Thursday, October 30, 2014

Forks Over Knives

I am unable to put into words what I have learned from that documentary.  I think it is a great film to put on your netflix. 
It does NOT show animal abuse as I cannot watch those kinds of films, but it delves into the health aspects of veganism and how it benefits society and the self.
It is scientific but easy to understand.
It also shows the trail of money as to why the USDA doesnt care to advocate a meat free diet.
Since money is the root of all evil it was nice to pull out that weed.

Some day.... some day....
People will get it.

Also...
a girl at my job is going veggie for new years first to see if she can do it.  Im not sure if I have the faith in her to suceed but its the fact she cares enough to try.  She wants to be a hardcore tofu person...and I dont think tofu is nutritionally sound or really that good for you...and she has a possible wheat allergy..she and I kinda brainstormed some meal ideas, but I had to warn her that most veggie alternative premade "meats" are wheat based...
and i had to give her a run down on what gluten was..i was like omg.
she never heard of gluten.

i miss living in a cave.

i need to get a degree in nutritional science.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Update on mystery illness

No doctor knows what I have.  It is almost like the flu but not.  I was basically just really sick on my stomach and had weird aches and a fluttery heart.  I am doing better now that they have given me a script for zofran.  I have been able to eat again and my strength is back.
They also did a complete check up of my blood since I am vegetarian.

All my stats are perfect.
Iron, calcium,folate, b-12 ect...
She was impressed with my calcium stat.
So way to go veggie diet!!!

The doctor even knew what wheat protein was.  I was impressed with her.  Most of the doctors just tell me to eat more kidney beans, when you should actually eat more spinach (or kale) and black eyed peas.  And seitan is unheard of.

It is frustrating when doctors are not up with a simple vegetarian diet.  Imagine trying to explain vegan to them.  That would be very annoying. 
The seeds to make vegetarian a normal instead of a california hippy thing, were planted in my generation back in the 90's.  There was also a big push to teach my generation to recycle and other enviroment friendly things.
Some of those seeds are blooming now.
Are vegetarians the new weed in the proverbial garden...or a new breed of flower?

Egg Sandwhich Time Saver

This is why I love eggs.
Follow this link to a page that shows how to make a weeks worth of egg sandwiches in 15 mins.

http://www.efficientlifeskills.com/make-a-weeks-worth-of-healthy-egg-breakfast-sandwiches-in-15-minutes/

I really love the ideas they have about adding spinach or broccoli. Eggs are a great source of protein and b-12.



Thursday, October 23, 2014

Confession

I ate a piece of meat.
It was a thin slice of steak, and it did not taste at all like I remember meat tasting.
It was bitter and it didnt even look appealing.
But I have been feeling ill so I thought mabe I need this.
Now my stomach really hurts.

Whatever I did.
I made it worse.
Meat is not the answer.


The meat wasnt bad. But I just don't remember it tasting like that.  I think that gardein beef tips was a lot better.


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Ch Ch Ch CHIA!

These are the best little seeds ever.
I love their flavor. 
Such a simple addition to smoothies, salads, muffins or a topping to pudding. Just sprinkle and go.
And POOF
omega 3 without eatting fish.

Also they gel up when allowed to sit in a liquid.
Which is amazing.
I sprinkle them into ALL my juice drinks or kombucha teas and wait about 10-15 mins for them to gel and its amazing.  It makes the drink slightly meal like and filling.

Omega 3's are good for brain health.

Nooch ie nutritional yeast



Nooch makes me sick.
I love it though.
Its a conundrum.

It tastes great sprinkled on popcorn and over potatoes and on salads. Its cheesy without the cheese.
But it makes me feel like I am dying when I eat it.  Which makes no sense since I can eat kombucha tea just fine.  So I wonder...what it is that makes me sick...
other forms of yeast dont make me sick.
kombucha beer bread ect...
but vitamin supplements make me sick.
so maybe..its the addition of vitamins that make me sick.
I think that could be why I am feeling ill right now. I had been eatting the nooch a bit too much.
I need to throw that shit out.

Most people dont haave issues with it though.

It is the BEST source of B12 for vegans though and kinda a necessary diet supplement.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Sick Sick Sick

I am sick with some sort of cold or something.
I feel weak and sick. My nerves ache. My muscles ache.
And I cannot tell if its from lack of something in my diet or illness as it is cold and flu season again.
SO I am going to wait it out. Take multivitamins.
The only new thing that has happened around here is that the temperatures have dropped and I am cold all the time.  Despite the wood stove.
So...time will tell.
I might relapse and eat some fish for a quick fix since I have  no appetite.
Why is vegetarianism such a struggle for me?
I guess I shold just be happy it is not a cow or chicken (pork is never an option for me).

My thought process is telling me to get some hot n sour soup from a Chinese restaurant.

Being sick is no fun.
I have no energy to cook.

I have a story to tell about my hike to Annapolis Rock and Spring. But that will have to wait until I have the energy.  I learned a lot about water and culture.

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Value of Eggs

Being vegan means not eating any foods from animals as well as not eating animals.
There is controversy over honey but the majority of vegans believe that honey is not okay to consume as well.
My personal stance on eggs is that they are okay to eat if you have your own chickens and you know eggsactly (haha! exactly...get it?) how they are treated.
Which I do because my grandmother has a chicken coop.
And it is interesting to get a first hand look at how they are raised and how they interact with the world around them.
She has 20 chickens and never clipped their wings and treats them as pets.  She has her favorites and they seem to favor her too.  She feeds them chard that she grows from the garden as a treat just for them.  And even table scraps left over from dinner.   Their coop is heated in the winter and they all just hang out all day long enjoying life.
They are food producing pets and she does not plan to kill them to make into dinner once they stop laying eggs.
And they even protect the family from snakes as they have killed several copper heads over the summer!
What a better symbiotic relationship! Two species working together, human and chicken.

I feel no guilt eating these eggs.

Because if the family does not remove the eggs then the chickens try to eat them.  Which causes a mess in the coop.  Eggs are messy to clean up.

However, eggs from the store cause me a few issues.  The female chickens are not allowed to walk around and enjoy life.  They do not get to enjoy life.  They are killed after their egg baring time is over.
It is common knowledge that as chicks are sorted for egg laying, the male chicks are basically sorted and sent to their deaths and blended alive.
It is a cruel practice.  Mass production of food has created a cruel and inhumane environment for other living creatures.
If humans are so advanced then it is time to move past hurting any other sentient being for food.   If my grandmother chose to not have chickens anymore then I would not eat eggs anymore.  And I refuse to support eggs from the supermarket at all.

The grey area in this, are locally produced eggs.
I would need to see how the chickens are treated before I could pass judgment on if I would want to eat the eggs.  Some people are no better than a large commercial farm and treat the chickens as a commodity not a life.  Others are just people over run with eggs that they cannot get rid of.  This is an area that leaves wiggle room for people who want to eat eggs and have the eggs from humanely treated chickens.
A small amount of research is going to go a long way.

Create your own value system when it comes to eggs.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Veggie is the New Sexy

A girl at work today actually told me I was going to die if I did not get enough iron in me and that by not eating meat I would die.
I tried to explain that Iron comes in a few different forms, one if I was anemic (I am not) I could just take a multivitamin or something man made.
But, instead I tried to educate, a very unintelligent low class person, and I am not trying to be judgmental but this girl cannot even understand that heroin is bad for you.  How the hell can I explain to her in terms she would understand that meat is bad for you? 
All you need to know about her is that she is a hooker on the side, a heroin addict and her boyfriend pimps her out because she isnt even intelligent enough to be a freelance whore.  You know, or work a fast food job and get welfare at least.
But I digress...

  • Legumes: lentils, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, lima beans
  • Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds: pumpkin, squash, pine, pistacio, sunflower, cashews, unhulled sesame
  • Vegetables: tomato sauce, swiss chard, collard greens,
  • - See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/#sthash.iyXCbRfp.dpuf
     There are VEGAN sources of Iron...just try to toss in some Vitamin C to better absorb it.
    Edamame is my favorite.  Because its  snack, a salad topping or an addition to a wrap.
    Lentils
    Spinach
    various nuts.

    http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php
    http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/

    And boom you got yourself some iron.
    So stop sweating it. You are not going to die.
    It is funny because she is bruised all up and down from the stage and I am not, plus I am toned.  Jus sayin Veggie is the new Sexy.
  • Legumes: lentils, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, lima beans
  • Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds: pumpkin, squash, pine, pistacio, sunflower, cashews, unhulled sesame
  • Vegetables: tomato sauce, swiss chard, collard greens,
  • - See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/#sthash.iyXCbRfp.dpuf
  • Legumes: lentils, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, lima beans
  • Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds: pumpkin, squash, pine, pistacio, sunflower, cashews, unhulled sesame
  • Vegetables: tomato sauce, swiss chard, collard greens,
  • - See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/#sthash.iyXCbRfp.dpuf
  • Legumes: lentils, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, lima beans
  • Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds: pumpkin, squash, pine, pistacio, sunflower, cashews, unhulled sesame
  • Vegetables: tomato sauce, swiss chard, collard greens,
  • - See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/#sthash.iyXCbRfp.dpuf
  • Legumes: lentils, soybeans, tofu, tempeh, lima beans
  • Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds: pumpkin, squash, pine, pistacio, sunflower, cashews, unhulled sesame
  • Vegetables: tomato sauce, swiss chard, collard greens,
  • - See more at: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/iron-for-vegetarians/#sthash.iyXCbRfp.dpuf