The Vegan Dietitian

7 Ways to Encourage and Support New Vegans

2010-08-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Going vegan isn't always easy for everyone. And clearly some people have trouble sticking with veganism for the long haul. So finding the best ways to support new and potential vegans is an important part of advocacy. Unfortunately, new vegans sometimes say that they feel discouraged and alienated by some messages they hear from vegan activists. Based on the comments I hear fairly often, here are a few ideas on what we might do to make it easier for others to go (and stay) vegan.

Be flexible about the transition. There is no “right” way to go vegan. Some people drop every animal product from their lifestyle overnight, which is great. But for most, it’s a process and we would do well to support people no matter how they choose to approach veganism. They might appreciate knowing which steps can have the biggest impact on reducing animal use, or they might want to start with what feels doable for them and their families. It doesn’t matter whether they give up particular groups of food one at a time, or just start adding more vegan meals to their menus. There are no rules on how to go vegan.

Focus on things that matter. Avoiding additives like sodium stearoyl lactylate because it might possibly be animal derived doesn’t reduce animal suffering or further the cause of animal rights. Most of the tiny animal ingredients in foods are cheap byproducts of factory farming. When factory farming goes away, so will these products. The energy and time that go into researching, creating and sharing long laborious lists of non-vegan ingredients is kind of mind-boggling when you consider that their overall effect is more likely to be harmful than helpful. If anything, they add a layer of (unnecessary) complexity to going vegan and reinforce negative beliefs about the difficulty of being vegan. I know that some people like these lists because it is personally important to them to avoid every possible animal ingredient. But is it worth doing something that makes us feel good if it is counter-productive to outreach efforts?

Promote veganism—not unnecessarily restrictive diets. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it many more times: Advocating diets that incorporate unnecessary nutrition-related restrictions makes it harder for people to go vegan. That goes for fatfree, soy-free, and raw foods diets. Sometimes these variations on veganism are perceived as steps in the same dietary evolution. They aren’t. Veganism is an ethical choice and it’s a diet that is healthful and appropriate at all stages of the lifecycle. Raw foodism is a fad diet that is appropriate only for adults and is based on shaky scientific principles at best. Fatfree veganism is a therapeutic diet for adults with health problems—and as I’ve noted before, it’s not necessarily the ideal approach.

Let vegan diets be fun. One vegan recently commented to me that she couldn’t understand how anyone would need to eat more than beans and rice for dinner. But whether or not it makes sense to us, the truth is that most Americans—who are used to chowing down on fried chicken and pork chops—may not find beans and rice to be all that satisfying. If you don’t like to cook or don’t have a lot of time, or find meals without meat to be extremely unsatisfying, or have picky kids to satisfy, then processed foods like veggie burgers, pasta sauce, Daiya cheese, and store-bought cookies can make it a whole lot easier and satisfying to be vegan.

Be tolerant when people fall short. People slip up; let’s cut them a break. And life and relationships are complicated. Some vegans may make choices that don’t seem vegan to others—accepting a nonvegan gift from a beloved older family member, or letting a child go to a nonvegan birthday party. Policing others’ behavior and making judgments about who is really vegan alienates people who are trying to do the right thing and attempting to make a difference. No one is 100% vegan. Most of us knowingly use products—like books that are bound with animal-derived glue—that we technically could do without, even though it would be extremely difficult. So when people say that veganism is “absolute,” they usually mean it’s absolute the way they define it.

Be honest about nutrition. It’s pretty unlikely that a vegan diet is the only healthy way to eat and we will always get backed into a corner if we say that it is. Likewise, some nutrients are harder to come by on a vegan diet. If we dismiss nutrition issues, we run the risk that some vegans won’t thrive, which is bad for them and bad for veganism. Using bad science to prop up outdated views about vegan nutrition will not, in the long run, produce a positive outcome. The same is true for pretending that there are reasons other than animal rights and animal suffering for going vegan.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. People switching from a typical unhealthy American diet to a healthful vegan eating pattern are likely to experience some improvements in health. But those who are already eating a relatively healthful plant-based omnivore diet may not. The idea that going vegan will produce a better complexion, more energy, protection from cancer, and a sense of “well-being” is pretty farfetched. If you make promises to someone about the health benefits of vegan diet and they don’t pan out, then your argument for veganism has failed. What we can guarantee is that every step a person takes toward veganism reduces suffering and brings us closer to the end of animal use. That’s a promise we can keep!

Vitamin B12 Supplements: How Much is Enough?

2010-07-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

In a new study from the United Kingdom, researchers found that more than half of vegan men were deficient in vitamin B12 based on their serum levels. The findings are part of the EPIC-Oxford study and will be published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers looked at diets and serum levels of B12 in 226 omnivores, 231 vegetarians and 232 vegans. Mean serum B12 levels in vegans were 33% lower than in the vegetarians and 57% percent lower than in the omnivores.

In addition, the vegans had much higher serum levels of folate—not surprising since vegan diets are typically high in this nutrient. Since folate can mask B12-deficiency anemia, there are concerns about diets that are low in B12 and high in folate.

One especially unfortunate finding: Only 19% of the vegan men said they took vitamin B12 supplements. And surprisingly, their serum levels of vitamin B12 were no higher than those of vegan men who didn’t take supplements.

Why are some vegans not getting adequate vitamin B12? Most likely there continues to be some reluctance among vegans regarding B12 supplements. But there is also an ongoing problem of inadequate advice within the vegan community. According to the EPIC-Oxford researchers, “[…] it may be necessary to improve the understanding of the need to regularly consume supplements containing adequate amounts of the active form of vitamin B12.”

Although most vegan advocates, especially within the animal rights community, provide good information about vitamin B12 nutrition, there are still some popular sources of information that fall short. For example, the book The China Study, offers up this advice “If you do not eat any animal products for three years or more, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should consider taking a small B12 supplement on occasion.” (Emphasis added) Other equally popular vegan advocates have suggested that a B12 supplement isn’t necessary until after three years on a vegan diet and that, at that point, a small supplement will do.

But does the average vegan start out with a 3-year supply of vitamin B12? Those who were eating a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet or a “flexitarian” type of diet before going vegan could very well have much smaller stores of B12. And research suggests that blood levels can decline fairly rapidly in just months when B12 intake is low. Furthermore, if you wait until stores are depleted and blood levels have dropped, it is unlikely that a “small” and “occasional” supplement is going to restore B12 to healthful levels.

Taking a B12 supplement is the easiest thing in the world. It doesn’t make sense to wait until stores diminish or you are approaching deficiency before you start to supplement. And it certainly is not good vegan advocacy to promote inadequate advice about vitamin B12.

From the day you go vegan, you should begin to supplement with vitamin B12 or use a variety of fortified foods. Absorption of B12 drops dramatically as the dose goes up, so if you are supplementing just once a day, you need a fairly high amount—at least 10 ug per day. (If you have been vegan for a while and haven’t been supplementing, you may need much more.) It’s important to choose a supplement that can be chewed or allowed to dissolve beneath the tongue.

And when new (or experienced) vegans ask about vitamin B12, veganhealth remains the best and most reliable source of information.

Praise for Animal Agriculture…from a Vegan?

2010-06-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, vegan dietitian Ryan Andrews posted a blog entry last week about his recent visit to a feedlot. Ryan was given a personal tour of the facility which employs between 8 and 13 employees to care for 22,000 steers and heifers.

The write-up of his experience was so positive that it has been linked to by Beef Daily, Advocates for Agriculture, Cattle Network, the Center for Consumer Freedom, and dozens of other individuals and organizations who stand firmly against animal rights and welfare. It’s even been reprinted in the discussion forum of trapperman.com –a site devoted to trapping of fur animals.

A few days ago, Ryan posted a public response to the many emails he’s been receiving—positive comments from the agriculture people and negative ones from animal advocates. In responding, he backpedaled a little bit, acknowledging that as an invited and expected guest, what he saw may not actually reflect usual conditions in feedlots. He also shared some resources that make a strong case for veganism.

But that doesn't change the fact that the article makes this outrageous claim: "From a profit standpoint, if animals aren’t comfortable, they aren’t going to eat. If they don’t eat, they don’t grow. If they don’t grow, they won’t be much use to the dude wanting to buy a big steak."

Since all farmed animals must eat in order to produce, what Ryan is essentially saying is that all factory farmed animals--including hens in battery cages and veal calves in crates--are "comfortable."

But, although he insists that he did not write the article to undermine the work of animal advocates, the feedlot article does just that. The fact that it has been so widely embraced by the animal agriculture community makes that clear. And curiously, despite this proof that the article is viewed as overwhelmingly supportive of animal agriculture, it hasn’t been removed from the website.

Several knowledgeable responses to the article provide some important and helpful perspective. I recommend reading Tracy Habenicht’s post on her Digging Through the Dirt blog (which is where I first heard about the feedlot article) and Erik Marcus’ response on Vegan.com.

I also found this excellent analysis of both the language and facts in Ryan’s article from blogger Joshua Stark, who is not a vegan. (Be sure to read the comments on both Tracy’s and Joshua’s posts, too.)

Is it Easy to be Vegan?

2010-06-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

I was watching the video in which Ellen Degeneres describes her reasons for being vegan. Since a number of articles have put the spotlight on the health aspects of Ellen’s diet, it was nice to hear her talk about ethics and animals as her sole reason for choosing veganism. But, at the end of the interview, she uses the dreaded H word—saying that it is “hard,” and “takes a major shift” in one’s life to forego all animal products.

Around the internet, there is often discussion about whether it is okay to ever admit that being vegan can be “hard.” After all, most people are already convinced that a vegan diet is difficult deprivation; we don’t need to reinforce that belief.

But people who perceive barriers to going vegan need to have their concerns acknowledged, not dismissed. Here’s the thing: Giving up whole categories of food that you love and that are familiar and that you know how to prepare and that have always been a part of your family and social celebrations is not necessarily easy. At least not for everyone.

Depending on where you live and what your social circle is like, being vegan can feel isolating. Traveling can be a challenge. Feeding picky-eater kids can be a trial for newly-vegan parents. Most of us have been in situations where we are forced to choose between betraying our commitment to veganism and hurting someone’s feelings. There is nothing easy about that. We need to be willing to admit that these issues exist if we want to have any credibility as vegan educators.

The idea isn’t to reinforce concerns and pre-conceived ideas about veganism, but to recognize them, and then help people find ways to work through them. That’s what nutrition counselors do; we identify the right starting point for working with an individual and try to find that perfect balance that lets us motivate (and educate) people while still being sympathetic to fears, weaknesses, and legitimate hurdles. In nutrition counseling and public health education, we would get absolutely nowhere by refusing to admit that challenges and barriers exist, and I think the same is true for vegan outreach.

I’m surprised at how often omni friends tell me that they can’t go vegan—or vegetarian—because they “really like meat.” Somehow they must think that veganism is doable only for a certain group of people—those who find it easy to give up meat, dairy and eggs. That suggests that sharing our own struggles in going—and staying—vegan can actually be reassuring to others. Hearing that we faced barriers, but still successfully went vegan, can help newbies realize that they can do it to. Saying “oh no, I just went vegan overnight and never looked back,” might make them think that since they aren’t like us (ie, a superhuman who effortlessly accomplishes any and all lifestyle changes), maybe they just aren’t cut out to be vegan. So being able to say, “yes, it’s sometimes difficult for me,” can ultimately make us better, not worse, advocates.

Here is Ellen’s interview in case you haven’t seen it.

Ex-Vegans, Happiness and Vitamin B12

2010-06-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

People abandon plant-based eating for any number of reasons, but it’s often because they didn’t feel well as vegans. Some are so convinced that their former diet was damaging to their health that they even become activists against veganism.

If you poke around the internet and read stories of ex-vegans, it becomes pretty clear that at least some of them never wholeheartedly embraced the principles of vegan lifestyle to begin with. In one interview, Rhys Southan, an ex-vegan who blogs about veganism, said, “I've come to appreciate ethics as one possible ingredient in a meal, but not a mandatory one.”

Other ex-vegans might believe that, animal suffering notwithstanding, the personal sacrifice involved in being vegan is just not worth it. Ex-vegan Pamela Wilson writes on her blog: “I found the vegan lifestyle, with its emphasis on purity from animal products, emotionally and socially taxing in a way that was incompatible with my maximal well-being in the long term."

Quite a few ex-vegans seem to buy into myths about protein and fats—the type of myths that make it impossible for them to believe that a diet free of animal foods can support health. They expect to feel unhealthy and so they do. They also confuse food cravings with nutrient or dietary needs. Health beliefs can have a powerful placebo effect which helps explain why some people feel instantly better when they adopt a vegan diet and some feel instantly worse.

A recurring theme among ex-vegans is that they often felt depressed and their thinking was “fuzzy” when they ate a diet free of all animal foods. Some attribute this to a lack of EPA and DHA (the omega-3 fats in fish oils), among other things. But a study comparing mood among vegetarians and omnivores showed better scores for the vegetarians despite their lower intakes of EPA and DHA. (And even if EPA and DHA are an issue, there are vegan sources of these fats now.) Others suggest that vegans don't get enough saturated fat in their diet for proper brain function. There is no dietary requirement for saturated fat, though, since the body can make all it needs from unsaturated fats.

Diet can affect mood, but that doesn’t mean it is always the culprit. For one thing, mood may simply change over time for a host of reasons. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that happiness in life follows a U-shaped curve. That is, overall happiness declines as we head toward middle age and then starts climbing again well into our eighties.

It would be interesting to know if vegans are any more likely to be depressed than anyone else. Brain scans suggest that vegans and vegetarians are more empathetic than omnivores. Being empathetic isn’t necessarily always great for mental health. It can be painful to be especially sensitive to the plight of enslaved and abused animals.

But there are certainly dietary factors that can affect overall mood and plenty of things that we vegans can do to protect our mental and emotional health. I’ve written here about some of these. One of the most important factors is vitamin B12. Based on some recent research, Jack Norris has updated his recommendation for this nutrient. Take a look at his post and make sure you are getting enough B12—either from fortified foods or a chewable or sublingual supplement.

Vegan Calcium Needs: Working Through the Myths

2010-05-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

Quite a few popular vegan websites and books make the claim that vegans don’t need as much calcium as omnivores. The theory dates to some interesting research from the early 1990s which found that hip fracture rates among different countries increased as per capita protein intake went up.

The observations were backed by decades of clinical studies, too. As far back as the 1920s, nutritionists were showing that feeding meat to subjects caused them to excrete more calcium in their urine. Theoretically, this is because protein has an acidifying effect on the blood. Calcium is leached from the bones as part of the process that neutralizes blood and restores its normal pH.

Calcium is released from the bones and excreted in the urine all of the time anyway; bones are dynamic and are constantly breaking down and rebuilding. That’s why we need to consume calcium even when bones aren’t growing. But anything that speeds up calcium loss—like a diet high in animal protein—might make it hard to consume enough dietary calcium to rebuild bones.

So, rather than a disease of calcium deficiency, it started to look like osteoporosis was a disease of excess—too much animal protein. And it seemed logical that vegans, who don’t consume any animal protein, would lose less calcium and therefore need less in their diet.

End of story? Well, unfortunately, not quite.

The studies comparing hip fracture rates among countries were ecological studies. They show interesting associations but, given the many variables among different countries and cultures, it’s hard to draw real conclusions. For example, Asians have a slightly different hip structure than other ethnic groups which makes it more resistant to fracture. That might explain why Asians have fewer hip fractures than westerners but have similar rates of spinal fractures and also similar bone density.

There are also geographic and cultural explanations for the differences in hip fracture rates. Falling is a big cause of hip fracture and for a number of reasons, Asians fall less often than Westerners. The comparison also doesn’t control for physical activity, which is very protective of bone health, or for childbearing. Women in some of the countries in the comparisons have many more pregnancies than westerners, and there is some evidence that pregnancy improves bone health (although not all studies agree about that).

Recent clinical trials have also cast doubt on the theory. It’s true that protein can increase bone turnover, but it also appears to increase calcium absorption from food. Some research suggests that the increased absorption could easily compensate for the calcium lost from the skeleton. A number of studies have shown that higher protein intake has a positive effect on bone health when calcium intake is adequate but not when calcium intake is low.

The research findings are not in 100% agreement but for the most part, they just aren’t supportive of a lower calcium recommendation for vegans. That can be kind of discouraging, I know, but vegans need to know where we really stand regarding calcium needs. It’s unfortunate that some activists continue to promote the myth of lower calcium needs as part of their argument for a plant-based diet. Does anyone actually believe that giving vegans inadequate information about calcium helps the cause of veganism and animal rights?

Admittedly, research aimed at identifying the optimal calcium intake for healthy bones is conflicting and confusing. And other aspects of diet that are also very important for bone health often get overlooked. (For example, a diet high in fruits and vegetables appears to be protective for bone health, and vegans may have the edge here.)

But while we may not know exactly how much calcium we need, there is currently no good evidence to suggest that vegans require less than anyone else. This is another situation where basing recommendations on outdated science and wishful thinking just isn’t fair to vegans. And that’s not fair to the animals who depend on us to show how healthy a vegan diet can be.

The Quest for a Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie

2010-05-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

I always find veganizing favorite recipes to be pretty fun and rewarding. But admittedly, some present more of a challenge than others. My nephew emailed me asking for advice on making lemon meringue pie. (Alas, he was seeking information for a friend; none of my nephews are vegan.) It was the meringue that had them stumped.

It stumped me, too, so I went straight to the source of information on all things vegan: my twitter friends. They are a brilliant bunch, I must say, and immediately provided me with some good leads.

Apparently there is a product made in New Zealand called Vegan Meringue Cookie Mix which is available from Vegan Essentials. Well-known chef Bryanna Clark Grogan uses it in her lemon meringue pie and has a recipe on her Vegan Feast Kitchen blog. Bryanna adds something called Instant Clear Gel to the meringue mix--I would imagine it makes it fluffier. I don’t know if this is available in stores, but you can buy it on amazon. Hannah Kaminsky also gives the meringue cookie mix rave reviews on her Bittersweet blog.

This meringue recipe, which doesn't use a mix, looks good, too.

A couple of non-traditionalists suggested skipping the meringue and using a tofu cream topping. And someone else recommended making Lemon Mallow Pie (I like the sound of that!), by topping it with vegan marshmallows. I love Dandies marshmallows and think they would melt very nicely as a pie topping. (And if they don’t work out for the pie, you can just stick them on a fork and toast them over the stove--one of my favorite desserts.)

Finally, I found (and shamelessly copied below) a recipe from the discussion board on the Post Punk Kitchen site, which is a wealth of information.

Coincidently, I posted an article yesterday on my examiner site about eliminating eggs and chickens from menus as an especially impactful first step toward going vegan. Even for those who aren't yet vegan, finding fun alternatives to especially egg-y recipes like lemon meringue pie can make a big difference for animals. If you have other ideas for vegan meringue, please share them in the comments section.

Here is the Post Punk Kitchen recipe. It uses agar, which is a sea vegetable that makes a great vegan gelatin. (Note: to the best of my knowledge, this is not Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recipe, even though the site is hers.)

Luscious Lemon Pie

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust

Filling:

1 pound medium-firm tofu
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Zest of 1 large lemon, grated, or 2 teaspoons lemon extract

Meringue topping:

1 1/3 teaspoons agar powder (or 1 1/3 tablespoons agar flakes) mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup powdered egg replacer
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the filling ingredients together in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Pour this into the crust, and bake for 35 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack, then refrigerate.

To make the meringue mix the agar and water in a small saucepan, and let set for about 5 minutes. Stir over medium heat until it simmers, then allow to simmer 1 minute.

In a deep, medium bowl, beat the egg replacer and 3/4 cup water with an electric or rotary egg beater until it resembles softly mounded egg whites. Beat in the sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract, then the cooked agar mixture. Beat well to distribute the agar evenly. When smooth and glossy, cool it in the refrigerator. It will firm up. Beat it again briefly, then pile the mixture around the edge of the pie, leaving the edge of the crust and the center showing. Make little peaks in the meringue with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nuts and Heart-Healthy Diets

2010-05-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

I made a reference in my last post to the impressive amount of data on the health effects of nuts, especially regarding heart health. A new study on this topic was just published today in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers—who are from Loma Linda University—pooled data from 25 previous studies, all randomized clinical trials. The effects on cholesterol levels from this one simple dietary change—eating more nuts—were impressive. The findings suggest that nuts can be a very valuable addition to lifestyle changes aimed at reducing heart disease.

You can read more about the study in my vegan examiner column.

Reliable Nutrition Information for Vegans

2010-05-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

There is tons of vegan nutrition information on the internet and a whole lot of it stands on pretty shaky ground. Last month I read an article—written for vegans—about tree nuts and their effects on health. The writer built what seemed like a rock solid case against consuming nuts by:

referencing some outdated science
misrepresenting the findings from one recent study, and
blatantly ignoring the rather impressive number of studies that have linked nuts to protection against chronic disease.

The article had references and sounded authoritative and convincing—but it wasn’t even close to being a balanced perspective on the topic.

The volume of data on any particular topic is enormous. For example, when I went into Pub Med (the database of published research articles) I found well over 2,000 studies on dietary aspects of nuts. It’s a safe bet that no matter what I wanted to say about nuts and health, I could find a study or two to support it.

That’s because there are very few issues in nutrition where all of the studies are in agreement. Even where most of the research shows more or less the same thing, there will always be a few outliers—a few studies that, for whatever reason, come up with different results. So it’s easy to make any case you would like in nutrition by “selectively citing” the research. That is, choose the studies that support your theory and ignore the rest.

As a result, it’s a waste of time to engage in “dueling study” debates. Nutrition theories are not built on a handful of studies, they are built on an analysis of all the research on a particular topic. And even then it can be difficult to draw solid conclusions.

There are, of course, some things we can say about nutrition with certainty. For example, if you don’t have any vitamin C in your diet, it’s a safe bet that you’ll get scurvy and die. And, we have good evidence to suggest that diets containing lots of whole plant foods are beneficial. But when it comes to the details of eating for optimal health—beyond simply meeting nutrient needs—it’s a whole lot harder to be certain about recommendations.

And that’s a problem, because most people who want to improve their health would like clear-cut advice about how to do it. Nobody wants to hear that most nutrition advice is not much more than a bunch of educated guesses. That’s why popular diet gurus and bestselling authors are almost always very authoritative-sounding and confidently exact in their recommendations.

With so many different perspectives on these topics, it isn’t easy to know who or what you should believe. There are no foolproof ways to decide whether a resource or person is reliable, but it can help to ask a few questions:

Does this person promote one very precise eating pattern as the only healthful way to eat? The scientific literature is far too complex—and conflicting—at this point for anyone to know all the details of the one and only way to eat for good health. There is good evidence showing that a vegan diet is more healthful than the usual American eating pattern--but the science doesn't support the idea that it's the only or most healthful way to eat.

Is the information all or nothing? From an ethical perspective, I’m pretty comfortable saying that meat, eggs and dairy should never be consumed. But it’s harder to make those 100 percent kinds of recommendations from a scientific standpoint. Likewise, we can say that people should minimize their intakes of refined foods, oils, sugar and caffeine—but there is no reason to believe that any single food is so bad that it should never be consumed.

Is this person saying exactly what he or she was saying 10 or even 20 years ago? Big red flag! People talk about the fact that we nutritionists are always changing our minds. One day something is good for you and the next day it’s bad. It’s frustrating but the research is ever evolving and responsible nutritionists have to constantly reassess what we believe to be true. I give very different advice about vegan diets today than I did a decade or so ago. Anyone who doesn’t is not critically evaluating the nutrition research.

The easiest way to make sure you are getting solid and dependable information about vegan diets is to stick with sources that are well-regarded among vegan nutritionists. I highly recommend these two:

VeganHealth: This site, associated with Vegan Outreach, is constantly updated by Jack Norris, R.D. and, it is packed with information. (I would also recommend taking a look at his discussion of the different types of studies used in nutrition research for a better understanding of why all research findings are not considered to be equally important.)

Vegetarian Resource Group: Most of their nutrition material is written by Dr. Reed Mangels, RD and Dr. Suzanne Havala-Hobbs, R.D. and it’s always reliable. There is lots of practical advice here for families. Look at the nutrition part of their website and also be sure to read the Nutrition Hotline and Scientific Update sections of their Vegetarian Journal online.

You can’t go wrong in using these resources to guide your food choices, and they are pretty much the only online information sources you need. And if you appreciate the availability of good vegan nutrition information, you can support these efforts by donating to Vegan Outreach and Vegetarian Resource Group.

More on Low-Fat Diets and an Update on Heart-Healthy Fats

2010-03-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

My recent post on low-fat vegan diets inspired some good and thoughtful comments, which I really appreciate. Coincidently, just a few days after I posted, an important study was published that supported some of what I was saying. There are lots of studies to support the content of that post (I don’t make this stuff up; I swear) and the idea that eating some fat is good for you is hardly a new idea. But this was a particularly interesting bit of research coming just on the heels of the discussion here.

And so I wanted to talk about that study and also respond to some of the issues that were raised by my last post. Especially in regard to one comment which pointed out that the Ornish Program isn't going to stop working just because new research has been published.

That’s true. I’m not saying that the Ornish Program doesn’t work. I’m saying that, based on what we know about fat and heart disease, it is probably not the best approach. And more importantly, the reasons why it works most likely have nothing to do with the low-fat aspect of the diet.

In fact, the Ornish study didn’t prove anything about low-fat vegan diets at all. Aside from the fact that the diet isn’t vegan, the program is a comprehensive lifestyle makeover and it’s not possible to determine which aspects of the program were responsible for the benefits. For one thing, as soon as you add exercise into the mix, it becomes really difficult to give diet much credit—because exercise is probably far more important for reducing disease risk than any dietary change you can make.

But even assuming that the benefits are all or mostly due to the diet used in the program, it doesn’t follow that you need to reduce all fats in order to reap those benefits. That’s because the various low-fat vegan diets that have been used to reverse heart disease have two important things in common: they are low in saturated fat and they produce weight loss. Both of these factors reduce heart disease. So if people in these studies are losing weight and eating less saturated fat, there is just no way we can say that it is the low total fat content of the diet that is responsible for their improved health. And, in fact, the research really does suggest otherwise.

The new study that was published last week was a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). (Not all studies carry the same weight in scientific research but RCTs are considered to be the gold standard.) The researchers, who are well-respected Harvard scientists, found that simply replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduced coronary heart events (like heart attacks) by 19%. (And a reduction in heart attacks is a much more meaningful outcome that a reverse in atherosclerosis.) Not only that, but for every 5% increase in unsaturated fat consumed (as a replacement for saturated fat), heart disease risk went down by 10%.

It’s fair to assume that people who also adopt a vegan diet (in addition to reducing saturated fat and increasing polyunsaturated fat) might have even better outcomes. Vegan diets have the added benefits of more fiber, antioxidants and other good things in plant foods. There is every reason to believe that a vegan diet based on whole plant foods, and including some good sources of unsaturated fat, is the best heart healthy way to eat.

In a study published last year by Dr. David Jenkins, a vegan diet rich in plant protein and fats (43%!) produced a better blood cholesterol profile than a diet high in complex carbohydrates and it was just as effective for weight loss. The subjects also found it more satisfying. These are just a couple of the studies that make the case that type of fat is more important than amount of fat in the diet for heart disease prevention. (This is true only up to a point of course and I am not recommending a 43% fat diet!)

So to summarize from this post and my previous one:

Replacing saturated fat with either carbohydrate or unsaturated fat will lower blood cholesterol. (This is not at all a controversial idea.)
Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat produces a better cholesterol profile than replacing it with carbohydrate. (Again, this is well-recognized, although experts debate about how much it matters in different population groups. For women, people with diabetes, and those who are overweight and/or sedentary, it probably matters a lot.)
Heart health benefits seen with very low-fat diets are largely attributable to weight loss and a lower saturated fat intake.
Fat intake should probably be moderate and definitely spread out through the day to avoid single high-fat meals.
Some high-fat foods like nuts and possibly soyfoods have specific heart-health benefits that have nothing to do with blood cholestrol levels.

The bottom line is that the current research suggests that very low-fat diets are not necessarily the best way to eat. Or at the very least, they are not the only good way to eat.

Fat in Vegan Diets: How Low Should You Go?

2010-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

I’ve been living among stacks of nutrition research papers over the past six months while working on an update to The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets, a textbook for health professionals and dietetics students. The last edition was published in 2004 so my co-authors and I have looked at all of the studies on vegetarian and vegan diets that have been published since then, along with hundreds of other nutrition papers that are pertinent to vegetarianism.

I’ve learned a lot in the process. It’s reinforced my opinions about some aspects of nutrition and forced me to change my mind about others. I finished my last chapter, which focused on fat and carbohydrates and how they affect heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, yesterday.

Twenty years ago, when I first started working in the area of vegan nutrition I was a big proponent of very low-fat diets. At that time, when diets like the Ornish plan were especially popular, it really did look like this was the best approach for lowering cholesterol and controlling weight. Since then, our understanding about the role of fat in the diet has changed a lot and the situation is far more complex than we originally thought. Anyone who is taking a serious and honest look at the research on diet and heart disease has to question the low-fat approach.

One thing we know (more or less for certain) is that replacing saturated fat in the diet with poly- or monounsaturated fat lowers blood cholesterol just as much as removing all fats from the diet. And there is evidence that eating more unsaturated fat is better as far as heart disease is concerned. Low fat diets are associated with a drop in HDL cholesterol, which is the “good” cholesterol. If HDL drops as much as LDL (the bad) cholesterol, there is actually no net gain as far as heart disease is concerned. There are still a lot of questions about how much HDL really matters, but most research suggests that it matters a lot, especially for women.

Reducing all fats in the diet and replacing them with carbohydrates can also boost triglyceride levels. Some studies show that if most of the carbohydrate comes from whole fiber-rich plant foods (as opposed to refined carbs), this doesn’t happen. Other studies show it happens no matter what kind of carbohydrates people eat.

Very low-fat diets also produce a type of LDL-cholesterol that is very small and dense and more easily incorporated into artery-blocking plaque. Because of these effects on HDL levels, triglycerides, and LDL size, many researchers question whether very low-fat diets are a wise choice for people at risk for heart disease.

Finally, heart disease is not all about cholesterol. There are other diet factors that have nothing to do with blood cholesterol levels but affect the health of the arteries. Some high fat foods—nuts in particular, but also soyfoods—appear to have benefits for heart disease that aren’t related to cholesterol levels. Unfortunately some low-fat vegan diet plans severely limit these foods or even eliminate them altogether.

And while low-fat eating plans have been promoted for weight loss, they tend not to be effective over the long term. Some research shows that including higher fat foods—like nuts or avocado—in meals helps to make reduced-calorie diets more satisfying and actually promotes better long-term weight control.

This isn’t to suggest that vegans should have a free-for-all with fats. In fact, there is good evidence that eating large amounts of fat all at once can raise risk for heart disease. Because of that, some experts recommend consuming no more than 30 grams of fat at one sitting. That could be a problem for the average omnivore or for those who regularly eat at places like fast food restaurants. But for a vegan who is not indulging in tons of baked goods or fatty snacks, it’s not at all. Here is an example of a healthful vegan breakfast that includes some high fat foods and comes in well under the 30 gram limit:

1/2 cup tofu with mushroom and onions scrambled in ½ tbsp soft margarine
1 slice whole wheat toast with 1 tbsp peanut butter
Fresh fruit

Total fat: 20 grams

Or consider this lunch which doesn’t skimp on healthful fats:

1 cup black bean soup topped with ¼ cup cubed avocado
Tossed green salad sprinkled with 1 tbsp sunflower seeds and dressed with vinaigrette containing 2 tsp olive oil
6 ounces raspberry-flavored soy yogurt

Total fat: 22 grams

Some low-fat vegan diets strive for fat intakes that are as low as 10% of calories. But the World Health Organization says that no one should go below a 15% fat diet and that women of childbearing age should consume diets that are at least 20% fat. They suggest that intakes up to 30 or even 35% of calories can be healthful.

The idea that we need to avoid all dietary fats, including healthful plant ones, is outdated and perhaps even harmful. But even if eating a very low-fat diet is perfectly safe, there is no evidence that it has any advantages over a diet that includes some fat-rich plant foods. Foods like avocado, nuts and nut butters, olives, tofu, dressings and sauces add interest and variety to vegan diets. As always with diets that take veganism a step beyond what is necessary, very low-fat diets add a layer of restriction that can make vegan diets look limiting and unappealing.

(Here is some updated information about fat in heart healthy diets)

Processed Foods Are Good for Vegan Activists

2010-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

I don’t think I could live without Vegenaise mayonnaise. It’s so handy for making vegan potato salad and pretty nice to spread on a sandwich with a few slices of Tofurky. I feel the same way about Tofutti brand vegan sour cream; a dollop on top of a burrito or in a bowl of black bean soup makes all the difference in taste and texture.

But some vegans choose not to eat these foods. They object to the environmental and health costs of highly processed products made from soy and other plant proteins, and might even shun a nice friendly vegan cookie made with white flour.

It’s true that for responsible eating, nothing compares with whole plant foods. Legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables are the most healthful foods on earth and they take a smaller toll on the environment. They don’t require fancy packaging or huge amounts of energy for processing.

On the other hand, processed foods like meat and dairy analogues can make it much easier to take that leap from familiar omnivore meals to vegan cuisine. It's already a challenge to convince people that vegan diets are delicious, fun and easy. Imagine how much harder it would be without products like Field Roast sausages, Coconut Bliss Ice Cream, Dandies marshmallows, and Nate’s Veggie Meatballs. For many new (and experienced) vegans, these foods make plant-based eating realistic and accessible. If they didn’t exist, the job of every vegan activist would be that much more difficult. And they will only exist—and continue to get better, more appealing, and less expensive—if vegans support the companies who make them.

The quest for a “perfect diet” is pretty much a lost cause anyway, since nutrition scientists have yet to define that ideal. For example, common wisdom tells us to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but the science hasn’t been at all consistent about the benefits of doing so. Maybe it’s better to eat more nuts or legumes. There continue to be questions about whether we should avoid fats or cook with a little bit more olive oil? Do we need more or less plant protein in our diets? Who knows?

When it comes to nutrition, there are far more questions than answers about the best way to eat. I guess we can say with considerable confidence that an apple is more healthful than a Twinkie, but beyond that, it doesn’t pay to be too perfectionist about diet.

Enjoying foods now and then that don’t fit into the “whole foods” ideal is very unlikely to do much harm to your health. It’s good activism, too, because it promotes the image of vegan diets as approachable and fun. And it supports the companies whose work and contributions are essential to building a more humane world.

Super Easy Vegan Sauces for Fast and Tasty Dinners

2010-02-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Twenty or so years ago, when I first started working for PCRM, I was a brand new vegan—and very interested in what other vegans were eating. This was before Gardein, Daiya cheese, and Vegenaise eggless mayonnaise. It wasn’t hard to be a vegan, but it wasn’t as easy as it is now.

During lunch one day, when we were all comparing menus and cooking tips, one co-worker said that her dinner menus consisted of three rotated items: pasta with sauce from a jar; Progresso Lentil Soup, and veggie burgers. At that time, I was kind of surprised to meet a vegan who didn’t cook. But I’m not surprised any more.

In fact, like many omnivores, a lot of vegans don’t want to spend time in the kitchen. Convenience (along with cost and taste) is a driving factor behind food choices these days. I’m happy to see so many vegan convenience products on the market because I want people to know that you don’t need to spend hours at the stove in order to be vegan.

On the other hand, of course, you can if you want to. There are some great cookbooks and blogs for those who like to fuss over dinner a little bit. And we need both approaches. We need people to know that you can slave over fabulous gourmet meals made from fresh ingredients, or you can pretty much slum it and eat out of a can, which is a perfectly respectable vegan approach, too.

Many of us might like something in-between, though. And so I offer here my own approach to eating, which is “plain food, topped with really great sauces.” I usually cook up big batches of basics a couple of times a week—brown rice or quinoa, a pot of sweet and white potatoes, steamed veggies, and braised chunks of tofu. These are always on-hand, ready to heat and eat. Of course, they aren’t very exciting all by themselves. But they are quickly turned into something special when topped with a vegan sauce. And it’s easy to whip up a different sauce for dinner each night or one that will get you through several meals.

When I mentioned to my friend Jo Stepaniak that I was writing this article, she reminded me that this approach inspired her cookbook The Saucy Vegetarian (which, like all of Jo's books, is vegan). So if you like this approach to meal prep, I highly recommend her book. And I’ve included one of its recipes below.

Here are the sauces I use most often. They are all pretty easy and, because they are all good sources of protein, you can just dollop them over rice or potatoes and veggies, and call it a meal.

Orange Tahini Sauce

A slightly sweet sauce; nice to serve with spicier foods.

3 tbsp canola oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup tahini
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp tamari
1 tsp sweetener
½ tsp salt

Heat the oil and sauté onion and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in tahini and cook, stirring over very low heat, for about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice and just enough water to get a desired sauce-like consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients, increase heat to simmer and cook for about 5 minutes to heat through.

Indonesian Peanut Sauce

This makes a lot and it’s rich, so you’ll get several meals out of one recipe. I love it over rice, tofu, and vegetables.

2 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp minced fresh gingerroot or about ½ tsp dried
1 cup smooth natural peanut butter
2 cups water
1 tbsp sweetener
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp tamari (or to taste—depends on how salty the peanut butter is)
¼ tsp cayenne powder (or to taste; this sauce is traditionally spicy!)

Heat the oil and sauté onions, garlic and gingerroot for about 8 minutes or until onions are tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly. Simmer until thick and bubbly, about 20 minutes. If it gets too thick, just add a little bit more water.

No-Cook Hollandaise

This is from The Saucy Vegetarian. It’s fast and easy and delicious! Jo recommends serving it over asparagus spears, carrots and green beans, or kasha. I tried it on sweet potatoes and it was wonderful.

Makes about 1 cup

1 cup silken tofu, crumbled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Chill thoroughly. Stir before serving.

Mushroom Miso Sauce

From my friend Kate. She says it’s great over a baked potato.

2 tsp olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp flour
¾ cup vegetable broth
2 to 3 tbsp miso, diluted in ¾ cup hot water

Heat the oil and sauté the onions for one or two minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another two minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the broth and miso, stir over medium heat until thick. Add a little bit of water if it gets too thick.

Hurry Up Alfredo

From the cookbook Vegan Yum Yum and reprinted here with permission. This is technically an Alfredo sauce for pasta, but it is delicious over veggies, potatoes, rice, or almost anything you can think of.

1 cup soy milk
Heaping 1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
¼ cup nutritional yeast
3 tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp Earth Balance margarine
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon or stone-ground mustard
½ tsp paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
Black pepper to taste
2 to 4 garlic cloves (optional)

Put everything in a blender and blend on high until smooth. If your blender is having issues with grinding the nuts smoothly, you can strain the sauce. (Or you can keep them as is and pretend it’s a “textural feature.”)

Serve over cooked pasta or vegetables or anything you like.

The high cost of ethical eating

2010-01-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Is a vegan diet cheaper than one that includes animal foods? I recently read a comment on the internet about this—saying that a vegan saves $4,000 per year on food.

I don’t think so.

First of all, according to the USDA, food costs for a family of four following a “liberal” plan—that is, one that includes a fair number of higher-priced foods—are $954 per month. That comes out to $11,448 per year for a family of four, or $2,862 per year for an individual. So in order to save $4,000 on food—well, the grocery store would have to give you your food for free and then write you a check.

In fact—does a vegan diet save you any money at all? Obviously, it will if we eat the way we should. Replacing the meat, dairy and eggs in diets with lower cost foods like grains, beans and tofu isn’t just frugal, it’s much more healthful. Produce is expensive, but that shouldn’t be an omnivore versus vegan dietary issue. Everyone should be eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

But when we talk to people about how “easy” it is to go vegan and how much “fun” it is, we aren’t usually talking about soaking pinto beans. Because from the perspective of the average omnivore (not from your perspective, but from theirs), beans and rice are a poor substitute for steak. Pasta with plain marinara sauce can feel a little disappointing to someone who is expecting meat balls. And, while some of us may think it’s no big deal to soak beans, and we may enjoy cooking everything from scratch, it’s good to remember that convenience is a driving force behind most peoples’ food choices.

Beyond a doubt, one of the things that makes it easy to be vegan is that there are so many wonderful new vegan products on the market. They are delicious, healthful, and convenient. And they are expensive. Especially in comparison to animal foods like chicken, eggs, and milk. (These are always cheap sources of calories and protein thanks to the cruel and efficient practices of factory farming.)

You can eat a low cost vegan diet and it’s not very hard to do. Sticking with the basics, beans and rice, oatmeal, nut butters, fruits and vegetables produces a diet that is not only frugal, but just about the most healthful way you could possibly eat. But we can’t have it both ways. We can’t tell people that going vegan is easy and fun because of all the great new vegan convenience products and then tell them that they’ll save money by being vegan.

The only 100 percent effective and honest argument for veganism is based on ethics and animals. Trying to promote fringe benefits of veganism is almost always likely to backfire. Because let’s face it—most people will discover sooner rather than later that veggie burgers cost more than ground beef.

A Vegan Diet is Not a "Detox" Plan

2010-01-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

My husband—the lucky guy—has a colonoscopy scheduled for this week. In case you’ve never had the pleasure, prepping for a colonoscopy involves several days of a very low fiber diet (delightful vegan meals like white rice with tofu, canned carrots and white bread) followed by industrial strength laxatives. The idea is to empty the colon and get it squeaky clean so that the little camera can see everything.

It’s the ultimate cleansing regimen and no one in their right mind would want to do it. But it’s the only way to thoroughly clean out your intestines. As far as cleansing or “detoxifying” the rest of your body—well, you already have a highly sophisticated system for that, which includes the liver, lungs, and kidneys.

There is no diet or regimen that will detoxify your body. You can eat all the raw foods and juices you want and your body will still produce toxins (because that’s the nature of normal metabolism) and will still do its usual work to neutralize or eliminate those toxins.

Eating a healthful diet that is rich in whole plant foods will certainly go a long way toward supporting those systems and promoting health. But that’s different from expecting that a week or two of some special diet will actually cleanse your body of harmful substances.

Adopting a vegan diet doesn’t cause your body to detox, either. Which is a good thing, since the last thing we want to tell people is that they are going to feel unwell when they first go vegan. Some new vegans might experience discomfort if their diet is suddenly higher in fiber or beans. But that can be handled pretty easily by consuming some refined grains, more cooked foods, and more lentils (they’re less gas-y than other beans), and transitioning gradually to a higher fiber intake.

Going vegan should feel good. For many, there is a distinct sense of psychological relief when diet and lifestyle choices start to reflect actual feelings and beliefs about animals. Let’s not ruin that with made-up claims about some transition period of "detoxification" and discomfort.

Money Matters For Animal Liberation and Vegan Education

2009-12-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

Some friends who work for non-profits—smaller groups in particular—tell me that donations are down this holiday season. It’s not surprising, of course, at a time when many are feeling the economic pinch. And with so many expenses at this time of year and the pressure to create a good holiday for family and friends, it’s easy to put charitable donations way behind other bills.

Because I read Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save this fall, I’ve been inspired to work harder at giving more. Singer’s focus is on the billion people who live in extreme poverty, and about half of my donations go to groups who help the poorest of the world’s poor. The other half go to organizations that help animals directly, or work to end animal use and abuse.

Not everyone has money for charitable contributions. And giving money is hardly the only—or most important—way to make a difference for animals. Anyone can be vegan and talk to their friends about veganism. Anyone can volunteer a few hours a week at an animal shelter.

But if you can give, you should, because large and small organizations can do the kind of work that individuals can’t. It takes money to produce quality materials that educate people about animal use and vegan lifestyle—materials that are well-written, copyedited and have good graphics (and yes, those things matter.) It takes money to do undercover investigations about animal use and to get the information into the hands of the media. Donations can also fund advertisements that reach millions of people and can pay for campaigns to change laws that affect animals. And it clearly takes money—and lots of it—to provide food, housing, and medical care for rescued animals.

With just four days left in the year, a number of animal advocacy groups have matching gift challenges, which means your last-minute donation can go twice as far. Donations can be made directly from websites of individual organizations in order to meet end-of-year deadlines.

Easy Vegan Holiday Party

2009-12-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

I had a few neighbors over last night for wine and cocktail party-ish appetizers. These are good, cozy friends—the kind with whom you don’t worry too much if you don’t get around to cleaning the bathroom. They are omnivores, though—and that causes me to fuss just a little bit more than usual. I didn't have time to cook all day, so I ended up using a few prepared party foods.It’s nice that there are so many great ones available for vegans. In addition, I made one batch of Christmas cookies, a fast cake, some hummus (well, it was a vegan party; you’ve gotta have hummus!), and walnut-broccoli spread.

Here is what was on the menu with some recipes

From the freezer:

Vegetable Bird’s Nests from Trader Joe’s. These are vegetables in a spun batter with a dipping sauce; they were a huge hit.

Potato and Onion Pierogies from my local Safeway store, served with vegan sour cream

Asian Vegetable Dumplings (don’t remember where I got these; probably the food co-op)

Things I made:

Hummus
(I always assume that everyone has their own favorite hummus recipe. I use 1 ½ cups cooked/canned chickpeas, ½ cup tahini, ¼ cup fresh parsley, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic. Put it in the food processor and blend until smooth. It’s perfect every time!)

Little rounds of French bread with Daiya cheese melted on them.
I used both the cheddar and Italian-flavored cheese and everyone seemed to like both.

Broccoli-Walnut Pate
This was also a big hit and it’s very easy to make.

3 cups chopped raw broccoli
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce/tamari
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp tahini

Like all dishes using raw broccoli, this is so much better (and prettier) if you blanch the broccoli first. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the broccoli in. Cook it for one minute. Stand there and stare at it so that you don’t cook it any longer. Then quickly drain and plunge the broccoli into a bowl of ice water to cool it right away. (Otherwise, it will stubbornly continue to cook.)

In a food processor, blend the walnuts and olive oil until they almost make walnut butter. Add the broccoli and rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Add salt if needed, and you may prefer a little more tahini.

Russian Tea Cakes

These are my favorite Christmas cookie and are very traditional in my family. You can find the recipe here on my old personal blog (which I plan to someday resurrect).

Chocolate Chip Cake

This is a wonderful easy vegan cake that dates back to World War II at least (although the chocolate chips are my own recent addition).

1 ½ cups white flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
5 tbsp canola or other bland oil (this is ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup cold water
¾ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Put all the wet ingredients in a big pyrex measuring cup or something with a spout. Pour them over the dry ingredients and mix everything together until well-combined. Pour the batter into a non-stick 8 by 8 inch pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 35 minutes.

Promoting Veganism: Finding the Message that Works

2009-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

I’m always curious about what causes a person to go vegan and I always ask. As an educator and an activist, I’m interested in knowing exactly what message grabbed someone’s attention and put them on the road to veganism. My own background is in public health nutrition which means that I studied both nutrition and education. I’ve also taught Nutrition Education courses to dietetics students, and spent a lot of time looking at the literature on how we craft messages to convince people to change their behavior.

But the answers remain elusive for public health experts, and are much more so for vegan advocates—given the type of lifestyle and belief change we are seeking. We don’t have any real data on what works. So I continue with my informal surveying, asking individuals what they were reading or looking at or to whom they were talking at the moment that they began thinking about veganism.

The names that come up most often are, not surprisingly, PETA and Vegan Outreach (or an individual working on behalf of those organizations). Without a doubt, the books most commonly mentioned are Diet for a New America by John Robbins and Animal Liberation by Peter Singer—especially among those who have been vegan for 20 years or so. (Despite the fact that I have many criticisms of DFANA, I have to admit that it is the book that caused me to go vegan.) People will also often say that a friend got them to look at a video from an animal rights group, and this had a big impact on them. And very recently, I’ve been promoting the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer to friends and colleagues and have been pretty gratified by the feedback. None of that surprises me since these groups and books have powerful messages. But other responses have been unexpected.

I’ve recently been chatting with a new online friend who is on the fast track to veganism. She started out being inspired by the Meatless Monday campaign to decrease her meat intake for health reasons. Here is what she wrote to me a couple of weeks ago:

“From Meatless Mondays to veganism! …What started out as an investigation into diet for health reasons has morphed into something completely different. I feel like my sensitivity sensors have been awakened from a long sleep with regards to animals. I tried to watch Meet Your Meat last night and only made it 5 minutes in before I had to stop. I am really starting to question the way human beings not only do what we want with animals because we can, but our right to use them at all for anything.”

I’ve always been critical of promoting a reduction of animal foods for health reasons, but I’m being forced to re-evaluate my position a little bit. This is not the first time that someone has told me that they started out reducing meat for health reasons and ended up as an ethical vegan. It shouldn’t really be a surprise I guess. Clearly, people are more likely to feel ready to hear an ethical vegan message when they are comfortable with vegan food or even with eating less animal food in general.

Anyone who is involved in public education knows that different types of messages reach different groups of people. In her excellent book Strategic Action for Animals (a must-read for all serious activists), psychologist Dr. Melanie Joy gives sound advice about crafting messages. But she also admits that the animal liberation movement doesn’t have the answers to some important questions about the use of different types of materials for different groups. She points to the important work being done in this area by the Humane Research Council and suggests that market research must be a priority for this movement.

Until we have that research, we have to be humble enough to know that we’re all stumbling around to some extent. We shouldn’t be dismissive of any (non-offensive) campaign or message or book just because we don’t like the way the message is presented. Nobody knows the one and only true way to promote veganism and animal liberation. And we are likely to end up being surprised by some of the things that work.

A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Animals

2009-11-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving Eve and I'm cooking up a storm. There will be nine of us tomorrow around the table plus another couple coming for dessert. I'm also answering email and reading the numerous holiday messages that are rolling in to the various email lists to which I subscribe. It's depressing.

Most of the emails are about plans for tomorrow's dinner, about who is cooking the turkey and how. Not a hint of any twinge of misgiving about feasting on an animal who lived a miserable life and died a horrible death for the family holiday. All are cheerfully ignorant of what it means to kill these animals--and I suspect in many cases, the "not knowing" is by choice. It makes me feel just a little hopeless.

Even though this is the holiday of thanks, I always feel inclined to make grace a prayer of supplication--for blessings for the animals and for the hearts of their abusers to be touched with mercy. This prayer was written by English novelist John Galsworthy (he wrote The Forsyte Saga). I found it in the book Love the Animals: Meditations and Prayers, edited by the Reverend Andrew Linzey and Tom Regan. I've changed it just a tiny bit to make it a little more ecumenical. We read it at Thanksgiving last year and I think we'll read it again tomorrow.

To all the humble beasts there be,
To all the birds on land and sea,
Great Spirit sweet protection give,
That free and happy they may live.

And to our hearts the rapture bring
Of love for every living thing;
Make of us all one kin, and bless
Our ways with Your own gentleness.

My Letter to the Editor About Thanksgiving and Turkeys

2009-11-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

I live in a wonderful small town where it is not too difficult to get a letter published in the weekly newspaper. I wrote the letter below about going vegetarian for Thanksgiving and it was published yesterday in the Port Townsend Leader. They didn’t put it in their online edition so I can’t link to it. But that’s okay because I want to publish it here exactly the way I wrote it. The editors made some changes that I didn’t like. In the second sentence, they replaced the words “he or she” (referring to a turkey) with “it.”And further down, when I talked about "baby calves who," they changed it to "baby calves that."

This is the kind of language that helps people "forget" that the food on their plate was once an animal, a sentient and aware creature. It's subtle, of course, but the way we talk about animals reflects how we think about them. I know that I slip up on this frequently so I'm not so quick to blame others who refer to an animal as "it." But the editors didn't slip up; they made a point of changing my words to animals-as-things language. I think the changes did a disservice to the spirit of my letter. But I’m glad the letter was published and am going to hope that maybe it reached the ears of two or three people who are ready to think about what it means to eat foods that come from animals .

November 18, 2009

To the Editor

With our community’s emphasis on buying locally-produced items, it’s easy to forget that there are other ethical issues regarding holiday purchases. If there will be a turkey on your table this Thanksgiving, you can be almost certain that he or she suffered a miserable life and death for your brief pleasure. There are no laws for the humane treatment of turkeys on farms or in the slaughterhouse. (Neither chickens nor turkeys are included in the Humane Slaughter Act.)

In the wild, turkeys have complex language—more than 20 different vocalizations—and can recognize one another’s voices. Rescued farm turkeys show affection toward humans, and like cats, they purr when content. But on modern “farms’—including organic farms—turkeys live their entire lives in windowless sheds with about 1 square foot of space per bird. While wild turkeys can fly, farmed turkeys cannot. In fact, because they are bred for excessive growth, many cannot walk. En route to slaughter, 10 to 15 percent of turkeys die from suffocation (an accepted industry standard.) Many others arrive in extreme pain with broken bones.

Because of the fast pace of slaughterhouses, turkeys and chickens are often insufficiently stunned before slaughter. Government estimates are that about 4 million birds per year are still conscious when dropped into the scalding tanks. Conditions for organically-produced animal foods are no better. (The Vermont slaughterhouse that was closed this month after employees were filmed kicking and elecro-shocking 2-day old calves—who were too weak to stand—was one that slaughtered animals from local organic dairy farms.)

Most Americans say that they care about animals, that they would never hurt or abuse an animal. The hard truth is that when you eat meat, eggs and dairy, you participate in animal abuse.

Thanksgiving—an expression of gratitude and a celebration of family and abundance—is the ideal time to go vegetarian. In his book “Eating Animals,” Jonathan Safran Foer says this about a vegetarian Thanksgiving: “There is no turkey. Is the holiday undermined? Or would Thanksgiving be enhanced? Would the choice not to eat turkey be a more active way of celebrating how thankful we feel? Try to imagine the conversation that would take place. This is why our family celebrates this way. Would such a conversation feel disappointing or inspiring?”

Vegetarians know the answer. It feels good when our choices reflect our true values about compassion for animals.

Ginny Messina
Port Townsend

Vegan Thanksgiving is Easy, Traditional and Delicious

2009-11-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

This year, I wrote a letter to the editor of our local newspaper about why we don't have turkey in my home on Thanksgiving. I hope that I was able to capture some of the joy that comes with embracing compassion on this day of all days--one that celebrates family, friendship, abundance and gratitude. (Please take a look at my article on the myth of free-range turkeys, too.)

I look forward to my cruelty-free Thanksgiving dinner every year. I’m a traditionalist, and so my Thanksgiving menu doesn’t change a lot from year to year. There is an entrée surrounded by all the “trimmings,” ie, the dishes that were always a part of my family’s Thanksgiving meals when I was a kid. They are tweaked ever-so-slightly to make them vegan.

But there is occasionally something new on the menu—some great item that I saw on the internet and can’t resist trying. This year it is going to be coleslaw with beer dressing.

Here is what will be on the menu for Thanksgiving, 2009.

Stuffed Mushrooms. I’m using my mom’s recipe for this. She always baked the mushrooms in cream, and I’ve skipped that part in the past. But this year, I have MimicCreme, a wonderful new product made from nuts and with a luscious creamy feel and taste. You can see the recipe here in this article I wrote for Suite 101.

Veggie Strips with Onions: I use the Vegetarian Stir-fry Strips from White Wave, which are seasoned seitan. But any faux meat product you like would be fine. I slice them and sauté with sweet onions, and then pile them on a platter next to the stuffed mushrooms.

Stuffing: My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal! I use a packaged stuffing mix and make it with vegan margarine and veggie broth. I usually sauté onions, chopped celery, walnuts, and dried fruit bits and mix those into the stuffing before baking.

Mashed potatoes: This is the only time of the year I make mashed potatoes so it feels like a major treat. I mash them with vegan margarine and plain soymilk. I may add a little bit of the MimicCreme this year.

Gravy: I always fret over this a little bit, but I think my gravy problems are finally over. My friend Judith, the Savvy Vegetarian, posted a recipe for gravy made with chickpea flour. I found the flour made by Bob’s Red Mill (they call it garbanzo flour) in my grocery store. I like Judith’s recipe a lot, but am going to keep mine sort of basic. I’ll use a mixture of olive oil and vegan margarine, the chickpea flour and some veggie broth. I’ve already tested this and it is wonderful!

Sweet potatoes: In the past, we’ve had sweet potato salad with toasted pecans and I may do that again this year. Or I may go with tradition and just bake and mash the sweet potatoes. I don’t really need to bother with vegan marshmallows because I know most of my guests don’t care. But just for fun, I think I’m going to order some coconut toasted marshmallows from Vegan Essentials and make one little casserole dish of sweet potatoes topped with those.

Green Bean Casserole: We didn't have this when I was growing up, but I love it—all-American comfort food at its best! And even if I weren’t vegan, I don’t think I’d want to use that gloppy condensed cream of mushroom soup. Here is a vegan recipe for this classic dish:

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp vegan margarine
2 Tbsp white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain soymilk
2 packages frozen French cut green beans
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 2/3 cups French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the margarine and sauté the mushrooms until just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and salt and cook over low heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and cook until thick. Add a little more milk if the sauce seems too thick.

In a large casserole, combine the mushroom sauce, green beans, pepper, and half the onions. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Top with the remaining fried onions and bake for another five minutes.

Cranberries: I was raised on canned jellied cranberries and had no idea until I went to college that there were other options. I’ve had all kinds of wonderful homemade cranberry recipes, but the basic one is still my favorite. And it is certainly easy. In a pot, combine 12 ounces of cranberries, 1 cup of vegan sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the cranberries burst—about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Coleslaw: Not a tradition for me, but it is for many others. I think it’s a nice fit to any Thanksgiving feast and I’m dying to try this recipe for coleslaw with beer dressing.

Gingered Turnips: My friend Kate is making these, and the recipe is included in my 2007 Thanksgiving menu.

Wild Rice with Mushrooms: Kate is from Minnesota so wild rice is a tradition in her family. I don't think there is an official recipe; it's just cooked wild rice sautéed with onions and mushrooms.

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls: Yes, they’re awful, but they’re traditional and they are vegan!

Dessert: Apple pie and wonderful pumpkin cheesecake, both made by my friend Phyllis who is a superb vegan baker. The recipe for the cheesecake is at the end of the post on my 2007 Thanksgiving menu.

For drinks, we’ll have wine, beer and sparkling cider.

I can't imagine how anyone could even think of having a turkey, can you?

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer: Some of My Favorite Reviews

2009-11-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

I posted my review of Eating Animals on the examiner site yesterday. I’m so grateful for what I consider to be a brilliant and important book. (And let me just say, as a complete aside, that it also has what is one of my all-time favorite covers!)

Jonathan Safran Foer has a unique talent for educating people about the horrors of factory farming through an engaging storytelling approach. No one can deny the impact that this book is having on readers. It’s likely to reach many more mainstream consumers than any other book so far on this subject, with the exception of the much more tepid Omnivore’s Dilemma.

I’ve been reading lots of reviews and discussion about the book and have compiled a few favorites. Eating Animals is not a perfect book by any means. And there are definitely some things that Foer doesn’t “get.” And yet, if every person in the country read this book, I think it would begin to change attitudes not just toward factory farming, but toward animals as well. And we need as many vehicles for changing attitudes as we can get.

This is my review of Eating Animals on examiner.com.

And here are some other reviews that I like a lot.

Erika Ritter, reviewing the book for The Globe and Mail says “Jonathan Foer's book does more to afflict the comfortable than it does to hamper the struggle to bring non-humans within the purview of ethical consideration. Ultimately, the readership of The New Yorker, The New York Times and The New York Review of Books, along with the fans of Michael Pollan and humane slaughterer Temple Grandin, are going to have to reckon with the vast unease generated by Eating Animals.”

In the Huffington Post, Rabbi David Wolpe says “I hope this book falls with an explosive charge on the somnolent consciences of meat-eating Americans. We know something of the agony, waste, disease and unhealthiness behind the gleaming counters. Perhaps Eating Animals will persuade us to stop pretending to be asleep.”

On vegan.com, Erik Marcus wrote: Not only is Foer’s writing first-rate, the research that went into this book was a massive undertaking. I write on this subject daily, and still learned things on every page.

Finally, I liked this review by Geoff Nicholson in the San Francisco Chronicle. He says that Eating Animals is "ultimately a work of moral philosophy. Having made us long for humane farming methods, he then concludes that ethically there's no such thing."

Buying Cookbooks is Good Vegan Activism

2009-11-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

I tweeted and facebook-status-updated this yesterday but I think it deserves a quick blog post, too.

I noticed that the best selling cookbook in America this week is The Pioneer Woman Cooks. In case you haven’t heard of her, The Pioneer Woman has a wildly popular blog sub-titled “Plowing Through Life in the Country…One Calf Nut at a Time.” She’s a city girl who met a rancher in a bar, married him and moved to Montana. It’s hard to figure out which blog posts are more annoying—those waxing poetic about the joys of throwing calves to the ground to brand and castrate them, or the adolescent ramblings about her husband, whom she calls “The Marlboro Man.”

Either way, she is not exactly a friend to animals. Apparently Ms. Pioneer was a vegetarian when she first met her husband-to-be. Asked recently why that was, she responded “I have no idea. I think it’s because I wanted to say I was a vegetarian.” It’s depressing that she is so popular.

But on a happier note, the beautiful new cookbook by vegan chef Tal Ronnen, The Conscious Cook, trails just a few steps behind Pioneer Woman at number 3 on the list. How great would it be to see that book become the best selling cookbook in America? How great would it be to see Ms. Pioneer knocked out of that number 1 spot?

I need another vegan cookbook like I need a meat thermometer, but I immediately ordered a copy of The Conscious Cook. It felt like a little tiny bit of great activism to do so. And of course, it was also a treat. Since amazon.com loves me dearly (I wonder why?), the book arrived in less than 24 hours. It’s gorgeous. It has photos, recipes from guest chefs, and wonderful menu ideas. It’s about divine cuisine that happens to also be ethical.

I’m buying this book for all the cooks on my Christmas list, vegan or not. I want them to have it but, more importantly, I want the number one cookbook on the New York Times bestseller list to be authored by someone who understands that compassion is a vital component of true “good cooking.” You should buy it, too.

Is Vegetarianism a Useful Gateway to Veganism?

2009-11-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

I have quite a few friends and acquaintances who are vegetarian. I’ve talked with them, of course, about why it doesn’t make sense to give up some animal products and not others. And about the horrible suffering involved in egg and dairy production. Some are making the effort to move toward veganism, and some are almost there. But, sometimes, when I talk to vegetarians about this issue, they are sort of stunned. They thought they had already done something very significant in giving up meat, chicken and fish. They thought they had done enough, and finding out otherwise takes some adjustment in thinking.

I understand that and the fact is, they have done something significant and meaningful by going vegetarian. So why is it that they sometimes get nothing but grief from vegans?

Attacks by vegans against vegetarians are harmful in a couple of ways. First, they disaffect the very people who are most likely to be open to our message—that is, those who have already made changes in their lifestyle in response to an ethical imperative. Ninety seven percent of Americans eat meat and most don’t give it a second thought. In our culture and our society, to be vegetarian is a remarkable and rare statement about animal suffering and use. To say that vegetarians are no better or more “moral” than omnivores is a whole lot more alienating than encouraging.

In addition, some activists build their criticism of vegetarians on unsubstantiated claims. They insist that vegetarians cause more suffering to animals because they replace meat with dairy and eggs. What we know from the scientific literature about vegetarian diets shows this to be false. First, if lacto-ovo vegetarians were consuming more dairy than omnivores, we would expect them to consistently have a higher calcium intake, and they don’t.

Second, studies comparing vegetarians to omnivores suggest that vegetarians have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, less heart disease, less type 2 diabetes, and less colon cancer. If vegetarians are consuming more dairy and eggs, it would have to follow that eating more of these foods improves health. To say that vegetarians simply replace meat with dairy and eggs is exactly the same as saying that dairy and eggs are good for you. That doesn’t strike me as especially good activism. And it’s obviously not very good science.

We have to assume from the scientific literature that vegetarians eat fewer animal foods and more plant foods than omnivores. That means that they decrease the number of animals bred and killed for food. Their diet has a positive impact in reducing suffering.

That doesn’t mean I’m satisfied when someone goes vegetarian. I’m as frustrated as any other activist when vegetarians will not take the next step. And we have a lot of educating to do in order to help people understand that it doesn’t make sense—from either a rights or a welfare position—to distinguish animal flesh from other animal products. But the fact is that many people—including some who do know about that distinction—go vegetarian first. Donald Watson, who coined the word "vegan" in 1944, had this to say about the subject in a 2002 interview (posted on VeganMeans)

To vegetarians, I would say, accept, as, if you're honest you must, that vegetarianism, whilst being a necessary stepping-stone, between meat eating and veganism, is only a stepping stone. We all use this stepping stone, I've not met a vegan who didn't approach the movement by that route. There may be vegans I've never known, over the last sixty years, who made the change all in one leap, but I'm sure that, being a realist, I accept that vegetarianism is a necessary staging-post in the evolution of humane dietetics.

I don’t agree with the perspective that vegetarianism is a necessary stepping stone. There are lots of ways to approach veganism. And there are, in fact, any number of vegans who simply jumped in and went vegan overnight. But the point is that vegetarianism is a useful transition for some people.

We need to educate meat eaters about the need to take the first step and vegetarians about the need to take the next step. That’s not going to be achieved by being hyper-judgmental towards others who care about animals. And it’s definitely not achieved by promoting misinformation that promotes false health benefits for dairy foods and eggs.

No Need for Vegans to Give Up Fat, Gluten, Soy or Cooked Foods

2009-11-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

When I order a vegan meal on a plane, it invariably comes with fat-free salad dressing. This annoys me more than I can say. It’s not just because I think fat-free salad dressing is basically inedible (which it is IMHO), but because somehow, vegan diets have become synonymous with low-fat eating. That’s not good for vegans or for the animals we want to help.

Given the fact that vegan eating is well outside the mainstream and very different from the way most Americans eat, it’s not surprising that many people view it as difficult and restrictive. (Most people view any dietary change as difficult and restrictive.) Making vegan diets as accessible as possible is an important part of activism.

I've written before on this topic but wanted to expand the discussion on unnecessary restrictions in vegan diets. By unnecessary, I mean that none of these restrictions have any particular health advantage and they are likely to have some disadvantages.

A gluten-free diet is an absolute necessity for those who have celiac disease, a permanent intolerance to gluten. It used to be a very difficult diet to follow but the rise in the number of excellent gluten-free foods is changing that, which is definitely a good thing. However, this autoimmune disease affects only one percent of the population so most vegans have no reason to eliminate gluten from their diets. In fact, a recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition suggested that gluten-free diets are associated with reductions in levels of beneficial intestinal bacteria and increased levels of harmful bacteria, which can affect resistance to disease. For those who don’t have celiac disease, it may be beneficial to include some gluten in the diet.

The use of very low fat diets is also questionable. Those who eat diets low in saturated fat , but include moderate amounts of monounsaturated fat have better cholesterol profiles than people who strictly limit all fats in their diet. Some research also suggests that including some fatty foods in meals is better for maintaining weight loss over the long term. And because fat makes food taste better, using it in vegan meals makes them more attractive to nonvegans.

Likewise, gentle cooking of foods has advantages. Some of the beneficial compounds in foods like lycopene (an antioxidant in tomatoes that protects against prostate cancer) are available only when foods are cooked. The vitamin A precursor beta-carotene is more readily available from cooked foods and is also better absorbed in the presence of some fat. It does tend to be more difficult to meet calorie needs from an all raw foods diet, which makes it a poor choice for children but a good one for those who want to lose weight. Other than that, there is not much evidence for any health advantage of eating all raw foods.

The issue of soyfoods—a staple in some Asian countries for at least 1,000 years—is a complex one and I’ve written about it elsewhere (like here, here, and here) It's unfortunate that so many animal advocates have turned against soy when it is a food that makes it easier to be vegan. At the risk of sounding brag-y, my husband is kind of one of the world’s leading experts on soy and health, so I have access to a knowledgeable perspective on this topic. I eat two servings of soyfoods every day—sometimes a little more—mostly in the form of tofu and meat analogs. And based on the scientific literature, I feel comfortable doing so.

A vegan diet is a great choice for healthful eating and it is an essential choice for an ethical lifestyle. We need to make this way of eating as accessible as possible. Choosing to make a vegan diet restrictive in ways that have no health advantage and no advantage to animals doesn’t make sense.

Five Must-Read Blogs for Vegans

2009-11-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

In preparation for World Vegan Day (today!) I’ve been looking at some of the best resources for new and aspiring vegans. I posted a list of really good free vegan starter guides on the examiner site this past week and a list of five of my favorite new cookbooks over there as well.

Continuing with that theme, here are five blogs that I love. It’s not that easy to choose. I subscribe to around 50 blogs (including a fair number from the meat and dairy industry). I don’t read them all every day, of course, but there are a few from the vegan community that I never miss. In choosing my favorites, I’m not including blogs devoted to food and recipes because there are so many great ones. And some of those are on my blog roll to the left.

Here are five vegan blogs that I highly recommend.

Vegan.com: It’s the Vegan New York Times—that is, all the vegan news that’s fit to print. Erik Marcus updates his blog as many as three or four times per day with the latest news related to veganism and animal rights. Erik is a good writer who distills big concepts into a few words, so his posts are short and to the point. He provides commentary and opinions on everything from new vegan books to the latest events on the animal agriculture front. Whether you agree with his take on the issues or not, you’ll be entertained and informed.

Digging Through The Dirt: Tracy Habenicht sifts through the misinformation in the news in order to provide a more accurate view of what is going on in the world of animal agriculture, animal rights, and the environment. She covers a lot of material in her blog—it’s not always about animal rights—but she is on top of the news as it relates to animal use and she provides great perspective. Her blog is well-written and always a quick, thought-provoking read.

The Grumpy Vegan: The nice thing about Kim Stallwood’s blog is that, if you get tired of reading about veganism, you can dip into Kim’s recommendations for “pubs what the Grumpy Vegan likes.” I don’t actually know how grumpy Kim is (I met him once and he seemed perfectly genial), but I do know that he is a smart experienced activist who has been involved in animal rights since the 1970s. (He’s a former executive director of PETA and was editor of The Animals’ Agenda.) Kim’s blog includes an assortment of posts related to animal rights, England, the aforementioned pubs, etc, all written in an amusing third person voice.

Jack Norris, RD: When I have a question about vegan nutrition, I have a very short list of (three) people to whom I go. Jack is one of them. Wow—he knows a lot about vegan diets! He doesn’t post very often to his blog, but if you want to know everything that is going on in the world of vegan nutrition, you really do need to subscribe to it.

Animal Righter Mat Thomas provides long thoughtful posts two or three times a month on a wide variety of issues related to animal rights and welfare. He’s a good writer with in depth knowledge of his topics. A nice feature of this blog is that many of the posts have a “What You Can Do” section relating the topic to activism. He always provides interesting perspective based on his considerable experience as an animal activist.

Vegan Issues in the News: Meeting Nutrient Needs and Growth of Vegan Kids

2009-10-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

It’s just not possible for dietitians to be knowledgeable about every single aspect of nutrition. If you put me in charge of a dialysis unit, I’m sure all the patients would be dead in no time at all. Although I took a few clinical nutrition courses in school, I learned—and promptly forgot—just enough to pass my RD exam.

So, I wouldn’t take a job as a hospital dietitian and I wouldn’t agree to do an interview on any aspect of clinical nutrition. Unfortunately, when it comes to vegan (and vegetarian) diets, journalists often end up interviewing health professionals who don’t have expertise in this particular area. It often results in misinformation and sometimes exaggerates the potential pitfalls of vegan diets.

In this article in the Springfield, Missouri News-Leader, a dietitian suggested that vegetarians can be at risk for not getting enough protein, vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, iron, and vitamin D. The symptoms that could result from this were frightening indeed and included osteoporosis, muscle wasting and tongue deformities. (I have to say—the tongue deformity thing was new to me.)

Some points in response to that article, particularly in regard to vegan diets:

It’s true that vegans need to pay attention to vitamin B12. But I’ve written before about why I think vegans could actually have an advantage over omnivores regarding this nutrient, especially as they age.

Vegans have higher iron needs than meat-eaters, but they do not have higher rates of iron-deficiency anemia. And vegans have a distinct advantage over those vegetarians who consume dairy products since dairy is devoid of iron and interferes with its absorption.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters all get vitamin D in exactly the same ways—from sun exposure or fortified foods. (Milk is not a natural source of vitamin D; it’s fortified with it.)

There is a little bit of a learning curve regarding calcium for vegans, but it is certainly not difficult to get enough. There is no disadvantage to getting calcium from plant foods or fortified foods and there may be some advantages.

Vegans have slightly higher protein requirements than omnivores but those needs are met with ease. When people eat a variety of plant foods and get enough calories, protein deficiency is pretty unlikely.

Zinc is a tricky issue. There is so much we don’t know about this nutrient as it relates to marginal deficiencies. It’s found in nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains, but I’m increasingly inclined to recommend that vegans supplement with zinc just to be on the safe side. I’m fairly cautious about these issues, though, and we absolutely do not see overt zinc deficiency in the vegan population.

Finally, the News-Leader article stated rather emphatically that vegan children will grow more slowly than omnivores and that growth will be in the “low-normal” category. That seems like an over-statement to me. Given the lack of good data on this issue, I don't think we can predict the growth of vegan children one way or the other. There are a few studies showing that vegan children grow more gradually than meat-eaters, but that they attain similar heights by puberty. These are older studies, however. It would be more instructive to look at growth in today’s vegan kids, given the much greater availability of good nutrition information for vegans as well as the increased availability of protein- and calorie-rich vegan foods.

But there is a more important question. Is more gradual growth a sign that vegan diets are inferior? We can look to the growth of infants in omnivore families for some answers. While breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant feeding, breast fed infants grow more slowly than those who are fed formula. This tells us that the faster growth of bottle fed babies is not normal and is most likely not ideal. So, if it turns out that omnivore kids grow faster than vegans, who is to say that this is advantageous?

We may not know the answer to that, but we do know that vegan diets can provide everything that children need to meet nutrient needs, grow well, and attain normal heights. And if you don’t believe me, take a look at these beautiful vegan kids!

Ten Tips for Animal Activists Based on the Life of Henry Spira

2009-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

In 1973, when Henry Spira was 45, two things happened that sparked his interest in animal rights. A friend gave him a cat (he had no personal relationships with animals until that time) and he met Peter Singer. It was a turning point that gave way to full-time activism on behalf of animals.

Ethics Into Action, written by Singer, is the story of Henry’s work. It reads like an inspirational tale of one activist’s life as well as a manual on how to get things done. The lessons in this book for activists are not to be missed.

Before his involvement with animal rights, Henry already had decades of experience with the Merchant Marines, the Army, union organizing, the civil rights movement, and teaching high school. His background and knowledge served him well when he began the work that came to define his life.

Henry chose his first campaign with great care. He looked for one that was extremely vulnerable and that would garner public support and media attention. His target was some rather obscure experimentation at the Museum of Natural History in which—for no earthly reason—researchers mutilated cats and examined the impacts on the cats’ sexual behavior. He spent a year gathering information about the museum’s experiments and funding, talking to scientists, and building support. The campaign itself lasted for more than a year with weekly demonstrations in front of the museum, letter writing campaigns, newspaper ads, and letters to museum benefactors asking them to withhold support.

Henry’s efforts were victorious and the experiments at the museum were ended. Looking back, the amount of effort expended to end experiments that used around 75 animals per year might make the victory seem pretty insignificant. In fact, it was historic. In more than a century of antivivisection “efforts”—which consisted largely of rhetoric about abolition—this was the first time that anyone succeeded in actually ending any animal testing. It was a tiny successful step that put Henry in a position to move onto much bigger things. And it earned him the reputation as someone who finished what he started. That fact alone was crucial to his future successes.

He established a coalition of more than 400 groups to pressure Revlon and the rest of the cosmetics industry to phase out the Draize test. The result was the establishment of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing at John Hopkins University, another historic outcome. And it generated a new market for products that are not tested on animals.

In the late 1980s, Henry turned his attention to the farm animal industry where he was single-handedly responsible for the virtual elimination of the horrific practice of shackling and hoisting steers for kosher slaughter, and for the complete elimination of face branding of cattle coming into the United States from Mexico.

Among the many remarkable things about Henry Spira is the fact that he alone was the driving force behind most of these changes. He founded Animal Rights International, a nonprofit organization that did not have any members, and employed a staff of two or three people.

While he deplored bureaucracy, however, much of his work was actually funded by large organizations like the ASPCA and HSUS. In fact, among his other accomplishments, he was instrumental in bringing more established organizations like these—groups that reach large numbers of supporters—closer to the animal rights movement. It was one of the ways in which his work helped to narrow the gap between animal welfare and animal rights. His goal was abolition of all animal use, but he also believed in doing everything possible to reduce animal suffering in the meantime.

Henry was known as a coalition builder and a bridge builder. He worked with large organizations, scientists, marketing professionals and the media. He also worked directly with his opponents, among whom he was widely respected and even (sometimes) liked. He modeled some of his approach on his experience with the civil rights movement, noting that change came about step-by-step.

Henry died in 1998 at the age of 71, just after this book was published. He worked closely with Peter Singer in telling his story (and there is much more to it that the few campaigns I’ve mentioned here). The book ends with a list of ten key points to consider when working on behalf of animals, based on Henry’s activism.

1. Try to understand the public’s current thinking and where it could be encouraged to go tomorrow. Above all, keep in touch with reality. Activists sometimes lose their feel for what the average person in the street might think, and this impacts their ability to know what is possible right now.

2. Select a target on the basis of vulnerabilities to public opinion, the intensity of suffering, and the opportunities for change.

3. Set goals that are achievable. Bring about meaningful change one step at a time. Raising awareness is not enough. When Henry took on his first campaign, the anti-vivisection movement had no goal other than raising awareness in the hopes that this would bring about total abolition of animal experimentation. Henry noted “I want to abolish the use of animals as much as anybody else, but I say, let’s do what we can do today and then do more tomorrow.” He looked at successes as stepping stones toward bigger targets and more significant victories.

4. Establish credible sources of information and documentation. Never assume anything. (Henry was a meticulous researcher and record keeper.)

5. Don’t divide the world into saints and sinners. Henry said “People can change. I used to eat animals and I never considered myself a cannibal.”

6. Seek dialogue and attempt to work together to solve problems. Position issues as problems with solutions. Present realistic alternatives.

7. Be ready for confrontation if your target is unresponsive. If accepted channels don’t work, prepare an escalating public awareness campaign to place your adversary on the defensive.

8. Avoid bureaucracy.

9. Don’t assume that only legislation or legal action can solve the problem.

10. Ask yourself: “Will it work?”

Meatless Mondays Take a (Little) Step in the Right Direction

2009-10-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

I wrote yesterday on the examiner site about Meatless Mondays in the Baltimore school system. Some email and twitter responses to that article suggested that serving up vegetarian meals in school cafeterias one day a week is not exactly progress for animal rights. For one thing, the non-meat choices are pretty cheese-laden. Some are more plant-based than others, but there is a grilled cheese option every day and lots of mozzarella sticks on the menu.

It’s true; from the standpoint of animal rights, there is no obvious gain. Baltimore kids simply trade in one animal product for another. And then, of course, they get up the next day and head to school to eat chicken nuggets.

Admittedly, I don’t embrace the Meatless Monday campaign as particularly exciting activism on behalf of animals. I wrote about it mostly because it segued nicely into some discussion about health effects of vegetarian and vegan diets for kids. And it did so within a story that has some media attention right now.

But if Meatless Mondays in the Baltimore schools don’t produce meaningful change, they are still one small step, one tiny factor in setting the stage for other new ideas. Children are learning that they can have enjoyable meals that don’t include meat. Believe it or not, this is pretty huge for many people. It can be a significant adjustment in the way they think about food even if it doesn’t exactly revolutionize the way they think about animals. And that does matter if it creates a tiny mind-opening shift that generates readiness for exploring further changes.

It’s hardly news that many perceive vegan diets as deprivation. If people can’t begin to imagine a vegan diet for themselves, they are less likely to be open to messages about animal rights or animal suffering. Anything that gives a tweak to their beliefs about what constitutes an enjoyable meal (or a nutritious diet) is a step toward a different attitude, and toward a new level of comfort with an animal rights ethic.

I don’t mean to overstate the value of Meatless Monday or to suggest that there is some predictable and guaranteed path from the Baltimore cafeterias to animal rights. The Meatless Monday campaign is not going to produce a vegan world. I know that. But it’s a little nudge in the right direction, toward a slighter newer way—for some—of thinking about food. Everything that moves us in that direction matters, even if it matters only a little bit.

Why I Love the USDA’s New Tip Sheet for Vegetarians

2009-09-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just released 10 Tips for Following a Vegetarian Diet, and you could knock me over with a feather. It’s not just that it takes a positive approach; it actually takes a vegan approach.

While the fact sheet lists some nutrients that vegetarians need to focus on, it doesn’t have any of that annoying verbiage about the need to carefully plan meals. (Vegetarians and vegans should, of course, carefully plan their meals; so should everyone else.) More importantly, there isn’t a word about animal products in the whole fact sheet, other than how to replace them.

Beans and grains are highlighted as good protein sources. And—amazingly—the only sources of calcium mentioned are soy products, leafy greens, and fortified foods. It’s really not at all like the USDA to ignore dairy, but they have essentially agreed that calcium needs can be met without these foods.

Overall, I don’t think the tip sheet is especially useful. A few ideas about how to boost iron absorption would have been more practical than a tip about asking for vegetarian choices in restaurants. The advice about meeting requirements for essential fatty acids seems pretty weak. And I’m not entirely sure why they chose to waste an entire tip on vitamin E. (Vegetarians consume between 50 and 100 percent more vitamin E than omnivores.)

So if someone wants to know more about the practical and nutritional aspects of planning vegetarian or vegan diets, this is not the fact sheet I’m going to give them. But if there are any lingering questions about whether vegan diets can be safe, this should put them to rest. You can definitely meet all of your nutrient needs without any animal foods. The USDA says so.

In Praise of Activists

2009-09-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

I was in elementary school when I first heard Mary Travers sing. By that time, Peter, Paul and Mary had already achieved great commercial success, but they were new to me—and I fell head over in heels in love with Mary’s voice and the passion behind it—not to mention that incredible slinky blond hair.

It wasn’t until quite a few years later that I understood what their music was about and that there was more to the group than great harmonizing and sing-along tunes. Peter, Paul and Mary were authentic folk artists. Their music spoke to the social justice issues of the day. They helped bring protest music to the forefront of American culture. Emerging from the early ‘60s bohemian world of Greenwich Village, they managed to gain enormous mainstream success while being extremely political.

They were with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and they marched with him in Selma, Alabama. They protested the Vietnam War and spoke out for the rights of farm workers. Mary was arrested when she protested against South African apartheid. She once wrote: “Those of us who live in a democracy have a responsibility to be the voice for those whose voices are stilled.”

I saw Peter, Paul and Mary perform at a reunion concert in the 1980s which I attended with some much younger friends. My friends were amused that I knew all the words to Blowin’ in the Wind and that I sang them with passion and tears. I was amazed at that; what kind of person doesn’t know the words to that song?

Okay, so I guess a lot of people don’t know the words any longer. Still, I was saddened when I checked Twitter trending topics the day after Mary’s death. She wasn’t there, but Patrick Swayze was. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised; Twitter is a young community, after all, and the 1960s were a long time ago. But there was also more news about the cremation of Patrick Swayze’s body in mainstream news outlets than about Mary’s death. And with all due respect to Mr. Swayze—I liked his movies very much—the mark he left on this world is only of moderate importance. Mary Travers, on the other hand, was the best and most important kind of person—an activist for social justice.

I’ll never be famous and or have a voice like Mary’s (or her hair) but I’m an activist, too, for the most significant social justice cause of this century. I like knowing that Mary and I are alike in the way that really matters. Being an activist, and speaking out for those whose very lives depend on our activism, trumps fame and talent every time.

Best of the Vegan Internet for August, 2009

2009-09-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the especially interesting things I saw on the internet in August. Not all exactly vegan, but all related to our work in promoting veganism and animal rights.

Interesting Commentary

Time Magazine looked at the real cost of “cheap food.”

Erik Marcus shared some perspective on the Whole Foods boycott on vegan.com.

Wayne Pacelle commented on the American Veterinary Medical Association and their support of factory farming.

I’m going to cheat and dip into July because I missed this excellent post last month by Judith Kingsbury, the Savvy Vegetarian on why she supports Meatless Monday.

Tracy, from Digging Through The Dirt blog talked about why even those of us who didn’t grow up on a farm recognize cruelty when we see or read about it.

Activism

Love this blogpost by Bea Elliott on the weaknesses of one-track activism.

Mercy For Animals released this undercover video of an egg hatchery that became big news. The same group unveiled their fantastic new billboard last month.

Happy Things

If Deb’s photos of rescued animals in this heartwarming blog post don’t put a smile on your face, then nothing will!

Food

Vegancrunk has the best blog roll which lists lots of vegan food blogs I never heard of before. How else would I have known that there was a vegan snorkeler blog?

Here is QuarryGirl’s review of Dr Cow raw cheeses. Can’t wait to try these!

Nutrition

Jack Norris gives the real scoop on vitamin B12 in mushrooms.

Science and Animals

Do chickens suffer in battery cages? Science says yes.

Choosing Resources For Vegan Education

2009-09-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Going vegan is a whole lot more than learning to make chili without meat. Most Americans eat and wear animal products, rely on a multitude of products that are tested on animals, and depend on animals for entertainment (whether it’s playing soccer with a leather ball or spending the afternoon at the zoo). There has been no other social justice movement that has asked all people to change their lives so extensively and fundamentally. Comparisons to other movements and societal changes are pretty limited. We are truly in uncharted territory.

With no one to really show us the way, we definitely need to explore diverse approaches to making people think differently about animals. That means being open-minded about language and tactics. It means embracing different approaches to getting the word out to the public about the horrors of factory farming. We need grassroots activism and we need well-funded splashy stuff from national organizations. We need people talking about the philosophy of animal rights and also those who talk about the reality of animal suffering. We need it all, because different messages reach different ears.

I’ve been talking to an acquaintance—someone I don’t know very well—about going vegan. It all started when she mentioned that she had seen Food, Inc—a movie that didn’t even talk about veganism at all from what I understand. (I haven’t seen it). I told her that the things she found so disturbing in that movie—which involved animal slaughter—were part of the reason I was vegan. I asked if I could share some materials on factory farming and she said yes.

So I sent her all of the leaflets published by Vegan Outreach. She read them and so did everyone else in her family. The next time I saw her, she told me she had been deeply affected by what she learned and was working on making choices that didn’t involve animal products.

I ran into her again today, and she told me that she had seen the Mercy For Animals video of the Hy-Line Egg Hatchery, because I had posted it on facebook. Coincidently, she had also seen a segment on the morning news about the popularity of keeping backyard chickens for eggs. She thought that these backyard chickens come from places that have similar practices to the Hy-Line Hatchery, and I agreed.

Veganism is a new idea to her and I know that she and I are going to be talking about it a lot more over the next several months. But she is moving quickly in the direction of ethical eating and ethical lifestyle.

She is headed in that direction because of the combined influences of a movie (that had nothing specifically to do with veganism); materials from a group that promotes grassroots activism; a high-profile, well-publicized investigation by another animal rights group; and a little social networking on my part—both in person and on the internet. While I felt happy about my own efforts and outreach, I doubt that I would have been quite as persuasive and successful without all of that help.

When “Go Vegetarian” Is The Right Message

2009-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

I’ve been lately dipping into one of my all-time favorite books, Simple Food For The Good Life by Helen Nearing. She and her husband Scott were back-to-the landers, pacifists, and simple lifestyle pioneers in the 1930s through 1970s. They were vegetarian—almost vegan.

I love this cookbook not so much (or really at all) for its recipes, but for the amusing snippets throughout, as well as some delightfully radical ideas (for 1980) about animal rights. But be forewarned: Helen’s thoughts were not in sync with some of the absolutist positions that some activists take today. She was a straight talker and pulled no punches when it came to her disdain for inflexible perspectives.

In her chapter on vegetarianism she says:

“We knew one self-righteous vegetarian who, entertaining us for dinner, ignominiously relegated his wife and daughter, still flesh-eaters, to the kitchen to eat while we were served with our host in the dining room. This hardhearted purist had much to learn about right living, although he was on the track to right diet.”

I saw a couple of items this week that made me wonder what Helen would think about some current animal rights controversies. The first was the new billboard funded by Mercy For Animals. It stands on a highway in Michigan where it is seen daily by more than 50,000 commuters. With a picture of an adorable puppy and even more adorable piglet it asks “Why love one and eat the other?” and offers the punch line: “Go Vegetarian.”

To me, it’s a brilliant piece of activism. But some complained that it was vegetarian education as opposed to vegan education. Well, maybe so. But what do you do when people are zooming down the highway, and you’d like to talk to them about factory farming? If you’re smart, you craft a message that makes a quick point followed by a strong and instantly logical statement.

The Mercy for Animals billboard did just that. They are a pro-vegan group, but they know that you can’t easily capture the argument for veganism in a simple graphic and a few words. So instead of doing nothing, they did something that is actually bound to cause people—lots of people—to think about where their food comes from.

Early this week I also heard objections to an excerpt from the Animal Activist’s Handbook that appeared on the website of United Poultry Concerns. Authors Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich talked about the myth of humane meat production, saying:

“If we insist that we must consume actual animal flesh instead of a vegetarian option, it’s naïve, at best, to believe any system will really take good care of the animals we pay them to slaughter.”

This provoked some criticisms, again, about the use of the word vegetarian. I think that misses the point entirely. If people have made a commitment to eat only “humanely-produced” meat, it makes sense to talk to them about why humane meat is a myth and why they should think about giving up all meat. That message has immediate relevance to the specific situation at hand and opens the door to further conversation.

Some would say we should talk only about veganism and animal rights philosophy. My own experience, based on years of providing dietary and lifestyle education, tells me that this type of approach is dead wrong. But I emailed a friend to get a little reality check about it. She’s an educational psychologist with both academic and real life experience in her field; she’s also a vegan and animal rights proponent. Her long reply to my questions explained the futility of narrow and inflexible positions, and ended with this:

“It's simply idiocy to think that you can more effectively address this issue with absolutism. Trying to get to the end point by flat refusal to consider anything but your own absolutist position (however morally right) is simply not going to open the necessary "mind doors" to begin to alter values.”

By no means is any of this saying that we should never talk about veganism. And it is certainly not about promoting vegetarianism as a "gateway" to veganism. More often than not, we can indeed find a way to talk about vegan lifestyle or at least plant a little seed. I always seek out those opportunities. But I also know that sometimes, it is more appropriate and more meaningful and more effective to use the word “vegetarian” in order to get people's attention. If we miss those opportunities—either by ignoring them or choosing the wrong language—we are missing a chance to make a difference for animals.

The Best of the Vegan Internet for July, 2009

2009-08-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

I found so much great vegan stuff on the internet last month that I wanted to do a little round up of my favorite things from July, 2009. (And yes, I know it’s already the end of the first week of August; I blame it on a computer crash earlier this week!)

Here are just a few of the wonderful items that made me laugh or think or want to head straight into the kitchen to cook or out to the street to advocate for animals.

Funny Stuff

From Vance Lehmkuhl, I loved this brilliant video that offers a musical answer to the question: What do you eat, when you don’t eat meat?

In the spirit of The Onion, Edward VII spoofed meat-eating on the veganiseme website

And while my own creativity may be a tad wanting in comparison to these two guys, I’m going to choose to believe that my attempt at chickpea poetry deserves at least an honorable mention.

Good Eats

The internet abounds with fantastic vegan recipes. These three really caught my eye last month:

Chocolate Cake With Avocado Icing from JoyTheBaker

Vegan Deviled Eggs from VeganCrunk

Vegan Omelets from VeganCook 101

Inspiring and Thought-Provoking Posts

Tracy Habenicht guest-blogged on change.org with a post titled: Human Exceptionalism, Exceptionally Arrogant.

Also on change.org, Stephanie Ernst wrote about why Animal Rights Is a Mainstream Movement

Great Activism

This new billboard from Mercy For Animals is attention-grabbing and bound to help people "get it" about farm animals.

Philadelphia Vegan Examiner Ed Coffin shared great tips for leafleting and talking to people about veganism.

In this video, Jon Camp, director of outreach for Vegan Outreach, talks about the value of leafleting and gives a nice little pep talk on how to get started.

From Glenn at Liberation BC, this is a nice succinct review of The Animal Activist’s Handbook

Other News You Can Use

Mary Martin shares ideas for the aspiring vegan author; it’s great advice!

Denver Vegan Examiner Sara Jelley has a list of answers to the question: Why are you vegan?

Early in the month, Terry Sherwood shared a brief to-the-point list of why lacto-ovo vegetarians should take the next step and go vegan:

Judith Kingsbury, the Savvy Vegetarian posted this article on soyfoods by my husband and me that first appeared on VeganHealth.org.

I’m sure I missed hundreds of great items. Anything in particular that you think I should have included?

Be a Sneaky Vegan Activist

2009-07-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago, I wrote a little missive to the editor of my local newspaper about the rationale for going vegan. A friend emailed to say how much he had loved my “take no prisoners” letter. Yikes. I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or mortified. But there are times when it makes sense to lay it on the line, and letters to the editor are among many good opportunities for that.

There are also times when it pays to be a little bit more subtle. I’ve written before about what it means to live as a vegan in a non-vegan world. It’s hard. But if we are truly a voice for animals, then being out and about among non-vegans is our very best hope for making a difference. And sometimes activism requires a gentle touch.

None of the ideas below will stop the world dead in its tracks and produce a vegan society. They are ways to engage in activism that is quiet and constant—and that plants vegan ideas everywhere you go.

Here are seven ideas for the sneaky activist:

Turn your home into vegan library: I have leaflets and booklets placed strategically throughout the house where visitors are bound to see them. They are piled on the table just inside the door because that’s where I hold many conversations with friends and neighbors who stop by on errands. The coffee table hosts an assortment of material and so does the bathroom. Friends on twitter have suggested putting a calendar with photos of rescued farm animals on the refrigerator as a conversation starter—a great idea! Here is one you can preorder right now from Farm Sanctuary.

Good food speaks volumes, so be the host or hostess with the mostest: Veganism is scary to many people because they think it is a huge culinary sacrifice. Some of the best activism involves showing friends that this isn’t so. Give a simple party, like a picnic on the porch, or a vegan cocktail party or, in the winter, some simple appetizers and soup in front of the fire. It doesn’t have to be fancy; it just has to be good.

Dress for success: Vegan tee shirts and totes can be conversation starters. All of your favorite vegan or animal rights organizations sell them. Drape your tote bag on top of the groceries where people can see it. Put a bumper sticker on your laptop.

Bug strangers in a friendly way: If I see someone looking very non-vegan and hesitant while standing in front of the natural foods freezer at the grocery store, I might try to strike up a little conversation, maybe by asking for their help. “Have you tried the Tofutti sour cream? I like their cream cheese but haven’t tasted this yet.” It might open the door to a conversation about dairy alternatives or just plant the idea that these products are good.

Leaflets: Never leave home without them. I have a stash of Why Vegan booklets in my car and purse. I leave them behind in strategic places. Any place where people have to wait—like the Laundromat or post office is perfect. And, of course, if I’m talking with someone and the subject of veganism comes up, I can give them a leaflet; the graphic images say far more than I can ever explain in my own words.

Be a social butterfly on the net: At least half of my friends on Facebook are not vegan and nearly all of my friends on Goodreads are not. These are great places to casually post vegan information. It’s not aimed directly at any particular person so no one has any reason to take offense or feel picked on. But they are bound to see it—and maybe read it.

Always ask for soymilk: Or a veggie burger or whatever vegan item you need. I recently asked the manager in a fancy cheese store if he carried any of the “new gourmet vegan cheese products like Daiya.” My question produced a blank look; he had no idea what I was talking about. But now he’s heard of it and who knows, maybe someone else will come along and ask him about vegan cheese. An even better approach is to ask for vegan options with an attitude of expectation. Say “I’d like a soy latte, please” rather than “do you have soymilk?”

There are plenty of other ways to be a sneaky activist. I’d love to hear about your own ideas!

Vegan Before Six: Did Mark Bittman Help or Harm Vegan Efforts?

2009-07-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

In my examiner column last week I wrote about Mark Bittman’s decision to add small amounts of meat to his Vegan Before Six plan while training for a marathon. If you don’t follow Bittman, he is a celebrity chef who devised a plan to eat vegan meals before 6:00 p.m. and then whatever he wanted for dinner. He wanted to reduce his cholesterol and weight without entirely giving up his favorite foods.

As I’ve stated here more than once, I don’t like the health argument for vegan diet (not to mention the fact that there is no health argument whatsoever for vegan lifestyle) and Bittman’s VB6 program is a perfect illustration of why I don’t like it. His plan has been perfectly effective in achieving his health goals without actually being vegan. (He lost weight and lowered his cholesterol.) And the minute he had an excuse (a nutritionist told him he wasn’t getting enough protein) he gave the whole thing up.

From what I’ve read on his blog, Bittman has been very serious about trying to reduce his intake of animal food, but he absolutely does not get it about ethical veganism. So did his experiment with “semi-veganism” do more harm than good for vegan activism? My gut reaction is that it did. He gave added credence to the widespread belief that vegan diets are inferior and to the tiresome belief that it’s hard to get enough protein on a vegan diet. I am thinking it would have been a much better thing if Mark Bittman had never gone vegan before six.

But as always with these issues, the true impact is not perfectly clear. Did Bittman’s flexitarian approach convince more people to sample some of his great vegan recipes? People who might not seek out vegan food unless a celebrity chef with a New York Times blog tells them to? Did it cause some little shift in the way some people view vegan meals?

The truth is, we just don’t know.

My best guess is that we will move toward a vegan society through some interplay of many different efforts—including vegan activism, economic hits to the animal agricultural industry, and a positive focus on plant foods, aimed at mainstream people. I don’t know which of these factors will be most important or if all are important. My training is in the physical and social sciences and we science types can be annoyingly agnostic in our approach to the world. Until you show me hard data, my mind stays open to all the possibilities. As we set out to veganize the world, it is probably smart to keep in mind that we don't have all the answers about the best approaches.

Because of that—and although I’m very displeased with Mark Bittman overall—I can’t quite make up my mind whether he has helped or harmed vegan efforts.

Say Yes to Bigotry and No To Veganism With the Fattening Food Tax?

2009-07-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

Will we have a fattening food tax? I doubt it. But even the discussion of this idea is disturbing to me for two rather different reasons.

First, the current conversation about this approach involves some appalling bigotry. In their statement of why they think the food tax could work, The Urban Institute says that part of the rationale “involves personal responsibility, argued as follows: People have the right to buy food that will make them obese. But they need to take responsibility for the costs they impose on the rest of us. They do this by paying a fattening food tax, which helps defray the publicly funded medical costs that result from obesity.”

The last time I read a statement about obesity that made me this angry it was at the end of Peter Singer’s book The Way We Eat. Dr. Singer says: “If I choose to overeat and develop obesity-related health problems that require medical care, other people will probably have to bear some of the cost.” He goes on to note that some people do have metabolic disorders that interfere with weight control but “others just eat too much and should show more restraint.”

Behind these statements is the widely held, uncharitable and incorrect belief that if someone is fat, it’s their own damn fault. In fact, researchers suspect that the rise in obesity over the last several decades is due to a mix of genetic and environmental factors. The genetic factors have always been there in certain people. It’s only in our toxic food environment that they have been expressed.

That sounds like an argument in favor of the fat tax, I know; we can tweak the environment by making fattening foods more expensive/less available. And yes, I think it’s true that putting a higher price tag on some of the real culprits—empty calorie soft drinks, snack chips, and fast foods—could be one small part of the answer.

But whatever we do to counter the problem of obesity, the blame needs to be directed at the food industry and their friends in government and the health industry—not at the people who suffer from obesity.

And even if a fattening food tax—along with a labeling scheme developed by the Urban Institute—may be part of a solution to the complex problem of obesity, how will it affect the vegan cause? The Urban Institute suggests ranking foods according to a nutrient profile model used in Great Britain. And according to that model, skim milk, chicken breast and low-fat yogurt all rank as healthier than bran flakes and plain popcorn.

As I’ve noted here before, the vegan cause is never well-served by health arguments. If anything, the fattening food tax emphasizes the fact that not every animal food is unhealthful. We'll never be able to argue effectively that people should give up all animal foods for health reasons--and we shouldn't look to the fattening food tax to help.

Everyone Is a Potential Vegan

2009-07-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite organizations, Vegan Outreach, focuses efforts on college students and other young people—those who are most apt to listen to a vegan message. Given the huge task of moving society toward a more vegan ethic, it makes sense to start wherever success is most likely.

That’s why it’s disappointing to me when activists disparage those who truly have vegan potential—vegetarians (of the lacto-ovo variety) and people who are moved by animal welfare issues, but not animal rights.

I volunteer at my local animal shelter where the other volunteers obviously love animals and are committed to their welfare and happiness. And most of them eat meat. I know—it could drive you crazy. It does drive me—and the other vegan volunteers—crazy. But there is no way I’m willing to write these people off. Their awareness about animals and animal use may be limited, but their hearts are primed for veganism.

Some of these are older people for whom the idea of veganism is foreign and even a little shocking. So I talk to them about my work and share food ideas with them. Some are interested and are exploring more plant-based options. They are dabbling, and that’s a good start.

The same is true of ethical lacto-ovo vegetarians. No, that’s not an oxymoron. I was an ethical vegetarian before I became a vegan. I thought I had it covered by not eating animals who were killed for their meat, and was stunned to discover that I wasn’t already doing enough.

Many vegetarians simply do not know what happens on dairy and egg farms. To the best of their understanding, they are eating ethically. They need to be educated, and need to hear the right message presented in the right way. A good first step is to offer some respect for what they have done so far. It’s a whole lot more than what most other people are doing.

So many people are resistant to our message. But everyone is a potential vegan. Let’s encourage—not berate—those whose potential is the most promising.

The Tipping Point: Lessons For Vegan Activists?

2009-07-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Taken from the field of epidemiology, a tipping point is the moment at which a contagious disease “tips” and becomes an epidemic. From a sociological point of view, it’s the point at which momentum for change becomes unstoppable. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is about turning messages—about ideas, behaviors or products—into epidemics.

How do we spread a vegan message to the point where it tips? Obviously this book doesn’t offer a blueprint for that. But it gives some ideas—and some fascinating food for thought—based on research from marketing, sociology, and education.

A few concepts:

There are certain types of people who help messages spread. No real surprises here. They are highly social people (those who have a huge network of contacts), information gatherers, and people with the capacity to sell an idea or persuade others.

The message itself needs to be “sticky.” Is it retainable, memorable, personal, practical, novel, irresistible? Most messages will need to be tested and tweaked. And tweaking a message or the presentation of a message in a way that doesn’t appear to make much sense can have huge positive consequences.

Context and environment shape the way people behave and can even overwhelm predispositions. While we might think that people react to an environment or set of circumstances by wanting to change them, it often turns out that they themselves are changed--for better or worse--by the environment.

Finally, Gladwell suggests that ideas spread more rapidly through multiple small groups than one large one.

If there is one salient point to take away from Gladwell’s premise it is this: Attachment to one idea about how to spread a message—no matter how logical or intuitive it might seem—may not always serve us well.

Instead, messages need to be tried, tested and modified. The answer to success can sometimes be found in approaches that are counter-intuitive. And changing the environment can actually cause people to change.

Finally, while it is great that some activists go out and spread the message to crowds, it may be that a whole bunch of people hosting individual vegan pot lucks will spread our message faster than anything else we could dream up!

A Vegan's Ode To The Chickpea

2009-07-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have very few brilliant ideas of my own and must admit that this one—a poem about chickpeas—was inspired by some friends on twitter—ReluctantVeggie and LeafyV. You can find links to their work and words of wisdom at the end of this post. But first..my ode to everyone’s favorite bean.

A Vegan’s Ode To The Chickpea

If you’ve been to a vegan pot luck
Where everyone brings a dish
You’ve tasted six kinds of hummus
Thank goodness it’s so delish.

It’s tasty because it has chickpeas
A very delectable bean
But hummus is just for starters
‘Cuz chickpeas are worldly cuisine.

In Milan they call them ceci,
They eat them with rigatoni
They’re classic Italian food
As famous as macaroni.

When you pair them up with pasta
You get a protein that’s complete.
Oops, what the heck am I saying?
That theory has met with defeat!

If you’re traveling down Mexico way
And the foods are all topped with cheese
Say “quiero garbanzos por favor”
(That means “I want some chickpeas, please.”)

In India they’re made into flour
For fritters and tasty flat bread
But if you prefer plain old chickpeas
You can have them in curry instead.

Chickpeas have great healthy nutrients
Like potassium and calcium, at least
They’re an excellent source of B12
(Well—if you eat them with nutritional yeast)

You may think that you love chickpeas
You’re convinced you’re their biggest fan
But I’ve got you beat by a mile
I eat them right outta the can.

I’m happy that I’m a vegan
I do it for the animals’ sake
I couldn’t be mean to a chicken
I like cows too much to eat steak

So, you can have your eggs and pork chops
You can have your heart disease
I’m choosing ethical eating
It’s easy—‘cuz I’ve got chickpeas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some chickpea resources:

The poem that started it all from The Reluctant Vegetarian
Follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/reluctantveggie

Chickpea recipes from Leafy
Follow her at www.twitter.com/LeafyV

Chickpea recipes on my examiner site

From Nutrition Counseling to Vegan Activism

2009-07-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Some people just don’t like vegans. The fact of our ethical veganism, even if we don’t say a word about it, can be an affront to those who are still eating animal foods. We challenge the way others eat and live just by being vegan. And, understandably, most people feel discomfort when their way of life is challenged.

But it’s more than that. People expect to be scolded by vegans. How many times have you heard that vegans are judgmental, superior and unkind? Is that an unfair assessment or do some vegans alienate the very people they want to convert? Most of us are passionate, after all, about animal rights. It can be hard to keep that from turning into something that is condemnatory and critical.

Before I became an animal rights activist and vegan, I was already a dietitian with a relatively varied background in public health. I worked with migrant farm workers in the rural Midwest, low-income families in urban areas, pregnant teenage girls and well-to-do suburban women seeking weight loss. I learned a lot about working with people whose experiences and world views were different from my own.

One of my clients in a Washington, DC clinic was about the angriest person I had ever met. Her 2-year-old son was iron deficient and the pediatrician insisted that she see me. She would hardly look at me and, when she did, it was with intense and rather unnerving dislike. She was angry because she knew I was going to tell her that she wasn’t taking care of her child. I was going to judge her and find her wanting.

Of course, I didn’t do that at all. I told her all the reasons why kids with loving and attentive parents can have low iron levels. I let her tell me about the challenges of being a single mom without much income. Within 10 minutes, she was completely relaxed, talking and listening. At the end of our session, to my huge surprise she actually apologized for her initial attitude. She volunteered to come back for follow-up.

It really wasn’t that hard to help this woman feel respected and accepted. But I have to admit that I find it much more challenging to do that as a vegan activist. Sometimes I am desperately unhappy with people who won’t do the right thing by going vegan. I have to take a deep breath and remember the kind of conversations and interactions that will win the day for animals.

Be a cheerleader and a giver of positive strokes. Appreciating what people have done so far is likely to make them more receptive to your gentle, respectful prodding to go further. It’s not always easy when you feel like they haven’t done a whole lot. But yelling “You’re still murdering animals!” has never been shown to be an effective technique in getting people to change.

Be concrete in your reasoning and suggestions. People need information that they can understand and act on. A treatise on “the inherent rights of animals” is likely to be far less compelling to the average person than concrete examples of the suffering of factory farm animals.

Keep it simple. Most people can handle only so much information and change all at once. So maybe on the first day of their vegan adventure they really don’t need that list showing which beers are vegan and which aren’t.

Do whatever you can to make change less scary. I’m a big believer in feeding people good vegan food before suggesting that they drop animal foods from their diet. They’ll be that much more open to the reasons for going vegan if they know it’s not a death sentence for their taste buds.

Create a good environment for change. My activist soul has a tough time embracing “flexitarian” measures like Meatless Monday and Vegan Before 6. But anything that pushes the world toward more plant-based eating can help create an environment in which the “Go Vegan” message sounds less foreign. If it gets us a step closer to our goal, it’s good.

Can Vegans Be Fun?

2009-07-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

My local newspaper has recently been running a string of letters to the editor about diet. I wrote last week defending the healthfulness of veganism and advocating for this way of eating. Several replies popped up on the paper’s website. They were mostly the usual stuff: Vegan diets are too hard to plan, too expensive, vegans have a moral superiority complex, how do you know that plants don’t feel pain, etc, etc.

But the comment that caught my attention was from a guy who noted that I could eat what I want but he was headed out to throw a steak on the grill--and open up a cold beer from the local microbrewery.

It’s the kind of retort that makes me realize—once again—that people have absolutely no sense of what it means to be vegan. What does beer have to do with anything? I fired off a response to assure him that (some) vegans do in fact drink beer—and wine, and cocktails, and we eat chocolate and potato chips and French fries. I know it isn’t going to make a difference where he’s concerned. His mind was made up and nothing would convince him that a vegan diet can be fun and delicious.

But I would really like the world to know this: We vegans are just like everyone else. We like food that is tasty and fun and convenient. We like to be warm in the winter. Some of us like cute shoes. We just happen to believe that it’s not our right to use animals to fulfill those desires.

Yes, it’s important to eat healthfully, and I blogged recently about good health as good animal advocacy. But fun vegan food is good activism, too. And you don’t have to eat “whole plant foods” 100% of the time to be healthy, anyway. An all-or-nothing approach to healthful eating only undermines efforts to attract people to a vegan diet.

The best moments in vegan activism come when someone looks at the way we eat and says “Wow—I could do that.” And let’s face it—the more vegan brownies we bake, the better our chances of eliciting that response.

Vegan Tuna Burgers: Old-fashioned Comfort

2009-06-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

When I attended Gregory Elementary School in West Orange, N.J., our infrequent art and cooking classes were always an exciting break from the classroom. They were held in a big activities room filled with long tables and lined on one wall with a kitchen. Once a month or so we trudged up there for “home economics,” which always involved preparation and tasting of a simple recipe.

An absolute favorite and one I always remembered was the tuna burger recipe we made in 4th grade. My mom made them at home for me several times over the next couple of years. While I was writing an article this week about vegan sandwiches, tuna burgers popped into my head.

So I pulled out my mom’s old Betty Crocker Cookbook, a loose leaf style book into which she had added her own favorite recipes. And sure enough, there in the luncheon section was the torn stained copy of Tuna Burgers, with my mom’s handwritten notation that it was from my 4th grade class.

It was fun to veganize and I was pretty pleased with the result. The recipe below calls for kelp granules which are essential to get that seafood flavor. Most natural foods grocery stores carry this product or you can order it directly from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables.

Here is vegan comfort food at its best:

Vegan Tuna Burgers

1 15-ounce can or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup cubed yellow vegan cheese (I used Vegan Gourmet Cheddar-style)
½ cup vegan mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp kelp granules
5-6 whole wheat hamburger rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Process the chickpeas in a food processor until coarsely chopped. (Or if you don’t feel like getting the food processor dirty, you could do this by hand with a pastry blender). Be careful not to over-process; the chickpeas should not be pureed.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except the burger rolls, of course) and mix by hand to blend. Spread the mixture on the bottom halves of the rolls and cover with the tops. Wrap each burger loosely in aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The inside should be hot and a little melty and the roll should be toasted.

Can a Vegan Support Meatless Monday?

2009-06-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve been in this business a long time—as both an activist and a dietitian—and I must say, I’ve never been so confused about all of the terminology and events and opportunities surrounding plant-based eating. My head is often spinning but I’m starting to see that this is a good thing. The reason there is so much going on is that lots of people are talking about animal agriculture.

When I first became a vegan the only people who even knew the term factory farming were other vegans. Now almost everyone knows what it is and that it’s bad. And little by little, people are starting to respond. The responses are often weak, that’s for sure. And the activist part of me feels disappointed about that.

But as a dietitian, I have a somewhat different take on it. Spend a few years providing dietary counseling to mainstream Americans and you develop a rather different idea about what constitutes progress. Anything that gets people thinking about the reasons to decrease intake of animal products is good. In that respect, even lukewarm efforts like Meatless Monday can make a contribution.

My biggest complaint about Meatless Monday is the focus on climate change and health, two virtually useless arguments for veganism. I refuse to let that stop me from taking advantage of Meatless Monday to promote my own agenda, though. I perceive it as an invitation to talk about factory farming and animal rights with all the Meatless Monday-ers I meet. It’s also a great opening for letters to the editor to share reasons for going vegan.

All by itself, Meatless Monday doesn’t get me too excited. As a springboard to more meaningful activism, though, it might have some merit.

Best Vegan Nutrition Websites

2009-06-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

I’ve been writing in my examiner column about some things to watch for when evaluating vegan nutrition resources. Today I listed my favorite websites for finding reliable information on vegan diet and, for those who don’t read the Seattle Vegan Examiner, I want to reprint them here.

Eating well—both from a culinary standpoint and a health standpoint—is good activism for animals. After all, when studies reveal health problems among vegans, it’s obviously bad for the image of vegan diets. And when vegans make diets needlessly complicated, it makes others view veganism as a chore.

So, when it comes to sources of vegan nutrition information, I’m picky. There are very few websites that I can comfortably recommend. The list below is short, but you can always rely on these sites to provide good nutrition information. In no particular order, these are my top picks for reliable information about vegan diets.

veganhealth.org

Developed by dietitian Jack Norris, who is also co-founder of Vegan Outreach, this is the most comprehensive overview of information pertaining to vegan health on the internet. Jack includes great background information on all of the topics as well as links to other helpful articles. If you need to know something—it’s here! And it’s 100% reliable.

vrg.org/nutrition

The Vegetarian Resource Group promotes vegan diet and their materials are almost exclusively oriented toward vegans. This page is an index of articles on a wide variety of topics related to vegan nutrition. Many of them are written by VRG’s nutrition advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, who is among the most knowledgeable and respected vegan nutritionists in the country. She’s also a vegan mom!

vegetarian-nutrition

This collection of articles was compiled by Winston Craig, PhD, RD, nutrition professor at Andrews University. Dr Craig is also among the most respected and reliable sources of vegan information. He is very well-known among vegan nutritionists. He has written many of these articles himself and also reprints pieces written by other professionals. You’ll find a lot to read here, all of it very interesting! I find myself dipping into his website all of the time.

vegnutrition.com

This is me! I put this site together primarily to help new vegans and those making the transition from lacto-ovo vegetarian to vegan diet. It covers the bare basics—enough to allow you to plan a healthful vegan diet but not a whole lot of background material. Needless to say, I consider it to be reliable information.

Between these four sites, you truly should find everything you need to know about vegan nutrition.

Easy Vegan Dinner: Tequila Tempeh & Coconut Lime Rice

2009-06-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

I blog recipes only occasionally since there are so many great vegan cooks on the internet—and I’m merely a good-enough cook. But sometimes I stumble over a recipe that is so fantastic or I find myself pulling together such an exceptional menu that I feel compelled to share. And that’s the case with last night’s dinner. Here is the menu:

~Tempeh Marinated in Tequila

~Rice with Corn, Coconut Milk and Lime

~Spinach (fresh from the garden)

~Salad (even fresher from the garden)

I think this menu sounds a little fancy, and it would, in fact, be perfect for company. But believe me, it was super easy. Once you have the tempeh marinating and, if you cook the brown rice ahead of time, the whole meal can be prepared in about 20 minutes. The tempeh is spicy and goes well with the more tropical and breezy flavor of the rice dish. I had red wine with this, but it really is a menu that calls for beer or margaritas.

Tequila Tempeh (recipe is from Turtle Island Foods)

8 oz tempeh
¼ cup oil (I used canola)
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp dried red chili flakes
¼ cup tequila
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic

Whisk together the marinade ingredients (that would be everything except the tempeh.) Cut the tempeh into thin cubes. Pour marinade over the tempeh and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Longer is better.

When you’re ready to cook, you can skewer the tempeh and cook on a hot grill, basting with the marinade. I don’t have a grill, though, so I poured the whole thing into a skillet and let the marinade cook down and the tempeh get a little brown.

The recipe for Coconut Lime Corn and Rice is from the Dine Dish Delish blog. I used brown jasmine rice rather than wild rice and parsley instead of cilantro. (I didn’t have any cilantro on hand, mostly because I don’t like it that much.) I also made this a one pot meal by simply stirring the corn, lime and coconut milk into the cooked rice and then gently heating it. Frozen corn just needs to be heated; it doesn’t need to be cooked.

The Atkins Diet Goes Vegan

2009-06-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Dr Atkins must be turning over in his grave. Researchers from Canada and the United States have taken his diet and—yikes!—veganized it. Their findings were published in the June 8, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Everyone knows about the infamous Atkins Diet, of course. It promised weight loss to anyone who severely restricted carbohydrate intake and filled her plate with fatty meats. For whatever reasons—and the possible explanations are hotly debated among nutritionists—the diet works for weight loss.

But there are some obvious problems with the Atkins approach. First of all, while weight loss almost always results in lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), that doesn’t happen on the Atkins plan. In fact, not surprisingly, cholesterol often goes up. High meat intake is also linked to digestive tract cancers. And then there is the matter of ethics and responsibility; who wants to be eating a diet that destroys the environment and promotes animal suffering?

But what if you replaced all the animal fat and protein in the diet with plant sources of those nutrients? Clearly it would produce a more healthful and responsible version of the Atkins Diet. But would it reap the same weight loss benefits without all the pitfalls? That’s what the researchers who developed the “Eco-Atkins” diet aimed to find out. They designed a 100% vegan diet that was high in protein (31% of calories) and fat (43% of calories).The protein was derived from gluten, soy, vegetables, nuts and cereals. Fat came mostly from nuts, vegetable oils and soy products.

Twenty-two subjects followed the diet for four weeks and had a weight loss that was similar to what people achieve on the Atkins Diet. But the advantage of the plant-based regimen was obvious since they also experienced a drop in LDL-cholesterol while maintaining levels of the good (HDL) cholesterol.

Another group in this study followed a carbohydrate-rich lacto-ovo vegetarian diet that was moderate in both protein and fat. They, too, lost weight and had lower LDL cholesterol levels at the end of the study period. But their ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol wasn’t quite as good as in the Eco-Atkins group. That may be due to the generous amounts of nuts, soyfoods and unsaturated fat in the higher protein diet; all three of those have been shown to have a beneficial effect on the ratio of good to bad cholesterol.

Those eating the Eco-Atkins diet also rated their diet as more satiating compared to the people eating the high-carb diet. But the higher protein diet was also higher in fiber, and both protein and fiber have satiating effects.

I have long been an advocate of boosting plant protein intake for weight loss and also of including higher fat foods in diets to reduce heart disease risk. There is lots of research to support both. The Eco-Atkins Diet is certainly a very extreme version of those recommendations and it’s not one I’m rushing to recommend. In any case, the study was just four weeks long and included only 44 subjects.

Even so, there are some interesting take home messages here. The findings support the fact that, for weight loss, it doesn’t matter where your calories come from. Second, it supports other earlier findings that replacing some carbohydrate with plant fat can be better for reducing heart disease risk. And finally, whatever advantages there may be to eating more protein, it is clearly better to get that protein from plant foods. Plant protein can do anything that animal protein can do. And, in this case, plant protein did it better.

Supplements for Sad Vegans

2009-06-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

Are you sad? I often am. Anyone with a genetic predisposition to depression knows what it’s like to have the blues for no earthly reason. And when you are an animal rights activist, it can make things a whole lot worse.

Let's face it, when you care about animal suffering, it's pretty easy to feel despondent and despairing. How many of us can read about factory farming or puppy mills or fur farms without feeling anger at the least, and more often a sense of overwhelming sadness.

Maybe we can’t change our genes or control all of the things in the world that make us unhappy. But lifestyle, including diet and exercise, can make a big difference. For example, vegans can be at higher risk for certain nutrient deficiencies that might affect mood.

Research suggests that low intakes of vitamin D, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids might lead to depression. For everyone—omnivores included—the only sources of vitamin D are supplements, fortified foods and sun exposure. (Actually, there are a few animal sources of vitamin D, but it is very unlikely that omnivores can eat enough of them to meet needs; that’s why cow’s milk is fortified by law.)

Getting enough vitamin D from sunlight is tricky because there are so many variables such as where you live, your age, and the level of pigmentation in your skin, not to mention the fact that sun exposure raises risk for skin cancer. Therefore, it is prudent for everyone to get some vitamin D from fortified foods or supplements. Vegans can look for supplements of vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol, which is plant-derived. Aim for 200 IU (which equals 5 micrograms) per day, or 400 IU for those over 50 and 600 IU for those over 70.

All vegans need to supplement with vitamin B12, using either fortified foods or chewable supplements. You can find more information about this in my examiner column on B12.

Whether or not vegans need to supplement with the long-chain omega-3 fats (DHA) that are found in fish oils isn’t known since the research is conflicting. In the meantime, it might be a good idea for vegans to take around 200 micrograms per day of an algae-derived supplement. Jack Norris, RD has a list of vegan DHA supplements on VeganHealth.

For most people, taking supplements isn’t likely to cure depression. But a diet that is deficient in nutrients can definitely sabotage efforts to feel better. A well-balanced diet with appropriate supplements or fortified foods can help.

Saturated Fats, Heart Disease, and Other Things We Still Don’t Understand

2009-06-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

What is this love affair that everyone seems to have with bacon these days? It seems to appear in every other recipe published on the internet. The most recent ones I saw were for bacon candy and bacon brownies.

Now the latest internet claim is that lard—which is rendered fat from pigs—is supposedly good for us. Ugh. The basis for this idea is that much of the fat in lard is either monounsaturated (like the fat in olive oil) or is the type of saturated fat that doesn’t affect cholesterol levels.

I don't know--maybe so. But, dietary fat is a bit more complicated than that. Some types of saturated fat (including the palmitic acid in lard) have been shown to have other effects in the body which raise risk for heart disease.

Still, over the years, much of the canon about diet and heart disease has been challenged and debated. How much does saturated fat matter? We really don’t know.

Canadian researchers recently looked at different dietary factors and ranked them according to how strongly and consistently they affected heart disease risk. They reviewed findings only from the types of studies that provide the most conclusive evidence and they went all the way back to 1950. Their findings were published in the April 13, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Here is what they concluded:

• Factors that had a strongly protective effect against heart disease were vegetables, nuts, monounsaturated fats and Mediterranean style of eating.

• Factors that strongly raised risk for heart disease were trans fatty acids, high glycemic index, and Western dietary pattern (characterized by high intake of processed meat, red meat, butter, high-fat dairy, eggs, and refined grains).

• There was moderate evidence for a protective effect for omega-3 fats, folate (a B vitamin), whole grains, vitamins C and E from foods, beta carotene, alcohol, fruit and fiber.

• The evidence was weak for any effect of vitamin C and E supplements, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, total fat intake, omega-6 fats, and individual foods like meat, eggs, and milk.

This is just one review, of course, and it is hardly the final word on diet and heart disease. It is suggestive of where the evidence stands right now, and mostly shows that we still have a lot to learn about this dietary issue.

But, there is certainly no evidence here that eating lard is good for you as the lard advocates claim.

There is, however, strong support for the idea that whole plant foods protect against heart disease. And, it’s clear that the way most Americans eat now—a diet that includes large amounts of animal fat—raises risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association still recommends a diet low in saturated fat.

I think that tells us that we vegans are on the right track when it comes to healthful eating. But does it make the case for vegan diet? Once again the answer is no. There is one case for veganism: It’s the only ethical and humane way to eat. That’s a claim that the lard fans and saturated fat promoters can never make for their diet.

Vegan Foodies: Great Recipes and Great Activism

2009-05-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve never had a very high opinion of the foodie movement. To me it’s no great coincidence that foodie (sort of) rhymes with snooty.

Sure, I like food that tastes good. But I can’t help being turned off by an extreme and expensive obsession with luxurious foods in a world where 2 billion people don’t have access to clean water and another billion don't get enough calories. Who cares if your goat cheese is handcrafted or your guindilla peppers were cooked in the Basque tradition? Shouldn’t we just be happy to have enough?

And, I admit it—I don’t trust most foodies to make ethical decisions about food. Foodie-ism tends to be about pleasure, not making the world a better place. If paté foie gras is on the menu, you can bet it’s at a restaurant catering to foodies. After all, it is foodie guru Anthony Bourdain who said:

“ To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food.”

So for a long time, I’ve believed that foodie-ism is antithetical to ethical eating. But a bunch of new vegan cooks and bloggers are changing my mind. They are people who are dedicated to ethical meals that taste exceptional. Fabulous, fresh, well-prepared food that pleases the palate and saves animals—it’s not a bad thing.

While these recipes may not represent everyday cooking for vegans (there are some definite time issues here!) they show the world that dishes containing no animal products can be divinely gourmet and extraordinary. These cooks put an attractive and appealing face on vegan diets, and that is good activism for animals.

Here are just a few of the blogs that are creating a welcome new image for vegan fare. (The suggestions came from some of the wonderful vegan tweeps over at twitter.com. As usual, I don’t know what I would do without them!)

Veganyumyum

Have Cake, Will Travel

Post Punk Kitchen

Vegan Menu

And, for those who don’t have time to whip up gourmet fare but just want to know where to find it, check out veggiething for ideas about some of the best vegan foods on restaurant menus.

Help Animals With Healthful and Practical Vegan Diets

2009-05-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

I take some flak for my stance on raw foods and low-fat-vegan diets. But that’s okay; I stand by my opinion that neither is a good idea. I’m bothered as a dietitian because I don’t think these diets are the most healthful way to eat. But it bugs me way more as an activist since I don’t think either approach helps animals. In fact, I think it hurts them.

If our goal is to put an end to the inhumane treatment on factory farms, we need to encourage as many people as possible to embrace vegan diets. To do that, we need to show them that this way of eating is healthful and practical and appealing. Promoting additional restrictions that have no known health advantage—like eating all raw or eating very-low-fat—simply creates an image of vegan diets that makes them look more difficult and less appealing.

Studies of consumer behavior show that time, convenience and taste are huge factors in people’s food choices. As activists, we need to define vegan diets in ways that address those concerns. Both raw foods diets and very-low-fat diets embrace certain all-or-nothing food concepts that simply do not resonate with most Americans. Trust me on this: After 20-plus years of nutrition counseling, I can promise that it is easier to attract people to a vegan diet if we assure them that they can use some convenience foods at home and have the occasional meal at Taco Bell. And, we need to let them know that they aren’t going to make or break their health if they eat an Oreo cookie.

Benefits of very-low-fat vegan diets are based on some good research from the early 1990s. But more recent research has shed light on the fact that restricting all fats is not necessary for good health and probably not advisable. Choosing healthful fats like olive and canola oil is just as good—and most likely better—than shunning all fats.

Raw foods are based on a few scientific principles that are shaky at best. There is no reason to believe they are any more healthful than a plain old vegan diet, consisting of both cooked and raw foods. And in some ways they are less healthful.

I am downright depressed when I see the amount of attention that both raw foods and fat-restricted diets receive these days. Especially when I see vegan activists embracing or promoting them. Needlessly restrictive diets like these are not a part of the all-important effort to create an image for vegan diets that is positive and mainstream. And that’s why promoting these practices hurts farm animals.

The Best Vegan Dinner: No Cooking Skills Required

2009-05-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I’m no food photographer. But when I plated up this dinner last night, I was so impressed with myself that I had to take a quick photo. It’s not just that this meal is fabulously healthy, delicious, and pretty. It’s that it took me all of 10 minutes to pull it together.

Granted, the grains were leftovers. But if I hadn’t had those, I would have substituted something quick-cooking, like quinoa, or maybe just a nice slice of toasted grainy bread.

I started with a veggie patty made by Don Lee Farms and sold at some Costco stores. It’s not frozen but is fresh chopped veggies and grains, and it doesn’t pretend to be meat. (I have nothing against veggie burgers that pretend to be meat, but this is a lovely change of pace.)

I gave it a quick zap in the microwave oven while I steamed some gorgeous golden cauliflower for just 5 minutes. (This was way more expensive than regular white cauliflower and tastes the same, but I couldn’t resist it.)

I had some leftover cooked Brown Rice Medley from Trader Joe’s, which is a combination of brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. I also had a little bit of leftover Israeli couscous, so I mixed the two together, tossed in some sunflower seeds and gave it a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice to create an impromptu grain salad. Add a few slices of tomatoes and cubes of avocado and just like that—it’s dinner fit for a vegan king.

When you keep a few convenience foods on hand, and make smart use of leftovers, it truly is easy to pull together wonderful vegan meals in minutes.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I confess that I slipped the lettuce cup beneath the grains only when I decided to take a photo; I’m not usually so fancy.)

Outside the Vegan Comfort Zone

2009-05-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

I treasure my wonderful group of vegan friends and colleagues, people I know both on and off the internet. They provide a sanity-saving little oasis for me in this non-vegan world. They are also a source of information and inspiration, which I think helps me to be a more effective activist.

Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where everyone shared our vegan values and goals? Where you could always find vegan food on the table and didn’t have to watch other people eating meat? How great would it be if no one made fun of your diet and lifestyle and not one person ever asked where you get your protein? This question came up a few weeks ago on Twitter: If you could live in a community where everyone was vegan, would you do it?

Unfortunately, for us ethical vegans, it’s just not an option. If we surround ourselves only with others who think the way we do, there isn’t much chance to be a voice for change.

My local animal shelter is one example. I love my volunteer time there and I get to connect with others in my community who care about animals. A few of us are vegan; most are not even vegetarian. Some of them will never make the connection between the animals we call pets and the animals we call food. But they are more receptive to discussions about factory farming than most other groups, and it’s good that there are some vegans on hand to get those discussions going.

I also belong to several online communities that are devoted to some shared interest—discussions about books, antiques, or various cultural issues. In some of these groups, I know I am the only vegan. It’s not always easy or comfortable. How many posts can you read about Thanksgiving menus—all including some poor dead turkey—without tearing your hair out?

But in addition to our mutual interests, I’m glad to be part of those groups for another reason. I suspect that a lot of these people don’t have much contact with vegans. They think we are from Mars. I like to believe that in some small way I am making the case that a vegan diet (and lifestyle) is not just for radicals living on the fringe of society.

I want people to know that someone who is just like them—who watches TV, eats too many potato chips, reads novels, goes to baseball games, collects antiques—can also be vegan and an animal rights activist. I’m not so much hoping to cultivate a positive image for veganism as I am trying to promote a normal image.

If we are not out in the world, and in touch with the culture of the world, we are missing opportunities to let people know that vegan diets are for everyone, and they can fit any lifestyle.

Getting Enough Zinc on Vegan Diets

2009-05-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

It’s safe to say that we have more questions than answers about zinc in vegan diets. This mineral is found in a wide range of plant foods, and many studies show that vegans have intakes on a par with omnivores.

But other evidence suggests that vegans fall short. In addition, zinc absorption from plant foods can be low. In fact, the percent of zinc absorbed from different meals varies dramatically—from around 8 to 32 percent.

Because of the absorption issue, some experts suggest that vegetarians could need as much as 50 percent more zinc in their diet than omnivores.

There is no evidence that vegans suffer from overt zinc deficiency. But zinc is needed by the body for more than 50 different enzymes—which means that a lot of physiological processes depend on zinc. And since zinc status is hard to measure, there are concerns that some people could have a chronic marginal deficiency that goes undetected and has subtle effects.

I’m in favor of a conservative and cautious approach since there is no down side to consuming a few extra milligrams of zinc. Using the 50% factor, recommended daily intakes of zinc would be 16.5 milligrams for men and 12 mg for women. While no single plant food (other than those that are fortified) is high in zinc, a diet based on a variety of whole foods can meet needs.

1 milligram of zinc is provided by:

1 tablespoon of nuts, seeds or nut/seed butters

¼ to ½ cup cooked beans

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1 cup cooked grain

2 slices of bread

2 cups cooked leafy green vegetables

Check the nutrition labels on vegetarian meat analogs, since some of these are fairly high in zinc. Fortified cereals are also very high.

Finally, by using some cooking practices that boost zinc absorption, you won't need to consume quite as much zinc.

Here are a few ways to enhance absorption of zinc:

Toast nuts and seeds before using them.

Choose fermented foods like sourdough bread and tempeh.

Choose foods that are leavened with yeast—breads—over crackers and plain grains.

Eat some sprouted legumes and seeds.

Soak grains before cooking them.

Follow Your Heart to Great Vegan Cheese and Mayonnaise

2009-05-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love products that help make vegan diets effortless. Lately, I’ve become a devoted fan of the Follow Your Heart company, which makes it especially easy to whip up many of the foods I love—homemade pizza, traditional potato salad, and mac ‘n cheese. I’ve been using their Vegenaise for several years. It’s a huge leap forward in taste and texture from the tofu mayonnaise products of the past. In fact, it tastes more like real mayonnaise—the old-fashioned homemade kind—than commercial mayonnaise does.

More recently, I’ve discovered their Vegan Gourmet line of dairy substitutes. I recently used the sour cream and cream cheese substitutes in place of my usual favorite Tofutti brand for my favorite mushroom strudel recipe and was very happy with the results. The sour cream has a nice kind of tangy flavor that makes it perfect on top of black beans or burritos, too.

And while, I’m not a huge fan of most brands of vegan cheese, I really love the Vegan Gourmet cheese alternatives, which come in Cheddar, Monterey jack, mozzarella, and nacho flavors. And as the labels proudly boast, they melt! Admittedly, “melt” might be somewhat of an overstatement for what this cheese does. But it softens enough when heated that you can mix it into pasta or scrambled tofu and get a very nice cheesy kind of consistency.

None of these products are particularly low in fat—which is actually part of the reason for their success in vegan cooking. Their higher fat content provides some of the creaminess that is important for some recipes. I find all of the Follow Your Heart products at my local food co-op, and have seen some of them appearing in more mainstream grocery stores, too. You can check their website to locate stores that carry them.

Best Fast Vegan Dessert: Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2009-04-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

I’m going to make these tomorrow for friends who are stopping by for dessert. Chocolate chip pancakes are so divine and since they are served hot from the griddle, they feel sort of gourmet-ish.

It’s easy enough to make these from scratch, but obviously even easier to use a mix. If I’m making them just for my husband and me for a little treat, I try to be as healthful as possible by using a whole grain mix. If it’s for company, I want them to be super light and fluffy so I go with a standard white flour mix. (This is dessert, after all, hopefully following a very healthy dinner!) Pancake mix is usually vegan, but do a quick label scan; the more “complete” mixes can contain milk or even egg powder.

Prepare the batter according to package directions, using plain soymilk and egg replacer. I'm using Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer these days, but I also like EnerG brand.

For each batch of pancake mix, stir in around ¾ cups of vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (this is according to taste, of course; you can’t go wrong with a little bit more) and ¼ cup chopped walnuts.

Melt around 1 tablespoon of vegan margarine in a non-stick skillet and cook the pancakes according to package directions. Serve immediately with sliced strawberries and just a drizzle of maple syrup.

Some Thoughts on Swine Flu: A Vegan Perspective

2009-04-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

In the midst of a potential swine flu pandemic, we are being reassured that it’s okay to eat pork. News releases from the government and industry declare that swine flu is not transmitted by eating pork, and my fellow dietitians are busy advising consumers about safe pork cooking practices.

Pork is safe? Doesn’t this miss the point completely?

We have factory farms because there is no other way to satisfy appetites of Americans and other westerners for meat. Among their other horrors—which include environmental destruction and horrendous animal cruelty—factory farms are breeding grounds for disease. So now we have swine flu. And the response from the farm industry and even from health experts is to encourage people to engage in the very habits that caused it in the first place.

It may be true that you can’t get swine flu directly by eating a piece of bacon. But the only real protection from swine flu and other viruses poised to make the leap from animals to humans, is to do away with factory farms.

(Please make sure you check my examiner column today, too. It’s a short article on my two favorite brands of vegan sausage!)

Vegans and Mortality

2009-04-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

I had a question from a reader about the 2005 study on German vegetarians that showed higher mortality for vegans compared to other health-conscious eaters.

The researchers asked nearly 2,000 subjects about diet, exercise and smoking habits, and then followed up over a period of 21 years, tracking deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancer and other causes. Overall, the death rate was similar for lacto-ovo vegetarians and meat-eaters (most of whom had moderate meat consumption), but higher for vegans.

But while that fact was reported in some news media, the researchers didn’t even mention it in their discussion of the findings. There were only 60 vegans in the entire study, just a little bit more than 3% of the whole study population. Given the size of that group, it’s not possible to draw any conclusions about effects of vegan diet and it’s clear that the researchers didn’t consider this to be a very important finding.

It’s important to always be careful with epidemiologic studies of this type. They show associations, but not cause and effect. And they are prone to any number of confounding variables. In this case, the researchers noted that the questionnaire used to assess dietary intake was not an especially strong one so that “fine” differences among diets were not detected.

Also, many subjects may have changed their diets during the follow-up period. Who is to say that some who were vegans at the start of the study weren’t chowing down on Big Macs ten years later? With a large study group, these kinds of issues are less important—but again, the number of vegans in this study was small.

Based on limited research overall, there is no reason to believe that vegans who follow well-balanced diets are at greater risk for chronic disease. We also don’t really have much data to support the idea that vegan diets protect against most diseases compared to other vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diets.

The strongest and most compelling reasons for going vegan are based on ethics and animal welfare. But vegans can also feel assured that their dietary choice is a healthful one.

What Does It Mean To Be Vegan?

2009-04-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

To me, being vegan is about finding the best way to live that is both healthful and humane. I often feel greater kinship with near vegetarians who are striving to live more ethically than with those who eat a strictly vegan diet for reasons of personal health.

Here, and in my examiner column, I choose to focus on diet—practical, health and philosophical aspects—because this is the area in which I have expertise. And diet has a huge impact on animal suffering. But being vegan is not about “what should I have for dinner?” It’s about “what choices can I make today to minimize animal suffering?”

Do we need some new terminology to describe that difference? How can the word vegan mean someone who chooses a particular diet to protect their health and also mean someone who avoids all animal products—dietary and otherwise—to protect animals?

Vegans and Diabetes

2009-04-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Dietitian Jack Norris has published an excellent overview of research on vegan diets and diabetes on www.veganhealth.org.

Please note Jack’s comments about fat in his discussion of the findings. I agree with him that adopting a very low fat diet over the long term may not be advisable. I’m also not convinced that severe fat restriction is helpful in managing diabetes; other research suggests that replacing carbohydrate in the diet with monounsaturated fats improves diabetic control. Higher fat diets may also improve blood cholesterol (as long as the diet is still very low in saturated fat).

Finally, weight loss is among the most powerful ways of improving diabetes control, so it’s very hard to draw any conclusions about impact of various dietary factors when the subjects lose weight. With that said—it makes sense that vegan diets would be a good choice for people with diabetes since they tend to have a lower glycemic index and are high in fiber. And vegans (on average—but certainly not always!) have a lower body mass index.

Here is a link to Jack's blog which links to the article.

Good News About Vegan Bone Health

2009-04-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Just published this month in the journal Osteoporosis International, a new study revealed that bone health was similar between vegan Buddhist nuns and omnivore women even though the vegans had much lower intakes of calcium and protein.

The study involved 105 vegan nuns and 105 omnivore women in Viet Nam. Average calcium intake was 375 mg per day for the vegans and 682 mg for the omnivores. (Some of the vegan women did use very small amounts of milk in meals.) Vegan women also had low protein intakes averaging around 35 grams per day compared to more moderate intakes of 62 grams for the omnivores.

Bone density between the two groups was similar—slightly lower in the vegans, but not to an extent that was statistically significant. Prevalence of osteoporosis was slightly higher among the vegans. Overall, there was little difference between the two groups.

Before you toss your calcium supplements out the window, though, there are a few things to keep in mind. Many factors—diet, lifestyle, and genetics—affect bone health. We can’t automatically make recommendations for western vegans based on this study. Other studies have shown bone density to be lower in vegans compared to omnivores when calcium intakes were different.

This study adds to the pile of interesting—but confusing—data we have on bone health and diet. Personally, I am still aiming for 1,000 mg of calcium per day along with lots of exercise, plenty of vitamin D and a moderate sodium intake. At least until the data are more clear and more compelling. What is clear however, is that bone health is complex; it’s not all about calcium.

Fruits and Veggies, Vitamin A and Vegan Diets

2009-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Vegan diets usually include some excellent sources of vitamin A--but it many take a little bit of planning to make sure you get enough on a regular basis.

While vegans don’t have any preformed vitamin A in their diet (it’s only in animal foods), it can be synthesized from compounds called carotenoids found in plant foods. The best known and most biologically active carotenoid is beta-carotene.

As recently as ten years ago, nutrition researchers believed than 6 micrograms of beta-carotene produced one microgram of active vitamin A. But newer research on absorption of carotenoids shows that it actually takes twice that much—12 micrograms of beta-carotene—to produce a microgram of vitamin A. That means that vegan intake of carotenoids is actually only about half the amount reported in earlier studies.

Vitamin A content of foods is measured as retinol activity equivalents (RAE) which is the amount of potential vitamin A activity in a food. Recommended intakes for vitamin A are 700 RAE for women and 900 RAE for men.

Meeting vitamin A requirements may actually be a little bit of a challenge unless you consume at least one very good source of this vitamin every day. The best foods for vitamin A are leafy green veggies, sweet potatoes and, of course, carrots.

In addition to making sure you’re getting enough of these vitamin A-rich foods in your diet, it’s also important to include small amounts of fat with meals and to cook some of your vegetables to enhance absorption of carotenoids. This is one more reason why raw foods diets and low fat diets are not the best choices for vegans.

Here are the best sources of vitamin A with the RAEs shown for each.

Apricots, 3 raw (102)

Hubbard squash, ½ cup mashed (236)

Cantaloupe, 1 cup chunks (270)

Collards, ½ cup cooked (386)

Kale, ½ cup cooked (442)

Spinach, ½ cup cooked (472)

Butternut squash, ½ cup cooked (572)

Carrots, ½ cup cooked (665)

Sweet potatoes, ½ cup cooked mashed (1291)

Update on Vegan Mushroom Strudel: The Whole Wheat Version

2009-04-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

I made my yummy mushroom strudel yesterday with a few changes. As noted in the comments on that post, I found a whole wheat phyllo at the local food co-op. For this special occasion recipe, I'm perfectly happy to use the refined flour version, but I thought it would be fun to try something new. And my only dinner guest was my husband who, in addition to his other excellent qualities, will eat pretty much anything. I never really have to worry about recipe disasters.

To counteract the somewhat drier aspect of whole grain flour, I replaced the olive oil in my recipe with a combination of olive oil and melted coconut oil—a healthy saturated fat source. I would have used all coconut oil, but I find it to be (surprisingly) bland and thought it needed the added flavor from olive oil.

I did experience a slight cooking crisis at the start of the process when I couldn’t get the first layer of phyllo off the stack without tearing it into many pieces. Apparently, whole wheat phyllo is a bit stickier than the traditional kind. But once I got the feel of it, I was able to peel off tissue paper-thin layers like a pro.

The result was wonderful! The flavor is definitely a little different—somewhat more whole wheaty. But it was flaky and luscious and a big hit at my little dinner party. And also for breakfast this morning.

Celebrate Easter and Spring with Vegan Mushroom Strudel

2009-04-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

Mushroom Strudel is my favorite company dinner and I’m making it this weekend for Easter. It’s adapted from Moosewood Cookbook, an older collection of recipes that definitely puts the "lacto" in lacto-ovo vegetarian! It was super easy to veganize, though, and I’m really happy with the results.

Traditionally, strudel recipes are made with phyllo (also spelled filo) dough layered with lots of melted butter. But olive oil works very well and, in fact, the instructions on the phyllo package say that it’s fine to use oil. The filling substitutes were easy—I used Tofutti brand Better Than Cream Cheese and Better Than Sour Cream.

If you’ve never worked with phyllo dough, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is and how quickly you can put together a meal that looks very fancy.

A couple of quick notes about working with phyllo: The key to success is to keep the phyllo from drying out. The sheets of dough are like very, very thin sheets of delicate paper. After unwrapping the stack of sheets, cover them immediately with a tea towel or a sheet of waxed paper. Each time you remove a sheet from the stack, re-cover it with the towel or paper. Don’t worry if the sheets break or tear; you can still use them and your strudel will look just fine.

Here is my recipe for Mushroom Strudel. (I'm serving it with baby potatoes and carrots roasted with garlic and rosemary and a tossed salad of baby greens. The strudel is rich, so this is all you need for a very satisfying meal.)

Vegan Mushroom Strudel

10 leaves of phyllo dough (find this in the dessert section of the grocery store’s freezer section)
About ½ cup olive oil

1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped in a food processor
8 oz Better Than Cream Cheese
1 cup Better Than Sour Cream
1 cup plain bread crumbs (I think seasoned would be just fine, too)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (use lots of the green portions)
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sauté the mushrooms until they are tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, bread crumbs, parsley, and scallions. Mix thoroughly so that the cream cheese melts. Set aside.

Unwrap the phyllo dough and cover it with a towel or waxed paper. Peel off one layer of the dough and place on a large cutting board or any clean surface. Using a pastry brush, brush the single sheet of phyllo with olive oil. Peel off another sheet of phyllo and place on top of the first. Brush with olive oil. Repeat until you have a stack of 5 sheets.

Spread half of the mushroom filling log across one end of the stack.

Starting at this end, roll the phyllo up like a log. Tuck the ends over to make a neat little package. Using a serrated knife, score the strudel about 6 times across. This will make it easier to cut into pieces after it’s baked. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds on top.

Repeat the process to make a second strudel. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until just browned on top. This should serve 6 people, but of course, it depends on how hungry they are!

For Vegans, Good Health is Good Activism

2009-04-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

As a dietitian, I end up saying a lot of things that some vegan activists just don’t want to hear. When I write that some vegans don’t get enough calcium or that getting adequate zinc might be a challenge, it can sound kind of negative.

But a big part of promoting a positive image for veganism lies simply in being healthy. When scientific studies uncover health problems among any group of vegans, it discredits plant diets and gives people one more excuse to eat meat or drink milk. That’s why choosing to believe that you can get all the vitamin B12 you need by eating whole organic foods or sea vegetables has the potential to hurt farm animals. So does insisting that vegans have lower needs for calcium than meat eaters.

It's also why I am super picky when it comes to recommending nutrition resources for vegans. I want all vegans to have the best information possible. That’s partly because I’m a dietitian, but also because I’m an activist. My own nutrition website is designed for people who are just getting started with vegan diet, and who need something super fast and easy. For more in-depth information on vegan nutrition, the single best source on the web is Vegan Outreach's Vegan Health by dietitian Jack Norris. You’ll also find some good and interesting information on Dr. Winston Craig’s website.

Obviously, we can’t manage every single aspect of our health. Some things fall victim to genetics or environmental factors that are beyond our control. But we can at least make sure we're eating balanced diets. That means letting go of wishful thinking, working with actual facts and being practical. But that’s what activism is all about.

Vegan Diets Make Sense Even For Those Who Promote “People First”

2009-04-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I read a negative piece about vegan diets that claimed, among other things, that vegans are “anti people.” The author noted that we humans are the only ones in a cerebral position to consider matters of food choice—which lends us a certain status. Part of our decision-making, he noted, has to be about where to draw the line. He believed that when we place the rights of animals on a par with the rights of humans, we diminish humanity.

His complaint wasn’t with those who choose vegan diets, but with those who want others to choose veganism. Well, I guess that latter group would include me. But do my attempts to promote vegan diets diminish humanity?

All vegans have heard that silly question: “How do you know that plants don’t suffer when you eat them?” My response is that I don’t know it for an absolute fact. But I do know that humans need to eat plants to survive. I’m in favor of feeding our families in a way that ensures their health and well-being. We must eat plants or we die. On the other hand, we may like to eat meat and eggs and dairy—but we don’t need them to survive. So I can promote the health and welfare of my own species without hurting animals.

My role as a vegan dietitian is to help people understand that vegan diets are nutritionally adequate. I’m not an ethicist. But as someone who counsels about food choices, I feel some obligation to point out all of the impacts that diet has—not just on personal health but on the world around us: animal suffering, the environment, and effects on food availability for the rest of the world. What people do with that information is, of course, up to them.

We do have a certain status in the world because of our ability to think about a host of philosophical issues. We just have to decide whether that status entitles us to do as we please or obligates us to consider the welfare of others. It’s hard to imagine how taking a stand against animal suffering could possibly diminish humanity.

Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Do Not Cause Eating Disorders

2009-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

A study published in this month’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association found a higher incidence of eating disorders among young girls who follow vegetarian diets. This isn’t news, and it’s not a concern for vegetarians, either.

Over the years, a number of studies have found that a relatively high number of girls with eating disorders are vegetarian. But there is no evidence that following a vegetarian diet causes eating disorders. It's actually pretty silly to think that giving up meat could cause someone to develop anorexia!

Rather, it is likely that girls with eating disorders often choose vegetarian diets as one of many ways to control food intake and mask their eating disorder. Previous studies bear this out.

However, a number of news and food industry sites, including the industry website Food Navigator, placed their own spin on the story—suggesting that the study showed vegetarian girls to be at increased risk for problems like anorexia and bulimia. There is just no evidence that this is true.

Eating disorders are serious, and family members should watch for symptoms. Red flags include the following:

Refusal to eat, excuses for not eating, skipping meals

Extreme weight loss and denial of weight loss

Denial of hunger

Emotional apathy

Rigid meal and eating rituals

Repeated weighing

Complaining about being fat

The Mayo Clinic offers a more comprehensive list. Vegetarian or vegan diets do not cause eating disordera!

Vegan For The Health Of It?

2009-03-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve been resisting the urge to write about last week’s big news story concerning meat and mortality. The study made a case against high intakes of meat and got lots of press. It reinforced the idea that red meat is bad for us, so that’s a good thing for anyone who promotes a plant-based diet.

Like all epidemiologic studies, it had its share of weaknesses, but the large number of subjects helps to counteract some of that. Furthermore, the results are supported to some extent by other research about the dangers associated with red meat consumption.

But the study also found that eating more white meat, like chicken, was linked to a lower risk of mortality. The take home message, according to many of the articles I read, was “Eat less red meat and more chicken and fish.” It’s the same message we’ve been hearing for decades, ever since people started talking about cholesterol and heart disease. And it’s a message that really sticks. Most health conscious people don’t eat less meat; they eat different meat. And even among those who have cut back on meat for health reasons, most haven’t cut it out.

The same goes for dairy. Whole milk may be taboo on many menus, but it’s simply been replaced with nonfat yogurt.

We have piles of good data about the benefits of eating more whole plant foods and a largely plant-based diet. What we don’t have (yet) are studies showing that vegans have significantly better health than those who eat mostly plant foods but still include some small amounts of animal foods in their diets.

That’s just one of the reasons I’ve never been a big fan of the “health argument” for vegan diet. If we are going to rely on the scientific data in a way that is smart and responsible—as all good vegan health professionals should—then the argument falls short of convincing.

The best advocacy is based on arguments that are rooted in solid fact—the ones that focus on the suffering of farm animals. When it comes to health, I’m not convinced that a few bites of chicken would hurt me. But I know beyond a doubt that those few bites would contribute to animal suffering.

Vegans Say “No” to Eggs and Thank You to Boca!

2009-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

There is great news today for vegans and others who avoid products containing eggs. According to the latest e-newsletter from Vegan Outreach, Boca Foods has pledged to eliminate eggs from all of its foods by the end of this year.

Boca makes a variety of good-for-you meatless products including veggie burgers and entrees. Their decision to eliminate eggs is in response largely to efforts by four organizations: Vegan Outreach, Compassion Over Killing, Mercy for Animals, and the Animal Protection and Rescue League.

While many Boca products are not vegan (some contain cheese), elimination of eggs makes a big difference for farm animals. Egg production on factory farms—including those that are “cage free” –is among the cruelest practices of this industry.

The people at the American Egg Board want you to eat more eggs of course. They say that eggs can help with weight loss because they are good sources of protein. Actually one egg provides only 6 grams of protein. One of Boca’s vegan burgers has 13 grams of protein for just a few more calories. Veggie burgers offer other health-promoting factors, too, like fiber. Whether you are watching your weight or not—no one needs eggs!

If you would like to say "thank you" to the folks at Boca, you can email them at boca@casupport.com.

Vegetarian Carrie Underwood for Entertainer of the Year

2009-03-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just voted for Carrie Underwood for Entertainer of the Year and you can (and should), too. The award is given by the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and I learned about it on a beef producer’s blog that I follow.

Beef industry proponents dislike Carrie with a passion and would like to undermine her career in any way possible. Carrie is a vegetarian (since she was 13 years old), an animal lover and a supporter of the Humane Society of the U.S. Some of the proceeds from her latest song, Home Sweet Home, are being donated to that organization.

Supporters of the beef industry are asking people to vote for George Strait, a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, because he supports their values. I followed their link to the online ballot—but I voted for Carrie!

You have to register with the ACM in order to vote—a little bit of a hassle. But it was worth it to me. It’s a small thing to do to support someone who cares about farm animals. Click here to vote for Carrie.

Convenience Foods Are Okay for Vegans!

2009-03-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

I had a few emails from readers about my last blog post. They were surprised at the number of canned and processed foods in my list of fast meals for vegans who hate to cook! Aren’t vegans supposed to eat whole plant foods?

Well sure—whole plant foods are the best foods for everyone, vegan or not. And, for many reasons, cooking meals from scratch is the ideal approach. But making responsible food choices is a balancing act and we have to create room for some compromise. It’s not just a matter of choosing the foods that keep us healthy and are kind to the earth and reduce animal suffering. Most people have to also consider cost and time constraints as well.

If we want to reduce the suffering of farm animals, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for people to eat plant-based diets that will keep them healthy and happy—and that are realistic. A long list of restrictions—no added fats, processed foods, chocolate or white bread—isn’t necessary for healthful eating, and it can make vegan diets more than a little daunting.

A diet based on all or mostly convenience and processed foods is not going to be healthy. But it really is possible to strike a balance. Choose whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and beans cooked from the dried state as often as you can. And when you need to opt for convenience, choose wisely: Frozen vegetables, spaghetti sauce from a jar, reduced-sodium canned beans, veggie sausages, soymilk, prepared curry sauces, and peanut butter are all processed foods that can play roles in healthful diets. If they make it easier for you to stick to a vegan eating plan, all the better!

What's For Dinner When You're Vegan, But Can't Cook?

2009-03-20T11:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I listed some menu ideas that show how luscious and sophisticated vegan cuisine can be. But what if sophisticated isn’t your culinary thing? Or what if you hate to cook?

Well, if you know how to boil water, steam vegetables, and wield a can opener, there is no end to the variety of vegan meals you can make.

Here are ten super quick meals. Most can be on the table in less than 20 minutes, and with a minimum of effort. Add some quickly steamed veggies or a salad to any of these.

Pasta topped with sauce from a jar and a sprinkle of grated soy parmesan.

Vegetarian baked beans served over couscous (the world’s fastest-cooking grain!)

Butternut Squash Soup (look for Imagine brand or Trader Joe’s—and add a can of beans, some frozen corn and salsa if you want to get fancy!).

Veggie burger and sweet potato fries (check the frozen food section in the grocery store).

Refried black beans from a mix (Fantastic Foods makes a great one) wrapped in corn tortillas and topped with shredded soy cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and salsa.

Sloppy Joes: Heat Morningstar Farms Griller Crumbles in a can of sloppy joe sauce (like Manwich brand) and serve over whole wheat rolls.

Veggie hotdog on a hotdog bun topped with sauerkraut.

Make a fast and healthy taco salad: Toss together greens, chopped tomato, chopped onion, rinsed canned black beans, defrosted corn, and some cubes of avocado. Dress with olive oil and lime or lemon juice and top with a handful of crushed tortilla chips.

Toss hot cooked quinoa (a super-fast cooking whole grain) with rinsed canned white beans, defrosted corn, sliced green onions and salt, pepper and herbs (like tarragon or parsley).

Hummus from the deli with pita wedges and raw veggies.

Meat Out! Celebrate Spring By Going Vegetarian

2009-03-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

It’s the season of birth and new beginnings in the northern part of the world. We’re starting the time of year when daylight outlasts the night. March 20th is the first day of spring—and it’s also Great American Meatout Day. What a great time to make a few changes and a fresh start.

Going vegetarian is about being kind to animals, responsible to the earth, and eating some of the best food in the world. But it's not just a good thing to do; it's fun, too! Do you think of meatless dishes as boring and limited? Look at some of the best-loved dishes from across the globe for ideas about how truly gourmet vegetarian eating can be. Here are just a few of the things that vegetarians eat:

Crusty falafel stuffed into warm pita pockets and topped with lemon-tahini sauce

Chickpeas simmered in spicy tomato sauce with garlic, onions, olive oil and herbs.

Rice tossed with toasted pine nuts, dried fruit and fresh lemon juice

Soba noodles stir fried with veggies and spicy, spicy peanut sauce

Crisp corn tortillas stuffed with black beans, salsa and avocado

Pasta tossed with fresh spring veggies, toasted almonds and garlic

Savory stuffed samosas

Rich curried veggies over basmati rice

Quinoa tossed with corn and flavored with herbs (a gift from the Incas!)

Gazpacho

Tabouli salad with lots of fresh mint and lemon

Creamy mushroom risotto

Fava beans with garlic, lemon and parsley (the very traditional Egyptian ful medames)

Crepes with creamy mushroom filling

Pasta with sundried tomato pesto

Vegetarian eating isn’t just delicious—it’s easy these days, too, with lots of meat and dairy substitutes and other convenience foods on the market. It’s a great time to go vegetarian!

Vegan Corned “Beef” and Cabbage: Happy St Patty’s Day!

2009-03-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

This may not taste exactly like the real thing, but that’s okay. For those who really want to go green this St Patty’s Day—for the earth and the animals—it’s a fun alternative. It's easy to make, too. Serve it with Beer Bread. Here are both recipes:

Vegan Corned Beef
1 pound seitan (I use Westsoy Vegetarian Stir-fry Strips)
2 tsp pickling spice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 cup water

¼ cup canola oil
½ large onion, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 carrot, thickly sliced
½ head cabbage, cut into wedges
2 large potatoes cut into big chunks

In a large shallow pan with a lid, stir together the pickling spice, brown sugar, salt, and 1 cup water. Add the seitan, cover tightly and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

While it’s cooking, sauté the onion in the canola oil for just a few minutes to soften it. Stir in the garlic, horseradish, and mustard. Add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

Drain the seitan and add to the veggie mixture. Add enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until everything is tender—about 30 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper if you like and more salt if needed.

Beer Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
12 ounces room temperature beer

Combine the ingredients. Pour into a nonstick loaf pan. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Wear Your Soy Milk Mustache for Vitamin D Day!

2009-03-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Today—March 9—is Vitamin D Day—according to the Milk Mustache “Got Milk” Campaign. They are reminding Americans that many don’t get enough vitamin D and that shortages are linked to risk for a variety of diseases.

It’s true. There is a growing body of research showing that vitamin D helps to protect against bone loss and a host of other ailments, perhaps including cancer and depression. But the industry’s spokesperson, a registered dietitian, isn’t quite telling the whole story when she says that foods, not supplements, are the best source of vitamin D.

Whether or not that statement is true, it has nothing to do with milk and vitamin D. Milk and other dairy foods are not naturally rich in this nutrient. They are good sources only because they are fortified with vitamin D. So getting your vitamin D from milk is really not any different from getting it from a supplement. And it’s no different from getting it from fortified cereal or fortified soymilk. Although many brands of soymilk are fortified with a plant-derived source of vitamin D, research shows that it is just as effective as animal-derived vitamin D in keeping us healthy.

Although some people can get adequate vitamin D from sun exposure, most of us can’t. And it is wise to limit direct exposure to sunshine to minimize skin cancer risk, too. So looking to the diet to meet vitamin D needs is a good idea. But the idea that cow’s milk is the best or most natural way to get vitamin D is just wrong.

Five Reasons Why You Think You Can’t Be Vegan

2009-03-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Making the change to a vegan diet, or even a more plant-based diet is easier than you might think. Sometimes, though, people have misconceptions about the way that vegans eat, and it makes this lifestyle look much more difficult than it really is. If any of these reasons for giving up meat and other animal foods apply to you—well, then maybe you really could be vegan!

I could never be a vegan because I just can't eat low fat.

Some vegans eat low-fat, but definitely not all. I don't eat a low fat diet and I don’t even recommend a low fat diet to others. Peanut butter, olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds—they are all part of a healthful vegan diet.

I could never be a vegan because I don't like tofu.

There is not one single food that is necessary in any diet—vegan or otherwise. You can plan a very healthy vegan diet without ever coming near a tub of tofu—or a carton of soymilk, or any soy food.

I could never be vegan because I don't like to cook.

Well, if you eat, you need to either do some food prep or get someone to do it for you. But that’s an issue for everyone, not just vegans. Vegans don’t’ have to cook any more than anyone else. You can build a perfectly healthful vegan diet around veggie burgers, canned beans, bread, salads, frozen veggies and other convenience foods.

I could never be a vegan because I don’t like vegetables that much.

Eating lots of veggies is good for you—but again, this is true whether you are vegan or not. Vegans don’t need to eat any more vegetables than anyone else.

I could never be a vegan because I eat out a lot and I don't know what's in the food. The servers never seem to know, either.

Every vegan knows that when you eat out, you take a chance on ingesting some animal products without realizing it. I don't love the idea of this, but I don't get too bent out of shape about it either. I make every reasonable effort to be vegan where I can, but I recognize that animal products sneak into my diet and that there are times when I just can't do anything about it.

Preventing Prostate Cancer with Diet

2009-03-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer among U.S. men, there is good news about the potential for prevention. It’s a slow-growing cancer, typically diagnosed at older ages. Therefore, anything that can slow the growth of these tumors can have a big effect on survival.

For example, research shows that men in Japan are just as likely to have prostate tumors as western men—but far less likely to die from this cancer. One theory is that certain diet or lifestyle factors may slow tumor growth so much that the men die of old age before the cancer ever has a chance to become deadly, or often before the men even know they have prostate tumors. There is evidence that soyfood consumption may be one of those dietary factors. For example, in a study of Chinese men, those who consumed soy more than once a day were less than one-third as likely to develop prostate cancer as men who ate soy less than once a week.

Much of the recent interest in this area has focused on a compound called equol. Equol is synthesized by intestinal bacteria from one particular isoflavone in soybeans called daidzein. (Isoflavones are often referred to as plant estrogens and are found almost exclusively in soyfoods.)

But not everyone has the bacteria to make equol, and this may actually affect risk for prostate cancer. In a study of Asian men, prostate cancer patients were much less likely to be equol producers than healthy controls.. And among Japanese men, risk was found to be inversely related to blood equol levels--that is, the more equol in the blood, the lower the risk.

One way to look at dietary effects on prostate cancer risk is to examine impact of different compounds on prostate specific antigen (PSA) In men with prostate cancer, PSA levels are directly proportional to tumor size—so measuring PSA levels is one way to test the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Among healthy men—those without cancer—studies have not found any effects of soy or isoflavones on PSA levels. However, in half of the studies done in men with prostate cancer, isoflavones slowed the rise in PSA levels. There is also preliminary data showing that soy isoflavones may lessen the side effects of radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

While the findings are a long way from definitive, the research suggests that soy may prevent the development of prostate cancer and also slow its progression.

Soy and Sperm (and Testosterone, Too!)

2009-03-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

The problem with soy is that it is a hugely hot area of research—more than 10,000 scientific papers have been published within just the last decade alone on soyfoods and health. With that level of investigation, there will always be a few studies here and there that show scary findings. By pouncing on those findings—rather than looking at what the majority of the research shows—critics can build a case against soy that sounds credible, even when it isn’t.

Soyfoods are an essentially unique source of isoflavones—which are a type of phytoestrogen, or plant estrogen. So it’s not surprising that some of the stories turning up on the internet have focused on sperm count and testosterone levels. Let’s take a look at what the research really says in these areas.

Soy and Sperm Count

There was lots of interest in a small pilot epidemiologic study showing that soy consumers had lower sperm concentrations than men who didn’t eat soy. But for the most part, the men who consumed soy experienced an increase in semen volume, so that the concentration of sperm was lower—not the total number of sperm. And there were no implications for fertility, since sperm concentration seemed to decrease only among men who had above average sperm concentration to begin with.

In any event, small epi studies don’t really tell us too much of anything. We can draw real conclusions only from clinical intervention studies. Three such studies have examined the impact of soy intake on sperm and semen, all with reassuring results:

In the first, British men took supplements that contained 40 milligrams of isoflavones (the amount in about 1 ½ servings of traditional soyfoods). There was no effect on sperm count or quality.

In a second study, Italian men were given much higher amounts of isoflavones—equaling four to twelve times what men in Japan typically eat. There was still no effect on sperm.

Finally, Canadian researchers compared sperm production in men consuming soy protein to men consuming milk protein—and again, there were no differences in sperm concentration.

Testosterone

Only two studies—of the many conducted on this topic—found reductions in hormone levels related to soy intake. In one, the isoflavone intake of the subjects was unusually high—about four times what men in Japan typically eat. And the researchers didn’t actually make any comparisons to the control group—that is, the men who didn’t eat soy. So there was no way to know for certain that there was any difference between the two groups.

The other study had only 12 subjects and nearly all of the reduction in testosterone levels were from just two of those subjects (one of whom had unusually high levels of testosterone to begin with).

On the other hand, the research showing that soy has no effect on testosterone levels is much stronger. A recent analysis of 32 studies found that neither soy protein nor soy isoflavones had any effect on testosterone levels. The researchers looked at the data in a number of different ways—they used several different statistical models—and the results were always the same. Furthermore, studies published too late to be included in this analysis showed the same thing—that soy had no effect on testosterone levels.

Looking at the evidence, there is little reason to think that soyfoods aren’t safe for men. And in fact, when it comes to prostate health, there is good reason to think that soyfoods have some real advantages for men. More on that tomorrow.

Vegan Diets Support Healthy Pregnancy

2009-03-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday’s headlines about diet and birth defects caused some completely unsubstantiated claims about vegan diets. The news stories were based on research published in the journal Pediatrics, showing that there is a greater risk of birth defects in babies born to women with low blood levels of vitamin B12.

Some journalists saw this as an opportunity to discredit vegan diets—despite the fact that the words “vegan” and “vegetarian” never appeared in the Pediatrics article! The subjects in this study were women living in Ireland at a time when fortified foods were not widely available in that country. There was no indication that any of these women were vegetarian.

Those whose eat plant-based diets do need to supplement their intake with vitamin B12, either from supplements or fortified foods. All smart vegans know this and all responsible vegan health professionals advise it. And it’s not a unique situation among eating patterns. All people in northern climates, for example, need to supplement their diets with vitamin D, and pregnant women are advised to take prenatal vitamins regardless of their diet.

Well-planned vegan diets that are appropriately supplemented can support healthful pregnancies. And the article in Pediatrics never said otherwise!

Just For Fun—Eat Like a Japanese Vegetarian

2009-03-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Japanese researchers have just published a food guide for vegetarians living in Japan and also for those in the United States who wish to follow a more traditional Japanese eating pattern.

This meal planning tool differs from western vegetarian food guides in some important ways. With both health and traditional Asian eating patterns in mind, it places vegetables—not grains—at the center of the diet and the base of the pyramid.

Despite the fact that dairy foods are a relatively new habit to Japanese culture, the guide is aimed at lacto-ovo vegetarians and (surprisingly) specifies 3 servings of dairy foods per day, although serving sizes are only half what American food guides typically recommend.

If you’d like to add a little variety to your diet and eat more like Japanese vegetarians, here are guidelines from the new Japanese Vegetarian Food Guide, with some modifications for vegans. The guide provides around 2,000 calories; many vegetarians will need to eat more to meet their calorie needs. (The guide also didn’t provide very specific serving sizes, so I’ve added that information.)

The New Japanese Vegetarian Food Guide

7 ½ servings of vegetables: Include seaweeds, mushrooms, and starchy vegetables in your choices, and of course, Japanese meals include lots of nutrient-rich leafy greens. A serving is ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw veggies.

4 ½ servings of grains: Brown rice, whole buckwheat cereal, oatmeal, udon noodles, rice balls. A serving is ½ cup cooked.

4 servings of protein foods: Peas, beans, meat analogues, tofu, soymilk, sesame seeds, peanuts. A serving is 3 oz meat analogue, 1 cup soymilk, ½ cup tofu or beans, 2 tbsp seeds or nuts.

3 servings of dairy: The Japanese Food Guide recommends 1 ½ cups of milk per day, but vegans can easily get calcium from calcium-set tofu, fortified soymilk, and leafy green veggies. These foods fit well into a Japanese eating pattern—and are far more traditional and healthful than dairy.

2 servings of fruit: Asian pears, mandarin oranges, melons, persimmons, and apples are all choices that are frequently found in Japanese cuisine. A serving is one medium piece of fruit or ½ cup.

Less than 1 tbsp added fat: The food guide doesn’t give specific recommendations about omega-3 fats, but savvy vegetarians will want to get some fat from canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds. Japanese diets tend to be low in fat, but higher amounts of healthful fats are fine for all vegetarians.

For Healthy Meals, Shop the Center of the Grocery Store

2009-03-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

One of the newest “nutrition education” groups to hit the web is The Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition (NRFC). Funded by twelve commodity groups, including the National Pork Board and the National Cattlemen’s Association, the group’s focus is on encouraging people to eat more nutrient-rich foods.

Not surprising, the foods being touted through its education materials and recipes are those produced by its members. (The members do include a number of commodity groups devoted to plant foods. But it’s an odd assortment, suggesting that groups are included based only on their willingness to pay a membership fee.)

The main tip that the NRFC gives for smart shopping is to “shop the perimeter of the grocery store.” In fact, based on their Supermarket Map, you shouldn’t ever step a foot away from the perimeter!

Honestly, this has to be the most tired and outdated piece of nutrition advice in the world. It dates back to the 1970s and it has long since lost its relevance. Sure, fruits and veggies are on the perimeter and you definitely want to spend a chunk of your food dollars there. But the rest of the foods that take up space along the perimeter of the store—meats, dairy, deli items, bakery goods—should play only a minor role in healthy diets. And for us vegans, most of these foods are not on our shopping list at all.

When I get to the grocery store, I start in the produce section. But the rest of my time is spent in the bowels of the store where I’m filling my shopping cart with brown rice, dried and canned beans, frozen veggies, pasta, spaghetti sauce, veggie burgers, olive and canola oil, peanut butter, dried fruits and nuts, and oatmeal. I might swing back out to the perimeter to pick up some hummus from the deli, a carton of soymilk, and maybe a bottle of cabernet. But most of the perimeter of the store is foreign territory to me.

Compared to someone who follows the advice of the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition and loads up their cart with pork chops, Swiss cheese and T-bone steak—all items that are recommended on their web site—I know my diet is a whole lot healthier!

Feed Your Daughters Well

2009-03-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

It still isn’t clear that what we eat as adults will impact our risk for cancer. But there is lots of evidence that what girls eat—especially during puberty—can affect their risk of getting breast cancer in adulthood. The theory is that certain compounds in food impact breast tissue as that tissue is developing, either conferring lifelong protection against cancer or raising risk for cancer.

I wrote several months ago about soyfood consumption during the teen years and how it can protect against breast cancer in adulthood. More recently, Harvard researchers looked at the effect of red meat consumption during adolescence. They asked more than 40,000 women what they ate in high school, and then followed their health over the next seven years. Those who reported eating the most red meat and processed meat during their teen years had a more than 30% higher risk for getting breast cancer as adults.

What is most interesting is that changing eating habits for the better later in life may not confer that much protection. The evidence tells us that the time when breast tissue develops is the crucial time for raising or lowering risk.

So do your daughters a favor: Replace the hamburgers in their diets with veggie burgers and pour them a glass of fortified soymilk. Their lifelong health may depend on it.

Being Vegetarian: The Thing You Can’t Give Up

2009-02-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

When it comes to going vegetarian or vegan, the whole idea of perfectionism—of never eating dairy again and never eating meat—is among the biggest obstacles for people. I saw this first hand for the first time many years ago when I was teaching a class on vegetarian cooking. One student told me that she loved the idea of going vegetarian but she just couldn’t contemplate it, because she couldn’t give up her favorite food—a Reuben Sandwich.

I asked her how often she had a Reuben, and she said “Oh—maybe 4 or 5 times a year.” I suggested that maybe she would like to try being a vegetarian with the exception of 4 or 5 Reuben sandwiches every year. It had never occurred to her!

Sometimes people get more focused on definitions than on meaningful habits. If they can’t imagine themselves as 100% vegetarian or 100% vegan or 100% organic locavore, they don’t bother trying at all. If you’re thinking about eating a plant-based diet, but there are one or two things holding you back, why not give in to those couple of things, and be vegetarian the rest of the time?

When we give ourselves a break--and accept that we may not be able to be perfect-- making changes can feel a little more achievable.

The Frugal Vegan

2009-02-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

Beans and rice are cheap, but, for many of us, vegan diets aren’t. Tofu, veggie burgers and soymilk are important staples in some veggie households, and they are often—or usually—much more expensive than their animal-derived counterparts.

But with a little bit of planning, you can cut costs in your veggie kitchen. Here are a few ideas:

Get back to basics: Whatever happened to beans and rice, anyway? They are still the best foods on earth—always good for you, good for the environment, easy on the pocketbook.

Take the condiment approach with meat substitutes: Progressive dietitians have long advised that meat should be treated as a condiment in healthy diets. No more big slabs of beef on the plate—but rather, small amounts of meat should be cut up and used to flavor soups, stews and stir-fried dishes. This approach can serve vegans well, too. I’d love to cook up a whole Tofurkey sausage on the grill, but at more than $1.00 each, it just isn’t feasible. So I cut them into little pieces to add great flavor and texture to soups and pasta sauce.

Shop everywhere: I get my rice and beans in bulk from the local food coop; my peanut butter, coffee, olive oil and nuts from Costco; pasta, sauce, canned beans and wine from Trader Joe’s. If I’m in the vicinity of a Grocery Outlet, I stop in there because you never know what kind of vegan goodies (and cruelty-free products) they might have that week. If you are lucky enough to have an Asian grocery nearby, it’s a great place to find cheap, fresh tofu.

Stock up on savings: : Some of these stores are an hour of driving plus a ferry ride away for me, so when I go, I buy a ton of whatever items are on sale. I never leave home without a cooler! We built shelves in our basement to store cases of canned goods, pasta, cat food, wine, and paper products. In her classic guide to creative frugal lifestyle, The Tightwad Gazette, Amy Dacyczyn suggested storing cases of canned goods beneath the bed! An extra freezer is great if you have room, too, and will quickly pay for itself.

Cook from scratch: Yikes—I know! Who has time? But take a look at your food purchases and see if there are one or two things you can make yourself without a whole lot of effort. I cook beans from scratch, and make my own soups and hummus. But I buy bread and pasta sauce and veggie burgers. And I’m not about to make my own tofu and soymilk (although you might want to!). Making big batches of homemade dishes and freezing meal-sized portions saves lots of time and money. And it feels so good to peek in the freezer and see a month’s worth of dinners!

Grow your own: Even a little plot that gives you lettuce and tomatoes all summer long can save lots of money. Check out the book Square Foot Gardening for ways to garden in a small space. Devote some space to leafy greens like collards and kale because you can harvest the same plants all summer long (they keep growing) and even into the fall (they love the cold!). If you aren’t one to be digging around in the dirt, then grow a few tomatoes, herbs, and strawberries in pots on the patio.

Don’t waste money:. Store brands of vitamins are just as good as pricey brand names. For produce that isn't in season, frozen options are often cheaper and better for you.

Compromise if you need to: Maybe you need to buy bread at the bakery outlet and it isn’t all vegan. Or perhaps you can’t afford to buy all organic produce. You’re already doing a lot for the animals and the environment by eating a mostly plant-based diet. So don’t sweat the small stuff; make concessions where you have to and don’t feel guilty!

Eating for the Earth:Locavore or Vegan?

2009-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

Voltaire said that the best (or the perfect) is the enemy of the good. And when it comes to diet, there is a definite risk that setting standards of perfection will paralyze us into inaction. On the flip side, it's not great to let a few good choices make us so complacent that we don't seek to do more.

A good example of this in the world of dietetics occurred when Americans got cholesterol savvy and started trading in beef for white meat such as chicken. That was a moderate improvement in eating habits that let people feel good about their diets—but by itself, it doesn't make a diet "heart healthy."

More recently, I’m seeing examples of this in regard to diet and environment. I live in a fairly progressive community of people who are, for the most part, sincerely committed to making choices for the greater good. Most are devoted to shopping and eating locally and choosing sustainable types of food. Our little farmers’ market is bustling in the summer and the food co-op is always crowded. Restaurants tout their sustainable menus with meat, dairy and produce from farms right here in our rural county.

Eating locally-produced food is good, of course. There are many excellent reasons to support community businesses and family farms. But the effects of those choices on the environment are marginal at best compared to the impact of eating a plant-based diet.

A study published last year in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found that reducing red meat and dairy consumption is far more effective than buying locally-produced food for reducing greenhouse gases. In fact, the researchers estimated that reducing consumption of these foods by just 11-19% was as effective as 100% local buying!

Do shop locally and buy organic when you can. But for real impact, nothing compares to eating a more plant-based diet.

World’s Best Peanut Butter Cookies—and Yes, They Are Vegan

2009-02-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies for a fundraiser last night and, as always, was a little worried about the texture. It’s tricky to get vegan cookies to be tender, (and these are definitely crisp, not soft) but several people told me that they were the best peanut butter cookies they had ever tasted! (And one of them was my friend Phyllis, who is pretty much the most inspired baker in the history of the world.)

I used Adams brand peanut butter—the only PB I use for anything. It’s the closest thing to homemade, and it wasn’t involved in the recent recall. I buy mine at Costco in 5-pound tubs.

Admittedly, these cookies are no great nutritional bargain. They are mostly fat, sugar and white flour. But they’re cookies—they aren’t supposed to be healthy; they’re supposed to be fun!

So here they are—the world’s best peanut butter cookies (according to my friends):

4 tablespoons margarine
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2/3 cup Adams peanut butter **
¼ cup water
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ¼ cups white flour
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but encouraged)

** I won’t be held responsible for the results if you don’t use Adams.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the margarine, brown and white sugar, and peanut butter. Add the vanilla and water and mix everything very thoroughly.

In a separate bowl sift together the salt, baking soda and flour. Stir it into the peanut butter mixture to make a very stiff, kind of crumbly dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix very thoroughly.

Form the dough into balls the size of walnuts and place on a nonstick cookie sheet (I always line the sheet with parchment paper). Flatten the cookies with the back of a wet fork twice, turning it to make a crisscross design. (I have absolutely no regard for non-traditionalists who don’t crisscross their peanut butter cookies!)

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until slightly browned (only slightly; don’t over-bake them). Allow to cool on a cooling rack. I like to transfer them to a plate and cover with plastic wrap while they are still just slightly warm because they get kind of hard otherwise.

Great Vegan Bean Cuisine

2009-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

The absolute best meal I’ve ever had was a platter of chickpeas and fresh tomato sauce; it had simmered all day on the open hearth of a restaurant in Sicily, and—along with a little pasta, escarole, and Chianti, of course—created a meal that could never be rivaled by even the most expensive cut of meat!

Other wonderful bean-based delicacies: garlic-infused Cuban black beans, spicy Indian lentil curry, or lemony chick pea hummus from the Middle East. Beans are world class cuisine!

I always keep a good supply of canned beans on hand for fast meals. But they have become expensive lately, and they also have a higher glycemic index than those you cook from scratch. And cooking your own dried beans is easy.

Except for lentils and split peas, beans will cook much more quickly if you soak them first. Rinse the dried beans in a colander, then put in a pot or bowl with 3 cups of water for every cup of dried beans. Let them soak in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, although it’s okay to leave them for much longer. Drain and rinse, and then add fresh water—the same amount you used to soak them. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until the beans are tender, around 1 to 2 hours.

You can also use the quick soak method: Instead of soaking, bring the beans and water to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand at room temperature for one hour. Drain and add fresh water and they are ready to cook.

Cooked beans will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to six months. This will change their texture and flavor somewhat, but it’s a good way to make sure you always have beans on hand.

If you are bothered by gas from beans, try changing the water in which you soak them several times over several hours. This leaches out the indigestible sugars, called oligosaccharides, that cause gas production. But don’t be so quick to get rid of these sugars. They promote growth of friendly bacteria in the colon that can reduce your risk of cancer. And most people find that they feel less gas-y as they get used to eating more beans.

Canned or cooked, it is easy to turn beans into flavorful dishes to serve over rice or scooped onto a baked potato. Here are a few super-fast ideas. The amounts are approximate; let your own tastebuds guide the way you season these dishes:

For black, pinto, and kidney beans:

Mexican-style beans: For each cup of cooked beans, stir in ¼ cup salsa and ¼ cup corn kernels. Heat and serve over rice topped with shredded soy cheese or chopped avocado and tomatoes.

Cuban beans: Saute ½ cup chopped onion and 3 cloves garlic in canola oil until the onion is tender. Stir in 3 cups of cooked black beans and add salt and pepper to taste.

For white beans—great northern, baby lima, or cannelini beans:

Beans with mushrooms: Sauté 1 ½ cup sliced mushrooms in olive oil. Add 3 cups of cooked beans and season with black pepper, dried thyme and fresh lemon juice. You might also add canned or chopped tomatoes to this dish.

Barbecued beans: Mix in 3 tablespoons prepared barbecue sauce per cup of cooked beans.

Zesty beans with tomato sauce: Mix in 3 tablespoons prepared spaghetti sauce (try a spicy one like Paul Newman's Sockarooni) per cup of cooked beans.

Italian-style beans: Saute ¼ cup chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil. Add 3 cups of cooked white beans and ½ cup chopped figs. Season with dried basil and rosemary.

Beans with apples and sausage: Saute ½ cup of onions in olive oil. Add 3 cups of cooked beans, 1 diced apple, and 4 ounces of vegetarian sausage, (defrosted and crumbled). Simmer together until everything is heated through and the apples are tender.

Beans for Vegetarians and Other Smart Eaters

2009-02-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

I’ve got beans on the brain. I’ve been thinking about them a lot because—like everyone else—I’m trying to cut back on expenses. But even in the best of financial times, beans are nearly always on my menu. I love and adore them. Here is what’s so great about beans:

They are central to all kinds of exotic and exciting world cuisine, so beans lend themselves to fun recipes.

They are gorgeous! Lentils and black beans may not be all that exciting, but look around for some of the “boutique beans” like Christmas limas, Calypsos, and Black Valentines. They are kitchen art!

They’re plant foods, so of course, eating more beans (and, therefore, less meat) is good for the environment. But beans are even better than other plant foods. They require less water than crops like wheat and corn, and they add nitrogen back to the soil.

The carbs in beans are the best kind—lots of fiber and resistant starch. That translates to better control of blood glucose, better digestive health, and possibly lower risk for cancer.

Replacing meat in your meals with beans will automatically boost your fiber intake and will lower saturated fat intake—great protection against heart disease.

Beans are packed with potassium—a mineral that falls short in many American diets.

Beans are antioxidant superstars. They are higher in antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables and are on a par with blueberries and strawberries.

I’ll write more tomorrow about just how simple it is to get beans into your diet and about that pesty gas problem, too!

Vegan Cocktail Party: Fast and Fun!

2009-01-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

I’m having friends over for a little cocktail party (well, really just wine and beer) and am enjoying the challenge of putting together a good menu. My friends are easy-going types, but they aren’t vegan (or even vegetarian) so I want to make sure everything is especially yummy. And I want it all to be finger food. And I don’t have time to do a whole lot of cooking, so it has to be easy with a mix of fast recipes and store-bought items.

Here is what I’ve decided to serve:

Phyllo Cups with Artichoke Filling. In the best of all worlds—in which I’d be a lady of leisure—I would make my own little phyllo cups, but I’m using pre-made ones which I found in the dessert section of the grocery store freezer. And they are vegan! For the filling I’ve chopped 8 ounces of artichokes (packed in water, not oil), and mixed them with ¼ cup chopped green onions and 8 ounces vegan cream cheese. The little cups are precooked, so I am baking these at 350 degrees just long enough to get heated through.

Hummus: I’m buying Sabra brand—the only kind of premade hummus I will eat. It’s actually better than my own homemade hummus.

Guacamole: From Costco. I always have a stash of this in the freezer.

Little Vegan Spring Rolls. I just found these in the grocery store and they were on sale! They come with their own sauce, too.

Curried “Cheese” Dip: I’ve veganized this from a recipe on a cracker box. Stir together 8 ounces of vegan cream cheese, 5 tbsp mango chutney, 4 chopped green onions, 1 ½ tsp curry powder. Easy!

Toby’s Tofu Paté: I love this dip which is tofu blended with seasoning and celery. It's usually in the refrigerator section near the tofu in natural foods markets. There are several different flavors, and also a low-fat version, but I use the "original" one.

I’ll have platters of tortilla chips, crackers, French bread wedges, and vegetable crudités. Mixed nuts and some kind of vegan chocolate, too. All told, I don’t think it will take me more than an hour to get things made and onto serving platters. A fun, sustainable and cruelty-free party that comes together with ease.

This Vegan Dietitian Eats Fast Food!

2009-01-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday and he is not the world’s easiest guy to shop for. I got him a classic Led Zeppelin CD (the one with Stairway to Heaven on it) and I know he’ll love that, and also a pair of gloves which he badly needs.

I also picked up a gift card to Subway, and I suspect this will be his favorite present. He loves their Veggie Delight sub, and since the burger they use is vegan, I’ll probably let him buy me dinner with his gift card at least once.

I steer clear of fast food establishments where the only vegan options are salads and fries. I like salads and French Fries very much, but I want to patronize restaurants that meet my vegan diet halfway, and Subway does that very nicely.

Burger King is another favorite; their BK Veggie is pretty yummy. I’m also a longtime fan of Taco Bell and, these days I’m even more enamored of Taco del Mar restaurants. In fact most of the fast food Mexican places don’t use lard in their beans. Guacamole and really spicy salsa make up for the lack of cheese and sour cream (and I don’t think any of these restaurants will have vegan cheese or sour cream anytime soon.)

I know a number of vegetarians and other health-minded folks who say they never eat at fast food restaurants. But when I’m out and about—shopping, running errands and feeling a little busy and rushed—I want something that is quick, inexpensive, and tasty. I wouldn’t recommend a full-time diet of fast food restaurants for vegetarians or anyone else, but in moderation they are great, and I love them!

Vegan Calcium is the Best Calcium

2009-01-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me today whether I worry, as a vegan, about calcium. Well, I do worry about it, but not because I'm vegan. Calcium is an issue for all women. No matter what type of diet you follow, it's important to identify good sources of this mineral.

Plant foods that are good sources of calcium include many leafy greens, like kale, collards, and mustard greens; broccoli; some legumes like black beans and vegetarian baked beans; blackstrap molasses (but not regular molasses); fortified soyfoods; fortified juices; and tofu if it is has calcium listed as an ingredient.

Some foods—like spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard, and certain seeds—have lots of calcium, but most of it doesn't get absorbed. These foods contain compounds called oxalates that interfere with calcium absorption. Generally, calcium is well-absorbed from most other plant foods, though, and from fortified foods, too. It’s also well absorbed from supplements.

One good reason to choose vegan sources of calcium is that these foods—those that are natural sources of calcium as well as those that are fortified with it–often have advantages over milk in protecting the health of your bones.

For example:

Calcium-fortified soymilk and calcium-set tofu contain compounds called isoflavones that may help maintain bone health.
Calcium-fortified orange juice is rich in vitamin C, and research shows that people with high vitamin C intakes are likely to have healthier bones.
Many leafy green vegetables–such as collards and kale–are rich in calcium and they are also high in vitamin K and potassium–two nutrients needed for strong bones.

While dairy foods provide calcium, they don’t contain vitamin C or isoflavones and they are poor sources of vitamin K and potassium.

However you choose to get calcium, make sure you get enough. The current recommendation for adults is 1000 milligrams of calcium per day. Contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, there is no evidence that vegetarians need less calcium than meat eaters. If you don't eat enough calcium-rich foods to meet your needs for this mineral, use supplements to make up the difference.

Here are good sources of calcium for vegans (and for everyone else, too!)

Foods that provide about 300 milligrams of calcium:

1 cup fortified orange juice or V8 juice
1 cup fortified soymilk
1 Luna Bar

Foods that provide about 200 milligrams of calcium:

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 cup fortified apple juice
½ cup cooked collard greens
½ cup calcium-set tofu
1 ounce of fortified breakfast cereal

Foods that provide about 100 milligrams of calcium

½ cup cooked kale, turnip greens, or broccoli
½ cup cooked soybeans
¼ cup soynuts
1 package of instant oatmeal
5 dried figs

Foods that provide about 75 milligrams of calcium

2 tbsp almond butter or tahini
½ cup prepared textured vegetable protein (TVP)
½ cup cooked bok choy
½ cup tempeh

Foods that provide about 50 milligrams of calcium

½ cup cooked navy, black or great northern beans
½ cup vegetarian baked beans
1 orange
2 tbsp almonds
1 package instant Cream of Wheat

Favorite Vegan Cookbooks: They’re Like Old Friends!

2009-01-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

I don’t know whether it’s the cold northwest climate or the chilly economic climate, but I’ve been hunkering down in the kitchen and cooking up a storm lately. My husband is ecstatic. Every time he walks into the kitchen I’m pulling lasagna out of the oven or madly stir-frying a heap of Asian veggies.

I have around 100 cookbooks on my shelves and access to thousands of recipes on the internet so coming up with ideas isn’t a problem. Even so, I often find myself pulling out much-loved older cookbooks—the ones that are tried and true. Some of them have been used so much that they are in two or three pieces. (A true sign of a really good cookbook is one that is held together with a rubber band!)

This weekend, my cooking adventures with two favorite healthy foods—peanut butter and white beans—took me to two favorite cookbooks.

We were down to the last half cup or so of peanut butter in the five-pound tub of Adams PB I get at Costco. It was kind of hard and unspread-able at this point, so I decided to make Asian peanut sauce. I first tried the recipe from Cooking From an Ecological Kitchen by Lorna Sass which is my all-time favorite vegan cookbook. But, while Lorna rarely lets me down, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the results this time. So I turned to a golden oldie, the recipe for Gado Gado (Indonesian Peanut Sauce) in The Moosewood Cookbook. I have loved this recipe for exactly 25 years. My handwritten notation on the page indicates that I first made it in January, 1984!

Moosewood isn’t vegan—far from it—but most of the recipes lend themselves easily to veganization. This one requires just a few tweaks and the end result is always special and delicious. I served it over chunks of tofu and steamed green beans.

While Lorna’s peanut sauce didn’t knock my socks off, I found another recipe on the very same page that did. Her recipe for Creamy White Bean Sauce caught my eye since I’m always looking for something new, interesting and easy to do with beans. This took just minutes to make and I was instantly impressed.

So it was a good culinary weekend; I found something new and revisited something true. Here are two wonderful recipes (slightly adapted by me) from two cookbooks that are like dear and faithful friends:

Gado-Gado

1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp sugar or other sweetener
¼ tsp cayenne pepper or more to taste (I use quite a bit more)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp cider vinegar
3 cups water

Sauté the onions and garlic in the canola oil until onions are tender. Stir in everything else. Simmer over very low heat for a half hour or so until sauce has thickened. Serve over steamed or stir-fried veggies, tofu and rice. Or noodles. Or anything else you like!

Creamy White Bean Spread
(This is supposed to be a sauce, but I kept mine kind of thick and am using it as a spread).

1 ½ cups cooked white beans (I used navy)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (I think lemon juice would be a wonderful substitute)
½ tsp herbes de Provence (or any kind of Mediterranean-type herb combination)
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup water or broth
Dash of black pepper
Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid if needed. Use as a sandwich spread or a dip with chips or crackers. Or thin with more water or broth and serve over veggies and rice.

Protein for Vegans: Old Myths Die Hard

2008-12-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

I’ve talked with three different reporters this past month, all with questions about vegetarian diets. All three asked, of course, which nutrients require special attention in vegetarian diets. And each expressed surprise that I didn’t mention protein. They also asked about soy—and whether it was true that it’s the only plant food that is a “complete protein”—ie, the only one that contains all 9 of the essential amino acids.

The answer is no. All plant foods that contain protein—which would be all grains, beans, nuts, seeds and vegetables—provide all 9 of the essential amino acids. So they are all “complete proteins.”

It’s true, though, that certain plant proteins are lower in quality. They are still “complete,” but some of their amino acids are a little on the low side. You would need to eat more of these foods to meet amino acid needs if they were the sole source of protein in your diet. In fact, you would have to exceed the total requirement for protein in order to meet needs for each of the essential amino acids.

So it’s true that if you wanted to meet protein needs from one plant food alone, soy protein would be your best bet. But it’s kind of irrelevant because if you ate only one source of protein, your diet would be deficient in other nutrients. Not to mention the fact that it would be impossibly boring. So people—whether they eat animal foods or not, get protein from a variety of foods. And when vegans consume a variety of protein sources—bread, rice, pasta, veggies, peanut butter, tofu, baked beans, etc—these foods work together to provide the full complement of essential amino acids.

In fact, if you eat a variety of foods from all the vegan food groups and you get enough calories, it is virtually impossible to fall short on protein. So why worry about whether one plant food is more complete than another? There is no single food that you have to eat (including soy!) and you don’t need to eat careful combinations of foods at meals.

The only people who might need to take care to boost protein intake a little bit are those on very low calorie diets. If you are weight watching, you might want to include a few servings of higher-protein foods like tofu or tempeh in your daily diet to make sure you are meeting protein needs.

Otherwise, eat a good variety of whole foods—and don’t worry about protein!

A New Vegan Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

I loved my Thanksgiving menu from last year and am not especially eager to make too many changes. But it’s always fun to try something new, so I’m tweaking the menu a little bit. I have some reluctant omnivores coming this year so dinner had better be good!

We're trying a new sweet potato recipe, made with coconut milk. And there will be three kinds of cranberries on the table (you can never have too many cranberry dishes!) I'm also going to try to create a veggie version of that wonderful green bean casserole with French onions, although I haven't worked out the details of that yet.

I'm serving White Wave Vegetarian Stir Fry Strips again because they are still the best meat substitute I know. (And I really would say this even if my husband was not a consultant to White Wave!)

Here is what will be on the Thanksgiving table this year:

Stuffed Mushrooms
Veggie Strips sautéed with Onions
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Baked Stuffing with Walnuts and Dried Fruit
Traditional Cranberry Sauce (from the back of the package of Ocean Spray fresh cranberries) with added pears
Cranberries with Sweet Onions
Mama Stamberg's Cranberries with Horseradish
Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk and Ginger
Green bean casserole (maybe) or Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Apple
Wild Rice with onions and celery

Drinks: Red and white wines from local wineries, beer from the local brewery, apple cider.

For dessert: Homemade apple pie and pumpkin cheesecake, Clementines, coffee, and Chocolate Port.

The recipes for stuffed mushrooms, veggie strips, gravy, stuffing, and pumpkin cheesecake are all in my entry for last year’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are the new recipes for this year:

Cranberries with Sweet Onions

The original recipe, which I found online, calls for Vidalia onions. Here in Washington State, we are partial to Walla Walla onions instead. It doesn't matter, though, since neither is in season at Thanksgiving time. So just use any sweet onion you can find. Our grocery stores are carrying Mayans right now.

1 large mild sweet onion
1 tablespoon margarine
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup dry red wine like shiraz or cabernet
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries

Coarsely chop the onion and sauté in the margarine until tender. Add the dried cranberries, wine, and salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, fresh cranberries, and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and mixture has thickened. Stir in the onion mixture.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk & Ginger

We're using real sweet potatoes--the yellow ones that are less sweet than orange yams.

About 6 sweet potatoes
1/1 2 cups canned coconut milk (use "lite" if you prefer)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Salt to taste

Prick the potatoes with a fork several time and bake at 425 degrees until tender, about an hour.
When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher and then stir in the other ingredients. Heat in the microwave for a couple of minutes before serving.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Apples

1 large apple
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil plus 1 teaspoon
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
12 ounces fresh Brussels sprouts

Cut the apple into thin wedges and soak in a bowl filled with water and the lemon juice

Wash the Brussels sprouts and slice them thinly into ribbons.

Heat the oil and sauté the minced garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the maple syrup and the drained apples.

Scrape the mixture onto a plate and set aside.

Add another teaspoon or so of olive oil to the pan, turn up the heat, and add the shredded Brussels sprouts. Stir fry them for about 3 minutes until they are bright green with some golden crusty bits.

Stir the apple mixture back in and ½ of the pine nuts. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining pine nuts.

Tapenade: Easy Vegan Gourmet Appetizer & More

2008-11-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

My local animal welfare group gave a little wine and cheese reception this past weekend for a group of new members. Although most of the guests were not vegetarian, I wanted to have one nice vegan appetizer on hand. I chose this quick tapenade recipe below and served it with little slices of ciabatta bread. It was a hit; people were practically diving into the bowl! Fortunately, however, I had made a double batch so I’d have a good supply for myself at home.

Leftover tapenade has endless possibilities and here is what I did with mine.

Roasted Winter Veggies with Tapenade: I had made some roasted winter vegetables over the weekend —sweet potatoes, onions, Brussels sprouts, and white potatoes—and I tossed those with a few tablespoons of the tapenade which turned this homey dish into something even better and more spectacular.

Pasta and Squash with Tapenade: I also had a few winter squashes left from the garden. I baked and cubed those, piled them on top of a bowl of angel hair pasta and tossed the whole thing with the tapenade. This is definitely a dish I will serve the next time I need something easy, foolproof and extra yummy for guests!

Tofu Scramble with Tapenade: Finally, when I made some scrambled tofu with mushrooms for breakfast this morning, I mixed in the last few teaspoons of the tapenade.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1 ½ teaspoons capers
2 large cloves garlic
Juice of ½ lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon herbes de Provence (or just use a few pinches each of thyme, marjoram, rosemary and basil.)

Blend everything in a food processor or blender until well mixed.

The Gradual Vegan: What's the Best Approach?

2008-09-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for many years before becoming vegan. When people tell me that they want to eat more ethically but veganism seems too hard, I understand completely. I suggest, of course, that they start out by giving up meat and work their way—at their own pace—toward a vegan or mostly vegan diet.

But I am meeting more and more people who are taking a surprisingly different approach. They are giving up eggs and dairy foods even though they still eat meat. Their rationale is that some of the worst factory farm abuses take place on egg, chicken, and dairy farms. Therefore, they believe they can do more good for animals by being a meat eater who doesn’t use eggs or dairy than by choosing a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet!

We have local clubs, tee shirts, cookbooks—and most importantly—a name for people who don’t eat meat. Maybe we need to create an identity for those who are taking another path toward a vegan diet. What to call these folks? I don’t know. Fleshatarians? Carno-pesco vegetarians? It doesn’t matter. What matters is finding a way to make the choices that do the greatest possible good. And those choices aren’t always as obvious as we might think.

Soyfoods for Young Girls Offer Lifelong Protection

2008-08-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Kate recently asked what I thought about the fact that her granddaughter drinks a lot of soymilk. I said I thought it was great!

There are plenty of reasons—mostly from ethical and environmental standpoints—to avoid cow’s milk. Whether there are important health risks associated with dairy consumption is still a question of debate. But there is little to suggest that dairy has any protective benefits that you can’t get elsewhere. Soy, on the other hand, may have some unique and long-lasting benefits for young girls.

Interest in a cancer-protective effect of soyfoods comes, in part, from the fact that breast cancer is much lower in Japan, where soyfoods are commonly consumed, than in western countries. Scientists have been speculating for decades that the anti-estrogen effects of isoflavones—compounds that are unique to soyfoods—are responsible for this difference.

Unfortunately, there is no clear consensus that adding soyfoods to your diet in adulthood will lower cancer risk. But some very interesting studies suggest that when young girls consume soyfoods, their risk for breast cancer later in life is much lower.

A National Cancer Institute study found that risk for breast cancer was 58% lower for women who had consumed soyfoods between the ages of 5 and 11 years. A study in China—where soy consumption differs greatly across different regions—had a similar result. Consuming soy between the ages of 13 and 15 was associated with a 49% reduction in breast cancer risk.

Why soy might provide this long term protection isn’t known, but it may have something to do with effects of isoflavones on breast tissue during development. And according to the data, as little as one serving of soy per day might be protective.

While the studies aren’t conclusive, it clearly makes sense for young girls to consume soyfoods that are rich in isoflavones. Best choices are tofu, tempeh and soymilk (many commercial soy burgers are not rich in isoflavones). Soymilk is probably the easiest food to include in a child's diet. Choose a brand that is fortified with calcium and vitamin D, and use it just as you would cow's milk--over cereal, in baking, and in milk shakes.

Celebrate Summer With a Vegan Picnic

2008-07-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

My friends Lynn and Steve came to visit for the 4th of July. We had a blast—went to the Fiddle Festival, watched the fireworks from the beach, and drank champagne at the local monthly art gallery event.

But I have to admit that cooking for them made me feel a little stressed. They are not just omnivores; they are foodie omnivores. I'm not always sympathetic to foodie-ism, but they were my guests and my beloved friends and I wanted us all to be happy, and comfortable and well-fed.

For the 4th, I decided on a down-home picnic on the front porch. (Foodie or not, everyone loves potato salad, right?) I made homemade potato salad with wonderful little waxy new potatoes, and coleslaw with shredded green and red cabbage. (I used Vegenaise mayo for both which is one of the best vegan products I’ve found.) We had corn on the cob and vegetarian baked beans with lots of sautéed onions, and really good red wine and microbrewery beer.

But I wanted to anchor the meal with something more entree-like, and I knew that Lynn and Steve would not especially enjoy any of the “fake” soy products like veggie hotdogs (which, admittedly, are pretty awful) or burgers or sausage.

So with a little bit of trepidation, I settled on Tofu Corn Puffs, an old Seventh-day Adventist recipe that has never failed me yet. And much to my delight (and great relief), my guests loved them and asked for the recipe!

These super tasty croquettes are easy to make. They are, unfortunately, too delicate for the grill, but they taste better when they are fried anyway. And you can make the mix ahead of time and cook them up at the last minute. The cashews and nutritional yeast give them their unique flavor. Here is the recipe:

½ cup cashews
½ cup water
8 ounces (1/2 pound) soft tofu (don’t use firm or regular)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (not brewers’ yeast!)
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 cups frozen corn (defrosted) or slightly cooked fresh corn
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
2 cups fresh bread crumbs**
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying

In a food processor or blender, blend the cashews and water for about one minute, until completely pureed. Add the tofu and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Form tofu mixture into balls about the size of golf balls and then flatten slightly with your palm. Fry until browned on each side. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels.

This makes about 24 puffs and should feed about 7 to 8 people. But they are so good that the four of us ate them all!

** You can substitute 1 cup dry bread crumbs for the 2 cups of fresh, but it makes these much heavier and less puff-like. And since you already have the food processor or blender out, it’s pretty easy to make fresh bread crumbs. Process about 3 slices of bread for 30 seconds or so to make 2 cups of bread crumbs.

Could You Ever Be A Vegan?

2008-07-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Most of the people I encounter say they cannot imagine completely giving up meat, fish, dairy and eggs. And I always tell them that that’s okay.

Maybe you can’t see yourself as 100% vegan, but you can choose meals with fewer animal foods right now in some pretty painless ways. Don’t worry about never eating meat again or never eating cheese. Just start out with some easy changes and replacements and see where it takes you.

Here are 10 things you can do this week that will reduce your consumption of animal products:

Replace mayonnaise with Vegenaise, a wonderful vegan substitute that tastes better than the real thing. One friend—who isn’t vegan—said she thinks it tastes like old-fashioned homemade mayonnaise. Look for it in the natural food section of the grocery store, where it is always kept refrigerated.

Replace sour cream with Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream. Try it on burritos or baked potatoes or spoon a few dollops into black bean soup.

Replace ground beef in spaghetti sauce with Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles. If you taste these by themselves, you won't be fooled; they don't taste exactly like ground beef. But in your favorite spaghetti sauce, you'll be surprised at how much you don't miss the meat. (Unlike this company’s Grillers burgers, the recipe crumbles don’t contain eggs.)

Replace creamy salad dressings with oil and vinegar.

Use non-dairy “creamer” in your coffee.

Try some of the instant soups in a cup like Fantastic Foods Black Bean soup for a super quick lunch or snack.

Serve vegetarian baked beans instead of “traditional” baked beans. (You’ll hardly notice a difference.)

Replace chicken broth in recipes with vegetable broth or bouillon.

Serve mushroom gravy on potatoes instead of meat-based gravy.

Snack on potato chips instead of fried pork rinds (okay—well I know you don’t eat fried pork rinds; I just wanted you to know that vegans can still eat fun things like potato chips!)

I can't promise that every single change on the way to being a vegan or near-vegan is quite so easy. (I am still on a quest for a good vegan "ice cream", cheese, and burger.) You may encounter your own challenges on the way to eating a more plant-based diet. Bur for now, don’t worry about it. Make the changes that are easiest for you—and feel good about them! Every time you choose a plant food instead of an animal food, you've made a difference.