Vegan Vagina, Libido, and Keeping it Moist: Creating a Happy Yoni

Breeze Harper

Yup, that’s right.

I said “vagina.”

Stop being squeemish. (LOL)

For real, though, lest’s talk about vaginal health. Yea, it’s a broad topic, but I am going to focus on maintaining vaginal moisture through herbs and food.

They sell so much lube in the stores, I have always wondered if it is ‘normal’ that so many vaginas in the USA have problems with ‘dryness’. I mean, what did people do before AquaLube?

Throughout my life, I have talked to so many females adults, sexually active or not, who are having major problems with finding a way to be wet all the time. Many experience chaffing and have to use personal lubricant just to walk around comfortably.

So, here I am, Sistah Vegan, about to talk about some suggestions to kept that vegan vagina’s moisture in harmony. And yea, you can consider these suggestions even if you aren’t vegan. But I wanted to focus on vegan vaginas more because I have also spoken to a significant number of females who have transitioned into veganism and then make the observation that their libidos are non-existent and/or they are having problems with vaginal wetness. It’s not the vegan diet, it’s probably just the fact that you aren’t getting what you need in your diet.

1. Dammit, drink at least 70 oz of water per day. And this is if you are NOT even pregnant or lactating. If you are lactating and or pregnant (or both), drink at least a gallon a day. The water can’t be some dead chlorinated liquid. Filtered water is healthier. Stop drinking anything and everything that makes your body acidic. Stop the sodas and coffee and try to purify through water and reproductive health balancing teas.
2. What herbal teas? These: Red Clover (don’t take if you are pregnant), Nettles Leaf, Red Raspberry Leaf, Oatstraw. I personally don’t do all of these and prefer drinking 3-4 cups of Nettles leaf tea. Make sure you simmer your Nettles in boiling water for 3 minutes to neutralize the stinging component.
3. Slippery Elm. The name says it all. Slippery Elm is from the bark of a tree and can be made into a tea or a porridge. It is highly nutritious and has a plethora of medicinal uses. It is very hydrating and after taking it for a few days, you will notice that your vegan vagina will be oozing vaginal fluid.
4. Okra. That’s right. That slimy stuff my dad used to make in boiling water is actually good for your vegan vagina. Queen Afua, a vegan raw foodist who promotes whole foods veganism to put your vagina back into harmony, recommends raw okra in her book Sacred Woman. In Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit
   She wants you to chop it up and mix it with flax seed oil and eat it…raw. That’s right. Don’t complain about the taste and stop with that look of horror on your face. LOL. If that is too much for you, try baking okra on low, lathered in olive oil for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Eat it several times a week. If you’re pregnant, it’s excellent to eat throughout the pregnancy. That nasty slimy sh*t that used to freak me out when my dad ate it is REALLY healthy. That slime gets in your system and helps ease labor because it makes your vaginal canal uber slimey to pass that big headed baby through.
5. Chia Seeds. Only in USAmerica would a company take such a sacred seed and turn it into a freaking chia pet. Seriously, WTF!? Well, that Chia Pet is a distraction from that real purpose of chia seeds. Not only are these little seeds packed with tons of protein, calcium, and EFAs, they are amazing in restoring and maintaining the moisture in your body. This little black seeds hold up to 10 times their own volume in water. Soak your seeds, about 1-2 tbsp a day in 10-15 oz of water for 15 minutes before drinking the chia seed drink. People eat chia seeds without soaking or grinding the seeds. Both aren’t a good idea to do. You need to chew seeds to assimilate them and they need to be soaked in water or you’ll destroy your tummy and feel like poop . I personally like to blend the water and chia seed mix on high in my Vitamix (you need REALLY good blender do grind and blend these seeds) for about 90 seconds.
6. Okay, if you’re vegan you better be eating EFAs. Chia seeds are high in Omega 3-6-9. But you also need to be getting those good fats and DHA in your diet. Take a vegan source of DHA. I take 400 – 600 mg of Deva Algae based DHA each day (I’m nursing, that is why. You probably just need 200-400 if you aren’t nursing or aren’t preggers). I eat 1 avocado a day as well and about 1/4 c of hempseeds.
7. By far, I think Maca Root Powder by Sol Raiz Organics has had a profound effect on me. I have spoken about it many times in the past. It’s great to balance the hormones in a way that makes your libido healthy. A lot of women experience low libido for many reasons, but one of these major reasons is that the hormonal system is not in balance. This could be because of postpartum issues or you could be entering menopause. I recommend Maca Root Powder. And not just any one, but the one offered by Sol Raiz Organics. They offer this species: Lepidium Peruvianum Chacon. It is important that that is the one you take. Many stores sell different variations of Maca, so be sure you’re getting the Lepidium Peruvianum Chacon.
8. Exercise! At least 20-30 minutes a day.
9. Spicy food. Come on, I can’t be the only one who feels ‘freaky’, once I overdose on spicy Indian or Pakistani food. Fresh ginger, cayenne, and turmeric increase libido and vaginal wetness. Garlic too, but it’s really quite ‘fragrant’ and it’s hard to get your freak on with your girlfriend or boyfriend or spouse if you smell like a garlic pizza. But, if that turns your lover on, go for it!
10. Sleep and relaxation. Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

I have to say that of the 10, the top 3 that I really suggest are the Slippery Elm, drinking a lot of healthy water, and the Maca Root.

If you want to learn more about sexual health and increasing your vagina’s happiness as a vegan wombman, I recommend reading the chapter in the Sistah Vegan book by Angelique Shofar, who beautifully tells you the vegan foods to eat to make a happy yoni. The chapter is called “The Food and Sex Link.” You can buy a copy here: Sistah Vegan: Food, Identity, Health, and Society: Black Female Vegans Speak .

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or certified practitioner of health. Please consult your practitioner before trying anything on this suggestion list.

No More Auction Block For Me: On The Dangers of Colonized Minds in Capitalist Society

Cee Knowledge of Digable Planets, Sistah Vegan, DJ Cavem Moetavation at Brown Suga Festival in Denver on April 28 2012. Keynote speaker: A. Breeze Harper (aka Sistah Vegan)

Video recording of Breeze Harper’s April 28 2012 keynote address for the Brown Suga Youth Festival in Denver, Colorado. ATTENTION: THERE ARE 3 PARTS. SCROLL DOWN FOR PARTS II & III.

Part I (47 minutes)

This is the keynote lecture I gave for the April 28 2012 Denver, Colorado “Brown Suga Youth Festival”.  I talk about solidarity, decolonizing our minds, being aware of the dangers of capitalism on our minds, veganism, non-human animals suffering, food justice, and health activism. The first 9 minutes are introductions from the husband wife duo Naembe and Ietef, who put the festival together. I start speaking about 9 minutes into the video. There are 3 parts to this. The last is the q & a.

Part II (12 minutes)

Part III (The Question and Answer section: 11 minutes)

I want you to notice that Ietef and Naembe are both carrying babies. This event was something I could attend because they support folk with very young children. Naembe is carrying my infant daughter and Ietef is carrying their infant daughter as well. They made it possible to bring out my whole family, which is important for us because I nurse on demand. It is a true display of honoring “nursing on demand” as a food justice issues.  I thank them for that. I also thank Ashara, Ietef’s mother, who introduces me. I thank her for her spirit and for birthing such a wonderful man who is pro-vegan and pro-green, and just an overall awesome human spirit.The talk is more like a “songversation” . I sing and have a conversation directed towards youth, about the top 5 things I wish someone had told me when I was a youth. I wanted more help to decolonize my mind in regards to food and health, while trying to understand how capitalism has affected all of our minds, here in the USA.

I am inspired by Angela Davis’s Social Justice Teach-in Keynote speech that she gave in February 2012, at the University of California, Davis.

This Brown Suga Youth Festival was awesome. All about hip hop culture fuse with teaching youths about wellness, health, food!! It was pro-vegan and we had poetry slam, a panel discussion, break dance lessons, free vegan food samples (Thanks Lisa Shapiro), awesome art work, and a lot of youths! It was the 9th year of this festival.

Kick that cold’s butt, vegan style: Boosting your immune system with vegan holistic wellness

I was getting sick whenever my toddler would bring something home from the playground… but then I added these things to my diet and haven’t been sick since. Watch the video to see what I added.

———
*Grapefruit Seed Extract (Nutribiotic brand):

*Elderberry (boil in water. Never eat fresh elderberry or dried berries unless you have boiled them. If you don’t, you will poison yourself with cyanide that is found in the berry. The cyanide is neutralized through boiling them. If you are scared to do this yourself, then by a tincture of elderberry)
Click here– for Dried elderberry
Click here for —> Elderberry extract

*Ginger (fresh)

*Kale (fresh)

*Eucalyptus Essential Oil (don’t eat, just inhale). USE Radiata not Globolus species.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or certified health practitioner. Always consult your practitioner before trying anything I suggest on Sistah Vegan blog and videos

Vegan diets can be risky for babies and kids? Sistah Vegan Responds to Nina Planck’s NYTimes Article

I updated this from last night because I wanted to write about B12 and provide several more book sources.

The other week, Nina Planck published an article about the risks of raising vegan children and I thought I’d answer some of the statements she made. You can find the article here that I’m referring to: Is Veganism Good for Everyone?

I wanted to just offer some of my own information, in response to Planck’s concerns of raising children on a vegan diet or being a vegan while pregnant.

First, Nina Planck wrote that vegans are deficient in many things which “include fully-formed vitamins A and D, vitamin B12, and the long-chain fatty acids found in fish.”

Breeze Harper’s response: Okay, there is a D3 source that is vegan. Vitashine. Yes, a vegan source of D3 and of course, if you live where there is a lot of sunshine, try sunbathing everyday, at least 50-75% of your body being exposed to the sun. Secondly, Fish get DHA from ALGAE, and that is one way how vegans get their DHA. Chia seeds outshine Wild Alaskan Salmon in terms of Omega 3 6 9. Vegans aren’t deficient in these things because of veganism being a deficient diet. It’s usually because people just don’t know they need to eat certain foods to get what they need. And let’s be honest here, there are plenty of omnivores who don’t know what they should be eating, while they are pregnant or not; whether they have children or not.

Planck wrote: “The quantity, quality and bio-availability of other nutrients, such as calcium and protein, are superior when consumed from animal rather than plant sources.”

Breeze: No this is not true either, in terms of Calcium. There is an amazing algae based source of calcium that is vegan and has an incredibly high absorption rate called Algaecal. You can go here and here to look at the articles being written about the “safety” of Algaecal. I took it during my entire vegan pregnancy and drank kale smoothies and ate a lot of chia seeds and nettles (both high in Calcium). I did this while pregnant and breastfed my 1st child (who was 2 at the time) until I was 33 weeks pregnant with my 2nd. Not only did I not have a calcium deficiency, I had so much calcium that my 2nd baby was born with teeth. My midwife and doula are witnesses, and they let me know that when babies are born with teeth this indicates she had enough calcium. Protein? I got this from raw hemp, Organic Hawaiian spirulina, chia seeds, chlorella, avocado, seeds, nuts, legumes, to name a few. I easily ate 70g of protein per day while pregnant. Had a home birth . No complications. My placenta was well nourished. The midwifery team was blown away by how healthy it looked.

Planck: “For babies and children, whose nutritional needs are extraordinary, the risks are definite and scary. The breast milk of vegetarian and vegan mothers is dramatically lower in a critical brain fat, DHA, than the milk of an omnivorous mother and contains less usable vitamin B6. Carnitine, a vital amino acid found in meat and breast milk, is nicknamed “vitamin Bb” because babies need so much of it. Vegans, vegetarians and people with poor thyroid function are often deficient in carnitine and its precursors. “

Breeze Harper: Strange conclusion to draw. First, if you’re worried about getting B6, you can just take a vegan multi-vitamin during pregnancy and/or give your infant and toddler vegan supplements and vitamins. Want to not do vitamins? You can also get B6 from legumes, seeds, and nuts. Raw Pistachios and raw garlic are high in B6 (see: http://food.vegtalk.org/vitamins/raw-/b6.html). I made pistachio nut ice cream, lightly sweetened with dates. I threw pistachios, water, and dates in a blender and then put them in popsicle molds. Toddlers love ice cream or popsicle anything. Try it. For more information about B6 deficiency concerns, try going here: Jeff Novick on B6.

Also, in terms of vegan nursing, there are plenty omnivorous people I have read about or met who had nutritionally deficient breastmilk as well and had to stop nursing and start using formula for their infants. However, my 8 month old Eva Luna is breastfed from my vegan diet and she has no nutritional ‘deficiencies.’ She was born at 9.5lb, is in the 99th percentile for her age and appears to be healthy. Omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans can feed their children in a way that is balanced or not. It is not about veganism, vegetarianism, or being an omnivore as much as it is just making sure your kid gets what they need. (And I know these factors are not just about vegan nutrition education, but factors such as environmental racism, socio-economic class struggle, your ability to get to healthier food- you could be prohibited, due to mobility issues because you lack transportation for example, or it’s actually not safe to walke around where you live during certain times of the day to find healthier foods. )

Planck: “The most risky period for vegan children is weaning. Growing babies who are leaving the breast need complete protein, omega-3 fats, iron, calcium and zinc. Compared with meat, fish, eggs and dairy, plants are inferior sources of every one.”

Breeze : There are many vegan sources of calcium and iron that are highly absorbable. I used Nettles based Floradix iron for anemia prevention during my pregnancy. I took it in combination with World Organic chlorophyll and vitamin C source to mix (orange juice or a kiwi smoothie for example). Want a toddler to eat EFAs like Omega 3 6 9? Blend chia seeds with water, liquid form of algae DHA, and a banana and dates in the blender and put it in a popsicle mold. Refreshing and not just high in critical long chain fatty acids, you will be giving them and excellent source of calcium and Omega 3 6 9. Chia seeds are also high in iron and protein. A little goes a long way. Just be sure to soak chia seeds in water before eating, for at least 15 minutes or you’ll make yourself really sick. Still worried about a toddler not getting enough vegan based protein and Omega 3 6 9? Blend banana, hempseeds, and water together and put them in popsicle molds. If you made pops that have 1/4 c of raw hulled hempseeds per pop, that is 11g of protein, lots of fiber, EFAs, and other trace minerals.

‎Planck: “The breast milk of vegan mothers is dramatically lower in a critical brain fat, DHA, than the milk of an omnivorous mother.”

Breeze: Eat algae based DHA and chia seeds and your breast milk won’t be deficient in critical DHA. I take 600 mg of DHA algae each day. If you combine that with Chia seeds and flax seeds, it’s awesome. There is also the brand Ovega which is vegan source of EPA and DHA vegan.

B12 deficiency worries? Here is what Vegan Society has to say

In over 60 years of vegan experimentation only B12 fortified foods and B12 supplements have proven themselves as reliable sources of B12, capable of supporting optimal health. It is very important that all vegans ensure they have an adequate intake of B12, from fortified foods or supplements. This will benefit our health and help to attract others to veganism through our example. (source: http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/nutrition/b12.aspx)

Seriously, just buy B12 supplements and take it or give it to your children; case closed.

There are a plethora of vegan nutritional specialists who have published the ways in which you can get everything you need as a vegan. If you are pregnant and want to do a vegan pregnancy, believe me as someone who did a vegan pregnancy and had an amazing homebirth: it’s possible. Reed Mangels has a new vegan pregnancy books out The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book. Mangels is brilliant and lays it all out for you. It’s $11 well spent. And for a great informative and humorous approach get the Vegan Pregnancy Survival guide. Wanna raise your children vegan and help them be as healthy as possible? Read Disease proof your child by Dr. Joel Furhman.

A vegan diet is possible. You can thrive. Your children can thrive. Just inform yourself, find the support you need, and read read read.

Basically, if you are deficient in overall nutritional information for your diet, then your diet will be deficient. Veganism, planned properly, is not deficient.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or certified health practitioner. Always consult your practitioner before trying anything I suggest on Sistah Vegan blog and videos

Would You Harbor Me: Food Justice, Decolonial Vegan Politics, and Solidarity

The videos below are my keynote address for the Environmental Justice Conference on April 7 2012 at the University of Oregon-Eugene, hosted by the Coalition Against Environmental Racism. I speak about Angelia Davis’s ‘vegan’ stance on social justice, Queen Afua’s Afrocentric veganism as a form of decolonial politics, and how Sistah Vegan fills the ‘gaps’ that I see in some of the Afrocentric and Afrikan Holistic Health rhetoric.  I think it went “well” if you consider the fact that Eva Luna kept me awake all nite and then I had to wake up at 530 (after finally falling asleep at 430) to catch my morning flight. I love how babies don’t understand they should sleep when it is dark and that they should not want to play.

I also wanted to share this: I registered for school finally. Wahoo! Thank you all for your generous donations. I almost have everything that I need to pay off the bill that I just received last week. I am $900, short, so if you would like help with donations I appreciate it. This will help me be enrolled for spring and summer. I accept paypal donations to the email address breezeharper (at) gmail (dot) com. Your donations help me do the work that I do and I truly appreciate it.

Part I

Part II

I did want to note that in the talk I say that Queen Afua’s Sacred Woman doesn’t mention the terms animal rights, speciesism, or animal liberation. However, she draws her healing philosophies from the principles of Ma’at, that have the stipulation of “I shall not mistreat animals.” I did not make this clear during my lecture, so I do apologize.

Is Spirulina Really Toxic to the Liver?

In this video I talk about Spirulina and the debate about whether it is “toxic” or not.

The brand I use is Spirulina Pacifica and the Latin name is Arthrospira platensis. It is Hawaiian and Organic.

The woman who commented about Spirulina being toxic posted her comment here: http://sistahvegan.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/spirulina-super-baby-food-recipe/  under the name Angela. She provides links about Spirulina being toxic that you can view for yourself.

**Update:

I just read this journal article below and the conclusion states:

“Our results indicate that cultivated NO and SP do not contain MC and have minimal cytotoxicity. Furthermore, long-term BGA supplementation in mice did not induce any evident adverse side-effects. Therefore, NO and SP may be developed as a safe natural food for health benefits. Clinical trials are warranted to assess the safety of the BGA supplements in humans.”

NO and SP were the two different types of Spirulina they tested (“This study was undertaken to evaluate in vitro and in vivo toxicity of cultivated Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing (NO) and Spirulina platensis (SP). Neither NO nor SP contained detectable levels of microcystin (MC)-LA, MC-RR, MC-LW and MC-LR by LC/MS/MS”).

However, I eat The species “Arthrospira platensis” and that seems to be the “same” as Spirulina platensis  but I need to verify that.

Citation:

Food and Chemical Toxicology

Volume 49, Issue 7, July 2011, Pages 1560–1564

In vitro and in vivo safety assessment of edible blue-green algae, Nostoc commune var. sphaeroides Kützing and Spirulina plantensis

• Yue Yang^a,
• Youngki Park^a,
• David A. Cassada^b,
• Daniel D. Snow^b,
• Douglas G. Rogers^c,
• Jiyoung Lee^a, ,

Maca’s results on the libido and hairline: Sistah Vegan’s update

My update on the product Organic Maca Root Powder by Sol Raiz: http://www.solraizorganics.com/

Wonderful stuff!

Breeze’s Boobs on Stage: Breastfeeding on demand is food justice

Who else is sick of being told that breastfeeding on demand should not be accommodated!? (sigh)

Breastfeeding on demand is a food justice issue. It is a right that is often not respected in the USA to its fullest. This video is my spiel on that….

Sistah vegan on Maca, gettin’ your vegan libido on, and finishing her PhD

 

In this video I talk about Sol Raiz organice Maca powder that I have been taking to create healthy libido, postpartum, and grow my hair back. I also update people on how I’m trying to handle “nursing on demand” and the challenges of being the primary caretaker of 2 children under the age of 3, while living in a nation in which there isn’t much structural and institutional support to help mothers (or the primary caretakers of pre-school age children which usually do end up being females).

The brand of Maca I by is by Sol Raiz:
solraizorganics.com/

 

Consuming Hopelessness vs. Consuming Ahimsa: On Sugar addiction and Structural Oppression

Talking about how and we we overdose on “unhealthy” behaviors and foods in the USA as ways to deal with hopelessness, stress, etc., and how this is a symptom of living in a society in which structural racism, speciesism, sexism, classism, etc are the norm.

And Supa Nova Slom’s video, “Sugar Crack” that I refer to in this video: