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Who’s the Happy Vegan?

Just this year, Nutrition Journal published a report that vegetarian diets are associated with healthy mood states. Huh? That’s right, vegetarians and vegans are apparently happier than omnivores.  Hmmm . . .so that’s why meat-eaters are so groucy. . . 😉 Well, what the researchers found is that vegetarian diets exclude fish, the major dietary source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), critical regulators of brain cell structure and function. Omnivores diets low in EPA and DHA are linked to impaired mood states in observational and experimental studies.

It was thought that meat-eaters would be less prone to depression and low moods because of the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, but veggie-mites scored lower on the tests for depression. So really, they have no idea why. Fascinating. Perhaps its what VegNews theorized in their latest issue: It was the “knowledge that a vegan diet does not contribute to the unnecessary suffering of animals” that contributes to the participants’ good moods. I’ll go with it.

I Love You, Jamie Oliver


I have had quite a crush on British cutie, Jamie Oliver ever since I watched his Food Revolution. I love what he has done to instigate change in school lunches. Even though his meals include animal products, I still have that “bad-boy-I-know-he’s-no-good-for-me” crush on him. He is, after all, the one person who has taken on the daunting challenge of overhauling the atrocious excuses for school lunches.

Well now. . . I have even more reason to drool over him. He’s going to launch a vegetarian/vegan cookbook! Oliver said that 60-65% of his recipes have been vegetarian or vegan but that fans have pushed for a meat-free cookbook.

“Often I get cornered out by vegetarians who are going to knock me out with a cucumber,” said Oliver. “I’m like “dude, look in the back of the book. Open up the index and there’s all these little v’s.” And they’ll go “Oh, right, but we want out own book.” For many years I just felt like, “C’mon, stop being so sensitive.” But actually this year we’re going to bundle all of my vegetarian recipes and vegan recipes into one big massive, mammoth book and give ‘em that book. Because it’s right. You know, in the old days there wasn’t so many vegetarians and now there’s many. Vegetarian as a general concept is a brilliant thing,” Oliver added. “We’ve got to stop eating so much meat. We are eating too much meat.”

I hope he truly feels this way and is not out to just cash in on the growing numbers of vegetarians he’s talking about.  Maybe in the end, it’s all about making a buck. However, in the meantime, I will give my British cutie the benefit of the doubt and be first in line to buy his new cookbook (I know. . .so blinded by my foodie crush).

Check out an interview with Oliver discussing this new and highly anticipated venture at Mother Nature Network.

“We don’t need to eat anyone who would run, swim, or fly away if he could.”

-James Cromwell

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Rampant Recalls

There are a plethora of reasons I’m glad my family and I are vegans. One of them is the number of meat and dairy recalls—and we only hear about a few. Obviously, the big one right now is eggs. Half a billion eggs are recalled due to Salmonella.. Half a billion!! How does this happen? I’m so glad that I don’t put my trust into these companies, especially in “Wright Country Eggs” who is owned by Jack DeCoster. 13 years ago, he was fined $2 million for serious workplace violations. Read about this idiot HERE. It’s his business that has distributed the tainted eggs.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspectors Service has issued nearly 40 recalls of eggs, poultry, and other meat. This doesn’t even include milk and milk products. As we know, even vegetables, fruits and other plants are not immune to Salmonella—all because of the meat and dairy industry. Salmonella is a bacteria is normally found in animal’s intestines. It doesn’t stay there. From slate.com:

“Manure, runoff and wild animals— Livestock animals, especially when kept in large numbers in confined spaces, can contract salmonella and carry the bug without showing any symptoms at all. Infected cows, pigs, and chickens shed the bacteria in their waste, which is sometimes used to fertilize nearby fields. The heat generated when manure is composted kills off most, but not all, disease-causing bacteria. Contaminated water supplies can also put salmonella on your tomatoes. Runoff from livestock pastures, or from leaky or overtopped waste lagoons at industrial farming sites, can dirty streams, groundwater, and other bodies of water farmers draw on for irrigation.”

The 2006 outbreak of E. coli in spinach, for example, was traced to a pack of wandering wild boars. The swine had picked up tainted cow manure on their hooves before breaking through the fence of a nearby spinach field to graze.

Zemco Industries of Buffalo, N.Y., has voluntarily recalled nearly half-a-million pounds of deli meat products distributed nationwide to Walmart stores because of possible contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly disease. If we can get our sources of protein, calcium, and vitamins from non-animals sources, why take these risks? Especially considering this:

“In 1999, produce was responsible for 40 separate food poisoning incidents in the United States. In 2004, that number climbed to 86. There have been 13 major outbreaks involving tomatoes alone since 1990.

Why the shift? One factor is a lack of inspections of farms and packing plants by the Food and Drug Administration, which means that more contaminated produce slips into the market undetected. The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects every meatpacking plant in the country each day, keeping close tabs on safety conditions. By contrast, the Food and Drug Administration, which is charged with regulating produce, might inspect a vegetable packing facility once a year, and the number of inspections is shrinking. In 1972, the FDA inspected 50,000 farms and plants. By 2006, that number had dwindled to 10,000. Meanwhile, having increasingly centralized packing plants means that crops from a single contaminated field can mingle with clean produce and be shipped across a wider swath of the country than ever before.”

–slate.com

Vegans are not immune to product recalls and contaminated food—no one is, but at least we have choices of where to get our vegetables and we know where most of them come from, especially if we buy local.

Now, Why Didn’t I Think of This?

So this has nothing to do with food, but it’s so brilliant, I wanted to share it everyone. The Husband sent me a link to The Conscious Mind Network. I was enthralled because it’s just so cool. Scott Brusaw and his wife Julie have this amazing idea to create solar powered roadways. I don’t even know where to begin to explain this idea because well, I was an art major, not an engineer. I am humbled by these brilliant minds. What the Brusaws propose is that solar paneled roadways would not only pay for themselves over time, but create 3 times the energy that the world uses on a daily basis. How cool is that?

Check out this amazing project at Solar Roadways and watch a video explaining the project (in terms that most of us non-engineers can understand) and vote for Brusaw’s vision at GE’s Ecomagination Challenge.

Think of me tonite
For that which you savor
Did it give you something real,
or could you taste the pain of my death in its flavor?
-Wayne K. Tolson, from “Food Forethought”

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Chloe Coscarelli, the (vegan) Cupcake Champ!


Ms. Coscarelli, a vegan chef beat out some very stiff competition on Cupcake Wars, on the Food Network. I am so glad that not only did Chloe prove that vegan food can beat out all others, but that Food Network is starting to recognize vegan food. It’s about time. I am waiting (im)patiently for them to finally get a vegan-based cooking show–I have a feeling it will be soon. In the meantime, check out Coscarelli’s site—there are lots of delicious recipes!

World Vegan Day: November 1st!


Mark your calendars! What a great opportunity to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to your humble abode for a delicious vegan feast! In the process, spread the word that not only is going vegan the best thing to do for your health (and for the animals), but healthy for the environment as well. This annual event began in 1994 by Louise Wallis, then President & Chair of the The Vegan Society, which has been around for nearly 66 years.

Check out World Vegan Day 2010 for more information and lots of great tips, recipes and links!

No Such Thing as a “Late Bloomer” Anymore. . .

. . .thanks to the hormones in milk—at least that’s a theory. For the last  ten years or so, researchers and physicians have been seeing huge jumps in development in girls (not to mention obesity) and speculate that milk could be partly to blame. Every sip of cow’s milk contains 59 different bioactive hormones, according to endocrinologist, Clark Grosvenor in the Journal of Endocrine Reviews. Yuck! What’s more, is that milk also contains traces of the reproductive hormones estradiol, testosterone, and something called IGF-1 which may raise the risk of certain kinds of prostate cancer. Check out preventcancer.com for more on that…

However, we can’t lay ALL the blame on souped up cow’s milk. Soy milk, with it’s natural estrogen is also being investigated as a culprit of early puberty. Still, at least the soybean isn’t tortured, pumped full of hormones and subjected to a life of hell.

There are lots of different theories and lots of different variables, but why take chances? Pass me some almond milk, please.

Comic thanks to Bizarro.com and Dan Piraro

“The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.”

-Plutarch, Greek philosopher

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Would You Serve an All Vegan Wedding or Party?

This question came up onYumSugar, prompted by the recent wedding of Chelsea Clinton, a fellow vegan. She threw an all-vegan wedding, however, did offer a grass-fed beef. Allergic to gluten, she had a gluten-free cake, as well. The responses were mixed. Some people felt that the bride and groom were obligated to offer different types of food for their guests and make their guests comfortable. (How can veggies make someone uncomfortable)? Others felt that if the bride and groom are paying for it, they should serve whatever they like.

I was surprised by the amount of people who expected meat at a wedding. It’s ONE meal. And it’s free! I think serving an all vegan wedding would be such a fabulous opportunity to show people how amazing vegan food is. The problem is, (I think) is that people have a preconceived notion that vegan food is boring and tasteless, so they’ll hate it before they even taste it. VegNews highlighted several different vegan weddings that would inspire anyone!

What do you think? Do you feel obligated to serve meat at a party or wedding?

Veggie Power!

Urban Veganista did a great post on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent report of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. You can read the report here.  As Urban Veganista pointed out (and what got me so excited) is that the Dietary Guideline Committee suggests that Americans should transition to a plant -based diet of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains., but fell short of promoting a vegan/vegetarian diet. Still, it’s awesome news.

“Our review indicated that intake of vegetable protein is generally linked to lower blood pressure, but this could be due to other components in plant foods, such as fiber, or other nutrients. Individual sources of vegetable protein have no unique health benefits so choice of plant protein sources can come from a wide range of plant-based foods.”

However, when I read, or should I say, tried to decipher, the report, I was a little frustrated. Studies they cited throughout the report were all “inconclusive”, especially regarding soy protein vs. animal protein. Luckily, there were some studies that helped propel a vegan view point:

  • Processed meat is linked to cancer, particularly breast, prostrate and colorectal cancers
  • Consumption of total meat and red and processed meat (combined) was linked to developing elevated blood pressure and hypertension
  • Increase plant-based foods in order to combat obesity

The report clearly shows that there needs to be more research and studies done, but it’s a positive start and step in the right direction.

“I abhor vivisection with my whole soul. All the scientific discoveries stained with innocent blood I count as of no consequence.”

– Gandhi

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Brings New Meaning to ‘Veggie Dog’

Moe

So do you feed your pet a vegan diet? It can be a controversial issue. Dog food itself is full of animal parts and cancerous tissue. There are LOTS of ingredients to avoid when picking out the best food for that sweet, lovable child -with-fur. For a list of those nasty ingredients, check out The Dog Food Project.

Regardless of avoiding these ingredients, pet food still contains other animal products. Is it safe to give your pooch a vegan diet? Will they get all of their vital nutritional needs met? It’s quite a task to pick out food for pets since there are a million choice: active dog, old dog, joint help, shiny coat, etc, etc. . . . Vegetarian Dogs can also answer some questions regarding this decision.

Our Moe is fed a natural dog food that has Glucosamine for his joints. He’s got a tender tummy and can be quite gassy, so I can’t imagine feeding him a veggie-based diet! I’m not crazy about feeding him animal products, but we try to go with the most natural stuff out there. There are actually lots of brands out there that claim to be vegetarian, but I think the best bet is to talk to your vet before making such a radical change to Rover’s diet.

57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan

Well, I won’t list all 57, but you can go to NursingDegree.net for the full list. As the site says, vegans are misunderstood. I couldn’t agree more. People tend to think we’re deficient in every vitamin and mineral, protein and calcium and that we are fanatic about animal rights. It’s certainly a stereo type. And while I am an advocate for animal rights, that isn’t how it started for me—it was for health reasons that I decided to go vegan and through this process, I’ve become more aware of the animal abuse issues. What prompted you to go vegan?


The list includes nutritional benefits such as reduced saturated fat, more fiber, and increased antioxidants.

Disease prevention like cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Physical benefits such as weight loss (woo-hoo)!, healthy skin, and energy.

Reduces unnecessary food products and toxins that are in animal protein and eggs, not to mention mercury

Bonus health benefits such as avoiding E.Coli, Mad cow disease, and hormone consumption

And just plain eating healthy because there are lots of sources of fat-free vegan food, gluten-free, and raw cooking that help anyone on their journey of becoming and staying vegan.

Check out the full list at NursingDegree.net, print it off and show it to everyone who know and love!

The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.  If beef is your idea of “real food for real people” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital.

-Neal Barnard

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The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen

Prevention mag just came out with the updated lists of the dirtiest and cleanest veggies—ones that you should definitely splurge and buy organic and the ones that you can get away with buying conventional. There’s some newbies on the lists and some surprises, too.

The Dirty Dozen: Buy Organic

Celery: 75% of crop is grown in the fall when rain and wind promote the growth of bacterial and fungus and because we eat the whole stalk, it gets sprayed A LOT for pests.

Peaches: Because of the peach fuzz, it can trap pesticides easily, and since they’re sprayed every week or two, it’s good to go organic with these guys.

Strawberries: Since they are delicate, they’re prone to attacks by pests, so they get sprayed with pesticides often—mostly for cosmetic reasons.

Apples: Since they can be stored up to 9 months AND are prone to 30 different insects AND 10 diseases, apples are sprayed continuously.

Blueberries: They are favorites of magots and bagworms, so they are treated with pesticides. They are also new to the list.

Nectarines: Even without the fuzz, they are susceptible to rot and scarring.

Bell Peppers: They lack the bitter compounds that act as bug repellents (unlike their cousins, broccoli and sweet peppers) and have crevices and creases where pesticides can collect and hide.

Spinach: Like me, lots of insects and grasshoppers LOVE spinach, plus, it tends to pull DDT residue out of the soil and into the leaf. ( DDT can live in the soil way after it was banned).

Kale: Sprayed heavily for any type of insect.

Cherries: They don’t have a peel for protection and if one maggot gets into the shipment, the entire load is dumped, so growers don’t risk that. They spray the heck out of them.

Potatoes: I have always heard this about potatoes—even growers will not eat their own potatoes unless they grow them organically. They are sprayed up to five times throughout the growing season and then again after harvesting to prevent sprouting and molds.

Imported Grapes: During their trek from down south, they easily can contract Botrytis cinerea rot. . .hmmm…sounds gross. It causes fruits to split and leak, so farmers want to ward that off, and they aggressively treat them with pesticides. Domestic ones are grown in the dry desert climates of Southern California, where the rot doesn’t thrive.

The Clean 15: Save Your Pennies

Onions: They have their own protective chemicals and are only treated once early in the season. However, the residues are removed by the outer layer of the bulb during harvest.

Avocado: It’s all on the peel, baby.

Sweet Corn: It’s all on the husk, baby.

Pineapple: If treated, it’s early in the season and the residue is gone by harvest time. Otherwise, it is removed with the outer rind.

Mangos: It’s all in the peel, baby. Plus. . .they are grown in climates where fungus isn’t a problem–nothing hand washing won’t take care of.

Sweet Peas: Protected by the pod, baby.

Asparagus: Insects don’t have time to wreak havoc since the spears grow so dang fast.

Kiwifruit: Thanks to Lacewings and parasite wasps, pests are kept at bay.

Cabbage: The outer leaves—that are sprayed early on—are removed before sale.

Eggplant: The slick surface sheds chemicals easily.

Cantaloupe: It’s all in the rind, baby.

Watermelon: Again, all in the rind, baby.

Grapefruit: In the rind. Do we see a pattern, here?

Sweet Potato: This one surprised me because of it’s dirty cousin, but because it has a milky-white sap that gums up insect mouthparts, they leave this root veggie alone. They are also cured at warm temps and high humidity that causes the skin to thicken, therefore, protecting it further.

Honeydew Melon: Say after me. . .It’s all in the rind, baby.

Before There Was Food, Inc.

There was Fast Food Nation. Me and the Husband watched this movie just recently and it reiterated for me how much I LOVE being a vegan. I think it really pushed the hubby to fully be He-gan (male vegan) and to not even crave a burger again. Unlike Food, Inc., it’s not a documentary, but sort of is. It stars Greg Kinnear and others, like Bruce Willis and Ethan Hawke in a scripted, yet awareness-producing flick about slaughterhouses and what exactly goes on behind the scenes. We’ve all heard Paul McCartney say, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Well, he ain’t kidding, folks. I won’t lie—there are certainly some graphic scenes at the end, but they portray what goes on in a real slaughterhouse, confirming Sir McCartney.

Excellent movie. The author of Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, is also co-producer of Food, Inc. Definitely worth a watch with your non-vegan pals.

How can you eat anything with eyes?

-Will Kellogg

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Are You a Raw Foodie?

I am both intrigued and scared by the raw food diet—mainly because I’m just not that familiar with it. Luckily, there are experienced raw foodists to come to the rescue! Eco Chef Bryan Au is a raw chef extraordinaire and his site, Raw in Ten Minutes offers recipes, an online store and access to downloading his $2 iphone app, Eco Chef 10 Minute Meals with  Bryan Au. The app, is actually #4 on itunes.com and I’m pretty impressed with it. The pictures and graphics are colorful, clear and easy to read. You’ll find over a 100 recipes that you can make in 10 minutes or less, like Eggplant Manicotti, pancakes, and onion rings. With an app like this, I’m definitely more inclined to try adding some raw meals to my repertoire.

Nachos (photo courtesy of Raw in Ten Minutes)

So, if you’re like me, and not in the loop regarding the raw diet, I found some information from where else? About.com:

“The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Heating food above 116 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and “life force” of food. Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw.”

What does a raw foodist eat?

Unprocessed, preferably organic, whole foods such as:

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Nuts

Seeds

Beans

Grains

Legumes

Seaweed

Unprocessed organic or natural foods

Freshly juiced fruit and vegetables

Purified water

Young coconut milk

It’s certainly important to do your homework when it comes to changing your diet like this, but I’m excited to incorporate 1-2 raw meals a week into our diet and hopefully still reap the benefits: more energy, better digestion, and weight loss. (Fortunately, just going vegan has done all that for us already).

So how about it? Would you go raw?

Bringing the Veg Life to a College Near You

Today, more and more college students are becoming more aware of the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle and passing it along. Vegan Outreach has a program called Adopt A College where people can win prizes for handing out the most pamphlets—vegetarian pamphlets that educate folks on animal abuse. Most of the volunteers are actually not students. One volunteer handed out 52,835 leaflets at 100 schools in the Fall of 2009!


StAR (Students for Animal Rights) is a nationwide coalition of college students working towards stopping animal cruelty. Three years ago, they started College Veg Pledge, a movement calling on all college students to go vegan for the month of May. Check out an interview with Kenny Torella, StAR Outreach Coordinator, on VegNews.

I don’t hold animals superior or even equal to humans. The whole case for behaving decently to animals rests on the fact that we are the superior species. We are the species uniquely capable of imagination, rationality, and moral choice – and that is precisely why we are under an obligation to recognize and respect the rights of animals.

-Bridgid Brophy

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Wow, is it Friday already? I haven’t been posting too many new recipes lately–I’ve been busy and just been making some of my favorites meals that are already posted. Next week, though, I’m ready to get back in the kitchen and start working some vegan magic. In the meantime, Feast On This!:

Meat Free Mondays Are Catching On!

San Francisco is the first city to actually pass a motion promoting a plant-based diet by encouraging its residents to forgo meat at least one day a week. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors are hoping to get restaurants, grocery stores, and schools to offer more meat-free options.

Other cities are catching on as well, such as Takoma Park, Maryland where a statewide initiative designating April 24th-April 30th as Takoma Park Veg Week.

Get Involved! All it takes are some great vegan/vegetarian recipes and you’ve got a Monday night get together with friends, family, and neighbors. Encourage them to go meat-free on Monday by supplying them with a great recipe, or better yet, cook together. It won’t take much to convince people that vegan food is not rabbit food! Start your own revolution in your neighborhood by hosting a a Boca Burger BBQ! Word will spread and you just might inspire someone to host their own Meat Free Monday Night!

Check out the Meat Free Monday website for news, ideas, and learn ways to spread the word!

Rocco the Vegan Cowboy

You’ve probably seen this video before, but it’s one of my favorites! Rocco, a rancher and long-time meat eater took on Dr. Oz’s challenge of going vegan for a month. It’s amazing how much Rocco’s life (and health)  has changed since going vegan–it’s the best testimonial for the vegan diet.

Milk Wars

The National Milk Producers Federation wants “milk” to be theirs and only theirs. They have asked the Food and Drug Administration to define milk as “the secretions of a lactating mammal” (gee…doesn’t that sounds appetizing?) and that plant-based milks be defined as “imitation milk.” Is this really important? The FDA isn’t jumping on it right away, saying that they will consider the issue, but will focus on public health priorities.

First it was necessary to civilize man in relation to man. Now it is necessary to civilize man in relation to nature and the animals.

-Victor Hugo

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Serving Up an Endangered Species

This story really struck a chord with me and I wanted to share it with all of you. In honor of World Cup, Cameron Selogie, owner of Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, AZ is serving burgers made with lion meat. The burger is a limited edition, costing patrons $21, a cost not nearly as damaging as the one to the endangered species.

Selogie claims that meat comes from a free-range farm in Illinois, but gee, guess what? No one can seem to find this farm. Who in the heck raises lions for meat in the U.S. anyway? I actually hope that this a publicity thing and that there isn’t a Simba in the burgers at all. Selogie is obviously experiencing the wrath of animal rights activists from all over, which he can’t fathom. “Frankly, I’m a little shocked with all the problems in the world today, with the oil spill and immigration, that people have this much time to talk about 10 pounds of lion meat,” he said. What a tool.

UPDATE June 30, 2010: Selogie is now questioning whether the meat he received is even legit, meaning, was it hunted or farm raised in this mysterious Illinois farm. Serving lion meat is completely legal in the US and African lion is not in fact endangered, like it’s Asiatic cousin. Selogie bought the 10 pounds of lion meat from what he says is a Phoenix-based wild game distributor. The meat came from a shipper in Illinois. The owner of this company, Richard Czimer, claimed that the meat was inspected by the USDA, but according to the USDA, they had not done so. Czimer was even in jail in 2003 for illegally selling tiger and leopard meat. No one really knows where exactly the meat has come from–whether it came from circus lions, farmed, or shot in the wild. Either way, it’s absolutely horrible. And Selogie is still a tool. So is Czimer.

What’s in Your Kid’s School Lunch? And Why?

Since kindergarten, my son has taken his lunch to school. Not because he was always a vegan (that only happened several months ago), but have you seen the crap they serve?! I mean, I think we all remember those days at the school cafeteria where the cheese on the pizza never moved and the chicken nuggets were like eating seasoned sponges. After watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I fell in love with him. Even though he’s not a vegan, I commend him for trying to get changes made in American school lunches. The Obama’s are taking this very serious, too, and that gives me hope.

The USDA has guidelines that date back to 1995 that schools must abide by, or they lose their federal funding.  The government buys surplus commodities at a discounted rate that are ordered way in advance. They have to get eaten. So who gets all the frozen, processed crap? Your kids. And the even tougher part is that the healthier food costs more and will kids even eat it? To me, it’s a vicious cycle if something doesn’t change.

Read can read more about this at VegNews and get the full scoop.

Who Cut the. . .spinach?

Ok, so we’ll end today’s post on a lighter note. I’m just gonna say it—vegans can be a gassy bunch. It’s a common issue with vegans and vegetarians since we consume a large amount of fiber from vegetables and grains. When you’ve consulted the doc and you know it just all that excess fiber, you may have to make some changes.

Drink lots of water. I have never been a very good water-drinker, but I have seen the light and drink between 64 and about 82 ounces of water a day and I’ve noticed a big difference, so water retention can also be a issue.

Know your fiber. Dietary fiber is the edible portions of plant cell walls that are resistant to digestion and extremely beneficial component of our diets. With this fiber, you feel fuller longer. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance and swells when mixed with water. It helps moderate blood glucose levels and lower cholesterol. Good sources of soluble fiber include oats and oatmeal, legumes, barley, fruits and vegetables (especially oranges, apples and carrots). Insoluble fiber does not absorb or dissolve in water and passes through our digestive system in close to its original form.  Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurrence of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids, and constipation.

Process of elimination. Maybe there is just one thing you’re eating that causing the problems. Soy is said to sometimes cause bloat and gas. Go without it for a few weeks (which would be a monumental task for me)! Cut out white flour, or white rice. Switch to whole wheat pasta. And keep a food diary–you’ll be amazed at the patterns you’ll find and it may be easier to pinpoint the culprit.

Be good to your belly. Take a probiotic. Good Belly is a vegan juice loaded with probiotics and help keeps our bodies’ bacteria balanced. It works. And, it tastes good! You can get it at most health food stores and I buy them in small single-serve shot-like glasses, but they also come in quarts.

To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana.

— Buddha

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Just Say No. . .To GMOs!

That’s what the great people at nongmoproject.org want you to do as well as food producers. They are a non-profit organization made up of consumers, farmers and manufacturers who want to ensure products fall below the .9% of GMO threshold and they want consumers to know it. So they created a seal to stick on products that get a passing grade, which you’ll start seeing this summer.

I have found that it is getting easier and easier to find non GMO products on grocery store shelves these days and I sure appreciate what the Non GMO Project is doing to help. Check out their site to learn more about their endeavors and what you can even do to help out.

Got a Raw Rug, Yet?

Husband and wife team, Todd and Meg van der Kruik of Union 18, make the most amazing rugs from recycled carpets! The rugs are gorgeous and one-of-a-kind! Here’s what they say:

“The beauty, richness and elegance of the whole can only be realized once the search for the parts is complete. Each piece is gathered, grouped and assembled without expectation. Pulled from the thousands of pounds of waste left behind as a result of the manufacturing process, it is only a vision that guides the search. Rooting out, uncovering, liberating each castoff to form something new, unique and extraordinary. The colors and textures must be found, not created. Only then can they truly exist. “

As soon as I realized that I didn’t need meat to survive or to be in good health, I began to see how forlorn it all is.  If only we had a different mentality about the drama of the cowboy and the range and all the rest of it.  It’s a very romantic notion, an entrenched part of American culture, but I’ve seen, for example, pigs waiting to be slaughtered, and their hysteria and panic was something I shall never forget.

–Cloris Leachman

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