What Going Vegan Has Taught Me.... People are obsessed with protein.

The number one question I get when people find out I'm vegan is 'what do you do for protein?'. This question makes me laugh because protein is in almost every food, not just animal foods. You will even find protein in fruit!

I won't get into the nitty gritty about protein because you can go and read books or surf the net if you really want to know the details on why animal protein is bad for you. This blog entry is just meant to alert you to the fact that you do not need to eat animal protein for any health reason.

The average American eats three times the amount of protein that is recommended in a given day. Excess protein can't be stored; it's either broken down and burned for energy, or stored as fat (FYI - extra calories from any source are stored as fat). Animal protein also contains saturated fat, hormones, and cholesterol. Animal protein contains zero fiber. Honestly, it's doing nothing but bad things for you.

The RDA recommends that we eat 0.36 grams of protein per pound that we weigh. If you weigh 150 pounds you should eat 54 grams of protein a day. The numbers change slightly if you are a nursing mother or an active athlete. (fun fact - did you know many famous athletes are vegan?)

Let's look at some protein numbers from animal protein:

3 oz chicken - 29 grams protein
1 egg - 6 grams protein
4 oz of steak  - 24 grams protein
1 cup milk - 8 grams protein
6 oz Porterhouse - 38 grams protein
1 ounce cheese  - 25 grams protein
3 ounces baked cod - 21 grams protein

When was the last time you sat down and only had 1 oz of cheese or 3 ounces of meat? Probably never. If you walk into a restaurant the smallest serving of meat you'll see is probably 8 ounces.
You'll sometimes see a 6 oz filet.

Restaurants serve 2 to 3 times an actual serving on average... but what about those 16 oz t-bones? I've even seen 3 and 4 POUND steaks on the menu.  You can see that getting three times the protein you need is really easy if you eat animals. You are overdosing on protein! Just imagine what that is doing to your body and your arteries. Yuck.

Too much protein is very bad for your body. Eating excess protein has been linked with a shorter life expectancy, increased cancer and heart disease risks, obesity and diabetes, osteoporosis (yes, dairy can cause osteoporosis!), stress on the kidneys and bad digestion. It also makes you feel sluggish, tired and heavy.

Plant protein is full of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, healthy fats and fiber! You can get all the protein you need easily in a balanced, plant based diet. All veggies, fruit, nuts, legumes (beans) and grains have protein!

Really!

Another fun fact... plant foods are full of calcium too! I'll cover that another day!

It's nearly impossible to be protein deficient on a vegan diet. The only way it could happen is if you were eating only highly processed foods that were so devoid of nutrition that you were basically living on high fructose corn syrup and simple sugars contained in things like white bread!

Here are the protein grams in various plant foods, legumes, nuts and grains:

3 oz walnuts  - 11 grams
3 oz peanuts - 24 grams
3 oz almonds  - 17 grams
3 oz cashews  - 18 grams
1 cup chickpeas - 8 grams
3 oz Soybeans (tofu and tempeh) - 11 grams
1 cup baked beans - 12 grams
2 slices of whole wheat bread - 5 grams
1 cup soymilk - 7 grams
1 cup oatmeal - 6 grams
1 cup broccoli - 4 grams
1 cup brown rice - 5 grams
2 tbsp peanut butter - 8 grams
1 cup lentils - 18 grams
1 baked potato - 4 grams
1 cup black beans - 15 grams
1 veggie burgers  - 10 to 15 grams
1 cup spinach - 5 grams
3 oz seitan - 31 grams
1 cup tempeh - 41 grams
1 cup whole grain spaghetti - 8 grams
1 scoop soy protein powder - 25 grams (not all are the same)

So, the next time you hear about someone being vegan.. you can skip the protein question because now you know the real story!

Things You Should Make Yourself - Popcorn

mmmm.. there is nothing quite like the smell of freshly popped popcorn, huh? Nothing quite like dipping your hand into a big bowl as you settle in for a movie on the couch! The crunch and the saltiness .... However... please, stop eating microwaved popcorn. It’s usually full of trans fat and sodium and if it isn’t, cooking food in a bag with radiation can’t be ok.

Seriously.

I'm sure there are lots of studies about how bad microwaves are but I won't bore you with them.. go Google if you must.  Right now, we are talking about how popcorn is a really healthy snack!

Popcorn is a whole grain with 1 g of fiber per cup. Popcorn provides minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and manganese. Just take it easy on the added salt and oil.

 We bought the Whirley Pop years and years and years ago and have really enjoyed having popcorn on a regular basis. There are some weeks we have it every night.  One great benefit is that everyone can season their own popcorn to their tastes.

Equipment/ingredients needed:

Popcorn maker – you can get a Whirley Pop, an air popper (your healthiest choice) or do it the old fashioned way , use a pan with a lid! Just skip those microwave poppers... cooking things you eat in a microwave just isn't healthy.

Popcorn – we prefer white corn to yellow corn. Try them all to see what you like best!

Oil – we have tried making popcorn with various types of oils and we prefer canola or coconut but use whatever you like. Coconut oil is the oil you'll want to use if you want movie theatre style popcorn. If you like the buttery flavor, use vegan 'butter' along with the oil as you are popping it.

Seasonings – salt, flavored salts or powders like onion or garlic, herb blends, nutritional yeast, melted Earth Balance spread, whatever you like on popcorn! (see below for a recipe!), If you want movie theatre style, get the bright orange salt they sell and use more than you really should. You need to add the salt while popping, not on top afterwards.

Cost:  cheap! A 2 pound bag of white popcorn is just a couple bucks.

Shelly's Vegan Mixed Nut 'Parmesan'

I use this blend on popcorn and pasta! It's really yummy.

1/3 c raw walnuts

1/3 c raw cashews

3 Tbsp roasted sunflower seeds

1 - 2 Tbsp flax seed (to your taste)

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1/4 c roasted sesame seeds (or gomashio but if you use gomashio, cut the salt out)

1 tsp sea salt

Blend in a food processor until it resembles parmesan cheese. Store in a glass shaker container.

You can also mess around with it and add in garlic powder or onion powder.. whatever you like.

Things You Should Make Yourself - Almond Milk

This is the first part in an on-going series of things you should make yourself. Not only is homemade better, tastier, and healthier - it's usually far less expensive!

What motivates you to learn to make something yourself? For me, it was Almond Dream changing the formula on their almond milk. They were the only brand I had been able to find that did not contain carrageenan, a seaweed additive I have a sensitivity to. It makes me sick so I avoid it as much as possible and I especially cannot consume beverages with it. When I noticed it was now in the almond milk I was consuming, I got mad and then I got smart.

I started venting to my vegan friend, Morgan (who has a fantastic vegan blog) and she said "girl, why are you not already making your own almond milk?"

The answer was simple, I just hadn't thought of it!

Using Morgan's terrific and easy recipe I tweaked it to work for my personal taste - I use 1 cup nuts to 6 cups water and leave the rest the same, skipping the hemp powder.

I found my own version of almond milk nirvana!

I used to use almond milk in cooking and baking and to splash on cereal but I was never one to pour myself a glass and drink it up ... that is, until I started making my own!

I've been making it for awhile now and I make it at least once a week, sometimes two. You can make it unsweetened for cooking too (just skip the sweetener and vanilla, keep the oil)

Morgan gives you great direction and she even has a link to her sisters blog that has a video of her making the milk!

I do highly recommend buying a nut milk bag. It will make life so much easier. I ordered mine off Amazon.com and there is a direct link to it at the bottom of my blog. You can also get the cacao powder and make chocolate almond milk. Yummy!

I keep my almond milk in quart sized Ball canning jars. It's easy to store and I can just shake it up before using. I also date mine with a sticker each time so I'm sure to use it up within 5 days.

I use medjool dates in mine since I don't like Stevia and I'm not a big fan of agave since it's processed. Dates give you fiber and vitamins and minerals and they are all natural!

I used to have a Ninja brand blender and it worked great for almond milk. I now have a Vita Mix  and it works even better but don't assume you need one to make almond milk. Any decent blender with some power should work. Bed, Bath & Beyond has the Ninja ... use one of their coupons and save 20%!

The best part of making my own almond milk? It costs 1/3 what I was paying for the store bought almond milk!

If you try making your own, let me know how you like it!

You Don't Have Time To Eat Healthy? That's Bullshit.

Do you often say  ‘I don’t have time to eat healthy?’   Let's be honest... a little tough love here... It’s more like ‘I won’t MAKE the time to eat healthy’ ..  if you really WANT to do something, you will find a way. It’s true. You find time to do other things like watch TV or attend a sporting event or read a book or go to the mall.

I realize I am fortunate to work from home and I probably have more free time than someone with kids or a regular job but there are MANY people that do have full time jobs and families and go to school and all sorts of other things that manage to eat well and exercise.

You do what is necessary if you want to do it.

A couple hours of prep time during your free time is really all it takes to put habits into place that can keep you on track for the week.  Making a weekly meal plan is a great first step. This way you know what you’re having so there is no last minute panic to pull something together. Plus, it makes shopping easier and you tend you use up ingredients if you make a plan. I sketch out a basic weekly plan on what I want to have and then each day I decide what I’m in the mood to make from my weekly list.

Where to find the time?

Place a TV where you can see it in your kitchen so you can do prep work while watching your fave TV shows.

Get the kids or hubby involved!

Get up an hour early on your days off to get a little prep work done. It really doesn’t take much time.

Crockpot! It’s an important tool to utilize. It can cook meals for you like a personal chef! You can come home, have dinner and then freeze the leftovers!

If you can afford it, buy some pre-prepped items like baby carrots, bagged lettuce, shredded carrots, jarred garlic, prepared hummus. Of course, it’s cheaper to do it yourself but decide what it’s worth to you to cut a few corners.

Use frozen veggies. They are just as good as fresh. Limit canned veggies tho. (except beans)

Buy canned beans if you can’t make the time to cook from dry. They cost more than dry but they are still pretty cheap!

Using a jumbo muffin pan is a great way to freeze individual servings of oatmeal and bean dishes. You just need the freezer space to allow it to freeze. I like to use Ball freezer jars or Gladware mini containers as well.

If you take a lunch each day it’s easier if you take the same stuff every few days to limit what you have to think about. Did you know Jennifer Aniston ate the same salad every single day for 10 years when she was working on Friends?

When you are making a meal, make extra and then you have instant leftovers that can be reheated later on or tossed into a lunch.

What to prep?

Make a bowl of brown (never white) rice that you can use for quick stir fry and bean dishes. A rice cooker is a great investment. I make rice twice a week.

Make a bowl of pasta  (penne works great) and toss it with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Then you just need to toss it with some hot marinara and sautéed veggies for a quick meal.

Make a pot of soup or chili at the beginning of the week and eat it all week long. You can even take it in your lunch.

Make a batch of steel cut oats in the crockpot and then portion it out into individual servings and freeze. You are about 2 minutes from hot oatmeal in the morning. It's really good with a diced banana and a little nut butter mixed in.

Make veggie burger patties and keep them in the fridge or freezer, then just cook one up when you want it.

Make a pot of rice and beans and freeze into individual servings. They can be eaten alone, with chips as a dip, or turned into tacos and burritos!

Chop up salad fixings so it’s easy to toss together a salad or a quesadilla.

Chop up veggies for stir fries ahead of time. (I always keep thin sliced mushrooms and chopped green onions in my fridge and then toss in a handful of frozen peas)

Mix up your own salad dressings. They are fresher, less fattening and won’t contain crappy ingredients. I make a couple kinds at the beginning of the week.

Make a couple healthy dips or spreads (like Mexican tofu dip, muhammara or hummus) and then you have a quick snack with carrots for dipping or to spread over crackers. You can also use them to make a veggie wrap.

Have a healthy dessert or cookie made up to snack on when you want something sweet. I like to have brown rice treats on the counter each week. Perhaps oatmeal cookies! I always keep fresh granola around too.

Keeping healthy habits.

The most important thing to remember is this  - Don't buy junk and you can't eat junk.

The same goes for the hubby and the kids. Just stop buying crap and bringing it into your house. If you want to eat junk then you should have to make the effort to go and get the junk. Buy one serving so you can’t overeat it. Surround yourself with healthy foods and you will grow to love eating them. Like the old saying goes “if you aren’t hungry enough to eat a piece of fruit, you aren’t hungry”.

Only buy wholesome foods like whole wheat breads, whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, barley, whole oats), whole grain pasta, sweet potatoes, fresh veggies and fruits, beans and nuts.

Commit to trying to new things and ingredients or things you’ve disliked in the past. If you hated a certain veggie as a kid, buy it and try it again. Cook it in a different way. Almost every veggie is delicious roasted. You may discover that you love it! But whatever is in season and find something to do with it.  It’s usually priced really well and the best time to eat it!

Buy healthy snacks like nuts, veggies, and fruits. Again, don’t bring crap into your house. Pack healthy snacks in your bag or desk drawer. Temptation is everywhere so don't ever allow yourself to be caught without a healthy choice.

Stay away from anything packaged and processed. It’s garbage and it’s full of sugar and crap. Eat whole foods.

Educate yourself on what is good and bad for you. Make the decision to take control of your own health. Strive to get off or stay off medicines by choosing the right foods!

Google for new recipes! There are millions of great blogs and websites that are literally a few clicks away on the internet. If you have kids, invite them to plan a meal once a week by looking for recipes they’d like to try.

Challenge your kids to try new things. Let them choose a veggie or fruit at the store and then come home and Google for a recipe to make with that ingredient. If you make veggies, fruit and whole foods a normal part of your lives, your kids will grow up eating them and they will actually like them.