Living Without Meat

The movie that I just watched - Charlie Bartlett - was very inspirational. After watching it, I picked up my guitar for the first time this year, and got an early jump on my Sunday juice fast. I made a pink lemonade juice that was amazing!

Into the juicer went: 1/4 organic lemon with the rind on (only okay if it is organic and washed); 2 huge, red delicious apples; and 1/2 thoroughly scrubbed beet.

Yum! I highly recommend it … but I also recommend taking it slow when you pick the guiter back up. My calluses aren’t there anymore and now my fingers are in pain!

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This, and all, of the juices that I am making during this juice fast were inspired by recipes from the very informative and innovative book The Juice Lady’s Juicing for High-Level Wellness and Vibrant Good Looks by Cherie Calbom, M.S. It’s one of the best resources for both recipes and nutritional explanations.

Protein will forever be a hot topic between meat eaters and veg*ns. When I first started Living Without Meat one year ago, in May 2007, I talked for a good number of days on the nutritional subject. I brought it up in my very first post - on May 17, 2007 - as I counted the most frequently asked questions that vegetarians encouter.

I then researched and wrote a two-part article all about proteins: What are They?, and How Much Do I Need? Still, I had even more to say. After analyzing my diet for two days (day one; day two), I finally pointed out that there is more to a healthy meal than just protein.

But out of all of these articles, I never once came up with the hilarity Vegan Soapbox did earlier this week in 10 Responses to “Where Do You Get Your Protein?” The list included the perfect mix of sarcastic and educated comebacks.

My favorites were: “The grocery store,” and “The same place you do. I get my protein from food.”

Now, go read the rest of the list oer at Vegan Soapbox!

Another major print and online news source has worked up a great article on veganism.

The New York Post published “Intriguin’ Vegan: (Don’t) Say ‘Cheese’ at These Spots” on Wednesday, June 25. The article hits on celebrities in the vegan spotlight and New York City vegan restaurant reviews (simultaneously by a vegan and carnivore). It also includes a spread from a photo shoot - “V” for Vegan.

I have always wanted to do a day of only fresh juice, but have never buckled down and actually done so. But with all of the birthdays, picnics, and celebrations going on this time of year, I am finally planning a fresh juice fast for this Sunday, followed by light raw vegan foods and more juice on Monday.

Today’s mission is grocery shopping in preparation.

MY JUICE FAST GROCERY LIST:

**All organic if possible**

* 5 red delicious apples
* 1 green apple
* 3 vine-ripened tomatoes
* 2 kiwi
* 1 pineapple
* fresh ginger
* 1 pack celery
* 20+ carrots
* 1 head romaine lettuce
* beets with greens
* 1 pear
* 1 avocado
* cumin
* 1 cucumber
* fresh cilantro, basil, and parsley
* 1 lime
* 1 lemon
* 1 orange
* 1 grapefruit
* 2 bunches of spinach

From a juicing book that I snagged at the Dollar Tree, I have a lot of great sounding recipes planned out for the day including a chilled juice soup and a bloody Mary mocktail.

Check back on Sunday for specific recipes and more.

I once had a doctor ask me “How do you get your exercise?”

“I walk. A lot,” I replied.

“No. I mean exercise. Walking doesn’t really count.”

While impressed that a general practitioner would take the time to ask a patient about their workout habits, I have been forever disturbed by her disbelief in walking as exercise.

I was reminded of this instance recently as a coworker and I have been chatting about walking lately. We both take our half an hour break to walk around outside. But this week she stepped it up a notch: she’s been wearing a pedometer … and she has an extra one that she gave to me!

Today is my first day counting my steps to a healthier system. Yesterday, said coworker topped 11,000 steps. The recommendation is at least 10,000 per day.

Game on! Here I go … (”walking down the street/ I get the funniest looks from/ everyone I meet”)

***

A pedometer is a small mechanism that clips to the waistband of your pants, and keeps track of how many steps you take. It counts by tracking each bounce created by your hips, so take it off when riding in the car.

For a free pedometer of your own, join Tylenol Arthritis Pain Relief’s Keep Moving Program and receive one along with a DVD.

Step counters are also available for purchase at sporting goods, health, and other stores. If you spend more money, you get more reliability and more functions (such as calories burned, time, etc.).

In all that you choose to do (or not do) in life, it always helps to have a support community of like-minded people. I’ve been enjoying searching for new vegan blogs to read in my quest for such. One of my new favorites is Vegan Soapbox, and, thanks to the writers over there, I have a new list of ones to check out: VegNews magazine’s VegBloggy award winners.

* Abolitionist Approach
* An Animal Friendly Life
* BitterSweet
* The Conscious Kitchen
* FatFree Vegan Kitchen
* Hezbollah Tofu
* Let’s Get Sconed!
* Post Punk Kitchen
* Ramblings of a Vegan Man
* SuperVegan
* The Urban Housewife
* Veg Blog
* Vegan Dad
* VeganEtsy
* Vegan Talk
* Vegan Yum Yum
* Vegans of Color
* Vive le Vegan
* Walking the Vegan Line
* We Like it Raw
* What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway?

Check them out, let me know if you find any particularly interesting or fun … but do come back, ya hear?

Pick up the next issue of VegNews - the music issue - to read their review of each site.

In case you don’t have an awesome coworker that periodically sends you vegetarian and animal rights articles: Last Sunday’s Washington Post featured an equally cute and educational article entitled “I Love Moo: Tales From A N.Y. Animal Sanctuary.”

With that, the Sanctuary’s tour season is now in full bloom - head to the Finger Lakes to get your fill of animal love. The Bed and Breakfast on the farm fills up quickly, but don’t be bummed if you can’t get a room - Corning, NY is just down the road and is an fun, crafty town. Be sure to meet Sally the pig if you go: not only does she have the best name ever, but she has an awesome personality, too!

With exotic health foods becoming trendy, I have noticed that I don’t know how to pronounce some of the things that I am eating. So I will use my ignorance and a bit of research to clarify a few pronunciations, and while I’m at it I’ll tell you what exactly they are.

* Açaí (assai) : a small, round, blackish-purple, palm fruit used with increasing frequency in juices and teas. This nutritionally packed fruit shows high concentrates of fiber, good fatty acids, phytosterol (a cholesterol reducer), protein, and antioxidants. (Shown in picture, click to check out a site all about the acai berry.)

* Cacao (kuh-kah-o, also kuh-key-o): a vegan’s delight! Cacao is the plant from which cocoa and chocolate come. When cacao is the ingredient, this means that you are getting pure, raw chocolate - no milk added (unless also listed as an ingredient).

* Goji berries: this one needs an explanation just for the name. Most cultures actually call this little red fruit a wolfberry. The origin, and thus pronunciation, of “goji” is uncertain. Possible connections would suggest gou-qi, but people probably won’t know what you mean unless you say go-gee.

* Quinoa (keen-wah): the part we eat are tiny seeds from this grain plant. It cooks up similar to rice or couscous, but with a chewier texture. Protein content is extremely high, and it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids which is rare for such a grain. It’s gluten-free and a good source of iron, fiber, magnesium, folate, and phosphorus.

Recently I came across an archived article, titled “Should You Become a Vegetarian? Think Before You Eat,” from Ebony magazine’s July 2003 issue. It’s a good read, and good press coverage of a vegetarian diet, but I’ve devised a quicker way to decide if you should become vegetarian or not.

Answer each question with a yes or no:

1. Do you want to be healthy?

2. Do you like living animals?

3. Do you respect your body?

4. Do you believe that you are what you eat?

5. Do you feel that no creature should live a life of torture, confinement, abuse, and general mistreatment?

6. Do you like to eat delicious, nutritious, colorful food without feeling guilty?

7. Do you want to feel physically, mentally, and emotionally better?

8. Do you hate touching and preparing raw meat?

9. Do you want to be trendy and jump on the green-friendly or educated-consumer bandwagon?

10. Do you want to be in the company of celebrities like Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood, Kristen Bell, Emily Deschanel, and Tobey Maguire?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, then you should become a vegetarian! (And if you answered yes to all of them … what are you waiting for?!)

France and Canada have a satirical TV show about a family of environmentalists called The Tofus. How have I missed this show and where can I catch episodes from the two seasons that it ran (2004-2006)?

The family of activists, made up of Mom, Pop, Chichi, Lola, Buba, and Curly the pet sheep, decide that urban life is not for them. They pack up and move to a farmhouse in the fictional town of Beauville.

It’s hard to tell without seeing the cartoon whether it’s offensive or not, but any show that touches on subject such as environmental organizations, animal rights, vegetarianism, green living, and pacifism is a step forward in my book.

The show, which has been translated into French, English, and Turkish, is no longer being produced, and does not seem to be on DVD yet.

People voted, and although it seems enough of us did not vote for Kristen Bell, two celebs have won PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian title for their first times. “Bleeding Love” singer Leona Lewis and Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis have won.

Congrats, Leona and Anthony. And Kristen and Milo … don’t worry. You two are the sexiest in my book!

I continue be amazed and delighted with even the smallest of vegetarian reference in movies and TV shows. This week, three movies in a row chimed in with a nod to the veg-friendly.

1. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont: When a widowed, aging, Mrs. Palfrey decides to check in to a London hotel for a bit, the concierge checks her in as normal, asking her all the basics and detailing the for her the hotel’s schedules and rules. He begins to tell her about meals, then stops abruptly. “You’re not (*pause*) a vegetarian … are you?” he asks. She bumbles over a quick, “No. no…” And then he responds: “Good. Because we don’t cater to them.”

2. Blue State: While working on the Kerry campaign in 2004, John declares that he will move to Canada if Bush wins. Since you know how that election turned out … John heads to Canada with Chloe, a woman who responded to his ad for a traveling companion. As they head off on their journey, John is explaining how he has the whole trip planned out, step by overly detailed step. But then, just as the concierge in Mrs. Palfrey did, he stops. “Wait. Are you vegetarian?” he asks Chloe. “No! Why, are you?” Chloe responds. “Of course!”

Later in the film, I was at first taken back when John sleeps under a buffalo-skin blanket. But then I thought, being a passionate political man, the character is probably vegetarian for global warming, avoidance of big business, and other Democratic reasons. He is not an animal rights person.

3. No Reservations: Netflix has pegged me as a fan of food-related films. I thought this odd at first: Do I really enjoy watching meat being prepared alongside my romance tales? But this movie reminded me why I like them: There is always a animal rights or vegan reference.

In No Reservations, the chefs are in a hustle and bustle mode and become flustered and enraged when a patron sends back a foie gras entree, declaring it improperly cooked. A food staff woman on the peripheral adds, in a sing-songy voice, “Foie gras is cruelty to animals.”

I just love being acknowledged and knowing that the thought was put into other viewers’ minds, regardless of whether it is slanted toward the positive or negative outlook.

The onset of summer seems to invoke in people a need to think about their pets’ needs more so than other times. Whether it’s the heat or vacations, I don’t know. But here are some odd and interesting pet-related stories, news, and products.

* Veterinarians have agreed: a pet’s biggest health threat is human error. With the launch of a new site - Remind My Pet - owners can now receive e-mail updates reminding them how and when to give their loved creature medicine. Register for free and ensure that you are providing healthy and safe care.

* Animal Keepsake Memorials has a new product to help you remember your four-legged family member forever: the Fur-Ever-Friends pet urn. For $65 you can get a triangular box. For an additional $125, you can order a personalized, engraved plaque with a photo on it. For about $20, you can buy a picture frame and make your own photo memorial.

* When Leona Hemsley passed away in March, she left $12 million to her dog Trouble. And almost nothing to her grandchildren. Now, a judge reversed Hemsley’s will on the grounds that she was not in sound mind when she created it. The ruling gave each of two grandkids $3 million, $4 million to charity, and the remaining $2 million to Trouble (and his caretaker who gets $60,000 a year).

* PetMD.org published a list of ten ways to keep your pets healthy during hot summer days. In short: provide lots of water; don’t leave them in a car; know that age and weight effect heat tolerance; don’t leave food out - it can grow bacteria; learn what’s toxic; put an ID tag on them; check for bugs; groom them; provide shade, especially for fish tanks; take walks in early morning or late evening.

* The Humane Society created a top ten list for best things to do outside with your dog. But it seems they forgot the best one … having your dog help you score a date.

* Pet Sitters International has declared Friday, June 20, to be Take Your Dog to Work Day. Supposedly it’s to celebrate canine companions and encourage others to adopt a dog, but I say it’s to give pet sitters the day off.

* The ASPCA is hosting the Adopt-a-Bull contest where humans can show off their recent pit bull adoptees. In celebration of Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month, there is also a cat photo contest.

I’ve been slowly tasting all of my vegan goodies from the Farm Sanctuary Gala gift bag. There were four different brands of vegan cookies to try, all of which had their unique taste.

1. Sun Flour Baking Company: all of their cookies are soft and vegan, some are wheat- and gluten-free. I tried the peanut butter one, and found it to be the perfect amount of sweetness. The cookies also come in the perfect size: at 4 oz. they are about the same size as an average, store-bought cookie. The chewiness was a little tougher than I expected, but I liked the texture.

2. Alternative Baking Company: This company is 100 percent vegan, so once you reach their Web site you can shop to your belly’s content without having to read labels. I tried the peanut butter persuasion flavor and loved it! They also bake wheat-free cookies, and other flavors like explosive espresso chip, luscious lemon poppyseed, and a special seasonal flavor that changes regularly. But when eating one of these massive cookies, do note that they are labeled as two servings, 250 calories each. Finish the whole thing, and you’ve consumed 500 calories!

3. Everyday Gourmet: Another 500 calories cookie … but chocolate chip! This company boasts all-natural baked goods with a range of organic, vegan, wheat-free yummies in sugar-free, naturally sweetened with agave nectar, and regular sugar. The cookie was a bit crumbly, but that doesn’t change the taste - it was good.

4. Late July Organic Snacks (shown here): After devouring two of the largest cookies ever, this oreo-looking sandwich cookie seemed small as I approached it. But I was pleasantly surprised how it satisfied my sweet cravings! Oreos are vegan themselves, but these Late July sandwiches top oreos: they are organic, include green tea, and come in real vanilla bean or dark chocolate filling.

Amongst all four, I couldn’t pick a favorite - they all have their own deliciousness that attacks different sweetness cravings. Not a cookie fan? Many of the companies also make muffins, cakes, pies, chocolates, and other vegan treats.