Living Without Meat

Yesterday I proclaimed it silly to think that being vegan is hard. Today, I received a question from a college friend about keeping veganism cheap. And as we all know, a diet is easier to follow to if it is affordable.

So how is being vegan easy? It’s cheap.

My friend writes: I started delving into [being vegan] in March and haven’t had any problems because I’ve been living at home. But I move in a week to go to Grad school and I will be on a very limited budget. I was hoping you may have some helpful hints/ideas on how to maintain my healthy lifestyle because I really cant imagine going back to just being vegetarian.

Tips for Being Vegan on a Budget (something I know a lot about):

1. Find a good bulk store. In Philadelphia, I go to Nuts to You, a local chain store that has inexpensive bulk nuts, dried fruits, grains, baking needs, and even candy. On top of their low prices, they also greater discount the more you buy. Giant grocery stores and natural food co-ops are other places that I have found low cost bulk foods.

2. Eat less processed foods. Veganism becomes expensive when you start buying lots of frozen veggie burgers, Amy’s meals, prepared foods, and other processed stuff.

3. When you do eat out, know how to work the menu. It is not worth the price you’ll pay to order something that usually had meat and ask them to leave it off. Usually, you still pay the with-meat price. Instead, try asking the waitress if the chef is willing to put something together for you or order a few side dishes. I recently got beans, rice, and sauteed veggies at Chili’s for only about $6 by ordering side dishes.

4. Use things up. It may sound obvious, but it really helps. Don’t let any food go to waste. If fresh vegetables, especially spinach, are starting to go bad — freeze them. Also, don’t worry about keeping a fully stocked pantry; rather, use what you buy before you buy more (except for foods that are cheaper in bulk, of course).

Those are my best suggestions for keeping veganism affordable. What tips can you add? Leave a comment!

I was flipping through old issues of Natural Health magazine recently and have decided that it is an extremely vegan-friendly publication. One issue in particular had a long article all about cow milk alternatives. It analyzed and explained nut milks such as soy and almond, and grain milks such as rice.

I already knew plenty about a vegan’s milk options, but I did learn the importance of being picky when selecting your soy milk.

1. You should always buy organic soy milk. Regular, non-organic soy bean plants are very heavily sprayed with pesticides. Also, 85 percent of soy beans manufactured in the U.S. come from genetically modified plants. (source for these stats: Quamut)

2. You should buy soy milk without added sugar for most of your milky needs. The occasional flavored soy milk is fine, just consider it dessert because a large portion of the calories in soy milk with sugar added come from sugar. It’s not just the chocolate that’s a culprit here though, plain soy milk often has just as much sugar in it.

3. If you are drinking or using a lot, switch it up with other milk options once in awhile. There is still plenty of controversy and debate over whether or not we can take in too much soy, since it contains phytoestrogens which can cause a hormonal imbalance. I decided to pick up something other than soy this week and, as luck would have it, Acme has both rice and almond milks on sale!

4. Buy fortified soy milk. Although it naturally has lots of low-fat protein, all nine essential amino acids, and plenty of other healthy stuff, it is not a natural source of calcium or B vitamins. You should look for milks that have both of these added in.

Dear coffee shops (big chains and small locals alike, except for you, Dunkin Donuts, because you refuse to offer soy milk at all):

I, and many other vegans and lactose intolerant folks, genuinely appreciate you offering soy milk for our guilty pleasure iced latte fix. However, there are a few concerns that I would like to address with you.

1. Why must we pay an additional fee for choosing soy milk? Sure it’s a little more expensive, but only about $2 more per gallon if you bought it from the store and I am sure that you can get better deals that Average Jane. You charge about 50 cents for around 10 ounces. Now I am not doing exact math here, but that is about $10 in extra fees per gallon of soy milk. That is quite the mark up!

2. Can you please teach your baristas the importance of shaking the soy milk often? Before each use would be preferable. I don’t know about others, but I am not a big fan of the chalky taste and texture that soy milk develops when it is not given a good shake once in awhile. Seeing as how you are charging us extra for it, I don’t think it is too much to ask to get a chalk-free latte. Perhaps you could reinvest all that extra soy milk money into a brief memo to all of your employees: “shake the soy milk, please.” Would that be so hard?

But again, I would like to stress that, although it may not seem like it, I do highly appreciate you carrying soy milk.

Sincerely,

Sally, the only slightly disgruntled vegan

The LOL Cats of I Can Has Cheezburger have been feeling quite vegetarian lately …

Although there are a number of reasons why my two cats still eat a meat-based diet - one is sick and ends up in the hospital if I feed him anything other then his prescription food - there are plenty of people who have successfully fed their cat a healthy vegetarian diet. If you want to try weening Fluffy off of the fleshy stuff, be sure to check out these helpful sites:

* Vegan Cats is a great resource for vegan cat and dog food, treats, supplements, shampoo, and more. You can also purchase vegan pet foods and products at Vegan Essentials, Pangea the Vegan Store, and Veggie Pets.

* “Cat Vegetarian Diet Research - Is It Healthy For Your Cat,” an ezine article written by Moses Wright, founder of FelineDiet.net.

* The Essential Vegetarian’s blog post, 7 Reasons Why Your Cat Cannot Be Vegetarian which, although it is clearly on the non-veg side, provides a detailed explanation of what cats need nutritionally. Similar information is laid out on the Vegetarian Society’s cat diet fact sheet.

* The International Vegetarian Unions FAQs about feeding pets a veggie diet answers the basic concerns.

* Find everything else that you will ever need to know about vegan cats at Farm Sanctuary’s Veg For Life including links to more sites that sell veg pet food, a list of different brands, and lots of different tips and nutritional concerns for switching Fluffy’s diet.

Have vegan cat or other pet? Leave a comment and let us know about your decision and transition!

My mom finds it to be quite odd that vegans, who are overly concerned about keeping our bodies pure in many ways, tend toward tattoos and piercings. But it’s true, most vegans that I know have a tattoo, piercing, or two, or ten. It’s just something that veg heads like.

Companies have caught onto this trend and vegan business folk have started capitalizing on it. There are now vegan tattoo inks, piercing after care, and several other cruelty-free options for compassionate punks.

If you’re in the market, check out these …

* Canadian-based Punk Medics makes “vegan skin care with edge,” including basic items such as body wash, lip balm, and shampoo and conditioner, but the Body Art Pro company also has jewelry cleaner, road rash spray, ear lobe care, and tattoo barrier cream … everything a good stereotypical punk ass vegan needs.

* In addition to the end supply of good vegan foods, shoes, and other products, Vegan Essentials also has a tattoo care section that currently features a hemp oil tattoo balm. Order before July 11 and get a 5 percent discount on your order by using coupon code “july09a.” Sign up for their email list and find out how to save 5, 10, or 15 percent each month.

* Rose Tattoo Aftercare has a choice of lavender or rose tattoo balm that is not only 100 percent vegan, but is also all natural with no preservatives and 97 percent organic.

As for getting vegan ink, just ask your tattoo artist to use it. Who knows, your tattooer may even be vegan like mine!

Ever since discovering nutritional yeast, I have been trying to find more ways to use it. If you are not familiar with it, nutritional yeast comes as yellow flakes or a powder and has a cheesy flavor. It is a good source of complete protein and many vitamins including B. It can be used in recipes such as dips and sauces, or can be sprinkled on top of food as a condiment similar to Parmesan cheese. You can buy it in the bulk section of most health food stores.

My first time using it, I made Kristen Suzanne’s raw Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce. Since then I have also tried it multiple times with pasta and oil at the recommendation of a life-long vegetarian friend. Today was the first time I mixed it into something that was my own creation: a cheesy white bean hummus!

Cheesy White Bean Hummus

In a Vita-Mix or other high-powered blender, mix the following for one to two servings:

* 1/2 can of cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans), washed and drained
* 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
* 1 tsp. garlic powder
* 1 Tbsp. flax seed oil
* 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
* 1/2 cup water, more or less may be needed depending on your blender’s capabilities
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. tahini

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth. If your blender is struggling to mix everything, add a little more water. If you don’t have tahini, leaving it out won’t make a big difference.

Serve it with crackers, pretzels, pita chips, or pita bread and a variety of chopped vegetables - carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, baby corn. Enjoy and share!

By any PETA shirt by Father’s Day, June 19, and use the coupon code FD59 to receive $5 off any one tee shirt!

Some runners seem to get obsessed with drinking neon-colored, salty, sugary liquids packed with extra electrolytes. I am interested running not only for a personal fitness challenge but because I care about my health, and I don’t want to have to sacrifice my nutrition for my fitness. So I am looking for natural, healthier options for rehydrating.

Browsing the shelves of Giant, I found Liv Organic Sports Drink, an additive- and high fructose corn syrup-free drink that promises a longer lasting, less spastic energy boost and a much better flavor. It comes in four flavors - lemon, berry, orange, and citrus passion. I tried the citrus passion and it had a very refreshing, light texture and taste.

The other natural option that I have tried is coconut water, the liquid that comes out when you crack open a coconut. It comes packaged in single serving juice box-style containers and has the same electrolyte makeup as our body. I am not crazy about it plain, but it makes for a great smoothie base.

There are also other options available that I haven’t tried yet …

Nature’s Flavors’ REBOOST Organic Isotonic Energy Drink is natural and organic. It comes as a powder, with ten different fruit flavors including cherry, kiwi strawberry, and pina colada, that you mix into water for an energy- and electrolyte-filled drink.

Recharge is made of absolutely 100 percent natural fruit juices that “replenish the fluids and electrolytes your body needs after working out without adding sugar or unnatural flavors and colors.”

Then, if you really want to get natural and avoid pre-packaged drinks all together, you could also try making your own. Check out Kitchen Table Medicine for a recipe to make yourself a homemade sports drink.

I am in week three of my training for a half marathon. I haven’t chosen a race yet: there is the ING Philadelphia run in September or the Philadelphia Marathon in November. Either way, my total goal is 13.1 miles and so far I am up to between four and five miles - a pretty good point to be at this early on.

But I have been running in cheap sneakers, which will certainly not help me reach my goal injury- and pain-free. So yesterday I splurged on new running gear (with a little monetary help from my dad).

I went to a local specialty store, Philadelphia Runner, and had a sales guy watch me walk and analyze my feet to recommend a few pairs. “Oh, and I’m vegan,” I added when he brought me six pairs, “so they need to be leather-free.”

He thought that would be a problem. Ha! He didn’t know off hand what any of the shoes were made of, but after examining them I found that all six were vegan! I also learned that apparently the universal symbols of shoe materials are not common knowledge. So please, let me share with you a little secret about reading shoe labels …

Universal Shoe Material Symbols

A picture that looks much like an animal hide means just that; this drawing means that the shoes contain leather. If there were a diamond inside of this bearskin rug, it would mean coated leather.

This crosspatch design represents fabric or textile. This is a symbol that you want to look for.

Then there is also the all encompassing diamond by itself that stands for “other materials.”

No, the system is not perfect. There is certainly room for some animal products to get classified as “other,” I am sure. But I try not to drive myself insane with worry over labels.

I haven’t received my free sample of Bragg Liquid Aminos yet, but Allie of Allie’s Answers left a great comment telling us about aminos since I have never tried them.

“I use Bragg Aminos as a soy sauce substitute since soy sauce has wheat in it,” she wrote. “It has a similar flavor.”

I have also determined that it is similar to tamari in that they are both gluten-free alternatives to soy sauce, and since I do have tamari in my fridge - and use it regularly on salads and in stir-fries - I don’t need any Bragg Aminos just yet. (But I still want to try it and see what all the fuss is about!)

While trying to learn more about the Bragg brand in general, I scoped out my gigantic bottle of apple cider vinegar and noticed a Christian fish with nothing more on or around it than simply “3 John 2.” Intrigued by a verse that I didn’t recognize, I looked up 3 John 2 in the Bible, New International Version:

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

There is no mention of the fish or Bible verse anywhere on the Bragg’s Web site, but the site does make it very clear that the Bragg family has always been big believers of health and nutrition - click on the picture here to learn more about this.

Whether or not you are religious, I leave you with the words of 3 John 2: “I pray that you may enjoy good health.”

I usually prefer the kind of food that comes without a nutritional label and doesn’t need an ingredients list because there is only one. In other words, non-processed foods: Fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, anything that God played a bigger role in the production of than man. But as of late, there have been quite a few processed foods that I have been loving.

* Teeccino Caffeine-Free Herbal “Coffee”: this brand of herbal, natural coffee alternatives is heaven sent! If you are trying to break a coffee addiction and are having trouble because you genuinely like the flavor, you must invest in some Teeccino.

* Nasoya Silken Creations: I cannot tell you in words how fantastically delicious this mousse-like tofu is! I was making a smoothie with the dark chocolate one the other day and couldn’t stop eating it right out of the package.

* Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Crumbles: this ground beef imitation product is such a yummy, quick way to add a little texture and protein to any meal.

How about you? Any products that you would recommend?

The newly released book, The New Animal Activist’s Handbook by Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrichnow has a Web site! Check out www.AnimalAdvocacyBook.com to see all of the book’s details including reviews, author bios, news, events, and related links.

Unfortunately, I did not get out to the pool yet. Being an independent contractor, I do not necessarily get holidays off - only if I can rework my week’s schedule to get 40 hours another way. So today, as everyone else was sleeping in and lounging around the pool, I started my morning bright and early with some online animal advocacy work.

I did, however, still enjoy some relaxing time this afternoon: My roommate and I traveled to my favorite grocery store (a Giant with a huge organic, vegan, and gluten free section) for a mega food stock up. We have several meals planned for the next week now, and even came home and cooked a delicious Asian stir-fry.

We sauteed onions, red peppers, snow peas, and baby corn in a little oil. After a few minutes we added some Iron Chef General Tso’s Sauce - one of the few premade Asian sauces without any high fructose corn syrup - covered the wok with a lid and finished steaming the veggies. We also heated up some It’s All Good Veggie Beef Skewers. Served as shown here with the chopsticks that roommate bought me for Christmas, it was a delightful dinner!

After dinner we went out to enjoy the evening, me running and her biking, and both of us stretching, meditating, and showering to cool down.

For dessert, I whipped up one of my famous smoothies using frozen strawberries, Nasoya’s new Silken Creations in dark chocolate, and Bolthouse Farms’ soy protein chai drink. You’re supposed to garnish with flavors that the taster can expect to taste, but I didn’t have any fresh strawberries so raspberries had to do, with a touch of chocolate sprinkles.

And of course, I ended my day with more work. But, if nothing else, it was a very delicious, vegan Memorial Day.

I spent my entire day today at the American Vegan Society’s Garden Party. There was veg food, live music, new friends - and a few old ones too, speakers, coupons, and the part that took up the most of my time: a book room.

The Vegan Society’s book room is just a rinky dink, narrow building with two rooms lined with tall metal shelves, each filled with vegan health, nutrition, animal rights, poem, and recipe books, and much more too. But it was heaven to me! With a copy of the New York Times’ best-selling book When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson already on route to me from Paperback Swap I passed that one by. But I still had another three dozen books that I wanted to buy! Making a decision was hard, but I narrowed it down to three (plus a dozen old Vegetarian Times and Natural Health magazines and a few other free pamphlets):

* Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet, a beginner raw foods prep book that gives a lot of very basic ideas and concepts as well as some more creative creations using the basics.

* The Tofu Cookbook by Leah Leneman, a collection of over 150 meals, desserts, drinks, and more that you can make using the soy veg staple.

* Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness by Kathy Freston, the highly talked and raved about health guide that was featured on both Oprah Winfrey’s and Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show.

Men, today is your lucky day! You can enter the What’s Good for the Bitch is Good for the Bastard contest - and the form is the easiest I’ve ever seen, just enter your email address and you’re good to go.

The grand prize will go to one lucky bastard and will include:

A Gym Bag filled with
* $100 Gift Certificate to Whole Foods
* Nature’s Path Optimum Breakfast Cereal
* French Meadow Bakery “Men’s” Bread
* MaraNatha Organic Peanut Butter
* Amy’s Organic Vegan Chili
* Amy’s Pasta & 3 Bean Soup
* DeBoles Gluten Free Multi Grain Box of Penne
* Bag of Terra Veggie Stix
* Guiltless Gourmet Baked Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
* Bag of “Go Take A Walk” Organic Raw Power Snack
* 2 Clif Bars (Black Cherry Almond & Banana Nut Bread)
* Pro Bar Superfood Slam
* Water Bottle
* Copy of Skinny Bastard

10 runners up will also get one copy each of Skinny Bastard and Skinny Bitch.

Good luck!