s children’s children.

The 80-20 rule is just a reminder that we can do more for the future generations and for this planet while we enjoy beautiful cruelty-free and disease-free foods. Parenting my little beauties won’t get any easier, but inspiring them to step up and create a healthy, connected, and loving world is a responsibility I welcome.

By Kristen Moss