Tag Archives: Veganism

Gluten Free, Sugar Free Vegan (or not) Coffee Cake

coffee cakeI have been on a breakfast kick and trying new things. I have this little piece of me that every now and then craves have something sweet and a little gooey.

Here is my coffee cake cheat. . . I’m not sure it is exactly healthy but it tastes great and using nuts and chia seeds adds some food value in the way of protein. Eggs work best for this, but as noted you can use applesauce for a real vegan treat. (more…)

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The Great American Meatout

Ready to take the pledge?

FARM is asking Americans to “kick the meat habit” for one day — March 20 (first day of spring). All you have to do is sign their pledge to eat vegan for one day! And you can pledge to eat vegan one day per week or for always. It’s up to you!

The pledge, Meatout, is spearheaded by FARM and is (more…)

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The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet is in the news. A Spanish study showed that people at risk for heart disease eating a Mediterranean diet were 30% less likely to die of cardio-vascular disease than the control group who ate a standard low-fat diet. It is interesting to note that group who ate the Mediterranean Diet added extra helpings of extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts.

The Mediterranean Diet in this study the Mediterranean diet is composed of plant-based foods:  olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and cereals. Along with some animal based products like fish and poultry, and limited amounts of dairy products, red meat and processed meats,. And just for fun wine and chocolate are allowed. (more…)

Posted in Caldwell Esselstyn, heart disease, heart disease, Italian, John McDougall, Pasta, plant based diet, T. Colin Campbell, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Cooking Blues

overwhelmed

It’s official – I am going through the cooking blues. There is nothing that I want to cook, nothing sounds good and my creativity is evidently on strike.

I had planned to post a recipe this morning.  But as I started sorting through what we have eaten in the last two weeks I came to the realization that I have not been really been cooking. We have been eating whatever was quick and handy. Good food, but nothing new, interesting, creative or worth sharing. (more…)

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Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes and a Plant-Based Diet

Here is the last part of my husband David’s story about his retreat from heart disease and pre-diabetic condition. He used a plant-based diet regain his health.

I was fat. My belly was distended and my body fat index was over thirty so I qualified. I was more than fifty pounds overweight.

My blood sugar was over one hundred and at one point above one hundred and fifty. My triglycerides were also higher than they should be in a healthy human being. My doctor told me that I was definitely in the pre-diabetic class. He warned if I didn’t change my diet and lose weight I would be a full-blown type 2 diabetic within 2-3 years.

He stressed losing weight because fat is an early warning sign for diabetes. Curing it is the main concern if you are showing early symptoms as I was six years ago. And yes, it is possible to cure type two diabetes no matter what any “expert” has to say. (more…)

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The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 5

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

thumbs upA Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan Diet Really Works!  And Happy New Year!

Our vegan experiment turns out to be success. When we started this we weren’t sure if it would last or if it would even make a difference. I am happy to report that it did last and that it did make a difference. We are both healthier, feeling better and looking better too.

We had annual physicals and blood tests done earlier this month. Neither of us take medications for blood pressure or cholesterol which is very unusual for people our age. And yet, we both have blood pressure that runs around 110/70. Our total cholesterol is low (below 150) and we have both seen a dramatic drop in our triglyceride levels to the low 60s.  The lab results rates each of us as having  ˂.05% risk of heart disease. That would be less that 5/10 ths of one percent risk. After examining us and see the test results the doctor told David, “you are both ridiculously healthy”. (more…)

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The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 4

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

Advanced Label Reading

I was shocked at the things that end up in “healthy” vegan foods. I guess this is really an expansion on unhealthy vegan diet choices.

I started reading labels many years ago when I quit sugar. Over the years I had gotten a little sloppy about really reading labels. I would check for sugar content and if there wasn’t any that seemed good enough. When David discovered that he was wildly reactive to MSG in all it’s forms, I started examining labels again and was shocked at all the forms of MSG that end up in our foods. Follow through on the two MSG links in this paragraph to get more info. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, Food Additives, GMO foods, processed food, vegan, vegetarian, Vitamins, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 3

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

fat cookMany “Healthy” Vegan Recipes are NOT!

The decision to be vegan meant David gave up meat. And we gave up cheese and eggs. Meal planning became a challenge. I spent a couple of hundred dollars (all of it on used bookstores) and many hundreds of hours pouring over menu plans and recipes.

My biggest take is that many vegan recipes do not fit my definition of healthy food. Many of them contain ingredients that I wouldn’t eat on a bet: (more…)

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The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 2

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

About Eggs

egg

I spent a lot of time experimenting with egg replacers this year. It was a truly informative experience. What I discovered is that

there are certain recipes where there is NO substitute for the actual egg. These include pumpkin pie, meringues and waffles. Even Ener-G, the most popular egg replacer on the market, does not work well. (more…)

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The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 1

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

Dairy effects more than my digestive system

dairyI have known for years that I’m lactose-sensitive; probably lactose-intolerant. My first clue came from eating ice-cream. A food I dearly love! I tried to chalk up my discomfort to the sugar. Unfortunately for my denial, I found that other things with sugar had a much less dramatic effect. Add sugar to milk and cream – instant IBS.

It didn’t take long to figure that cheese was also a problem. I tried to blame it on the type of rennet. In fairness the rennet did make a difference in the severity of the reaction. But even cheese made with vegetable rennet aggravated my IBS. (more…)

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