Living Without Meat

It has long been established that animal rights organizations - PETA in particular - hate Kentucky Fried Chicken more than any other restaurant out there. The prominent fast food joint has a history of being the so-called cruelest of the cruel when it comes to animals being used for human food.

Recent events began to show, however, that perhaps the Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign is getting to the Colonel Sanders, or at least to his Canadian counterpart.

In May of this year, actor Ryan Gosling spoke up for his fellow fowls by writing a letter to the KFC Canada (his home country) headquarters, urging them to reconsider their ways. At the beginning of June, after seven months in discussion with PETA, KFC Canada announced that they would be introducing many new animal-friendly practices including a vegan, faux-chicken menu option.

With barely enough time to celebrate the small victory, Canadian vegetarians and vegans have already been let down: the vegan chicken isn’t vegan nor vegetarian.

Perhaps the fake meat is vegan before KFC workers get their grubby hands on it (unlikely, however, as most contain eggs), but once the veggie chicks are de-thawed, they are fried in the same lard as the real chicken. Then, they are slathered in mayo which has an egg base.

So if you are the kind of lax vegetarian who eats eggs and doesn’t mind your food mingling with meat, in a meat-based fat, then head on up to a Canadian KFC and get your vegan-ish faux 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.

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”)

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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.).

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.

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.

“Emily Deschanel just came up to me and started talking about cheese!!!!” said a very excited friend to me while we were volunteering at the Farm Sanctuary Gala in May.

Apparently, Emily has a brand of vegan cheese that she highly recommends: Dr. Cow.

Dr. Cow makes natural, vegan, living products. The company sells two superbly yummy-sounding granolas online, as well as a sprouted nut blend, and an instant oatmeal-like product that has no oats! Instead, the Que!Meal is filled with quinoa, sprouted nuts and seeds, raisins, and more.

But the product that Emily was raving about - a completely raw, vegan, tree nut cheese - is only available in certain stores, none of which I’ve heard of, and all of which seem to be in NYC. However, they will do large shipments to other states, so request it at your local coop or other vegan food haven.

For now, I am thinking I may have to try both the Que!Meal and the two kinds of granola - cocoa bean and regular.

Stores that carry Dr. Cow’s Tree Nut Cheese are: Pure Juice & Take Awa, Westerly, Organic Avenue, Live Live, High Vibes in Manhattan, Marlow & Son’s, Park Slope Food Coop, and Pumpkin’s Organic Market in Brooklyn.

I am really starting to love Oprah. Here’s what she had to say yesterday:

MorningStar Farms has a lot of great meatless items to choose from, including several vegan options. My favorite from this company is the Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles, which act in place of sauteed ground beef (a.k.a. dead, chopped up cow).

Today, May 23, Ellen Degeneres is having Skinny Bitch co-authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin on her show to talk about the new cookbook Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. I look forward to … catching clips online because I forgot to set my VCR to tape it. Hopefully, Rory dresses a little better than she did while attending the Farm Sanctuary Gala.

Next week, on Wednesday May 28, Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness and the nutritionalist that has Oprah on a 21-day vegan cleanse, will be visiting Ellen’s show.

Hmm … is Ellen the next to go vegan?

This silver grocery tote is the bag that was filled with samples and given out to guests - and volunteers! - after the Farm Sanctuary Gala this past weekend. It’s a Matt & Nat! M&N are very well known within the vegan realm as quality, vegan designers of bags, purses, and wallets.

They are not the cheapest buys, but they are so worth it. And now, I have one that I got for free! You can get this great bag (sort of) for free, too.

While supplies last, Matt & Nat are giving away this Enviro Tote with every order totaling at least $250. Plus, shipping is free once you spend a minimum of $150.

Yours won’t be filled with vegan: chocolates, cookies, lotions, hair care items, meal bars, dog foods, magazines, and more; but, it will still be a fabulously fashionable, environmentally-friendly, vegan grocery bag.

I have not forgotten about Silk Soymilk being pulled from shelves because some products contained cow’s milk proteins.

I have contacted the company three times now asking for an explanation, especially since their Web site does not provide an ingredients list for any products. Once, I received a canned response thanking me for my interest in Silk. The other two times have yet to receive a response.

However, Silk has added a page to their site titled “Silk Is Soy” which is about the recall. Here is their statement:

WhiteWave Foods Company is voluntarily recalling 11-ounce plastic single serve bottles of Silk Soymilk Chocolate Flavor because it may contain undeclared milk protein.

Is anyone else starting to wonder why companies don’t explain recalls? I’d like to know how such a dump “oops” like putting milk in a vegan staple, and leaving it off of the ingredients list, happens. And why did they not ‘fess up to it until after Stop & Shop offered consumer refunds?

The product shown here is the one being recalled. Click on it to read more about the Silk recall.

Buy one get one free Boca Burgers at Johnny Rockets for the rest of May!

Click on the picture to get your coupon for a free Johnny Rockets Boca Burger.

Click the photo to read more at EcoRazzi.

It’s all about the little joys in life for me, like hearing a reference to vegetarianism in a hit CBS drama.

On Numb3rs this Friday evening, in the new episode “Pay to Play,” there was a hilarious tofu mention:

Charlie discover that a group of rappers have created a mathematical algorhythym that analyzes music and determines how popular it will be. He uses the snacks that two different agents are eating to explain this theory.

Special Agent Liz: You lost me, Charlie.

Charlie: Ok, uh… candy bar, nice, and what is that?

Special Agent Liz: Flavored tofu chips.

Charlie: This is perfect. So I tested both rappers’ music. Hunter’s scored high marks; his raps are like candt bars. At least, according to the algorhythym they’re exactly what you’d expect people to want, they’re big sellers. However, Two-by-four’s songs scored significantly lower.

David: So according to the algorhythym Two-by-four’s stuff is like musical tofu?

Charlie: Ahhh… you stole my punchline.

Don: So why do they sell?

Special Agent Liz: Maybe some people like tofu.

You can watch the whole episode at CBS.com, this scene occurs at the 20 minute mark.

I haven’t been able to figure out which kind of soy chips were featured in the show - they were turned backwards so as not to offer a product placement ad. The backside had an image of cherry blossoms, but no Web sites show the back of their products. SO … if you are looking for some “flavored tofu chips,” Genisoy has a lot of soy snack options, Revival Soy has several flavors of chips - they even offer an 11 pack that lets you try one bag of each flavor, and Good Housekeeping magazine online has a taste test review of several brands of soy chips … because, “some people like tofu!”

**Side note: I love finding references like this so much that I have added a category (to the right and down a bit) called “Mentioned in the Media,” where you can find all posts like this one at once.

…literally.

A Scent of Scandal is an L.A.-based, brother-and-sister venture that creates all-soy wax candles with pure cotton wicks, making them better for the environment and you than the average candle. They are vegan; they are cruelty-free, and they support great organizations like PETA, Sea Shepherd, Compassionate
Cooks, and Farm Sanctuary.

But A Scent of Scandal doesn’t just give a portion of their proceeds to such non-profits, they create “Candles for a Cause” - scents in their honor! The two “Candles for a Cause” that just hit the market are: “A Roll in the Hay,” a grass-scented candle in a tin donning Farm Sanctuary’s logo; and “Rock the Boat,” an ocean-scented one with Sea Shepherd’s logo on the tin. For $15 each, with 15 percent going to charity whose candle you buy, you’ll get 30-35 hours minimum of good vibes and scents.

And as for the scandalous name? Perhaps a few of the other candles’ names and scents will help you figure that one out … “D-Cups” smells like melons; “One Night Stand,” margaritas; “Teacher’s Pet,” apple; “Tighty Whities,” fresh laundry; and “Knocked Up,” baby powder.

Choosing soy candles with metal-free wicks such as the ones from A Scent of Scandal produces no CO2 and 90 percent less soot than traditional candles. Click on the picture here - the Candles for a Cause logo - to check them out on A Scent of Scandal’s Web site, where you can order a few candles for yourself, or bulk amounts at wholesale.