Vegetarian, Vegan, Vegan-ish, Flexitarian, LABELS...

Warning:  possibly controversial post ahead, including personal definition of "vegan" and more!

Okay... let me just start out by saying that I consider myself to be a dietary vegan.  This means that I eat no animal products, but I am not a strict vegan outside of diet.  Meaning... there is beeswax in some of my beauty products, and I'm not sure how many of my cleaning products were tested on animals, nor am I 100% sure whether or not there is leather in my running shoes. 

As far as the diet goes, I do still occassionally eat some things with honey in the ingredients (Nature's Own light wheat bread has trace amounts, and I do eat that!) and I do eat some things that have disclaimers about being made on equipment that also processes milk, as long as there aren't any animal products in the actual ingredients.

So... many people would look at my diet and my life and tell me that I am not vegan.  And it's true, by some definitions, I am not vegan.

So why do I feel the need to label myself VEGAN...???

Mostly because it's easier than saying, "I don't eat meat (including fish), dairy, eggs, or anything derived from an animal, except for the occassional product that contains honey, which does come at the expense of bees, so I guess I'm not really vegan, but please don't serve me anything with lots of or trace amounts of meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or anything that comes directly from a mammal, bird, or fish." 

By my own definition, I am vegan, because my defintion of "animal product" doesn't include honey.  And yet I do try to avoid honey, the only exception that I make is on my favorite light wheat bread.

Anyway, my point here is that dietary labels aren't everything.  Dietary labels don't make or break any one of us.  And I'm pro-choice with most things, including diet.  If you eat mostly meat, great!  If you eat no meat, also great!  If you choose to eat only nuts and fruit, good for you!  If you eat a bit of everything, great!  If you have moral reasons for eating the way you eat, fabulous!  If you have no moral reasons behind your diet of choice, also fabulous!

We all have to do what best for ourselves, and call ourselves whatever we want to call ourselves.  I will probably say that the person who eats mostly meat shouldn't call themselves "vegetarian" but... if they really want to, is that hurting me?  No, not at all.  ;-) 

My label is "vegan".  And for whatever reason, I love having that label.  Don't try to take the label away from me, it won't work, because I own it. 

By the way, this post was inspired by a rather heated MFP forum debate that I somehow got myself into...  I hope that no one was offended by it!

recipe: more beans and rice!

This is an example of a big, delicious, healthy, vegan meal.  Oh yeah, and it's EASY!!!

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen broccoli, steamed in the microwave

1 cup of cooked brown rice (mine was leftovers!)

1 cup of black beans, canned (drained and rinsed)

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup canned tomatoes (with green peppers and celery)

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook the broccoli according to directions (5 minutes in the microwave usually).  Top with rice, then tomatoes, then beans.  Drizzle the EVOO over it.  Add salt and pepper, and stir all ingredients together.

You can adjust the amounts of these foods to adapt to different calorie-counts and PointsPlus values.  If you make it with the amounts listed exactly as they are here, and are on Weight Watchers, this is an 11 PointsPlus meal, or 0 PointsPlus if you are on the Simply Filling Technique.  If you count calories, this is a 571 calorie meal. 

THE PAPER part 2: Vegan Protein and Calcium

edited to add: This post looked really boring, so I jazzed it up with a random picture between every paragraph!  You're welcome.   

                         There are many components to the human diet, and many nutritional requirements, including vitamins, minerals, fats, and others. The part of the vegan diet that is often assumed to be deficient is protein. Omnivores often assume that the only way to get protein is through meat, dairy, and eggs. This couldn’t be further from the truth; protein is found in many sources, including plant-based foods such as vegetables. Eating protein found in vegetables is a healthy way to consume protein because the vegetables also provide fiber and water, two more dietary essentials. What plant foods do contain is nearly as important as what they don’t contain: saturated and trans fats. This is a more superior way to eat protein than eating meat and dairy, which contain little to no fiber and water, but do contain saturated and trans fats (Rubin 66). Good examples of vegetable protein sources are beans, soy, soy products, and green leafy vegetables. Some people tend to shy away from beans and bean products because of bad experiences with problems with gas. If prepared properly and eaten in moderation, the gaseous effects of beans can be controlled. Beans contain protein as well as beneficial fiber, which is good for digestion (Silverstone 58). The meat doesn’t have any fiber and is not good for digestion. This is why eating large quantities of meat and dairy can cause constipation (Silverstone 17).

Stacey and me at Game 6

                           While it is true that there is more protein in meat than in beans and other vegetables, it is also true that humans don’t need nearly as much protein in their diets as has been promoted by the meat and dairy industries. The average adult only needs 0.36 grams of protein for every pound that they weigh (Mangels). This comes up to just 52.2 grams for a 145 pound woman, which is easily obtained from vegetable sources. Because meat is considered a “complete” protein, there is a myth that vegans (and vegetarians) must combine foods in seemingly complex ways in order to create a “complete” protein without meat. This myth comes from outdated nutrition information. It has now been proven that consuming a variety of plant-based proteins throughout any given day is an excellent way to get plenty of complete protein, and there is no need to combine certain foods together (Silverstone 59). There are many vegan foods that contain protein, including most vegetables, and that means that one can easily get in the recommended amount of protein without consuming any animal products, and without much effort.

My broken Gazelle right before I took it to the curb

                                 Another popular concern about vegan nutrition is whether or not it is possible to get an adequate amount of calcium without consuming any dairy. Calcium is very important for the human body. “Obtaining sufficient amounts of absorbable dietary calcium to optimize bone density and to protect against bone reabsorption [sic] is a protective measure to lower the risk of osteoporosis” (Weaver and Plawecki 1238S). There are many different sources of dietary calcium, and not all of them are dairy based. The calcium found in leafy vegetables and in soy is more easily absorbed by the bones than calcium from dairy (“Vegetarian Diets” 1). The reason for this is some proteins found in animal products have a high concentration of sulfur amino acids, “which can increase calcium loss in urine as urine becomes more acidic with excretion of sulfate and renal tubular re-absorption of calcium is decreased” (Weaver and Plawecki 1238S). In other words, more protein can lead to less calcium absorption. Vegetarians and vegans in general tend to eat less protein than meat and dairy consumers, simply because there is more protein in meat than there is in beans.

Little Debbie's and Vienna sausage = typical snack for Stacey
Can you tell he is neither vegan nor a Weight Watcher?  ;-)  Love him.

                         Calcium is not too difficult to get from natural, plant-based sources. Good plant sources of calcium include: tofu (that is calcium-set), roots and legumes/beans, green vegetables (especially leafy greens), and calcium fortified drinks (such as juices and soy milk). This “easy” approach to being a vegan who gets enough dietary calcium only applies to men and women who are past their stages of growth. For pregnant women, and for children, it is more challenging to get adequate calcium intakes without supplementation. However, there are plenty of good supplements out there to choose from, and there is no reason to believe that women cannot have healthy vegan pregnancies or that children cannot be healthy vegans. With proper nutrition, a vegan diet can provide adequate calcium intake at all stages of life (Weaver and Plawecki).

...to be continued! Up next: Vitamins, Minerals, and Fat

Intro to my "vegan nutrition" final paper

     Many people believe that the only way to get good nutrition is by eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), which includes meat, dairy, and eggs. However, there is another option: a vegan diet. A vegan diet is a vegetarian diet that excludes all animal products, including dairy and eggs. As the vegan population has increased in recent years, so has the debate on the validity of veganism as a dietary choice. Besides more and more people becoming aware of this issue, it really hasn’t changed. If you are a vegan, or if you know someone who is, then it probably seems as if this is a very old and very well-known controversy. The truth is that most people are unaware of this controversy because they have not been exposed to veganism as a legitimate dietary option. Everyone who tries to eat in a healthy manner has a stake in this issue. Anyone in the health industry, particularly those in professions which advise the public how to eat, such as dieticians, has high stakes in this. The most directly affected in this controversy are the vegans themselves. Is it possible to get adequate nutrition from a vegan diet?
    
     Some argue that veganism cannot provide adequate nutrition for all age groups, or for both men and women. They focus on the nutrients that may be lacking in a vegan diet, such as protein, iron, vitamin B12, calcium, and essential fatty acids (omega 3 and 6) (Richards, 12-17). All of these are easily obtained through eating meat, animal products, dairy, and fish. Children need more protein, cholesterol, and calories than adults. All of these things are definitely easier to get by eating animal products than on a plant-based diet. Men may need more protein and iron to maintain their muscles and physiques. Women need more iron and calcium, and those are arguably easier to obtain with animal products such as meat and dairy. There is also the argument that it is natural to eat meat. “Hunter-gatherer societies are believed to represent the original form of human culture and their reliance on meat as an essential source of nutrition shows that meat-eating is natural for humans and always has been” (Issitt and Carson-Dewitt 1).

     On the other hand, some argue that a plant-based diet can provide good nutrition for all age groups and both sexes (Rubin 61). Babies can be breast-fed, for example, which is a great alternative to cow’s milk. If breast feeding is impossible, then there are plenty of soy milk formulas available. Children can get many nutrients, including plenty of protein and healthy fats, from a vegan diet with beans, legumes, nuts, oils, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Men can get plenty of protein from plants in the form of beans and leafy greens. Women can get calcium from plant-based sources, and there is even some evidence that suggests the calcium derived from plants is more readily absorbed by the bones than the calcium found in dairy (A. Hood 1)

     A vegan diet is a controversial thing in the field of health. There is speculation that it may not be a healthy way to eat, especially for young children. Several studies have been conducted that neither completely prove nor disprove that a vegan diet could provide adequate nutrition throughout one’s life. First and foremost, the largest issue that people tend to think of when facing the question of veganism is protein, and the assumption that plant-based protein is inferior to animal protein. There is also the issue of calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and others and whether or not these could be fulfilled on a vegan diet. It has been proven that a vegan diet, if followed correctly, can be very healthy (S. Hood 66).

     There are many different viewpoints to consider about vegan eating. There are healthy and unhealthy omnivores who feel as if veganism is a terrible way to eat; they think that all vegans are destined to end up with vitamin deficiencies and severe malnutrition. There are some vegans who feel as if their diet is superior to an omnivorous diet. Finally, there are the moderates, who are more inclined to hold a “to each their own” philosophy when it comes to whether or not one consumes animal products, and who feel as if both omnivorous and vegan diets could be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how they are approached. There are studies that support each of these viewpoints, but the most solid evidence supports the moderates’ views. A vegan diet can provide adequate nutrition just as well as a diet that includes meat and dairy.

...to be continued

My first Veganiversay!!!

Exactly one year ago, I wrote this post.

What have I learned in a year as a vegan?

So many things!!! First, I learned that being vegan is not as difficult as I imagined it would be.

I was that girl, the one who said, "I could probably go vegetarian, but never vegan! I love cheese way too much." Ha! Nope, cheese is a distant memory of mine now. And I do remember it tasting delicious, but I also remember the nasty effects of it, mostly IBS-related. Now, I crave cheese-free foods like pizza. I didn't ever find a vegan "cheese" that I liked, so I simply learned to live without cheese. Ant it's really not that hard. Well, not hard at all after a year. :-)

Another lesson: It's okay to order special when out to eat. I have had to get over my fear of upsetting the server and/or chef. I'm used to saying things like, "Is that cooked with butter? If so, could you please either cook it in olive oil instead, or just cook it without any sauce/oil?" and "I'll order the thin crust pizza with NO cheese, extra sauce, and piled high with extra veggies." also, "Can I put a meal together with side items? Great, I'll have the steamed broccoli (no butter!), the baked potato (no butter!), and a large garden salad (no croutons or cheese, oil and vinegar on the side)."

No need to be militant about it. If I am starving, and the only thing available is a granola bar that "may contain traces of dairy or eggs", I choose eating the granola bar over going hungry. This reminds me of another lesson-

Always be prepared! I have taken to carrying a Lara bar or other vegan bar in my purse at all times, usually accompanied with a baggie of dried fruit and/or nuts. This helps if I'm ever out and about and unable to get home to my vegan goodies but am hungry.

Quantity and Quality are both important, which is where being a healthy vegan really comes in handy... Vegetables and fruits (well, most of them anyway) are very low calorie and very high fiber. Eat up!!! No need to choose between quantity and quality. I eat about 10-12 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. Why? Because they are delicious and filling. They have really helped me to "beat the binge" (for the most part. I still have slip-ups every now and then, see my WW.com blog if you must...)

There are a lot of vegan junk foods out there. It's not too hard to gain weight as a vegan, despite the fact that 90% of vegans are not overweight (or something to that effect, a statistic that I read on Peta, I think, so take that one with a grain of salt...). Oreos, potato chips, redvines, soy/almond/rice ice cream, corn chips, etc.... But I have learned that all of these foods are fine in moderation! However, there are some items on this list that are definately "trigger" foods for me and binges, which I will periodically avoid just to cleanse my mind of these foods.

Non-vegan Family and friends can be really supportive. Just bringing my own dish or a package of oreos to parties and events has been a life saver for me, and family and friends have NEVER minded that I bring food along. A year in now, they will usually think of me and have a dish or two at the party that is vegan (or, a dish that they thought would be okay for me, like bacon-soaked green beans... "What? They're vegetarian, no milk and no meat actually in there..." I had to laugh at that one.)

But there will always be people who aren't so supportive. People who are maybe jealous? I don't know. I haven't actually run into many of these guys yet, but I'm ready for them if I do! Veganism is something that I feel pretty strongly about, and no one is going to convince me to go back to meat and dairy.

...I still miss sushi. I only ate sushi annually (birthday!) since it was so expensive. But it was one of my favorite foods in the world, and I do still miss my birthday treat. I am considering going for sushi on my birthday this year and trying the vegan options for the first time, like an avocado roll.

Healthy vegan eating can and WILL result in weight loss, with or without a program (if you need to lose weight, of course!). I don't see how it couldn't. I've obviously followed Weight Watchers for most of my vegan journey, but I really think that if all one ate were healthy vegan foods (beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, healthy oils, etc.), that even without calorie or points counting, weight loss would follow.

One can be a healthy vegan eater without being a master chef. See any of my "open a can" recipes for proof of this. ;-)

I feel lighter than I did when I ate animal products. Not just physically lighter, but emotionally lighter. No more guilt for eating animals, no more guilt for contributing to animal suffering. Veganism is one thing that I have done JUST FOR ME, and since making the decision to go vegan, I have made one healthy decision after another. Health leads to health. Happiness attracts more happiness. :-)

I'm positive that there are more lessons that I've learned, but these are the ones that are on my mind right now.

Happy veganiversary to me!!!

One year VEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Healthy Vegan Intuitive Eating!!!

The title of this entry is what I'm starting to move towards, diet-wise. Weight Watchers has been amazing for me, and I don't plan to EVER stray from their basic principles, especially the Good Health Guidelines.

But...

...I'm getting tired of dieting. I'm sick of tracking every bite. I'm starting to resent Weight Watchers. And yes, I know that IT WORKS because I have lost almost 70 pounds!!! For that, and for so much more, I owe WW a lot.

I've said from the beginning of this blog that I want to eventually stop counting and start eating intuitively again. I've decided that, as risky as it may be, that time will start a month into maintaining my goal weight of 145. Maybe sooner than that! I'm just ready to really start listening to my body again.

The Simply Filling Technique has been AMAZING for me so far. It allows me to keep clinging to the diet that is Weight Watchers while having much more freedom in how much I eat. I'm now actually listening to my hunger signals and choosing healthy foods at least 80% of the time. Yesterday, I had a 100% Power Foods day and didn't really realize it until today.

Choosing Power Foods has become much easier for me.

Here's why I want to eventually wean off of WW: I want to enjoy healthy fats again. And I know, it's possible to enjoy them as a WW-er, but I have issues with the high PointsPlus values assigned to things like avocados and almonds. Those are very healthy foods!!! If WW distinguished between good fats and bad fats, I could probably stay on WW forever.

For now, I'm going to continue on with WW's Simply Filling Technique, using my weekly PointsPlus and Activity PointsPlus on healthy fats and the occasional vegan pizza/cookie/chips. It definately is working for me, but there is still something missing.

It's just another step towards how I want to eat forever: Healthy. Vegan. Intuitive.

I want to make this clear: I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Weight Watchers program! It is exactly what I needed to lose the weight, and what I will need to learn how much I'll need to eat in order to maintain that weight loss.

It's an amazing way to learn portion control and about healthy eating. It's a wonderful plan that will allow you to lose the weight slowly and steadily (something that I now love, but hated at first!) and will teach you how to keep the weight off. I love WW! I will probably track my food in some way or another for the rest of my life. Just not always in the Points/Calorie counting way.

I just wanted to be honest on my blog here: I'm almost ready to say "good-bye" to WW. I'll let you know before I take the plunge; it won't be any time soon. Probably by the summer.

To my WW/calorie counting readers:

Do you plan to stay on WW and/or count calories forever?

Vegan Food Pyramid

I'm writing a paper for my English Comp II class about vegan nutrition. It's thesis is, "A vegan diet can provide adequate nutrition."

This paper has made me really think: Am I getting adequate nutrition? What could I be doing better, to not only write the paper, but to be an example of a healthy vegan?

I found this picture by googling "vegan food pryamid". Here's some guidelines for a healthy vegan diet that I also found. Click on the picture above to go straight to the source if you want to! I found it to be a very imformative site.

Legumes: 2 or more servings per day

group includes beans, peas, lentils, tempeh, tofu, and meat/dairy substitutes. source of fiber, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.

Vegetables: 3 or more servings per day

group includes broccoli, collards, kale, carrots, and sweet potatoes, etc. Source of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, and fiber

Fruit: 3 or more servings per day

group include citrus fruits, melons, berries, bananas, and apples, etc.. Source of fiber, Vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

Whole Grains: 6-11 servings per day

group includes bread, rice, pasta, hot or cold cereal, corn, millet, barly, bulgur, buckwheat, oats, and tortillas. Source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and zinc.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria commonly found in the bodies of animals. Vegetables are not reliable sources of B12. Vegans should include reliable sources of B12 in their diet by consuming a multi-vitamin, a B12 supplement, or foods fortified with B12.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Most people consume too much fat, but few peopel get enough of the healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats can be found in walnuts, canola oil, and flax seeds. For maximum absorbtion, flax seeds should be ground up in a blender or coffee grinder, then added to smoothies or sprinkled on top of other foods. Flax seeds are also rich in protein, potassium, magnesium, boron, and lignans, which may help to prevent cancer.

Vitamin D and Calcium

Vitamin D and calcium are important in bone formation. Vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight exposure. Vegans who get little sunlight, or those who live at high latitudes, should take a vitamin D supplement or consume fortified soymilk or rice milk. Vegans should also get 3 servings of high calcium foods each day, such as kale, broccoli, collard greens, and fortified soymilk and orange juice.

WOW. I need to reevaluate my diet a bit. I haven't been taking my multivitamin regularly (and as you can see from this post, I have no excuses) and I don't eat any fortified products. If I don't clean up my act soon, I could face some consequences.

To me, this is just another reason that veganism is so healthy for people. It forces me to really think about nutrition. I have to try to get a good balance of everything in order to be healthy. As a non-vegan Weight Watcher, I hardly ever thought about these things.

Are you getting in your nutrients,

or are you like me, and have been slacking?

Oprah's vegan challenge!

I apologize for a lack of paragraphs. I cannot figure out why blogger keeps taking my paragraphs away! I will put every other paragraph in bold, to help make this easier to read...

I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I loved the vegan Oprah episode! Also, I think that both Michael Pollan and Kathy Freston were very good sources of information. Both furthered our cause.

First off, in case you missed this story completely, here's the gist:

Oprah decided to challenge the entire crew of Harpo to go vegan for one week. It was entirely optional, but a lot of people signed up!

The entire wealthy staff was handed big bags of freebies from Whole Foods and Kashi (can you tell I'm bitter about this?) to get them started.

In the episode, one of Oprah's correspondents visited a factory farm. One of the "good ones" that "treat the animals with dignity". Pfft.

They showed a LOT. I cried, as I always do when I watch animals walk to their deaths. They started with showing the cows in a cramped lot, being force-fed corn products to fatten them up.

Then they showed the cows being led to slaughter...

Next, though they were unable to film the actual killing (yes, let's call a spade a spade, shall we?) we watched the reporter's face as she watched the cows being stunned with rods being shoved violently through their skulls (from behind, to preserve the animal's dignity, of course).

I don't know why the cameras couldn't show that part even though the next part was just as graphic. Cows being drained of blood, skinned, cut in half. It was pretty graphic. Having just seen these beautiful animals as alive in the previous scene, I was very sad. :-(

Of course, this part at the factory farm wasn't that long, but it was the most shocking.

The rest of the episode was Michael Pollan talking about food from his angle. And Oprah asking the veganist (Kathy Freston) about if it was "okay" to eat eggs from chickens if you know for a fact that they are ridiculously happy to give the eggs away. Kathy said, "Yes, but most people don't have access to that." and Oprah said, "Most people don't. But I do!!!" ...kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but... sigh. (You know what else you could have access to, Oprah? A live-in vegan chef!!!)

Michael Pollan is NOT a vegan. Kathy Freston is. Oprah does not appear to be choosing to remain vegan, but some of her staff is. The benefits of veganism were discussed, as well as the benefits to keeping some animal protein in your diet.

Kathy Freston showed how easy it is to switch from meat and dairy to veganism. I love that she showed a bunch of fake meat and cheese as well as fresh options, like beans, grains, and produce. I think that anyone starting out needs those starter things like fake meat. I still cook with it occassionally, it's really good! No shame in the fake stuff. :-)

Michael Pollan's take on who should or should not eat meat is a bit different from mine. He thinks that if someone knows exactly where the meat comes from and can deal with the knowledge, they should eat meat. Me, I think that the only people who should eat animals are the ones who would be willing to kill the animals themselves (hunters, indigenous tribes, fishermen, etc.).

But overall, I think that this episode is a big step in the right direction, and I thank Oprah for doing this.

P.S. After watching this with me, Stacey has agreed to do "Meatless Mondays" at our house!!! YAY!!!

Chik'n Strips recipe!

This is an example of a "thrown together" meal, which I am getting more and more comfortable cooking!

Just look through your freezer and pantry, find some stuff that you think will probably taste good together... and throw it together! This one came out pretty good, so I thought that I would share it here.

I started out with some MorningStar meal starters "chik'n strips", which are the only vegan chicken that I can find in regular supermarkets around here. I found some frozen vegetables, Pictsweet Seasoning Blend in onion and pepper.

I threw these on a skillet together and cooked on medium-high for about 5 minutes. I cooked them in two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil. But it was still missing something...

I found some DelMonte Italian Herb chunky spaghetti sauce. I poured a half cup of this onto my dish.

It really added something special to it! Plus this can had been in the back on my pantry for years. It would have expired in May, and you know how long it takes canned good to expire!


Add a cup of brown rice, and you're done!

Viola. Done. Entire bowl = 12 PointsPlus

Coming up: My thoughts about Oprah's vegan episode! Stay tuned...

Food Pictures!

The responses were pretty much unanimous: You want to see pictures of my food! :-) So, I decided to post the last three delicious meals that I've eaten.

Chocolate Peanut butter and banana toast!

6 PointsPlus

Ingredients:

-2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
-1 small banana, sliced

-1 tablespoon Peanut Butter & Co. "dark chocolate dreams"

Lunch, bowl-style

10 PointsPlus

Ingredients:

-1 cup leftover brown rice

-1/2 cup bean trio (canned, rinsed and drained)

-1/2 cup corn (canned, NSA)

-salsa, to taste

-1 teaspoon EVOO

Barley, beans, and veggies!!!

8 PoinstPlus

Ingredients:

-1 cup barley (I just found out that I can cook barley in my rice cooker!!!)

-1/2 cup bean trio (leftover from lunch)

-lots of steamed broccoli and carrots

-1 teaspoon EVOO

My easy filling late night snack/meal...

This is an example of an easy, throw-together meal. It may not look pretty, but it was delicious, and I will be eating this again! I created this myself, by the way... I've been inspired to create my own "open a can" recipes by the book PETA's Vegan College Cookbook.
Warning: This one is very spicy!

Black and Green Beans Salsa Surprise

Ingredients:

1) half cup black beans, canned, drained and rinsed

2) can of green bean, drained and rinsed

3) salsa, to taste

4) garlic powder, to taste

Directions:

Mix black and green beans together. Pour salsa over. Stir in some garlic powder. Enjoy!

2 PointsPlus for entire bowl

My honest thoughts about who should be vegan...

I have done some major soul-searching since going vegan. It was a big decision, and continues to be a big part of my life. I love being vegan!

It really helps me to know that no living being suffers for my food. All that crap that I read in Skinny Bitch about how eating meat and dairy is like eating the pain of the animals... it's finally ringing true to me.

It wasn't until I went vegan that I started to love myself, really love myself. Veganism is another reason to love myself. Even though I don't get a picture of an animal I saved by being vegan every month by mail (which would be awesome! Why doesn't PETA do something like that?) I know that animals are being saved by me. And that makes me feel so good. So warm and fuzzy.

Plus, I don't miss meat and dairy. It's a lot easier to be vegan than I thought it would be! I feel lighter, more beautiful, and more care-free on a vegan diet.

Why am I a vegan? Because it just makes sense for me.

Should you be a vegan? It is a completely personal choice. I don't think that everyone should be vegan. That makes me different from a lot of vegans, I know! :-) I don't like to preach about veganism; It makes me feel funny. Even though I don't eat meat or dairy, I'm not perfect. I still use products that have probably been tested on animals on a regular basis. I wish that weren't the case, but I'm on a tight budget and can't always go cruelty-free. :-(

My stance on who should eat meat:

If you would be willing to kill it yourself, eat it. If you can honestly say that you would be willing to break a chicken's neck, slit a pig's throat, bleed a cow to death... then, you should eat meat. If you hunt or fish, you should eat what you kill, not hunt or fish for sport. I believe that hunting and fishing for food is just fine, and it's how many people around the world survive. Plus, it's been done since the beginning of time.

But if you are just being willfully ignorant about what your food is (yes, that fried chicken used to be an animal, same with your beef patty, your turkey burger, your tuna salad and your bacon), you claim to love animals, you say that you care about animal rights, and would NEVER kill an animal for food, then in my opinion you should be a vegan***.

***Of course, if your doctor has told you that you will die without animal products, then just try to eat them in moderation. Every little bit helps!

Hopefully this clears up some questions that people ask me about why I'm vegan. Of course, this entire blog post is my opinions, not necessarily facts. :-)

I also want to say that I would never judge anyone based on their diet. It's none of my business what anyone eats. This is just my honest opinion about who should and shouldn't be eating meat.

Vegan compliment

I think that I've mentioned on this blog that I belong to Curves. My mom and I go together at least three times a week most weeks.

Anyway, one of the ladies who works there gave me some pretty big compliments yesterday.

She started by asking for vegan book recommendations!!! I told her all about The Kind Diet of course. How it was the book that changed my life, literally. She wrote it down.

She told me that she has noticed that not only have I lost a lot of weight since going vegan, but I carry myself with more confidence and appear much happier and healthier.

!!!!!

This is the moment that I have been waiting for since beginning The Kind Diet. Not only have I noticed that I'm happier and healthier, but now I know that others are noticing, too. And apparently I carry myself with confidence now. Me. Confidence!

:-)

I don't even remember telling her that I was vegan, but I guess that back in April when I made the switch I was so proud that I told anyone who would listen.

My point is, hang in there. If you are newly vegan, or just considering it, (or "flirting", as Alicia says), what the book claims about the health benefits are true.

And I am not the only one who notices my improved health and outlook on life. It's obvious to everyone now.

And, I may have inspired someone to give veganism a try. To this vegan, there is no greater reward than that!

Baking french fries...

This week I have baked some Ore-Ida french fries nearly every day. I am loving them, for several reasons:

- VEGAN

- delicious!

- cheap

- help me from eating potato chips.

Since I have to bake them, I put only a serving (or two) on the pan, snack on some raw veggies while they bake, then eat the fries guilt-free. They keep me away from even wanting chips. Since they are frozen, it's pretty impossible to eat the whole bag.

Fries have been my savior this week. I have been craving salty, crunchy goodness.

(note: not a superhero food)

Easy-Peasy-One Two Threesie!

How is it that being vegan, something that I always thought of as being so difficult, is so easy?

Years ago, when I was a vegetarian, I would say, "No way could I ever be vegan. I could never give up my cheese!"

Months ago, when I started the vegetarian transition again, I said the same thing. "How can I give up pizza? I'll give up the pepperoni, but NEVER the cheese! It's too delicious!!!"

So how is it that I've been vegan now for over a month, with very few difficulties? Why was there such fear of failure going into this?

I'm not sure. There is definately a stigma about veganism. People think that it's too difficult. That it's nearly impossible. That all vegans eat is vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between veganism and raw veganism. I am pretty sure that I never will be a raw vegan. I'm pretty sure that I would never want to be. It's not for everyone, and I think I'm one of the people that it's not for.

However, it is very easy for me to be vegan. I don't feel deprived at all. I'm eating all sorts of delicious foods every day. For example, this is today's menu (typical work day menu):

breakfast: PB&J on a whole wheat sandwich thin, banana

lunch: bean and rice burrito, carrots

dinner: avacado, EVOO, salsa, Daiya "cheese", wasa crispbread; brown rice

snacks: Tofutti cutie (vegan ice cream sandwich), broccoli and cauliflower

I would love to be not eating any processed foods, and I am still working on that. But for now I think that I've found a sustainable and happy medium that I can stick with and enjoy. It works for me!

Veganism rocks.

Can following TKD help prevent dementia??

The answer, according to my research, is PROBABLY.

Several articles that I've read indicate that though there is no proven way to prevent dementia, there are ways to reduce your risk.

One of the biggies is diet. The number one recommendation is to go on the Mediterranian Diet, which includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. It does specifically mention fish, but we all know that there are other ways to get those fats, even omega-3, without eating a friendly fish.

Here are the basics of preventing dementia, according to a lot of scources, including cnn.com, webmd.com, dementaicarecentral.com, ehow.com, and more...

Diet: Go towards a more "Mediterranean Diet" which is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats and eliminates processed foods.

Exercise: Exercise is good for the brain! Exercise at least three times every week.

Keep your heart healthy: eat healthy, exercise, don't smoke, maintain a healthy weight, good blood pressure

Mental exercise: Stimulate your mind with puzzles, challenging reading material, board games, playing a musical instrument, dancing

Protect your head: Prevent head injuries. Always wear a helmet when you ride a bike, always wear your seatbelt, and avoid sports that risk head injuries

Socialize: (copied directly from dementiacentral.com article) Older people who engage in regular social activities show less cognitive decline. One reason for this effect is that social activities promote new connections between brain cells.

Back to vegan (for awhile)

Being a superhero is definately not for me. Not right now, anyway! It was too stressful, even on an every other day basis.

I just adore some processed foods entirely too much to not consume them daily. And some processed foods are not that evil, such as wasa crackers.

Still going strong as a vegan, but not anywhere near macrobiotic yet, and I'm not sure that I even want to be anymore.

I love tomatoes, potatoes, and spinach. So there.

Good news? I'm down another 1.4, which brings me to a new low weight of 186.8 pounds. Very exciting! Now if I can only lose 4.8 in June, I will be down 25 for the year and right on track to my very lofty goal of losing fifty pounds in 2010. Only time and effort shall tell...

Challenge: Day One

Day One as a Superhero!!!
This is the beginning of my 50% Superhero Challenge! Today will be the first day that I will try to be a Superhero. For those who haven't read "The Kind Diet", when I say "superhero" I'm talking about the ultimate diet plan outlined in TKD, basically macrobiotic veganism.

The differences between the vegan plan and the superhero plan? As far as I can tell, food-wise, there are three:

1. Vegans still eat processed foods, as long as they are vegan. Superheroes don't.
2. Vegans are encouraged to eat a lot of whole grains and vegetables, but superheroes make whole grains and vegetables the center of their diet.
3. Vegans eat as many of any type of vegetable and fruit that they want. Superheroes limit fruit to once a day or so, and avoid all vegetables that are considered "nightshade", such as: peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants, and superheroes also try to avoid spinach.

Why would ANYONE want to eat this way? What are the benefits? Can I ever eat potatoes and tomatoes again? Good questions. ;-) I will answer all of these soon, but not today because I'm almost out of time!
Here's today's plan:
breakfast: oatmeal, banana
lunch: steamed greens, miso soup, millet
dinner: brown rice, pinto beans, EVOO, sunflower seeds, sea salt
snack: airpopped popcorn with EVOO and sea salt
exercise: 30 minutes Curves circuit training, 60 minutes Nordic Track skier

50% Superhero Challenge!

I'm big on baby steps. Especially when it comes to changing how I eat. When I decided to cut meat, I was able to do it right away since I had never eaten too much of it anyway. Dairy was another story altogether. Processed foods that contain trace amounts of dairy, eggs, and honey were the most difficult thing to let go of! But I did it, in baby steps.

I did a 50% plan. Every other day, I was vegan. Until one day I was out of dairy, eggs, and processed non-vegan foods. Then I stopped buying them, and was vegan 100%, every day.

Now I want to start cooking more often and become superhero. I want all the good feelings, weight loss, and health that come from eating like a superhero (as outlined in TKD, of course).

So I've made an important decision: I am going to be 100% superhero every other day. So on the road to being superhero, I will be "just" vegan every other day for awhile. Hopefully this will train me how to eat like a superhero with no real pressure. If it's hard, at least I know that I can eat a potato/spinach/soy milk/rice dream the very next day.

I will let you know how it goes!! Today is a vegan day, and here is my plan:

breakfast- banana (small)

snack 1- almonds (about 8 of them)

lunch- Amy's bean and rice burrito, salsa, air-popped popcorn with EVOO

snack 2- raisins

dinner- pita bread, hummus, big salad (spinach, kale, tomatoes, cucumber, onion)

snack 3 (if hungry)- wasa crackers with homemade guacamole (avacado, onion, oregano, garlic, lime juice)

exercise: Curves circuit training (30 minutes), Nordic track skier (60 minutes)

Confession: I've already gotten lazy!

No surprise for those who actually know me. I cooked for a week and a half, and then stopped being creative with my meals!

My basic meals now are still vegan, and some are even superhero, but most are very easy and quick. For instance, I am eating bean burritos at least every other day. Refried beans, salsa, tortilla, and sometimes (if I'm feeling creative) some brown rice and a bit of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Easy, vegan, delicious. But I feel like I'm eating too much processed foods in the tortillas. The last ones I got were from Whole Foods, and only contained like two ingredients, so not too processed, but still. Alicia was very clear about limiting the whole grain products and focusing more on the whole grains themselves. So I need to watch out for that. But still enjoy my bean burritos, because they are great, vegan, and easy!

The other popular meal I eat almost daily is beans and rice. I cook a big pot of brown rice on the weekend and eat it through the week. My favorite rice meal? A bowl with brown rice, white beans, sunflower seeds, EVOO, and a dash of sea salt. Yum! But almost every night I have beans and rice in some sort or another.

I have found a very easy, very lazy way to be a clean-eating vegan. Leave it to me, right?

I am determined to learn to cook at least one meal from TKD next week, even if it kills me. I need to cook if I'm going to make this diet last a lifetime!