Guest Blogger: Eclectic Dialectic – The Deer

Our newest contributor is Tonya, author of Eclectic Dialectic. Tonya is an aspiring writer who loves to write, reflect, and edit; refine the creative process; and explore language. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in English (honors) and Women’s Studies, earned a graduate certificate in Social Theory, completed the coursework for a master’s in Geography, and attended law school for a bit. Hobbies and interests include reading, writing, yoga, activism, meditation, documentaries, foreign and classic films, music, Kentucky Wildcats basketball, and being open to whatever life and the universe place in her path. Veganism is an integral part of her worldview; she has been vegan since May 25, 2010 and was became vegetarian in June 1998. Follow Tonya on her blog and Twitter account. Welcome Tonya!

I was never much of a meat eater. When I was a kid I was a persnickety eater. Vegetables were always eaten before meat was; meat was pushed to the side or pushed around on my plate. This was years before I learnt about factory farms or began to examine ethical ramifications of subsisting through the suffering and perishing of a sentient being. For whatever reason I was repulsed by meat. When I was growing up I never handled raw meat and subconsciously did everything whatever I could to avoid the horrifying reality of animals’ slaughter.

My maternal grandparents kept chickens. Some were used to produce eggs and others raised until they were “fat enough” to kill for that Southern delicacy of chicken and dumplings. When Mamaw had to wring a chicken’s neck, remove its feathers, and harvest parts deemed suitable for consumption I beat a hasty retreat. At the time I groused that I couldn’t watch because the work was “gross.” Now I wonder if I was too sensitive to witness the ending of a life and protected myself from the horrors of death by removing myself from the scene of the slaughter. When Mamaw made chicken and dumplings for Sunday dinners I tried to not think too much about where the chickens had come from. I was disconnected from the source of my meat.

Years later I was forced to make that connection. Papaw and many of the men in my family were and are active hunters who regularly “bag” a buck or few. Meat is always processed and parceled out to any family member who wants venison. For years I adored venison; the sweet, gamy, pure, lean taste greatly appealed to me. It was the exception to my take it or leave it approach to meat. Eating venison was almost orgasmic. Never mind the cuteness of Bambi. I loved my venison chops, steak, sausage, burgers, and chili. I often saw deer my family had slain; they were displayed while points on antlers were counted and hunter(s) congratulated. I never really thought about how those deer had felt as they pirouetted and pranced until their lives were cut down with a crossbow.

My apathy and appetite shifted when I was confronted with the visceral, textural proof of a life cut down. Mamaw was cooking dinner on a typical summer day, and I was helping her. When she asked me to handle the venison burgers I reluctantly agreed. When the tender, cool meat touched my palm something shifted in me. Handling the bloody venison awakened something in me. I saw the deer’s life and death. Images of a buck protecting, feeding, and loving his family were juxtaposed with him running, shrieking, and taking his last breaths. My vision startled me. I sobbed, nearly fainted, and vowed to become vegetarian on the spot because I couldn’t be part of and live through his death.

My family was understandably startled, amused, and confused by my reaction. I didn’t tell them I had connected to the buck’s spirit on such a profound level. They chalked my reaction up to typical teenage weirdness and teased me. Being a vegetarian in meat and potatoes country was definitely a novelty. They didn’t think I would last a week. My initial dalliance with vegetarianism lasted for well over two years and took me throughout much of high school. It was the impetus behind my refusing to dissect animals in anatomy. At that time I didn’t know anything about factory farms or how to balance my diet and cook delicious, nutritious vegetarian meals. Considering what I was up against lasting as long as I did was quite a feat. Years later I permanently recommitted to vegetarianism and eventually transitioned to veganism, and I can thank that fallen deer from my youth for being the light that illuminated the darkness.

 

Guest Blogger: Rachel in Veganland – Not Skinny

It always makes me happy to see another lover of Alice in Wonderland. Everyone, please meet Rachel, she is the author of Rachel in Veganlnd and this is her first guest blog post. Here’s a bit about her: Rachel Fesperman is a vintage loving crazy cat lady living in the High Country of North Carolina. Her blog, Rachel in Veganland is just over a year old and chock full of (vegan) food, photos, and antics that range from rants on food politics to the adventures of Beans the Wonder Rabbit. You can follow Rachel’s posts through email, and find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Welcome Rachel!

Lately, I’ve been feeling frustrated with the emphasis on weight loss, skinniness, and veganism as health craze. For me, my veganism has always been multi-factorial. Here on Veganland I’ve taken a pretty bold stance on animal rights, that has left little if any wiggle room for my reasons for this lifestyle. This is why I find the health fad surrounding veganism to be so incredibly frustrating.

No, I don’t eat refined sugars, fats, or carbs. Yes, I do include alcoholic beverages in my lifestyle, as long as they are cruelty free. I do salt (some of) my foods during preparation, but rarely at the table. Of course I am concerned with health, but I’m not monitoring my food intake rigorously. I choose the foods that are best for me and Maddie, and I don’t pick anything that I wouldn’t give a scrap or two (or three) of to Beans the Wonder Rabbit.

Processed foods tend to have complications that far succeed health. These foods are often very cheap, and if something is low in cost, it means that someone somewhere is bearing the brunt of that cheapness, usually animals, and workers both in the food processing/packaging industry as well as in the farming/growing industry. So why isn’t this our focus? Why aren’t basic safety, wellness, and (human/animal) rights at the center of our discourse? Why are we so compulsively attached to this health-based obsession centered on skinny=healthy=better?

While I am happy that people choose to go vegan, and am glad to see more and more people adopting a cruelty free lifestyle, I’m frustrated that our vegan community (especially the blogosphere) seems to focus almost solely on the healthy foods/lifestyle side of things. I’m glad that people will eat Daiya over cheese, broccoli nuggets over chicken, but I’d like to see our focus shift from counting calories and eliminating saturated fats to the exploitation of the beings who have to give us those lipids in the first place. I am glad to see healthy vegans, I am inspired by healthy vegans, but I am more inspired by a healthy vegan who has a healthy outlook rather than waistline. I fear that Naomi Woolf’s fabled “Beauty Myth” and our distinctly Western cult of thinness control the vegan psyche.

When you become vegan, you change your relationship to food. Well, now it’s time to change it again.

I am not a “skinny” vegan. I am a happy, healthy vegan not just in form but in mind and spirit. I care about issues far greater than my own body and health, though I know that the intersectionality of veganism and human health is not solely coincidental.

What kind of an example are we setting for the people who read our vegan based literature and for our (vegan) children? If we are compulsively healthy, won’t they be too? What kind of self-esteem does this build, for adults and children alike? Unfortunately the health-centric world leaves a lot to be desired, and often readers and others who watch from the wings might feel that they come up short.

I believe this dominant healthy obsession over the vegan blogosphere continues and upholds the fixation on women’s bodies. It is an obsession that enforces smallness and being tiny, slapped with the label “healthy.” Such a paradigm forces thousands of women to struggle with their relationship to food. I believe that our (vegan) blogosphere should focus on abundance not deprivation.

I invite you to comment, and if you’re a blogger I invite you to (re) blog about this issue. Please add to the discussion by sharing your thoughts, ideas, and responses via Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere.

Guest Blogger: RedGlitterX – Easy Chocolate Ice-cream – Vegan (recipe)

Always lovely to have people come back to the VBU! family. One such bloggers is RedGlitterX. From Australia, here she is in her own words, “With degree in theology and feminism, am also a Ordained Clergy Person, I have a strong social justice and civil rights ethic. The fight for animal rights is one of the more important, how we treat animals is a reflection on ourselves.” Her first post with VBU! was about the different names we give foods around the world. Her second post was a Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake recipe and her third, a dinner menu from the last trip of the Titanic, her fourth, post was about what Veganism is. For her latest post she is back with a lovely dessert recipe. Find her blog here: Vegan Animal Liberation Alliance. Follow her on Twitter as well. Welcome back Red Glitter X!

Easy Chocolate Ice-cream – Vegan (recipe)
Easy to make and even easier to eat. This chocolate ice-cream is a good substitute for those who miss it, or just want something that they can make at home to avoid the commercial products (which require a science degree to understand the ingredients list).

This recipe does not require an ice-cream machine. All measurements are rough-guides, adjust for taste.

This chocolate ice-cream stays smooth when frozen, does not form ice-crystals, and if left in a serving bowl too long melts into a tasty chocolate milk drink

Equipment:
Medium sized saucepan
Tablespoon – for measuring
Spoon – for stirring
Freezer-safe container with a lid
Grater (optional)
Measuring jug (optional)

Ingredients:
4 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder
3 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar (or char free sugar of choice)
2 heaped tablespoons of corn flour
pinch of salt
pinch of spice, eg. cinnamon, nutmeg
100 grams of grated chocolate (chocolate bar style chocolate)
conversion: 100 grams = 3.5274 ounces
about 3/4 of a litre / quart Milk of your choice (eg, almond, soy, rice)
conversion: 1 litre = 1.05669 US quart

Method:
Add some of the milk to the saucepan, heat over a very low heat

In the same bowl that ice-cream will be made in, mix the cocoa powder, brown sugar, corn flour, salt, spice

Add cocoa mixture to the slowly heating milk, mix well to remove any lumps

Chocolate milk mixture will start to thicken, stir well so it does not burn on the bottom

Add rest of the milk

Add the chocolate, grated or choc-chip sized to the milk, keep stirring. Do Not let the chocolate burn

When chocolate is melted, transfer to a freezable container.

Freeze, this will take a few hours

Variations:
add cherries to give it a hint at Black Forest flavour
add alcohol-soaked raisins for a more adult variety
add chopped banana and flaked almonds
grated chocolate for choc-chip chocolate ice-cream

Guest Blogger: Carrie on Vegan – Photo Food Journal & Vegan Delish Giveaway

Our newest VBU! contributor is Carrie Forrest, author of Carrie on Vegan. Here she is in her own words,”I am a graduate student in public health nutrition and I write about my recipes and adventures in healthy, plant-based living. I recently released an app for iPhones and iPads called Vegan Delish that features 60 simple, vegan recipes with all kinds of cool features like a digital shopping list and social media sharing options.” Carrie is the first contributor to have an app – how cool is that? Love how everyone is so creative and inventive. Keep in touch with Carrie on Vegan through: Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feed. Also check out Carrie’s app Vegan Delish: iTunes Preview page, website, and Facebook page. Please welcome Carrie!

Good morning and happy “What I Ate Wednesday“! Today I’ll be showing a picture of everything that I ate yesterday. It is always an interesting exercise to document everything I eat in a day, plus I hope you find it helpful in some way.

Breakfast was some leftover green smoothie with some buckwheat groats and almonds on top:

I went for a hike in Palm Springs around 9 a.m. Despite cloudy skies, I thought the mountains were so pretty:

Alan and I hiked further than we have ever gone before:

We then went to Costco to try and beat the holiday rush, but it was still craziness. I stocked up on all kinds of fresh fruit, frozen fruit, frozen edamame, etc. It was a huge load:

After all of that, lunch was much appreciated. I make a big romaine and vegetable salad with my Wild Blueberry Zinger Dressing, edamame and mandarin oranges for dessert:

Here’s a closer view of the salad:

Yesterday afternoon was spent catching up on work and doing a few errands. I decided to try using the pressure cooker again after my successful experience last Saturday night. This time, I just used brussels sprouts, collard greens, mushrooms, onions and water:

I checked with Jill Nussinow’s fantastic book, The New Fast Food, for the cooking times on the sprouts and the greens (don’t forget to enter to win a free copy of the ebook here!). I settled on a cooking time of two minutes for everything and I estimated about a cup of water. I added it all to the pot:

The chopped collards went on top:

I locked on the lid, set the timer to two minutes on high pressure, and sat back and hoped it would turn out okay. I figured the worst that could happen would that the sprouts would be undercooked:

While I waited, I also made a really easy cream sauce for the veggies. After all, who wants to eat plain steamed greens? To make my typical cashew cream sauce less fattening, I substituted garbanzo beans for half the nuts in this recipe. I was so pleased with the results, the sauce was still very, very creamy and flavorful:

Here’s the recipe:

[print_this]

Cashew & Bean Sauce

6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon dried mustard

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

[/print_this]

I used the quick-release setting on the PC when it was done and here’s what it looked like:

I was so happy that everything was cooked to perfection! It’s not exactly a beautiful dish, but here’s what the final product looked like:

I’m telling you, this was a hit and I’ll be making the same exact thing tonight for dinner.

For dessert last night, I made a version of my Chocolate Cherry Bomb that I’ll be posting in ice cream form on Friday. It was so decadent and yummy:

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed this photo food journal.

To wrap up today’s post, I’m doing another giveaway of my recipe app Vegan Delish! I received 50 promo codes from Apple when we did our last update and I want to share them with you. If you already own Vegan Delish, you can still enter and you can give the code to one of your friends or family members. So, I’m giving the code to 50 readers selected at random who leave a comment on this post and who do any of the following things:

1. Tweet this message to your followers on Twitter “Check out Vegan Delish, the healthy #vegan recipe app for iPhones and iPads: http://bit.ly/TNOWnc.”

2. If you already own the app, leave a review on iTunes. Note: if you downloaded the app using a promo code, then Apple won’t let you leave a review.

3. Do something else to help me promote Vegan Delish, like tell your co-workers about it. Tell me what you did. I trust you.

You can do any or all of these things, just leave a separate comment telling me what you did. You have until Sunday, December 23rd, to enter.

Thank you for all of your support!!! I hope you have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you back here on Friday.

Guest Blogger: New Vegan Age – A perfect time to stop eating animals

Love when we have veteran posters come back! One such contributor is Tom of New Vegan Age. Please feel free to search the blog name on VBU! to read more posts from his lovely blog. Especially Kim Stahler’s post, featured on VBU!, caught a few people’s attention. Follow New Veagn Age on: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and of course the blog itself. Welcome back Tom!

Would you be able to kill an animal? If not, and you still eat meat, you’re not living in alignment with your values.

 

I know, I know. People sometimes say, “Animals kill and eat each other. We’re no different.”

 

Well, as one of my heroes, Harvey Diamond, first pointed out to me in his brilliant Fit For Life books, could you kill an animal yourself? Could you do what other animals do—chase it down, strangle or smother it, tear it apart with your bare hands, and swallow it raw?

 

This deliciously-seasoned, nutritious, colorful holiday stuffing is but one of thousands of delicious recipes that prove giving up meat isn’t a sacrifice.

If you react to this question with disgust—and couldn’t or wouldn’t yourself actually go through with killing a living being—you’re already a vegetarian in belief, if not yet practice. In addition to the growing number of health and environmental reasons to turn exclusively to plants for nutrition, many vegans and and vegetarians stop eating animals because they would not ask someone else to do for them what they themselves would not do.

 

“I would not kill a creature,” said another of my heroes, Peace Pilgrim. “And I would not ask someone else to kill it for me, so I will not eat the flesh of the creature.”

 

Other signs that you might “already” be a vegetarian or vegan include:

• You find the sight—or even idea—of a butchered animal or slaughterhouse unsettling.
• You sometimes sense a “vague uneasiness” when you buy, order, or eat animal products.
• You sometimes feel like you’re not living in alignment with your “true self.”

After Thanksgiving 1997, I realized I no longer wanted to have others kill animals on my behalf, and I declared that holiday the last time I’d ever eat turkey. A month later, I made Christmas the last time I’d ever eat ham. That New Year’s Day’s became a natural time to celebrate the “good luck” tradition of pork and sauerkraut with the resolution to never eat animals again.

 

You know, the holidays are the perfect time to give yourself, the planet, and animals this gift. It’s already a time of reflection, of renewal, of gratitude, of introspection, of compassion, and, of course, of commitment. If the thought of killing your dog or cat—or any animal—gives you a lump in your throat and a knot in your stomach, you’re already a vegetarian in belief, and you’re ready to take this exciting next step.

 

Best of all, there’s no sacrifice at all in being vegetarian or vegan, only the rewards of a rich variety in food, improved health, and a much lighter spirit.

Guest Blogger: AusVegan – If Not You, Then Who? If Not Now, Then When?

Always happy to welcome another vegan blogger to the VBU! family. Cameron Blewett is a very busy vegan blogger. He has contributed to VBU! with a post from his blog AusVegan. Here’s his bio, “Based in Brisbane, Cameron is a prolific blogger with a number of sites relating to different subject matters. This one is dedicated to his passion for veganism and Animal Rights. His main site CameronBlewett.com.au is where he does most of his posting, along with his new site VeganSexual.com.au which aims to challenge the common held misconceptions of being male and vegan. Make sure you don’t miss a post on AusVegan.com by subscribing to the mailing list here. You can find Cameron on Google+ , Twitter, or Facebook” Welcome Cameron!

If, as a vegan, you aren’t going to take a stand and promote veganism, then who do you think will?
If you aren’t going to promote it now, when will you?

I was sitting down last night, pen in hand, going over the various discussions I have had with people over the past few days to get ideas for coming blog posts, when the sound of a freight train in the distance broke my concentration.

For some reason I decided to pay a little more attention to it, and see if by just listening to it I would be able to tell if it was a standard freight train or a cattle train heading out to the Dinmore slaughterhouse.

At the time and possibly out of denial, I made the assessment that it was just a regular freight train because there wasn’t the distinctive ‘rattle’ of the gate on each wagon, and there was a noted absence of the lingering smell that usually accompanies these trains.

Guest Blogger: Vegan La Raza – ¡Vegan La Revolucion!

Today on VBU! we have a brand new contributor who is excited to celebrate her one year of veganism. She was kind enough to give VBU! the Sunshine Award. Please meet Karla of Vegan La Raza. “My name is Karla. I am Mexicana/Salvadoreña and have been a vegan since October 2011. I started this blog to look at my identities as a woman, a person of color-specifically a Latina, and a vegan. Because of these identities I have experienced oppression in many ways during my lifetime. As someone who carries a history of injustice and violence, I choose not to perpetuate violence and exploitation towards other living beings, including human and non-human animals. Something has to change. I want to be part of that change.” We can all agree with Karla’s sentiments. Click here to find her blog and here for her Facebook account. Please welcome Karla!

¡Vegan La Revolucion!

A revolution is the overthrow of an oppressive system and replacing it with a more just, humane one.

I started this blog as a result of the cultural push back I experienced when I became a vegetarian and later a vegan. Compassionate eating felt like swimming against the current— I was made to feel like I was working against something bigger than myself.

Meat has been a part of my identity since I was an embryo and it played a central role in the happiest moments of my life through celebrations and traditions.

I was deeply moved and committed to el movimiento when I was in college and loved learning the “other history”, the non-white history of Los Angeles. I looked forward to spending the month of December at La Placita Olvera, not because I was a devout Catholic, but rather because I loved being around la raza, mi gente. I didn’t question the irony of animals being blessed in the center of the church plaza while everyone else devoured beef tacos.

Birria (goat meat) was the thing to eat at bautizos and weddings. Sometimes, I heard friends would go to church for a baptism, then to celebrate would kill a goat in the backyard and the party-goers would eat it. And yes, this all happened in Los Angeles. It’s hard to understand why learning about an animal being killed in a backyard would make a person cringe. How is that animal different from the thousands of animals being slaughtered everyday? Different from the hundreds of animals dying as I type this sentence?

Vegan La Raza was intended to be an outlet to express my experiences as a Latina vegan in a culture of meat. I’ve continually justified meat eating as a culturally Latin@ thing. Gandhi believed in leading by example not by preaching or ranting. I have successfully done that, but the other day, I was having lunch with a group of vegetarians and for once did not feel censored. This awareness made me realize that eating meat and using it as an excuse that “it’s embedded in Latin@ culture” is a weak and dismissive attitude lacking analysis.

Meat plays a central role in a patriarchal culture that objectifies and dehumanizes women by reducing our bodies to meat. Being a man consists of eating a chicken wing while being served by a woman with teeny orange shorts and a shirt that says, ‘Hooters’. Should the historical and cultural connection between men and meat continue to uphold patriarchy in our society?

World hunger could be addressed if the grains given to nonhuman animals were given to humans. Instead, we (all who exist within this system) choose to give clean water and food to animals who are waiting to be tortured and slaughtered. Should world hunger continue exist because we cannot go a day without eating a slice of bacon?

Deforestation in order to produce grazing land is a major environmental problem. So to all the “environmentalists” out there, planting a tree or starting a community garden is worthless unless we are working collectively to keep corporations from destroying natural resources to profit from factory farming.

Animals are killed by the millions in order to make money. Quality, regulation, life, workers, and the environment are irrelevant—profit is everything!

So, when people of any culture choose to uphold death and consumption in order to justify or cleanse their conscience, I hope they think twice about everything else the dead flesh they are putting in their mouth stands for — herstories and histories of oppression, death, exploitation, and capitalism.

It’s time to become conscious, empowered beings. If humans are considered (self-proclaimed) the brightest animals on earth, let’s take a step forward, put defeatist attitudes of self-control behind us and overthrow dominant cultures.

¡Vegan La Revolucion!

Guest Blogger: Vegan Life – Vegan? Obese?

Everyone, please meet our newest VBU! blogger, Michaela Moran, she is the author of the blog Vegan Life. Here she is in her own words, “I’m a freshman at University of New England studying applied exercise science. I hope to continue my studies into physical therapy in the next few years. I run on the cross country team here at UNE. Other hobbies of mine include surfing and skiing. Altogether, I love to be active and outdoors. My blog is about life as a vegan and all the amazing health opportunities it has to offer.” Please make Michaela feel at home and drop by her blog. Welcome Michaela!

Vegan? Obese?
The two words put together just don’t sound quite right. There is a reason for that. Personally, I’ve never met an obese vegan before, and I’d be surprised to say the least if I did. For the most part, people who choose to go vegans have at least a slight idea about the value of the foods and nutrients they are putting into their bodies. It’s practically impossible to be a vegan and not pay attention to what you are eating.

Plus, vegan foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans are low in saturated fat and have little to no cholesterol. And to make it even better, these foods have a ton of fiber and nutrients. It would be difficult to actually become obese eating a diet rich in healthy vegan foods.

All animal products, meat, dairy and eggs, are the highest foods in saturated fat.

But there’s protein…

Fact.

However, unnecessary protein becomes converted into fat when digested. So that means when the average person eats meat, their body is absorbing all the fats right in it, plus, the protein that gets stored as fat. Most meat eaters do not realize just how much they are eating either. Often times the “serving” of meat a person will eat contains as much protein, or close to as much as they would need in a day. Multiply that by however many times this person eats meat in one day. Chances are they have gone over the necessary intake, meaning their body will try to convert it to fat.

Going vegan can be so beneficial when it comes to prevention of health issues. Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are often times controlled by the individual and what he or she eats. Paying attention to what goes into your body is a huge part of developing a balanced and healthy diet. Try eating vegan for a day, maybe a week or possibly a few… it will make more of a difference than you know. You might not want to go back.

Guest Blogger: Saving the World One Bite at a Time! – Let Them Eat Kale: Vegan Nutrition 101

Please welcome back Rachael, author of the blog Saving the World One Bite at a Time! Here’s a bit about Rachael, Rubber Cowgirl is named for her boots!  Six years ago, she read Skinny Bitch and decided to go Vegan.  Her life has never been the same!  Her health improved, her jeans got a lot smaller, she learned how to cook and how to grow a garden.  Going vegan is the most delicious way to secure your own health and protect our planet, so eat your greens! Follow Rachael on her blog, and Twitter. Welcome Rachael!

Let them eat Kale!

(If I were Queen, I would have my subjects eat a healthy diet.)

Thanks to the accessibility of recent films such as Forks Over Knives and the endorsement of celebrities like actress Alicia Silverstone and President Bill Clinton, plant-based eating is gaining popularity.  More and more people are becoming curious about the impact of diet on personal health and the world at large.

For a long time, I’ve been the only vegan that many of my friends and family know.  Having consistently advocated the health benefits of plant-based eating, I suddenly find myself their resident expert on the subject.  As you can imagine, I’m more than happy to answer any of their questions – and glad I did my research!

The first questions I get are usually about nutrition.  If you don’t eat meat, where do you get your protein and iron?  No milk?  Where does your calcium come from?  Do you suffer from a B12 deficiency?  Anemia?  What about those good fats that are only in fish?  For the veg-curious and all the newbies out there, I provide the following breakdown.

Gorillas eat plants.

Protein

Protein is easy.  All plants have protein.  Elephants eat plants.  Gorillas eat plants (and the incidental insect).  Gorillas don’t eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, cheeseburgers for lunch and fried chicken for dinner.  If they did, they’d be going extinct from heart disease rather than loss of habitat and poaching.

I don’t suggest worrying about protein; a newborn baby gets all the nutrients it needs from its mother’s milk – only 8% of its dietary intake is protein, and that baby is growing at an incredible rate.  If 8% is optimal for developing infants, the adult recommendation should certainly be less.  Eating a colorful plant-based diet with lots of variety will provide more than adequate amounts of protein for your daily needs.

Protein-rich Plant Food

Nuts, seeds and whole grains are all rich in protein.  Add some cashews or peanuts to a stir fry.  Sprinkle sesame or sunflower seeds in your salads.  Try some peanut butter on sprouted-grain toast with a glass of almond or hemp milk for breakfast.  Rice comes in many varieties – golden, rose, basmati, forbidden, wild; try out some different grains like millet, barley, buckwheat or oats, or mix up a signature blend.  Quinoa alone is a complete protein with over 8g per serving!  Legumes like lentils, soybeans and chickpeas are packed with protein.  Sample some hummus for snacks or make some delicious Chana Masala for dinner.  Soy products include tofu, tempeh, miso, milk and other dairy substitutes.  Berries have the highest protein content of any fruit.

Iron

In Latin, ferrum.  One of my favorite elements.  I was born in a town called Iron River.  The fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust, iron should be easy to find.  All dark green leafy vegetables have iron; there’s parsley, spinach, kale, swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, broccoli and collard greens, to name a few.  Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, so squirt a little lemon juice on your kale or add a kiwi to your green smoothie.

Clockwise from left: dried coconut, mixed rice, pumpkin seeds, red and white quinoa, sunflower seeds, buckwheat groats, green lentils, red lentils, French lentils; Center: madadamia nuts, chickpeas

All those protein-rich seeds and legumes mentioned above have iron, too.  Soy products, chickpeas (hummus), cashews, pine nuts, coconut, sesame seeds (Sesame oil! Gomashio! Tahini!) and blackstrap molasses have loads of iron.  Even baked potatoes have iron – try topping one with a drizzle of tahini and some minced fresh parsley.

Symptoms of iron deficiency include ridged or brittle fingernails and restless leg syndrome.  I used to get that jiggly-leg thing all the time before going vegan, but back then I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to my diet.  I must not be anaemic now, because my legs are restful and my fingernails are smooth and strong.  I also love me some beans-n-greens!  Ingesting too much iron can be more harmful than too little; excess iron in the bloodstream leads to the creation of free radicals, which can harm your DNA, so please be careful with supplements.  In my opinion, it’s best to get all your nutrients from your food.

Don’t you worry about iron!  Just eat your spinach, baby.

Vitamin B12 and Pro-Biotics

B12 is synthesized by neither plants nor animals; it is a product of certain micro-organisms and is found in fermented food.  B12 is required in the smallest amount of any nutrient – just ten tiny micrograms per day are enough; even fewer if B12 is supplied on a daily basis.  VeganHealth.org advises, “If relying on fortified foods, check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12.  Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical.”  If you choose to take a supplement, read the label to make sure it is dairy- and gelatin-free.

Nutritional yeast (those flaky yellow sprinkles with a cheesy/nutty flavor) is often fortified with B12 and is also full of protein.  Spirulina (astronaut food!) and other algae and sea vegetables have lots of important minerals and vitamins, including B12.  Try adding a scoop of spirulina powder to a green smoothie.  Kombucha is a fizzy, tangy fermented beverage dating back thousands of years; fortified with a full complement of B vitamins it provides an energy boost along with antioxidants and all kinds of probiotics for your digestive tract.  In fact, probiotics are generally found in fermented foods – pickled vegetables, like sauerkraut, and soy products like miso and tempeh; live cultures are also added to soy and coconut yogurts.

Vitamin B12 and Probiotics

Calcium

If you’ve been relying on dairy products as a source of calcium, please reconsider.  Although dairy products are high in calcium, their high protein content can actually deplete calcium reserves.  Your body draws calcium from the bones to neutralize the pH of your blood if it becomes too acidic; meat and dairy are acid-forming when consumed.  Because of their low phosphorous content and alkaline nature, calcium from plant sources is much more readily utilized by the body.

So which plant foods have calcium?  You guessed it – beans and dark, leafy greens.  Almonds, oranges, kelp, blackstrap molasses and sesame are also rich in calcium.  Don’t forget your 15 minutes of sunshine – Vitamin D aids calcium absorption.  To get those D vitamins activated, you need magnesium.  Found in greens like collards and spinach, other magnesium-rich foods include okra, artichokes, dates, papaya, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.  If you want strong, healthy bones, try some almond milk and chopped dates in your breakfast cereal, or a yummy tofu and arugula salad with tahini dressing for lunch.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

These poly-unsaturated fatty acids are considered ‘essential’ because our bodies do not synthesize them, yet they are vital for normal metabolism.  Plant sources of Omega-3 abound – 1/4 cup of walnuts has a higher concentration of Omega-3 than 4 ounces of salmon.  Let the little fishes swim!  Instead of squishing them up into ‘fish oil’ try some extra-virgin olive, sunflower, pumpkin or hemp oil; beans and winter squash also have Omega-3 in small amounts.  The highest Omega-3 concentration of all is found in flax seeds, and sea algae has high levels of Omega-3 DHA.

Flaxseed has other health benefits as well; its antioxidant-producing lignans might even help prevent cancer.  Ground flaxseed makes a great egg replacer; if you’re baking, “For one egg, simply mix 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl and let sit for two minutes.  Add to a recipe as you would an egg.”  For a good dose of Omega-3 fatty acids, add some ground flaxseed to pancakes for your next Sunday brunch or try using it in a batter for veggie tempura.

Synopsis

Plants are good for you!  If you eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, mushrooms, vegetables from land and sea, and something fermented, you will get all the nutrients your body requires.  Try everything that’s in season.  Include as many different colors in each meal as you can.  Do your own research – satisfy your curiosity.

Here’s some recommended reading to get you started:

Diet for a New America by John Robbins

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell

Diet for a Dead Planet: How the Food Industry Is Killing Us by Christopher D. Cook

Many thanks + kisses to Gear for the delicious lunch he made me while I was writing today:

Sweet yellow onion, Yukon gold and Japanese sweet potatoes sautéed in lime-infused extra-virgin olive oil with fresh rosemary, sea salt + curry powder, served with fresh cherry tomatoes and steamed arugula.  Healthy, colorful and delicious!

Here’s wishing you Good Health and a Healthy Appetite!

xo

RubberCowgirl

Guest Blogger: Cadry’s Kitchen – What to do when the joke’s on you

Always great to meet new (to me) vegan bloggers. Please meet Cadry, she is the author of Cadry’s Kitchen, here she is in her own words:  ”A longtime kale & chickpea enthusiast, you’ll find me cooking up delicious plant-based fare at my blog, Cadry’s Kitchen, which is also home to the only claymation cooking video on the web.  I was a recipe contributor for Vegan’s Daily Companion, the online version of 30 Day Vegan Challenge, and The Compassionate Cooks Club.  My other interests include making hand-built pottery, biking, hiking, and keeping my cats amply supplied with nutritional yeast flakes.” Follow Cadry on her blog, Facebook and Twitter. Welcome Cadry!

Someone recently found my blog by searching, “My friends tease me because I’m vegetarian. What can I do?” Hey, searcher, this post is for you!

I don’t know how often you re-watch movies of the 1980’s, but my husband and I were flipping channels a few weeks ago and came upon Roxanne. For those of you who don’t know it, it was a modern-day take on Cyrano de Bergerac, with Steve Martin playing a man named C.D. who rocked an unusually large nose. Thinking that no one could find him attractive, he wooed the woman of his dreams through his handsome friend. In one scene, a man at a gathering called Martin’s character “Big Nose.” Martin launched into what became a stand-up routine of all of the better styles of jokes at his expense that the guy could have used.

Fashionable: You know, you could de-emphasize your nose if you wore something larger. Like… Wyoming.

Sympathetic: Oh, what happened? Did your parents lose a bet with God?

Obscure: Oh, I’d hate to see the grindstone.

I’ve been writing a lot in these past few weeks about things you discover when you first go vegan, and one that definitely comes up is that you’ll hear a lot of jokes. I think there are many reasons for that, and one of the biggest is that jokes, as a tool, are used to diffuse an uncomfortable situation. When we, as people, are suddenly aware of ourselves or our habits in a way that makes us feel defensive or uncomfortable, jokes are an easy release valve. They’re a way of voicing that discomfort in a socially accepted way.

That’s understandable and something we all do in one way or another at times. However, when veganism is totally new to you, and you’re suddenly getting teased regularly at mealtimes, it can get… tiresome. Jokes also highlight beliefs that separate us and that unite us. Sometimes when you’re a new vegan and the only one in the group, jokes create an interesting us-versus-them power dynamic, which can feel very startling when you’re suddenly in the minority.

As a new vegan, what do you do? Become grumpy and have people think you’re a spoilsport? Or laugh even when the joke is at your expense? (I mean, to the bald guy, is the 10th bald joke funny? Probably not.) Plus, when a person is vegan for the animals, it can feel like the joker-in-question is not only laughing at you, but also making light of the victims of the meat, dairy, and egg industries, who you care about.

Something that worked for me when I was newly vegan and meeting up with people who were very vocal about their differing ideologies was to take it all in as if I were watching a documentary. The jabs and jokes didn’t really have anything to do with me, even though it could feel very personal. These statements said more about their views than they did about me. I tried, not always successfully, to observe with curiosity and without attachment. (This advice goes for misguided jokes. Obviously if someone is being cruel, that’s another story…)

This past summer, my husband and I went to a grill out at a public campground. It was with a group of people that we didn’t know well, most of whom I was meeting for the first time. We brought cookies to share and Field Roast sausages and vegetables to grill. We have a mini grill that we like to use on those occasions that we’ll be cooking out with people who are grilling animal flesh, especially when public grills are involved. I think it’s easier and more pleasant to have my own grill, spatula, and tongs, and then I can keep our food animal-free. Anyway, we set up our grill not far from where some guys in the group were also cooking. They noticed that we had our own grill and were inquisitive about why.

When I told them that we’re vegan one of the guys chimed in with, “Oh, so do you have room for a cow heart on your grill?” He said it as if it were a joke, but it’s kind of insensitive and aggressive when you look at the face of it. If I’d been like Martin’s character in Roxanne, perhaps this would have been the time I pulled out the many jokes I’ve heard over the years:

Classic: Oh, you’re vegan? I’m a member of PETA. People Eating Tasty Animals.

Culinary: Yeah, I love animals too. Next to the mashed potatoes.

Philosophical: If God didn’t want us to eat animals, why did he make them of meat?

Instead I smiled and said, “Nope. We don’t have any room for that.”

As has been common in these last few posts about veganism… It gets easier. First, the jokes slow way down. After a while, people run out of jokes or they’ve already said their best ones, and so it’s not an interesting topic anymore. It’s old news. Second, people get more comfortable with you being vegan. They don’t need to diffuse an uncomfortable situation, because they aren’t uncomfortable. Third, they realize you’re still the same person you always were and that you’re going to keep being vegan. There’s no reason to continue commenting on something that’s not going to change.

So now the times when I hear jokes it’s in one of two circumstances – when I’m just meeting people and it randomly comes up or when I’m with people I know very well and who are comfortable with me being vegan. In the first case, it’s easier now to give people slack. I get it. There was a time that veganism seemed very foreign to me too. The only way that I can communicate that vegans are warm, and open, and have a sense of humor is if I give the same compassion I want to receive and the same compassion I want the animals to receive. In the second, now when my close family and friends joke with me about veganism, it’s good-natured. They know I care very deeply about animals. They get it. And it feels entirely different when a joke is made that’s born out of long conversations and shared history. It’s the kind of joke that recognizes our commonality.

Oh, and one more little thing… Why did the vegan cross the road? Because he was protesting for the chicken, man!