Monday, January 30, 2012

Mmmmm... Pesticides and Genetically Modified Garbage. YUM!

What we choose to fuel our bodies every day is such an important decision, and is far too overlooked. I just finished a great film that has further cemented my belief that we need to buy produce and grains that are organic, and not genetically modified to enhance flavor/appearance/size/seedlessness, oh, and profit for the companies producing it. Products that have been genetically modified "GMO" have been mutated and manipulated, but aren't always packaged in a way that a consumer can recognize. Take produce for example, you can't pick up a tomato in the supermarket and tell if it has been modified to be larger, redder, or sweeter, unless it is Certified Organic (safe!). If that tomato had growth factors added in to make it bigger, and you ingest that, is it really all that good for you? I think not.

Ahhh, pesticides. Pesticides that are sprayed onto our produce end up in the air that we breathe, the water we drink, the soil our crops grow from, and ultimately, our and our animal friends' bodies. You can wash that fruit off all you want, but chances are, if it ended up in the water and soil that it grew from, you're ingesting it anyways. Ok, so switching over to "all organic", can seem daunting, and expensive, so if you aren't convinced yet, this list may help. From highest pesticide content to least, here are a couple of fruits and veggies you should try to buy organic whenever possible, courtesy of www.thedailygreen.com:
  1. Apples
  2. Celery
  3. Strawberries
  4. Peaches
  5. Spinach
  6. Nectarines
  7. Grapes
  8. Sweet Bell Peppers
  9. Potatoes
  10. Blueberries
  11. Lettuce
  12. Kale
Here's another great resources for more info on the benefits of organic foods: www.mayoclinic.com.

A fantastic film that I recommend to anyone who wants to improve their health is called "Food Matters", and is available to stream instantly on Netflix if you have it. It goes over some of the benefits of eating raw foods, benefits of vitamins, toxic prescription drugs, eating organically, and of course, how life changing a whole foods, plant based diet can be. Check it out at www.foodmatters.tv.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Girl With the Dragon... FRUIT! My Love for Asian Supermarkets

I only live about an hour away from Albany, NY, so when I was there last weekend and noticed an Asian supermarket, I had to go! I obviously love my fruits and veggies, so I was excited for the opportunity to get some exotic produce. I loaded up on my edamame (which you can find in most grocery stores), got some sea weed, kelp, thai eggplant, and a beautiful dragon fruit (amongst other yummy things). I had never had an actual dragon fruit before, and the medium sized one I got was about $8, so I was hoping it'd be good! *Note - ignore my silly photo, skin is inedible! Anyways, yum! The meat inside was was subtly sweet, and reminded me more of a kiwi fruit than anything else. You just peel all the skin back, slice, and enjoy! Could it be any easier? And it all looks so perrrrty!


So as I said, I bought some thai eggplants as well at this market. They are very different looking compared to the big long purple ones we usually see in the supermarket. They were about tennis ball size or smaller, and perfectly round, and green! So cute. Anyways, I decided to whip up a yummy masala with them in it, and it came out delicious! Granted, I put my Asian eggplant in an Indian dish, but oh well, I didn't know what else to do with them! So because it was scrumptious, I'll share the recipe that I used, courtesy of The Happy Herbivore (http://happyherbivore.com) by Lindsay S. Nixon (my fav vegan cookbook!).

Chana Palak Masala (Altered by me to include my awesome eggplant!)
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 12oz. can peeled whole tomatoes with juices
1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 12oz. bag baby spinach, fresh or frozen
10 (or so) thai eggplants, unpeeled and quartered
1 c. water or vegetable broth (I bumped this up to 2-3 cups because of the amount of eggplant)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
red pepper flakes, as desired
1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

  1. Sounds yummy already, doesn't it? Line large pot with a thin layer of water and saute onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.
  2. If using eggplant: Add tomatoes with their juices, broth/water, and eggplant. Cook, covered over medium heat, for about 10 minutes until eggplant is soft and just about done. Then add chickpeas and spinach, cover, and cook for about 4 more minutes until spinach cooks down.
  3. If not using eggplant: Add tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas, spinach, and broth/water. Cover and cook over medium heat until spinach cooks down, about 4 minutes.
  4. Using wooden spoon or firm spatula, break tomatoes apart.
  5. Add remaining ingredients except garam masala, cover, and cook for 3 more minutes.
  6. Add garam masala, stirring to combine, and cook for another 2 minutes.
  7. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes, allowing for flavors to merge.
  8. ENJOY!

Friday, January 27, 2012

New Vegan Blog... WOO!

Hey guys, welcome to my sparkly new vegan blog! I'm hoping to use this blog to share my experiences, insight, recommendations, and recipes, and hope to hear back from you all as well! I've been a "just about vegan" since September of 2010, so almost a year and a half now! When I say "just about", I am not 100% crazy strict. I am not opposed to honey, while I avoid white sugar, it happens sometimes, and I will only very rarely make an exception for something with a smidge of dairy in it. And I do mean rarely. Also, the occasional Quorn burger or Boca burger usually has egg in it, but I allow it on occasion. My switch to a whole foods, plant based diet was one that came after being inspired by two films, Vegan Gal and Food Inc. I am a vegan for health reasons mainly, but ethically as well, I cannot justify eating animals just for the flavor of it, as it is not nutritionally necessary.

I'm 5'6", and at the point I watched those films, had just watched my weight hit the 200lb mark, a mark I had never wanted to, or saw myself getting to. I decided that something had to change! I had tried tons of crash diets in the past, like (ironically) the Adkins (meat based) diet, and various others with no success for lasting weight loss. I was at a point where I was getting migraines about 5 days a week and had two different prescription pills that were necessary if I wanted the pain to stop. Doctors wanted me to be on daily medication for prevention.... no way! Oh, and random dizzy spells, those were always fun. I felt sluggish, ugly, depressed because of my low self confidence, and was ALWAYS hungry, with intense cravings for junk food pretty much all the time. I gave up meat and dairy all together on that first day... I just quit, Cold Tofurkey, and was much better immediately!

Instantly, migraines gone! I started to lose weight, feel better, have more energy, and my skin cleared up as well! I have lost 58lbs so far, and hope to keep going on the weight loss! Now you guys know my story :) For any of those who haven't seen it, I HIGHLY recommend watching Food Inc. It was a very eye opening film, but be prepared, it's a little hard to watch. You can check out their website at http://www.foodincmovie.com. Oh, and you can stream it on Netflix ;)