china Archives - Compassionate Women

My China Diet

April 29, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

I just returned home to Texas after a six month stay in Beijing, where I was teaching English to little kids and cultivating my blog. Before I went, I imagined that being a vegan in China would be fairly easy. Even though China has adopted a more Westernized diet in recent years (lots of meat and dairy), I figured it would be pretty easy to find plant based dishes.

Boy was I wrong! All I ate the first two months I lived there was rice with vegetables because that’s all I could find in the way of vegan options. That got tiring after a while and didn’t give me an array of needed nutrients. Eating out was wreaking havoc on my digestive and immune systems because the quality of food is so low in China, plus they tend to over-do it with the oil. I was always sick, had headaches, couldn’t sleep well, and felt tired and light headed. I decided to stop eating out, get a blender and food processor, and make all of my meals at home. What a difference!

For anyone that plans on being abroad for an extended amount of time, here are some suggestions for quick, easy meals that are healthy and plant based.

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How to Pack for a Cruelty-Free Trip

April 17, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

When I decided to go spend several months in China, I knew that I needed to have a plan for packing. In Beijing, you can buy just about anything – anything except all natural, cruelty-free beauty products. With the research I did prior, I was aware that I wouldn’t be able to find most of the health & beauty brands that I normally use. There were certain things I wanted to stock up on in America and bring with me. I planned on being in China for several months, but even if you’re taking a short trip somewhere, consider bringing these items with you.

Boost Your Immunity

My worst nightmare was getting sick from the long, arduous journey to China. I didn’t know what to expect when I got there and I didn’t want to be in a foreign country feeling crappy and helpless. So I decided to do some research and figure out what to bring along to ensure my immune system was kicking butt.

First things first, I knew without a doubt that I needed to bring a bottle of high quality probiotics with me. I had already been taking a daily probiotic at home to improve my digestion and overall health. I learned that if you don’t have a healthy gut, you are leaving your entire body vulnerable to disease and sickness. So not only would the probiotics optimize my immune system, but they would also help my stomach adjust to the fact that the water and food in China are fairly low quality. I decided to go with Nutrition Now’s PB8 Vegetarian Formula. I liked the fact that it was vegan and free of gluten and soy. Plus, it contains a high amount of good bacteria – 14 Billion. And with 120 capsules, I could make one bottle last me for a while in China. I had a feeling it would be tough to find probiotics over there (and it was). I think this one bottle ended up lasting me 2 or 3 months.

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Happy Holidays!

December 25, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Wow! It’s been a crazy year for me. I made some big life changes and accomplished many of my personal goals. This website is one of those goals and I’m so thrilled to have a platform to talk about issues that are important to me, and hopefully, have a chance to help others – human and animal alike.

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My Life in Beijing

November 8, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Hello all my compassionate friends! I’m here in Beijing, week 3 of 52. I’ll be spending the next year here working with really adorable kids and exploring the culture and history. I thought today I would share some of my thoughts on Beijing, the capital of China, including my impression of how compassionate of a country it is – or isn’t… Here goes!

It reminds me of any big city I would come across, like NYC or LA, or my hometown (Dallas)
People here have no sense of body space (esp on the subway, bus, elevators, or really anywhere!)
There are sooo many restaurants and stores. There is a lot of shopping to be done! And most things are very cheap to purchase.
There is a very big foreign community here. I’ve seen people from America, Canada, Europe, Africa, and other places.
The Chinese seem to admire Americans and their lifestyle/culture and sometimes they like to come up and take pictures of me and my friends.
The outskirts of Beijing are surrounded by some beautiful scenery, esp the mountains.