I promise I will get back to the student questions (again, I have at least 40 more to go), but as typical of my brain, I get diverted easily. There were a few things that I wanted to talk about: how to get motivated to make healthy changes, what to do with chickpeas (as inspired by Melissa, a fellow blogger), what to feed your kids, and what I made for dessert this last Sunday.
Before I go on and on (I have a feeling this post is going to be long…) I must say my goal in sharing all of this with you is to not intimidate you or make this way of eating look impossible or out of reach. Rather, I hope to demystify the whole vegan diet and make it more approachable.
First, how do you motivate yourself to make some significant and lasting healthy changes? Certainly no one wants to “fall off the bandwagon.” This is mostly why I advocate going slowly, transitioning your diet over a period of time. This goes against something Dr. Ornish has recommended which is to make big changes and you’ll see big results which will be clear and undeniable and you won’t want to go back to the way you used to eat. I think both approaches work. You need to decide how fast and how much you are willing to change.
Most people need a clear kick in the butt to change. Usually this comes in various forms: stepping on the scale and seeing numbers that clearly “cannot be right” or at least that’s what you tell yourself. having the doctor read you your diagnosis–heart disease, thyroid issues, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or other illness/diseases that relate to dietary and lifestyle choices.
There are a few of you out there who just have a strong desire to achieve a great state of health and are willing and open to make any necessary changes. Way to go if this is you. For the rest of us people, we need some external motivation to make us internally motivated (for me, it was not getting high-blood pressure during pregnancy again).
After you have some sort of motivation, any motivation, key #1 to lasting and permanent change is to EDUCATE yourself. Don’t just buy yourself a cookbook, buy a cookbook AND a non-fiction book related to health and wellness. This is critical in staying excited about making and keeping changes real.
Not only that, but by knowing the theoretical behind your dietary/lifestyle changes you are able to better live the practical (the day to day application of it). For example, there are so many reasons why a plant-based diet is good for you and the environment but it’s so easy to forget in a non-vegan world. If you keep yourself well-read and current (this doesn’t have to take a ton of your time, mind you, and pod casts are also great options, Dr. McDougall has a whole slew of them on his website for free) you are reminded that, oh yes, intake of animal protein (more than 5% of your total diet) is proven to contribute to bone, kidney, eye and brain diseases, for example.
You can find virtually every reason under the sun to become and stay vegan: environmental, ethical, moral, prevention of cancer/disease, overall improvement of health and quality of life, need I say more? I started out with just the health reason and in time, I have found there are so many other equally viable reasons, such as the ethics of factory farming, the environmental impact of deforestation of rain forests to allow beef cattle to graze, ect. The reasons NOT to be vegan pale in comparison to the reasons for being vegan.
I have been vegan for nearly 3 years now and I am still constantly on the look out for books to read, new cookbooks to try out, keeping fresh on the scientific literature regarding nutrition, ect. A lot of the books cover the same material, but it’s so important to be reminded of it in a new way, especially since we’re prone to forgetting. I think of it in a similar way to reading scriptures, we read so we don’t forget the commandments (among other things of course). I’ve already made some recommendations as to cookbooks and other books to read, but here are a few more. These are a few that I recently purchased on amazon.com:
Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure , by Caldwell B. Esseltstyn, Jr. M.D.
The China Study, by T. Collin Campbell (I finally purchased a copy of my own, I consider it the “vegan bible” every one should own one).
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 dairy-free recipes for cupcakes that rule. by Isa Mockowitz & Terry Romero
These ladies are hilarious. Reading their cookbooks are worthwhile just for the entertainment value. I’ve tried out some recipes from Vegan with A Vengeance by Isa and they were all excellent. Only drawback: she uses oils and refined stuff so I modify the best I can. With this book however, I’m going to have to try out the recipes as is because they look SO delicious. There are a lot of gluten-free recipes in there too. You’ve gotta see the pictures in this thing. It’ll blow your mind. Here are just a few of the recipes: Blueberry Lemon Creme cupcakes, Crimson Velveteen cupcakes with old-fashioned velvet icing, Gingerbread cupcakes with lemony butter cream frosting…oh my! I have to have some good recipes for those special birthday occasions, right??!
Many of the books that I recommend can be found at your library. Some of the cookbooks as well, but they’re more limited. And like I said, you should shell out some dough and invest in a few really good cookbooks because this is what will keep you going.
So on to chickpeas…what to do with these tasty legumes:
To Melissa: you can still have grilled cheese sandwiches. Here’s our version: rice “cheeze” on homemade whole-grain bread. I made these in our George Foreman grill. Just sprayed a little bit of non-stick spray (Pam) and wha-la. Vegan grilled “cheeze.” Great for dipping in soups.
Hummus is another delicious way to use chickpeas. Most grocers carry several brands, but I’ve never found one that doesn’t use oil and it is snap to make it at home (if you have a blender or food processor) and much more cost effective.For this version I didn’t use tahini (sesame paste) like I usually do. The key flavor was the fresh parsley, which I added in after the hummus was blended. There are so many versions of hummus there’s really no “right” way. I’ve tried recipes that used roasted red peppers and others with cashews. I never use olive oil or any oil for that matter, and you don’t have to either to have a great tasting hummus. The key ingredients: chickpeas, juice of 1-2 lemons, pinch of salt, flavor (cumin, garlic, fresh parsley are all great options). If you want it to be a little more creamy, 1-2 TBS. of tahini paste per 2 cups of chickpeas will do the trick or 1/4-1/2cup raw cashews also works. You’ll also want to add a little bit of water depending on how thick or thin you want your hummus.
Many of you think, what will I put on my sandwiches from now on? Hummus is a tried and true alternative. Add assorted veggies such as tomatoes, red onions, sprouts, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, whatever you have on hand that could go on a sandwich and you’ve got one DELICIOUS sandwich. If you don’t like hummus any other bean dip will do. I especially like any white bean dip (made from great northern beans).
And now, what to feed your kids (or yourself)
I’m not sure what other mom’s feed their kids. Probably not a whole lot different from me, I’d like to believe. But going to Wal-mart, I’m reminded that there is an endless variety of processed crackers, cookies, chips, and granola bars filled with refined sugars, oils, additives, and dyes that no doubt someone is buying because otherwise it wouldn’t be there.
I’m often asked, what do you feed kids on a vegan diet? What a good question. My answer is, I feed them what I eat, with the addition of nut butters, flax oil, chia seed gel (I make this from chia seeds which are rather inexpensive when purchased in bulk and mix it with their yogurt or smoothies; it’s better than flax in terms of Omega-3 fats), soy yogurt/cheese, seeds (sunflower, sesame), and olives to supply them with additional healthy fats. Unfortunately, my kids don’t like avocados but this is a great source of good fats if you need them.
Beyond the simple fruits (grapes, cut up apples, orange slices, bananas, mango slices, melons, strawberries, frozen blueberries, peaches are some of their favorites) and veggies (carrot sticks, cucumber slices, jimica chips, and celery sticks are their faves), here are few things I picked up recently at Wal-mart (with the exclusion of the soy yogurt, which I bought at the SunFlower Farmer’s market). I usually don’t do my shopping at Wal-mart, but for convience sake, I picked up a few things. Since we’re now doing gluten-free (yes, now our diet could be deemed a low fat, gluten-free, whole foods vegan diet…that is a mouthful), at least until we discover if that’s what Asher (possibly Hyrum) is allergic to, these are a few items I picked up:
*Rice Chex
I know, not organic but hey, I do the best I can. This was the ONLY gluten-free option there (this is why I usually do my shopping at SunFlower Farmer’s Market which carries everything I need and is usually organic). I don’t give my kid’s this for breakfast but rather as a snack, usually mixed with nuts such as cashews, almonds, or walnuts and some dried fruit like raisins, crasins, or apricots. Occasionally I’ll throw in carob chips or non-dairy chocolate chips as a little treat.
*Rice Cakes
Again, not the best version of rice cakes, I usually get Lundberg Farms Brown Rice Cakes, however this was the best option there
*Individually wrapped prunes that look like candy
Arguably the most brilliant marketing scheme of the prune, I mean, “dried plum” (as they would be preferred to be called) industry: individually wrap a prune in a fancy wrapper to look like candy. My kids feel for it, and I use it as a bribe. It works. And little do they know it’s jam packed with anti-oxidants and fiber…I love being a sneaky mom like that.
*Soy-Yogurt
I rarely eat this, although it tastes even better than real yogurt, in my opinion. I use it mostly in dressings and for baking, but my kids love it. I like the Whole Soy brand: non-GMO organic soybeans and no funky additives or sugars.
*Almond Clusters
I’m sure these things will be devoured in less than two seconds, but I had to try it out. Almonds, brown rice syrup and sea salt: makes for a crunchy sweet treat for my kids.
Other snacks my kids love: air-popped popcorn (I flavor with some combination of flax oil, bragg’s liquid aminos, lecithin granules, nutritional yeast), muffins or pancakes I make, good granola bars (I like the Cliff kind for kids). My kids also love green smoothies (I still need to do a post on this), ice creams that I make from rice/soy milk, and freshly made juice from my juicer.
And this is what I made last Sunday for dinner. We had family over so I went all out. It was my own creation, inspired by several recipes: pear multi-grain griddle cake topped with vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry syrup, and chopped pecans. If anyone cares to know the recipe, I will post it. I have to admit, my all-time favorite dessert is any combination of a cakey/pie something with ice cream. Topped with syrup and nuts makes it even more delightful. This particular combination of textures and tastes is the kind of variety and flavor I love.
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