VEG-ISM PART SIX: Everything Is Illuminated

... Or is it?
Is there anything else you want to know?

As I've said, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about anything at all to do with veg-ism (as I've so creatively put it). I've changed the settings so that anyone can comment without having to "follow" me, so feel free to ask there :)

This is my second to last post for this subject. Of course, I'll be happy to come back to it again at some point in the future, particularly if You want me to. There is so much information out there on this subject, I couldn't possibly have said it all in seven posts! So I do welcome your questions and comments, and I hope there is adequate interest for me to return to this sometime soon.

But we aren't quite done yet!

Today I want to give you a few more pointers.

What if you're craving something hearty, say, in the Winter? Like a cottage pie?
My favourite brand of mock meat is Bean Supreme. You can find it in the refrigerated area of your supermarket, near the dairy products. Most of the items contain no animal by-products (some of them have cheese in the flavouring), and are high in protein, so a great alternative to meat. And there's an excellent variety of products. My favourite, because it's the most versatile, are the vege sausages. You can take them to a BBQ so you don't have to miss out, you can mush them up and make "mince" out of them (add mixed veggies and a can of tomatoes, some curry powder, and top with mash for a pretty convincing "cottage pie", or use it to make a "bolognaise")or you can chop them into chunks, fry them up, and put them into pasta or rice with some vegies and sauce. Mmmmmmmm.... AND, you can choose different flavours too. They're about $8 a pack, and you get 6 big sausies in one, you'd probably use a maximum of 2 per meal. Maybe 1 and a half. Or ten. Just kidding. They're seriously yummo though. But do try other brands, careful to read the labels if you're worried about dairy, because you might have a different preference to me, and most of them will be as versatile as Bean Supreme.

Another pointer: tofu is probably the most flavourless thing you'll ever put in your mouth. For goodness sake don't try to eat it raw. But, it is one of the best things for you, in moderation; most mock meats will have tofu as their main ingredient. Silken tofu is good for making desserts, soups, etc. You would use firm tofu though to fry, grill, bake, whatever, in the place of meat. Because it's not exactly the strawberries and cream of the vegan diet, it's important to make it taste good, otherwise you're really just punnishing yourself unnecessarily. Tofu absorbs the flavours of whatever you cook it with, so it's great in stir-frys when you have some flavoursome juicy veggies like capsicum or beetroot. But the best way to guarantee an enjoyable relationship with your tofu is to marinade it. You can make a marinade out of whatever you like, chop the tofu into 2cm cubes, and put them together in a shallow dish for an hour or so. One of my favourites is soy sauce and crushed almonds and pumpkin or sesame seeds. The almonds give it a delicious nutty flavour, and are amazing in stir-frys.

Basically, what I'm saying here is that if there's a particular dish that you love, you can still make a vegetarian or vegan version of it.

The other thing I wanted to discuss in this post is the cravings you will inevitably get, for chicken, steak, fish, cheese, and numerous other things.
The first thing I noticed when I went from meat-eater to full on vegan was that I was craving food that until then I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Broccolli, mushrooms, and cabbage to name a few. These are foods that would make me dry-wretch if I had tried to eat them before, and suddenly they were all I wanted. For three months I had grilled field mushrooms with olive oil and garlic for dinner, because that was what I wanted. You'll be amazed at your body's capacity to tell you exactly what you're lacking in, especially when you are eating healthily. Generally when you get a craving for something, it is not the food itself but the nutritional benefits the food has in it. My advice is, if you have a craving for meat or dairy, go to www.nutritiondata.com and find out what vitamin or mineral that particular thing is highest in. From there you can find out what you can have instead to curb the craving.

One more thing. I personally do not take any supplements, because I believe that I can get everything I need out of the food I eat. Sometimes though, you just can't. Different people are prone to different deficiencies, so it's important to pay attention to your body. I have had periods where I've taken supplements, simply because it would be silly not to. You CAN get everything you need out of a vegan diet, but it can take a while to figure out exactly how. So, if you feel like you're lacking in something, or you develop anything unusual on your skin (I once got dry itchy eyelids), then skip the pharmacy at first and go straight to your local health store. The rash on my eyelids turned out to be a deficiency in Riboflavin, vitamin B6. I had it for weeks, tried various creams etc, and it only got worse. When I went to Health 2000 and explained that I was vegan, the assistant looked the symptom up in her book, identified the problem, and gave me some supplements. Two days later it was gone, and I had found that marmite was very high in B6 and made sure that I ate plenty of that from then on.

Hopefully this is helpful and informative for you, let me know what you think and ask about anything you're unsure of :) And good luck!

Love,
M Tehrase
xx

VEG-ISM PART FIVE: MEAT is PROTEIN and PROTEIN is ACTION

A common misconception is that vegans are waife-like and protein-deficient. Research into vegan body builders will blow this theory right out of the water.

Protein is an important part of any diet, for both males and females. Because the highest sources of protein are meat and dairy products, it is very important to figure out how we can still get enough of it into our diets. Most foods have protein in them, but the amount obviously varies. Here is a short list of some high protein vegan foods:

- Tofu (1/2 cup): 10.1g
- Lentils, cooked (1/2 cup): 8.1g
- Split Peas, cooked (1/2 cup): 8.1g
- Kidney beans, cooked (1/2 cup): 7.6g
- Soy Milk (1 cup): 6.7g
- Pumpkin Seeds (1/4 cup): 12g

These are relatively high in protein, and a variety of these foods in your diet should help you to meet your requirements for protein. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, you need approximately 50g of protein. This will vary according to your weight and caloric requrements.

As an aside, for athletes looking to build muscle, there is plenty of information out there for how to do this. But I will tell you, it is reccommended that you consume roughly 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day (not 2g like the magazines might tell you).

Also, in the process of my research on this subject, I discovered some important sources of fat and amino acids. The amazing thing about a vegan diet is that it is virtually free of saturated fats (provided you avoid too much processed food and stick mainly to fresh vegetables etc), but you do need a little bit of saturated fat, and you can get this from coconut milk or oil. Good sources of fat include flaxseed oil (also high in omega and great if you suffer from RSI), olive oil, walnuts, almond butter and avocado. Combinations for protein and amino acids include black beans and quinoa, lentilos and brown rice, almond butter sandwich, rice protein/soy milk shake, green peas, and almonds.

It's important to maintain variety both for health benefits and to keep it interesting for yourself!

So there's another myth busted for you, I encourage you to look into it yourself aswell!

Love,
M Tehrase
xx

VEG-ISM PART FOUR: Something for the Carnivores, the Veg-ies, And You

It's really time to Wake Up about animal welfare.

Many people appear to be under the illusion that in New Zealand, factory farmed animals are all treated ethically and to the same standards.

Sadly, this is not the case at all. The extent to which farming is integrated into our culture and our identity has deceived us in an unforgivable way. In New Zealand, our economy relies heavily on the export of animal products. OF COURSE it has to be marketed and publicised in such a way that it looks acceptable.

I recently posted a note on facebook advocating free-range meat. I included a video by PETA on the treatment of factory farmed animals from a hidden camera. You can view it here: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=2273569508770398194&hl=en&fs=true Of course, the whole thing got a mixed response. Because the clip was American, a few people questioned its relevance for the New Zealand meat and dairy industries.

Unfortunately, even we do not have to look much further than our own back yard. Factory farmed animals are treated like machines, every day, for the duration of their lives. The SPCA is constantly finding farmers who abuse and mistreat their animals; just have a look at their website, or equally as informative, the SAFE website.

And I'm sure there are a few other things you haven't considered, or perhaps weren't aware of. Much of the content of these posts leans toward a vegan lifestyle. I have arranged it this way for a few reasons. Firstly, meat eaters and vegetarians alike can still eat vegan food, and still need to pay attention to much of the same nutritional information that vegans do. And secondly, the dairy industry isn't exactly blameless either.

Consider the fact that very shortly after birth, calves are taken away from their mothers. Male calves are often killed, as are sick ones. The milk that the cow makes to nurture her baby is then taken, processed into cheese, yoghurt, whatever, and then sold to us. Humans are the only species who drink the milk of another species. It's not FOR us though, it's for the calf. People drink people milk, cows drink cow milk.

Something you are probably equally unaware of is a process called mulesing. This is a surgical procedure which is done without anaesthetic to around half of the two million Merino sheep farmed in New Zealand in order to combat flystrike. The sheep are hung upside down with their feet tied together, and their tails are removed at the base using hand shears, leaving a bleeding, gaping wound. Enter "mulesing" into google and you can see for yourself exactly how horrific and disturbing this procedure is. The wool indusrty claim that they are working on a phase-out of mulesing, but I have yet to see any concrete evidence of this.

These are only two things about the farming industry that you were probably unaware of. I think it's important to ask yourself, if people were being treated like this, would you still be purchasing the products and supporting the industry which allows it?

Thankfully, for those of you who just can't give up animal products, there is an alternative. Buying free-range meat and dairy products, and getting clued up on other animal by-products like wool and leather will help you make more informed decisions about what kind of industry you are funding when you buy them. The best thing anyone can do for these abused and mistreated animals is to stop supporting those who harm them, and start supporting those who have respect for the animals and treat them humanely. Only buying meat, eggs and dairy products clearly labelled "free-range" is the perfect place to start. It might be a bit more expensive, but compared with the cost of ignoring it, it's very much worth the extra couple of dollars.

But remember, there are never any real guarantees. The only way to know for sure that you aren't eating a mistreated animal or it's by-products is either to stop eating them all together, or to farm and kill them yourself. I do understand that for some this just isn't possible. And for you, please consider doing your own independent research into the industry, for yourself and for the animals. They don't deserve to suffer for our convenience.

Thanks for reading, I hope this causes you to think more critically about what you are consuming.

Love,
M Tehrase
xx

VEG-ISM PART THREE: Let Them Eat Cake

The most horrifying part of foregoing dairy products is the thought of not being able to have the sweeties. Never fear! Thanks to vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz and a good friend of mine for lending me her book, yes we CAN have some sweet good times :)

I've had a couple of requests for vegan baking recipes. Sometimes it's hard because you want the end product to taste exactly like what you are familiar with, but as yet I haven't come across any that taste like their animal-products-included counterparts... they're usually better! As I mentioned, we have to be a bit more creative with veg cooking; and be open to experiencing new flavours. For this reason I've chosen a somewhat exotic cake recipe to share with you today.

Just remember, set the temperature correctly on your oven, follow the instructions, and use the right tools. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from trying a variation on the recipe once you've got the hang of it!

Ginger-Macadamia-Coconut Carrot Cake
*You can replace macadamias with walnuts since they're pretty hard on the pocket

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup macadamias, roughly chopped
1/4 cup crystallised ginger, chopped (even better if you can find small pieces specifically for baking)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups carrots, grated

- Preheat oven to 180C. Have ready two 20cm round cake pans, lightly greased. Alternatively, this could be made in a rectangular baking pan, rougly 22x33com and cut in half lenthwise to create two layers or just iced as one layer.
- In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground spices.
- In a seperate large mixing bowl, mix together the pineapple, oil, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, and combine well with a hand mixer or strong fork. Fold in macadamias, ginger, coconut, and carrots.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two round cake pans, or spread in the rectangular pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool in pans. Remove from pans and put a layer of coconut icing (icing sugar, coconut, vegan margarine, hot water) between the layers, and another layer of cocnut icing on top.It looks prettier if you leave the sides free of frosting, but up to you :)

Do let me know how you go with this one, or if there are any specific recipes you'd like me to track down for you :) I do have one for vegan chocolate cake coming from a friend; apparently super amazing and I trust her judgement explicitly, so will keep you posted!

Love,
M Tehrase
xoxo

VEG-ISM PART SEVEN: How Gung-Ho Are You Willing To Go?

Perhaps the most challenging and frustrating thing about going veg, or even just switching to free-range, is the amount of people who will expect you to justify yourself and your decisions to them.

Inevitably, at some point, someone will ask you: "what are your reasons for doing this?", and no matter how hard you try to explain, they will continue to argue against your decision.

I think this is about as wrong as somebody telling you that you aren't allowed to believe in God, or that your degree wont get you anywhere, or that you should be heterosexual because it's more socially or morally acceptable.

In other words, bullshit. What you choose to consume, and they way you go about it, is completely your decision and your business. If someone is interested in why you've made those decisions, then it's your choice whether or not you explain your views to them. I think the best answer is to simply say, "if you're interested, then have a look on google". Of course if they genuinely want to understand, then explain by all means. But you don't have to have countless arguments and debates; the fact is, the information is out there, it's happening, and if people choose to ignore it that's their own choice.

These are the things that YOU can do to help stop the systematic toture and abuse of animals:
- Go vegan/vegetarian
OR
- Purchase only (or wherever possible) free-range, SPCA approved meat and dairy products
- Encourage your friends to look into the meat and dairy industry (yep, even in NZ)
- Continue to do your own research into the industry, so that if people have questions, you are (hopefully!) able to answer them clearly

There are many different types of veg-ism, when deciding how you are going to go about it you don't HAVE to follow strict rules (although if you're willing to, that's better!); you can make what you like of it. I've had several phases between when I first went vegan until now (vegan again), including vegan but eating only goats feta and free range eggs, then to vegetarian, then vegetarian who ate fish, until recently when I considered starting to eat meat again and ate one free-range organic eye fillet steak and began researching and writing a blog, which changed everything. Once I started to research the meat and dairy industries, I decided there was no way I could possibly support it.

In a way I'm glad I ate that steak. I was slipping in terms of my own personal beliefs, but it was that steak which caused me to return to my original ideas about animal welfare and what I can do about it.

Strict vegans don't purchase meat, dairy, or any other animal by-product whatsoever. This includes leather and wool, and generally various household items: cosmetics, hair products, soaps, etc, that are tested on animals or contain animal fat.

Vegetarians don't eat meat, but they do eat some dairy products. The main thing that a vegetarian will look out for in dairy products is rennet, which is used to coagulate milk in the cheese-making process, and the main source of rennet is from the stomachs of newly-born calves. You can buy vegetarian cheese; Mainland vegetarian cheese is in a brown papery packet and contains vegetable rennet instead. Similarly, gelatin is from animal hooves, and is in most confectionary. My favourite alternative lollies were Jelly Tots, and I used to find them in the international foods section in countdown.

And you CAN STILL be an animal activist if you eat meat! Cut down on your intake and purchase only free range, SPCA approved meat and dairy. I take my hat off to those of you who do this, because you're supporting the indusrty that is doing is right.

Of course, you should do whatever you feel comfortable with. You might have to spend awhile reading labels and getting accustomed with igredients in products.

And don't let anyone interrogate you about it!

This is my last post on this subject, for now. I do hope you have enjoyed following it and that it's been informative and useful to you. I also hope that it has given you some insight into both the farming industry and a veggie lifestyle. As you have seen, not all assumptions about veg-ism are correct! But don't listen to me, go and try them out for yourself, and do your own research.

If there's anything you're uncertain about, ask me :) you can comment below or email. Please also let me know what you think of Veg-Ism, I'd love to get some feedback!

Love,
M Tehrase
xx

VEG-ISM PART TWO: ... Except it IS All Fun and Games

I can say one thing quite confidently.

When you change your diet this dramatically, contrary to what you probably think, you will be amazed by the new variety. Cancelling out meat and/or dairy products prompts one to think about new ways to make food exciting. It does require a bit of creativity, but if you're lacking in that department, never fear! Google saves the day every time. I would also reccommend investing in a couple of cookbooks to help you along the way. And, the best part is, that even with a vegan diet, you never need to be left wanting. As I said, there are alternatives to almost everything!

In this post I would like to tell you about some foods that you can buy at the supermarket that are vegan (because otherwise you spend HOURS reading labels!). This is a list that was given to me by a friend of a friend when I was 16 and first decided to go vegan:

Oreos (original)
Aztec mild corn chips (red pack)
Gingernuts
Healtheries ready salted chips
So Good soy icecream
Lite Licks icecream
"Hungry" vege patties (foil pack)
Quality Bakers bread
Cream Buns (only if mock cream)
Olivani
Soy Cheese (gourmet cheese section)
Kingland Soy Yoghurt
Filo Pastry
No Egg baking substitute
Vita Wheats
2 Minute Noodles (curry & oriental flavours)
Mi Goreng noodles
Whittakers dark chocolate
Belgium Cream biscuits
Nanas light apple pie 4 pack (from Countdown)

Also, as a note, in terms of soy milk, buy So Good insted of vitasoy, because vitasoy has no B12. So Good Essentials is even better, because it has more folate than the others. Some people can't stand the taste of soy milk, so I would reccommend starting with flavoured soy milk, I prefer vanilla but there's also chocolate and strawberry.

It can take a couple of weeks to get used to the flavour of soy products. But one thing is for sure, once you're used to it, and you've lost the taste for milk, it's delicious and if you accidentally have milk (an incompetent barista might put in in your coffee) then you'll probably spit it out because you lose the taste for it.

There are also "mock meat" products, which are all suitable for vegetarians but some might have egg or dairy in them. But they are seriously delicious, and can be easily found in most supermarkets refrigerated near the dairy section. This is usually the same place where they keep soy yoghurt, tofu, tabouleh and falafel, which are all fantastic and delicious and VEGAN! Products include sausages, burger patties, and pretend bacon. They don't taste exactly like meat, and are usually made out of vegetable protein and tofu. They are usually spiced up with delicious herbs though, and the texture is pretty close but not as stringy as meat.

I want to make one post this week for the meat eaters; where you can buy free range meat and what brands are best. It will also include some info on eggs. That's coming up tomorrow!

Love,
M Tehrase
xoxo

VEG-ISM PART ONE: How to Sleep With Your Eyes Open

The most common misconceptions about diets which exclude meat and/or dairy products are:
- It will be too hard to make the transition
- I wont be getting the nutrients I need
- It can't possibly taste good
- I will just miss them too much

These are the concerns that I aim to eradicate for you over the next week, while also providing you with some basic recipes to get you started.

If undertaken correctly, a vegetarian or vegan diet can be more beneficial for your health than a diet based around animal products (which are staples in New Zealand). This is why it can be a bit of a shock to suddenly stop (particularly dairy); the first thing you will notice is that you probably have more of these products in your diet than you realise. One way to take the shock out of it is to ease into a meat/dairy free diet slowly, although if you're game to do it straight away, then good on you! But expect to possibly have a bit of an upset tummy for a week or so as your body adjusts and detoxifies.

My first tip is to do with iron. The iron content in red meat is often compared to the same in spinach (which, of course, always falls short). This is like comparing the protein in chicken to the protein in an apple. Green vegetables are relatively high in iron, and a lesser known source is broccolli and potato. This is just an example, but one baked potato with the skin on and one serving of broccolli will provide you with the same amount of iron as a piece of steak (between 38-43% of your RDI). Broccolli goes well lightly steamed with a drizzle of the juice of 1 lemon, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (you mix this in a bowl and then pour it over, yum yum!)

The recipe for today is a simple and delicious salad. It is very high in protein (another area you need to concentrate on in a meat/dairy free diet) and it's also vegan:

Chick Pea and Walnut Salad
(serves four as a main or eight as a starter)
- 2 cans of chickpeas (drained)
- 3/4 cup of walnuts
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- LOTS of lettuce leaves (iceberg, whole)
1) Drain the beans. Mash them until they are the consistency of course crumbs.
2) Chop the walnuts finely and combine them with the mashed beans.
3) Combine the lemon juice, oil, garlic and salt and mix this dressing with the walnuts and beans.
4)Serve at room temperature, spooned into the centre of a shallow dish. Surround with the lettuce leaves to use as scoopers.

I thought a salad would be a nice start seeing as summer is on its way. Tomorrow I will post a list of vegan "snack" foods available at the supermarket (to save you a few hours of reading every single label) and a couple of sweets recipes (you can still have cake!).

If there is anything you are curious about or would like to request recipes or alternatives for (and there is an alternative for EVERYTHING), I welcome your comments.

Love,
M Tehrase xx