Animal Writings

I'm inclined to come right out and say: Forget what you've read in the popular media about dairy, calcium, and osteoporosis. It's inaccurate and may dangerously—if not irresponsibly—lead you down the wrong path.

You've probably heard a thousand times how it's important to consume dairy to have strong bones and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. But the science doesn't support this. Too many studies suggest that dairy is more likely to contribute to osteoporosis rather than prevent it.

Let's look at a few recent studies which show what does and does not work in terms of protecting and strengthening bones:

...

Men who consumed the most fruit, vegetables, and cereal had denser bones than those who consumed less, according to a Tufts University study of volunteers aged 69 to 93.

80 white females, aged 12 to 22, were studied for ten years as part of the Penn State Young Women's Health Study. Daily calcium intake varied from 500 to 1,900 mg, but only exercise was identified as a predominant determinant of bone strength. (Girls develop 40 to 50 percent of their skeletal mass during their teen years.)

The Harvard Nurses' Health Study of 72,000 postmenopausal women showed that neither milk nor a high-calcium diet reduce fracture rates at all in 18 years of follow-up. Adequate intake of vitamin D, on the other hand,was associated with a lower rate of osteporatic hip fractures. Skin exposure to sunlight can serve as a major source of vitamin D. Note that the vitamin D in cow's milk is an add-in just as it is with nondairy milks.

...

Next, let's look at some populations around the world to see if there is any evidence that consuming dairy products confers some sort of protection against osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Dr. Robert M. Kradjian, Breast Surgery Chief of California's Seton Medical Center sums up what other independent researchers (unaffiliated with the dairy industry) have found: "[C]ountries with the highest intake of dairy products are invariably the countries with the most osteoporosis." The United States is near the top of the list in both per capita dairy consumption and prevalence of osteoporosis. American women have one of the world's highest rates of hip fractures, which is often used as a reliable indicator of osteoporosis. The populations of many Asian countries consume very little dairy and have a far lower rate of bone fractures than that of Americans. China is relatively dairy-free and has among the lowest incidences of osteoporosis. As mentioned above, the huge Harvard Nurses' study showed no evidence that dairy products offer any protection against osteoporosis. In fact, the volunteers who consumed the most dairy foods broke the most bones.

So dairy seems to be of no help in guarding against weak bones and osteoporosis. Later in this post, we'll find out why, and then delve into how consumption of dairy probably worsens bone health. But in the meantime...What about calcium supplements—are those helpful?

In the Penn State study cited above, researchers found that, consistent with past studies, calcium intake above 900 mg a day had no lasting effect on bone health. Regular exercise did. The government's daily calcium recommendation for women aged 9 through 18 (which covers most of the age span of the volunteers in the study) is 1300mg per day, and 1000 mg per day for ages 19 through 50.

The 36,282 postmenopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial were given either a 500 mg calcium supplement or a placebo. Although the group taking the supplement had a 12 percent lower rate of hip fractures, their rate of total fractures was the same as the group taking the placebo. The supplementation group also had a 17 percent increase in kidney stones.

From these and similar studies, my conclusions, which I earnestly try to follow for my own diet, are:

• We should strive to eat calcium-rich plant-based foods, such as beans and leafy green vegetables. This should be our primary source of calcium.


• A modest "insurance" dose of calcium from pills is probably fine if the diet is not as good as it should be, but megadoses may be counterproductive.

A little more about point 2...A number of studies show that consistently high levels of calcium intake interfere with the body's ability to effectively use calcium. Also, a recent study presented at a meeting of the American Society of Nutrition correlated high levels of calcium intake with cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Next, I want to get into the heart of this post, showing how animal protein intake significantly increases one's risk of osteoporosis and raises one's calcium requirements.

To be continued...

Labels: bone fractures, bone health, bones, calcium, dairy, diet, exercise, fruits, osteoporosis, vegetables, vitamin D

Moving on from meat to dairy... The next part of the series looks at some of the substitutes for dairy that I think taste best, are most widely available, and are easiest to work into your diet. But first I'm going to present some of the many health problems with dairy, and revisit some of its ethical concerns. That all starts tomorrow.

To be continued...

Labels: dairy, diet

[Updated 7/15/2008, 10:50pm]

This will be a multi-parter...

OK, show of hands. To the vegans—and perhaps anyone who abstains, even partially, from meat and/or dairy: Has this happened to you...

You make a recipe for some function, maybe it's an office potluck. You bake brownies or make a cheesecake. It's delicious. It uses tofu. You bring it to the function, you unveil it; it looks beautiful. You mention that it has tofu. "Eww!! Tofu!!" at least one person says—or shrieks. As if it came from the bathroom floor, or was devised by a mad scientist. Now, mind you, these same people might eat hot dogs, which may contain snouts, feet, viscera, and assorted body parts—some with tumors and pus-filled sores—from slaughterhouses that brutally killed suffering animals. But they run from tofu—made from plants—as though it were some life-sapping poison. Why the fear and drama?

The scenario continues. The next week or month—maybe for the same people!—you make the exact same dish. You don't mention a word about tofu. If someone asks, you compliment them on their tie or fingernail polish, or make a witty remark about The Office, starring Steve Carrell. Or you lie; "No tofu," you tell them. Everyone loves your dish; there's not a bite left.

Here's another, related scenario. You bake some cookies for a party or get-together. You label them "vegan." Some people avoid the cookies because they say "vegan." The cookies might not have tofu, or soymilk, or Earth Balance, or anything even slightly unfamiliar to people in them.

You have another function the next night. Mixed crowd, as before. You make the exact same recipe. No label this time. You just put the cookies out there. Everyone eats them.

Here's a less dramatic situation. You make dinner for a friend, or for your partner, spouse, or roommate. It has some new ingredients to him/her, but not even tofu, just some new vegetables, maybe kale and Swiss Chard. Maybe some coconut milk. You serve it — voila. He/she says "Mmm, smells good. what's in it?" You decide not to tell him/her until after dinner; you say "Just some vegetables and spices. Go ahead, it's getting cold." You decide to delay revealing the ingredients because you know—maybe from past experience—that the other person might very well "decide" beforehand that they don't like it, or will develop instant skepticism, solely on the the basis of hearing that there are unfamiliar ingredients in the dish.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

I once saw someone refuse a raffle prize of "vegan dark chocolates." Her reason? "I'm not vegan."

Okay...Why the irrational, and sometimes over the top reactions?

A full exploration would require many posts and lots of discussion. So here are the first two explanations that come to mind:

• Fear of new foods, of leaving a comfort zone. Sometimes this may be manifested as stubbornness or close-mindedness.


• For conspicuously vegan foods like tofu...A combination of guilt, a deep vestment in meat-eating, a desire to be part of the accepted group and not be seen as too different, and preserving a self-image that is built in part on eating meat. I tend to think that the person who makes a show of rejecting tofu is actually afraid that they'll like it—and that will upset their world. Will their friends laugh at them? Will they have to eat their words? Will it be tougher to put down and make fun of veganism? I guess basically this reason mostly boils down to fear, also. And some intertwined willful ignorance and insecurity.

What else?

How can we help people overcome these fears and self-imposed limitations? Again, a full discussion would eventually delve into animal advocacy strategies, anthro-sociological analysis, and whatnot. For now, let me take a stab at some practical options. This is not meant to be exhaustive, and I welcome your contributions.

• Fear of new foods
  
  
  • From the point of view of the person trying to introduce others to new foods...
    
    
    • If you have any sort of relationship with the other person(s) (spouse, roommate, significant other, parent, friend, co-worker, etc.), see if you can let them be part of the discovery process, rather than having foods (from their viewpoint) foisted upon them. Tell them about various meat substitutes, finished products, non-animal baking baking ingredients, restaurants in the area with vegan dishes, things you;d like to cook—and ask them what they'd like to try. True, they still might balk, but havig the choice might might make the new foods seem more inviting and less daunting. Maybe even interesting or I daresay exciting.
    
    
    • A variation on this technique with which I'he had some success is: "I want to make four different versions of vegan cheesecake (or whatever). I want you to be the official taste panel. Tell me what you like and don't like; criticize and make suggestions; be brutally honest." This might work because there's little or no pressure to like a dish, because it's sort of a game; and because the skeptics know their opinions will matter.
    
    
    • If you feel comfortable doing this...Ask why the skeptic is afraid. Not like an interrogation or to put the skeptic on the spot, just out of concern, since there's so much to be gained by trying vegan foods and finding out you like them. You could mention that the new food is just plants. That you eat it and you're fine; that you didn't need to re-train your taste buds.
    
    
    • Not that you're trying to lay on a guilt trip, but you could point out that you spent quite a bit of time putting together the dish, and you were hoping some people would sample the result of your efforts.
    
    
    • Use humor. Again, this is a play-it-by-ear technique. You might ask person A if s/he had a bad experience with bok choy as a child and s/he'll think it's funny, but person B will just get annoyed.
    
    
  • From the point of view of the person avoiding the new foods...
    
    
    • The person who made the food may have put considerable effort into preparing the dish. S/he probably won't say this, but if people don't at least sample the dish, s/he'll be disappointed and her/his feelings will be hurt. Even if s/he just bought the food rather than made it from scratch, s/he bought it hoping you'll try it and like it. Simply on the basis of politeness, have a bite. You might really enjoy it!
    
    
    • Here's a compromise. Maybe there;'s something about the new food right now that's turning you off. As an alternative, mention a new food that you would like to try—a food that the other person would approve of, of course. Maybe s/he brought tempeh bacon, and that freaks you out, but you'd be willing to try pre-packaged veggie bacon. Or you'd rather try veggie dogs more anonymously, at a picnic with lots of other dishes, rather than rather plain, and where you might feel like you're under pressure. ("Try some, you'll like it" might dredge up unpleasant memories from childhood!) Or offer to go to a restaurant, where you'll have a wide selection of dishes from which to choose, and promise to try a new food.
    
    
    • Think about what it is that's keeping you from trying something new. It may be some irrational fear. I know that is not you want to hear, and it's not an attribute people often like to apply to themselves. But it's also human nature. It's also human nature not to admit certain fears—it's usually acceptable to admit fear when going into battle but people tend not to admit or even realize that they have a fear of being rejected, for example. Our decisions of which foods to eat are not just chemical process; they're not mindless acts. At a very basic level, they are surprisingly fraught with emotion. This is a little off-topic, but that's why in so many important activities—courtship, holidays, weddings, funerals—food plays a major role. Our emotional ties to food are why we have "comfort foods." Whatever the barrier is, chances are that trying one piece or one bite won't kill you, and there's a very good chance that you'll like what you try. There are a ton of good foods out there, and most people only try a tiny sliver of them in their lifetime. You may not know what you're missing!
    
    
    • In general, the more types of healthy foods you eat, the healthier and less disease-prone you will be. There's no one miracle food, there's no one miracle fruit or vegetable. By expanding your repertoire of healthy foods, you may be doing your body a world of good.
    
    
    • This may not always work, but imagining yourself in a Pink Panther movie as you're doing something stressful often takes the edge off.
    
    


• Fear of tofu and "vegan stuff"
  
  
  • To the avoider...
    
    
    • Do you ever eat hot dogs? The hot dogs you eat may contain rodent fragments—legally. Many of the pigs whose flesh was processed into your hot dogs had tumors and sores covering their legs, the result of inactivity, stressful deprivation, and forced obesity. Some of the pigs died en route to the slaughterhouse, coughing and foaming at the mouth—crammed in with other suffering pigs who were denied food, water, and any comfort.
      
      Some of your hamburgers may contain the ground-up flesh of cows who were too weak to walk and were pulled, shoved, and prodded into the slaughterhouse. Actually your hamburger may have come from the remains of a hundred cows, mixed together. Many of the cows had severe, pus-filled udder infections. Some of the cows had their fetuses inside them when they were slaughtered. Some were improperly stunned and writhed and moaned in pain as their sides were split open.
      
      And you think tofu is gross?
      
      Tofu is not made with misery, either.
    
    
    • You may have this notion, especially if you're a guy—and it may be very subtle yet always there—that "real men eat meat." Or that we need meat. If we needed meat, I'd be dead. At least unhealthy. Ditto for my wife. We haven't eaten meat for years and we're thriving. On a more global scale, populations that consume sufficient calories but get a very small percentage of them from animal sources tend to have far lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and a host of other debilitating or deadly conditions. There is evidence that meat-eating may be linked to Alzheimer's disease and erectile dysfunction also.
      
      Our bodies are not well-designed to handle meat. Real carnivores have short intestinal tracts so they can push the meat out before it putrefies. They have ultra-strong stomach acids to break down the meat. We're not built like that. The ability to consume meat probably was an evolutionary advantage when food was scarce but it's killing us now and current levels of meat-eating are wreaking havoc on the planet.
      
      There's nothing "manly" about eating the flesh of a six-week old chicken who was brutally killed in a slaughterhouse. Or eating the flesh of a worn-out five-year old osteoporatic dairy cow from whom we stole her babies. Such behavior is rotten, abusive, and cowardly.
      
      The flip side of the whole macho meat-eating thing is putting down "vegetarian" food. It's an artificial, meaningless way to deny the moral, health, and environmental value of giving up meat and other products of animal exploitation.
      
      There are more peaceful and productive ways to gain esteem, and to maintain a self-image and an image to present to others. Veganism is, among other things, about character. It's being kind to chickens, and cows, and turkeys, and other farmed animals, no matter how much others may ridicule you or the concept. There is nothing more cool or more enduring than kindness. As weird as it may sound, you can practice kindness in a very meaningful way by trying a dish made with tofu, or ordering a veggie burger, or buying soy or almond milk. Those simple decisions are profound, and a key to true inner peace and—by extension—a magnificently peaceful and just world.
    
    
    • I do think our taste buds, and probably our bodies— not to mention our minds—conform, sort of like memory foam, to the dietary regime we use year after year. But they adapt when our diets change. At first, when you try soy milk or tofu dishes, your taste buds and your brain might be telling you "this isn't quite what we're used to." And there definitely is some comfort in eating what you're used to. In fact, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if, in a subtle psychological way, people feel like breakfast is missing something, doesn't feel quite right, if the beverage they pour over their cereal doesn't come out of something that looks like a milk carton. I think that's one of the reasons Silk soy milk is so popular—it's packaged like milk. It may seem silly, but having been a vegan food advocate for several years now I find that often people are very hesitant to change even one little thing about their food habits. Emotions and psychology are deeply tied to food choices and eating habits.
      
      Here's the wonderful news. In time, and usually before you know it, your taste buds, your body, and your mind all adapt. Soy milk (or rice milk or almond milk, whatever you choose) becomes the new milk. Smart BBQ becomes a Monday night tradition, and you develop a favorite way to have it. You acquire favorite veg restaurants and veg dishes at restaurants you already know. You develop a taste for some new greens, like kale or mustard greens (which I think are fabulous).
      
      So by "adapt," I don't mean you resign yourself to second-best. I mean in a few months—a year at the outside—you get just as much fulfillment and satisfaction from the new veg foods as you do from most of the foods you ate up to that point. In fact, since plant-based (vegan) foods do not have the legacy of animal cruelty that you get with almost all animal-sourced foods, and you do not have to hide from or lie to yourself about any of the processing steps of plant-based foods, your experience will probably be like most people's: You will find that meals never tasted so good. No matter how good you are at suppressing it, willful participation in cruelty always leaves a bitter aftertaste; it will affect you one way or another. Removing yourself from that clears your head and improves your digestion.
    
    
    • Your friends, family members, and co-workers who heckle you for trying tofu or soy milk...after a while, it will fade. For the most part, they'll get tired of giving you a hard time and most will come around to admire your conviction and independence. Some will actually try a veggie dish themselves; you'll have made that choice more legitimate.
      
      When people do give you a bad time, it will largely be because they feel guilty, maybe a bit envious. Go easy on them. You'll see a reflection of yourself in them. The cycle continues. Although each iteration of the cycle gets better. As more people eat vegan foods, those foods become more popular and mainstream. The quality keeps improving. As more people transition to vegan diets, the stigma wears off and so does the ostracizing. Eventually, it will be the meat-eaters who feel marginalized—and eventually despised and shunned, because society will get past flesh-eating and it will start to seem gross, detestable, anachronistic, and wrong.
    
    
    • Your attitude can play a role in whether you like foods. Granted, for each of us, there are some foods that we just don't like. There's probably a chemical basis for that. But for other foods, a positive or negative outlook can influence how much you'll enjoy them. If you tell yourself you're not going to like something, chances increase that you won't. Mind over matter. Conversely, if you tell yourself "OK, I'm going to make this work. I'm going to approach this with an open mind. I'll find ways to expand my tastes," you almost definitely will.
      
      This ability to convince one's self that something tastes good or bad is a big reason why so many people say "yuck" when they taste a tofu cheesecake but say "yum" when they have the same cheesecake but don't know it's made with tofu.
      
      So, to a large degree, whether you like a particular food, or class of foods, or a cuisine, is up to you.

Next: A vegan meat substitute that can fool almost anyone when used in recipes and can work nicely in almost any meat-eater's menu.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, food, new foods, psychology, tofu

Jane's comment in the last post got to me thinking... There may be three reasons (at least) why we don't like a food that's new to us:

1. Some foods we just don't like. For instance, I've never liked Brussels sprouts. (I conveniently left them out of the vegetable section of this series.)


2. The quality isn't very good. For instance, the general consensus is that veggie dogs from 10 years ago generally were not very tasty, they're much better today, but will be noticeably improved 10 years from now.


3. We're not used to it. This is what I want to talk about some more.

A typical breakfast in the U.S is much different than the typical breakfast in Japan or India or Mexico. Say you were on a business trip in Chicago. Your hotel breakfast menu has an entree for fried noodles and bean sprouts, with a barley drink to wash it down. Would you order it for breakfast? Probably not if you're a typical American. If you were Malaysian, it would seem just fine. If that's all they had for breakfast (maybe you were staying at a family-run bed and breakfast), and you were a typical American (or probably even an atypical American) you might eat it, but by the fourth day you would likely be longing for some Cheerios. Or hash browns. Or pancakes—something familiar.

It's not that one breakfast is better than other. It's what you're used to. If you moved across the world and started eating the foods that are typical for that region, after a while you'd probably develop a taste for them. They would start to feel more natural. You'd eventually develop favorite native dishes and look forward to them. You'd probably make this adjustment much more easily if you were young. If you were a toddler, the switch might be effortless; you might even like the new cuisine better. (When my niece was two, she was in a small home-run day care facility where they served Persian food to the kids. She took to it right away; in fact, she even asked for it at home!)

All this is to say that when switching to a) meat substitutes, b) a more vegetable-centered diet, give your body—if not your mind—some time to adjust. A plant-based meat substitute might taste inferior at first, but after a while it may very well taste great and get you to salivating. It's not just a case of settling for something second-rate; I think your taste buds and probably other parts of your body chemistry get bonded—like memory foam—to certain types of foods and cuisines if you have them frequently enough, over a long period. In fact, some foods, such as cheese and chocolate, are known to be physically addictive, so your body and mind may have temporary withdrawal symptoms if you give them up. But after a while everything recalibrates and you're in tune with your new diet. (But don't give up dark chocolate!)

This doesn't mean that you'll like every new food you try. But unless you really can't stand a new item, or new family of foods, give it a few tries over a month or more and you may find that first impressions can be deceiving. Also, experiment with various styles of preparation—different spices or cooking methods, and so forth; that may significantly alter the taste and your satisfaction level for the food.

Regarding vegetables specifically, you may want to let your current tastes be a guide to which new vegetables to try first. If you like collard greens, you'll probably like kale. If you like cabbage, you'll probably like bok choy.

Two more things.

A typical Western-style meat-centric meal is often exceedingly high in saturated fat and calories. It overwhelms our bodies. We don't have the digestive system of a real carnivore. We don't have the strong stomach acids and quick processing action to efficiently break down uric acid and other ingredients in meat. We don't sleep half the day like cats and lions. We may come to accept that after a big dinner, feeling sleepy and needing a shot of caffeine is just normal, and in time our bodies and possibly our minds may crave that. But that's so arbitrary. Although you can make any vegan meal full of fat and calories, I would advise getting used to feeling slightly less full. Lighten the load a bit. Yes, you'll get hungrier sooner. Nothing wrong with that. After a while, you won't have the physical or psychological need to eat twice as much as you should have, and to commiserate with your fellow eaters about how full you are and about how you should have worn pants with an elastic waistband and so forth. Save those indulgences for special occasions.

Lastly, I hope that knowing that you are not contributing to the horrors of slaughterhouses becomes a life-long motivation for eating a plant-based diet. I believe that feeling good about your food choices, with no need to hide the cruelty of its sources from yourself or engage in never-quite-satisfying rationalizations, not only eases your mind but improves your digestion. And I think it makes food taste better.

Next: The series continues with a sure-fire meat substitute. I've got a crisp 20 that says if you are a meat-eater and were served this product at random, without having had this discussion first, it would not even cross your mind that it was made from plants.

To be continued...

[Addendum: I thought of a fourth reason why people may not like a certain food, particularly a vegan substitute food, and I think that merits some discussion also. I'll cover that in the next post.]

Labels: diet, meat substitutes, new foods, vegetables, veggie meats

For my money, I'd rather have a veggie Italian or Kielbasa sausage or "Beer Brat" on a bun with German mustard instead of a veggie dog. But sometimes, like the Fourth of July or barbecues with kids, you gotta have the dogs.

To my palate, veggie dogs are ok, more than adequate, and much better than they were ten years ago, but not great. Opinions vary considerably, however. Some people, try as they might, have never developed a taste for veggie dogs; others have a favorite brand of veggie dog that they love.

For a dish like franks and beans, you're probably going to notice little or no difference. For the classic hot dog on a bun with mustard and fixins, here's what I do: Whether boiling, steaming, grilling, microwaving, or pan-frying the veggie dog, I cut a slit in it first and lather on a little barbecue sauce. Time permitting, I let that marinate for 20 minutes. Then I continue with the cooking. I think it adds a lot of taste to the veggie dog, and raises the quality by a notch.

My favorite veggie dogs are from Loma Linda; they're sold in a can. I think these have a really good taste. Unfortunately, they're not that widely available, at least in these parts.

But other brands are decent. Try several if you can; chances are very good you'll find one you like. If you buy a package (or can) of veggie dogs and they're just not working for you, you can:

• Dump a bunch of veggie chili over them. Everything will be fine.


• Top them to the max, with relish, sauerkraut, and so forth.


• Give them to a friend.

But that's worst case, and unlikely. As with just about every veggie substitute product, the quality of veggie dogs is steadily rising. Give them a try. They're a kinder, less gross (no slaughterhouse floor slop), and somewhat healthier alternative to hot dogs, and the taste and variety has improved considerably in the last few years.

Labels: diet, meat substitutes, veggie dogs, veggie hot dogs, veggie meats

You can buy vegan versions of a wide range of lunch meats: turkey, chicken, ham, bologna, salami, and lots more. All in all, these products taste very similar to their slaughterhouse-derived counterparts. Vylandra had it exactly right in her comment in the previous post: The flavor of these products, no matter what the source, is mostly a function of seasonings, additives, and processing. That's why you can take the same substrate and have it be ham or bologna depending on what you add to it.

I've tried most of these products, and served most of them to meat-eaters, and they are all, in my experience, at minimum, good enough to be satisfying in a sandwich to just about anyone. Especially once you add the mustard, lettuce, tomato, and fixins. Now I won't lie to you: The veggie deli turkey, while very good, is not and does not try to be an exact match for freshly smoked turkey breast. (Although there are some other vegan products that come reasonably close.) It does, however, serve as a perfectly good substitute for deli slices that you would buy in a store. And its processing does not involve the violence of turkey slaughterhouses or turkey-breeding operations.

I encourage you to seek out these products and use them as a direct replacement for any recipe or meal that calls for deli meats. Of course, they're perfect for sandwiches. But you can also add the deli salami to hash browns, or make fancy roll-up appetizers with asparagus and the veggie turkey, or add some strips of the deli ham to a main-course salad.

LightLife, Tofurky, and Yves are the brands I see most often in this arena, but certainly buy whatever is most convenient and tasty for you. You may want to shop around, also, and try different varieties. As with many other products, and veggie meat substitutes in particular, if you don't like one brand, you may love the next—the tastes vary considerably from one offering to the next.

Also, as with sausages, I have to give a special mention to Field Roast. Though harder to find, I really like their deli meats—very flavorful, and I can't even directly correlate them to a specific animal product. The smoked tomato deli slices, for example, taste a little like salami, but not quite, but have a great flavor all their own. A Whole Foods near where I used to work (in Silver Spring, Maryland) used to (and maybe still does) serve sandwiches at their deli counter made with Field Roast slices, so maybe lots of other Whole Foods locations do this also. That might be a good way to try the product.

Not to sound like a broken record, but veggie lunch meats are not a health food. They are definitely lower in saturated fat, overall fat, and cholesterol than animal flesh meats. Also, as I have mentioned in this series, animal protein—but not plant protein—seems to be a culprit in deadly cancers, so you're not getting that either. Like deli meats in general, they're typically high in salt and low in vitamins. But you can have a healthy meal that features a veggie deli meat sandwich by adding an opening salad, some veggies to the sandwich, and a fruit dessert.

You'll typically find veggie deli meats in the refrigerated section, often near the produce. You probably won't find them stuck in, or even adjacent to, the "regular" deli meats. Kind of strange, and I predict that in the next five years that will change in most large grocery stores. Anyway, they're usually in their own segregated section for now. [Maybe this is not as prevalent as I thought; see Jane's comment, below.] You can always ask.

Bottom line: Veggie deli meats are a great way to transition away from a meat-centered diet if you eat a lot of deli meat sandwiches. The quality is decent, they're healthier than animal-derived deli meats, they're fairly widely available, and you really don't have to change a thing when making the switch.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, meat substitutes, veggie cold cuts, veggie ham, veggie lunch meats, veggie meat, veggie turkey

Veggie sausage is like veggie bacon—good flavor, can use very much like its animal-derived counterpart, fairly widely available—only with much more diversity.

I have to digress for a second... One time a good friend was staying over. He's not vegetarian, but he knew I was. We got to talking about what to have for breakfast and at some point he said humans were "natural carnivores." I told him he was in luck; I had some meat around. Hard-core stuff. Natural carnivore stuff. He said "I thought you didn't eat meat." I said "I don't." I opened a can of cat food and said "Here you go, Mr. Carnivore." We had a good laugh, but I think I made my point. (The real natural carnivore in the house—the one with fangs and claws—eagerly polished it off. By the way, these days I mix in about 10 percent Evolution vegan cat kibble into his food.)

Which leads to... Much of the taste of sausage (and of many meat products) is from the spices, fillers, and curing process. That being the case, you can switch the underlying substrate without changing the flavor too much. That, I think, is a major reason why veggie bacon and veggie sausage sell fairly well, and why the customer base for those products extends way beyond vegetarians.


You can buy them frozen or in the refrigerated section. You can buy links, patties, "crumbles," or a tube. You can buy Gardenburger, LightLife, Gimme Lean, Morningstar Farms, Amy's, Soyboy, Yves, or store brands such as Whole Foods and Safeway—each of these companies makes one or more types of vegan breakfast sausage.

One notable aspect of Amy's breakfast sausage: It's not made from soy. Now, I'd worry far more about saturated fat, trans fat, and animal protein than too much soy, but it is good to have variety and not too much of one thing. To be honest, I don't like Amy's sausage as much as most of the other brands. But your tastes may vary. Which reminds me...If you buy one brand and don't like it, try another; the flavors vary considerably from brand to brand. I think the store brands are not bad, myself, and they tend to be the cheapest.


The variety here is impressive. You can buy vegan versions of Italian sausage, bratwurst, kielbasa, and even chorizo. I'm sure new varieties will be coming out in the future. I predict you'll be pleased with the flavor and texture of these products. I've used them in recipes for years without any disappointment. But you can also just grill them, put them on a bun, and slather them with mustard, or grilled peppers and onions, for a quick and satisfying, though not super-healthy meal. I liked grilled veggie sausage better than grilled veggie hot dogs (which we'll get to shortly).


Field Roast sausages are another non-soy meat substitute made from amber waves of grain. Unfortunately, they're not nearly as widely available as other brands. But they're worth looking for in health food or very veg-friendly stores.

Here's a great description of Field Roast sausages from Pangea, an all-vegan store that mostly does mail order but also has a physical store in Rockville Maryland.

I've been very impressed with all the Field Roast products I've tried. We'll get to other products in their lineup soon. This page helps you find the nearest place that sells Field Roast products. The company reminds me a little of Turtle Island, which makes the Tofurky line of meat substitutes. We'll revisit them in the near future also.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, meat substitutes, vegan sausage, veggie sausage

Veggie bacon tastes a lot like bacon, and has a very similar texture. I know lots of non-vegetarians who have been using it for years; most if not all have given up bacon from animals.

My favorite veggie bacon is LightLife Smart Bacon. Pick your favorite brand, but I hope you'll choose a vegan variety. Many brands of veggie bacon are made with egg whites. The egg industry is horribly exploitative and rife with cruelties, including mass-slaughter. I'll get into this more later. But even if you pick a non-vegan brand as a way to divest yourself from eating the unhealthy flesh of tortured animals, that's a huge step, for which you have my support and gratitude.

Veggie bacon can be used for almost every dish in which you'd use bacon: breakfast, BLTs, in salads, in soups, and so forth. About the only instance in which its not a good substitute is using it as a source of grease in which to cook foods. But in those cases, I'd recommend using vegetable oil.

Veggie bacon cooks very similarly to animal-derived bacon. Here's how I cook two slices of veggie bacon—it's very quick and easy:

1. Heat up a small skillet on medium. If you're using a non-stick skillet, you don't need any oil. Otherwise, add a small amount, maybe a teaspoon—just enough to cover the bottom.


2. When the pan (and oil) are hot, place two strips of veggie bacon in the pan.


3. After a couple of minutes, flip the strips.


4. After a couple more minutes (approximately) determine if the veggie bacon is done. When it's done, it has a darker, bronze color, and is crisping up nicely; it has no soft spots!


5. If the veggie bacon isn't ready, turn down the heat to low, and cook 30 seconds per side. Basically, at this stage, you flip often until the strips look done. If they start to blacken, you've overcooked them—but they're still salvageable.


6. Even though they're not as greasy as animal bacon, it helps to drain them for 30 seconds or so on a folded paper towel.


7. Now they are ready to eat!

As with other types of veggie meats, veggie bacon is definitely not a health food, but is healthier than the bacon you're replacing.

Most well-stocked grocery stores carry veggie bacon.


You can also buy veggie Canadian bacon, and it's good. Goes great with hash browns, and many other dishes.


All the hoopla and fanfare may be for veggie bacon, but I'm amazed at the versatility of good old soy-based bacon bits, which have been around for decades. Most grocery stores—including ones that don't carry veggie bacon—will have soy bacon bits. Usually they're near the croutons and salad dressings.

I've had my best BLTs with soy bacon bits. I highly recommend toasting the bacon bits for a few minutes first. Heat a pan on medium-low or so, and use at most a very thin coat of oil. Dump in about a tablespoon of bacon bits. Shake the pan frequently. After less than five minutes, you're ready to go.

Soy bacon bits work great in spinach salad, potato salad, and other salads. You can mix them into breakfast dishes with great success. Try them in tomato soup.

An extra plus is that soy bacon bits are not terribly high in sodium unless you go way overboard with usage.

To be continued...

Labels: bacon, diet, meat substitutes, veggie bacon

This product is a standout. I mentioned it way back near the beginning of the series; it's time to bring it back for an encore. It has the chewiness and rich (fatty) taste you'd want from a rib-like product. Delicious on a bun with cherry tomatoes and onions or all by itself. Bring this to a barbecue and you're likely to change some people's minds about veggie meat. On a few occasions, I've brought this to someone's home and down the road they tell me they buy it regularly and always keep some in the freezer. Even if I wasn't vegan and had no interest in the concept, or in reducing meat intake, or in my health, I'd probably still buy Riblets, for flavor and convenience alone.

Its one drawback is that it is on the high side in the salt category. So compensate with lower salt foods in the rest of the meal, and by drinking enough water (and/or an icy cold brew).

Riblets are super-simple to make. Snip the end of the plastic pouch with a scissors or knife, nuke it for a few minutes, and it's ready. Serve this with a large salad, maybe a baked potato and some "can't miss" spinach, and you are all set, and ready to watch "House" or go bowling.

Labels: diet, gardenburger riblets, meat substitutes, riblets, veggie meat

This is one of my favorite meat substitutes. It tastes a lot like pork barbecue. You just tear open the top of the foil pouch and nuke it for a minute and a half. That's it! Put it on a bun and top it with whatever you like. I like a slice of red onion and a slab of tomato.

You can find this product in many mainstream grocery stores, not just Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, et al. If they don't have it where you shop, just ask. I'm amazed at how many times stores will stock a product just because you ask. I think your chances improve if you can bring in a sample, or a hardcopy from their product's main web page; or if the product fits in well with the store's existing inventory.

One thing that's nice about Smart BBQ is that compared to other instant food products it's low in sodium.

Give this a try and it may become part of your regular rotation for life. First-timers: Let me know what you think.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, meat substitutes, Smart BBQ

Okay, we switch gears a little here. Up to now, we've focused mainly on healthy foods that you should strive to include in your diet on a regular basis, if not daily. Going forward, I want to focus primarily on two things: 1) direct replacements for meat and dairy products (and, to a lesser extent, eggs), 2) ways to make favorite meals meatless—in fact, vegan—without loss in taste or satisfaction.

I also want to pepper the posts with information and motivation for pushing meat and other animal products out of your diet.

In all cases, the audience I have most in mind is hard-core but open-minded meat-eaters who are definitely not chefs and who are pressed for time; basically, non-vegetarians who don't spend much time in the kitchen. But of course everyone is invited to read and comment. In fact, the series has benefited greatly from your contributions—thank you!

I want to kick off this section with some meat substitute products that are not only personal favorites but that seem to get a consistently good reception from meat-eaters. Now, as a rule, veggie meats that you buy in the frozen or refrigerated sections of the store that are ready to use are not health foods. They do, however, tend to be healthier than the products they replace. They have no saturated fat or cholesterol. They also have no animal protein, and as I'm going to point out later, studies link animal protein consumption with some serious health problems—ones you don't want. Meat substitutes (aka "mock meats" or "veggie meats") do tend to be somewhat high in salt, like so many convenience food products. You can compensate by drinking plenty of water, laying off other high-salt foods like chips, and buying no-salt or low-salt versions of things like tomato sauce and soup.

Next: Some favorite and sure-to-please meat substitutes.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, meat substitutes, mock meat, Smart BBQ

Done with talking about beans? What was I thinking?

• Chili! Kidney beans and pinto beans are classic, but black beans work great, and look around and you'll find recipes for chili that use every kind of legume imaginable. In the DC area or Raleigh, NC, try Hard Times Cafe's vegetarian chili, which is delicious and made with peanuts.


• Black beans, pinto beans, refried beans—all these work great in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. Try the vegetarian fajitas at Chipotle with black beans. Or try local burrito-type shops that make decent veg stuff — or ask if they do. In the DC area, for example, try the spinach burrito with black beans at Burrito Brothers. Hearty, tasty, and filling!


• Class project! I was looking for an easy, tasty red beans and rice recipe that we could all enjoy. Here's what I found. It's from 1995. Is this like the oldest thing on the Internet? Anyway, it says you can use either use Cajun seasoning or a combination of chili powder, cumin, a bay leaf and oregano. You can find Cajun spice blends in most medium or larger grocery stores. But I'm going to guesstimate that I'll use about 3/4 tablespoon of chili powder, 3/4 tablespoon of cumin, and 3/4 teaspoon of oregano. Black pepper is also one of the ingredients. I figure, about ten shakes or a half a dozen cranks, then taste it and go from there. If you're in the DC area, come on over and dig in—just give me some warning so I have enough!

Next: Meat substitutes—the heart of the series.

To be continued...

Labels: black beans, chili beans, cooking, diet, legumes, red beans

[Updated 6/14/08 2:13pm]


A few miscellaneous items:

• Administrative note: I added a counter on the right that shows how many animals in the U.S. have been killed for food since you entered this site. It's pretty alarming: One of our biggest industries is killing. But on Internet Explorer, at least my copy, every time the numbers update, the browser scroll bar flashes. So everyone move to FireFox. Just kidding. I'm trying to fix the problem; but if I can't then I'll drop this feature.


• Neva's comment par excellence in the last post—plus writing about black bean soup and black beans and rice—got me to looking for a hearty—and simple—black bean dish that was sort of a combination of soup and stew last night. And I found one. Back to that in a minute. First I wanted to share some additional tips from Neva, and some of my own thoughts, to help turn you all into master soup makers. :)
  
  The blender of which she speaks is an immersion blender. I had never even heard of an immersion blender six months ago. But now I read about them all the time. They seem very handy: the power of blending but with much more convenience. If you want to puree something that's already cooking in a pot, with a conventional blender or food processor you have to transfer everything from the pot to the blender. And you may have to do it in stages. With the immersion blender, you just immerse the apparatus into the dish and blend away.
  
  I have one of those ancient electric mixers. I wonder how that would work. Possibly it would create a mess of titanic proportions. Neva says that if you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a potato masher to make the soup creamy, although that way you may have some lumps. Which I'm okay with. Actually, now that think of it, I have used a potato masher for this exact purpose, and it works pretty well. It's a very DIY feel.


• I forgot to mention one other thing you can do to reduce the chance of bean side effects. When you open a can of beans, pour them into a colander or strainer and rinse them off well. Bonus: You'll reduce the salt content, too. So many canned and frozen foods, and many deli and restaurant prepared meals, contain too much salt. Among other things, high salt intake may contribute to high blood pressure and bone loss.


• Here's the recipe I found the other night for black bean soup. I made a few changes:
  
  
  • I only used one can of beans instead of two. I wanted it to be more of a bean-potato-vegetable melange, rather than beans with accoutrements.
  
  
  • I didn't peel the potatoes. (I used two medium redskin potatoes; couldn't see any good reason to peel them.)
  
  
  • I took it easy on the Tabasco sauce. You can always leave it on the table for people who want extra hotness.
  
  It was delicious—right on the money.
  
  Which reminds me... In an earlier post, I mentioned that one measure you may be interested in taking, if you're new to beans as a main ingredient in your main courses, is watching your portion sizes. One great way to do this is to start off the meal with a nice-sized salad. Not some tiny pathetic bowl of lettuce and three token cherry tomatoes. (See the earlier posts in the series about simple ways to vary salads.) Put a couple small sprigs of parsley in there. Got some Smokehouse almonds around? Throw a few in the salad. Make simpleton julienned carrots by cutting baby carrots in half lengthwise. Sprinkle on some lemon pepper after you add the dressing. And so forth. Keep the salads interesting and you'll eat more of them. And the fiber (and calories) from the salad will settle in by the time the main course is ready, and you won't eat so much. It all works out very well!

Next: Are we ready for meat substitutes? That's what gave me the original idea for the series.

To be continued...

Labels: animals killed, beans, black beans, diet, legumes

Here are two tips to get more beans in your diet:

• Black beans are the "gentle beans." A good starter bean if you're new to beans. They are amazingly versatile and quite tasty. They are a mainstay in so many cultures. Another incentive to expand your culinary horizons.
  
  If you buy a can of black beans, it may very well have a recipe for an easy black bean soup on the side. If not, do an online search for "recipe vegan easy black bean soup" and have at it. Basic black bean soup recipes usually call for rice, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, corn, and some spices. But the variations on this dish are amazing. It's like 10,000 dishes in one.


• Beans and rice. OMG. I could practically live on this. The variations are ENDLESS. Black beans and rice are a wonderful South of the Border staple. Red beans and rice—we're talking New Orleans. But that's just the start.
  
  You might remember during the interview with Dino I said I would mention Better Homes and Gardens (BHG)? If you go to the BHG recipe page and enter "beans rice" (without the quotes) in the search form, you'll get back over 70 recipes, about 60 of which are true beans and rice, or—bonus—beans and some other grain, like orzo, couscous, or bulgur. Most are vegan or can be veganized very easily. You cannot get any more mainstream than BHG! It's great to see beans and rice representing so well in the heartland. Cheap, tasty, super-healthy, tons of variety, very decent eco-footprint -- please enjoy liberally—even if you're a conservative!

Oh, also, black beans are another common main ingredient in homemade veggie burgers, which we'll get to this year, I promise.

Labels: black beans, diet, legumes

I may be biased toward lentils because I used to live in the lentil capital of the world. (Do you know where that is?) In any case, they're an excellent source of cheap protein. Their nutrition profile is almost unbeatable. I highly recommend them. They're tasty and filling and go well with all kinds of foods. If you're the type of person who likes your main dishes hearty and wants a nice, full feeling after your meal, definitely take a close look at lentils as a regular staple in your diet.

Lentils are simple to cook:

• Measure out your servings and pour the lentils into a strainer that does not have large holes.


• Rinse off the lentils. I use the "spray" attachement on the sink for this. The lentils will sort of stick together in a large mass, which prevents them from falling through the strainer.


• Pour the lentils into a pot. Add the water according to the package directions. Usually it's about a 1-to-2 ratio of lentils to water.


• Bring the water to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Check after about 20 minutes. You want the lentils to be soft but not mushy. If you do overcook a little, don't worry; they'll still be delicious.

Some recipes vary this process. For example, you might find a recipe in which you sautee or brown the lentils in oil before adding water or stock and boiling them. It's all good.

Here are a few ways you can enjoy lentils:

• Lentils and rice is an amazingly satisfying dinner considering how ultra-simple it is. It's also one of the cheapest meals in the world to make. Add a little non-dairy margarine and soy sauce and you're good to go. Or you can fancy it up in all kinds of other ways.


• You can't beat lentil soup when the weather turns cold. You can buy it in the can, make it yourself, or order it at many restaurants.


• Indian cuisine shines when it comes to lentils. There is a huge variety of Indian dishes that feature lentils. I urge you to try them if at all possible. If you live in a large metropolitan area, you may have access to Indian restaurants that specialize in dishes from specific regions of India. Sample this diversity for a real taste treat. But whether or not you go to Indian restaurants, just do an online search for Indian lentil recipes and you'll be presented with a plethora of super tasty and healthy options. You may want to add "easy" to your search terms.


• Lentils are an excellent filler for homemade veggie burgers. I'm going to talk about this later on in the series. You don't want to miss this!


• Do an online search of "recipe vegan easy lentils" and you'll have enough satisfying and highly doable recipes for a lifetime. I'm not kidding. Be sure to try out international flavors as well as more down home lentil soup / lentils and rice mainstays. I think you'll really like how lentils fit into your overall meal plan.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, Indian, Indian cuisine, Indian food, legumes, lentils

Let's start with the humble chick pea, also known as the garbanzo bean.

• Throw a few chick peas on your salad when you're at the salad bar.


• Hummus is a great product. It has a hippie / granola legacy in the Western world, but it's come of age; it's very mainstream now. Today, in any large grocery store, besides regular hummus, you can find hummus with roasted red peppers, jalapenos, extra garlic, basil, pine nuts, and who knows what else. Classically, you use hummus as a dip with pita bread. Although I'd say for a healthier option, use it as a dip for vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli.
  
  I actually prefer hummus in a sandwich. Again, pita is the classic, and that works great, but also try it with whole wheat or pumpernickel. Add a mix of lettuces like you find in the packaged salad mixes or salad bar, and you've got a tasty, filling, and easy sandwich. But feel free to add all sorts of stuff: Sprouts, cucumber, tomato, radishes, avocado—the sky's the limit.
  
  Some people make their own hummus. For the rest of us...If you want to taste the best hummus, go down to a Mideastern or Greek restaurant that serves it. A pizza shop or little corner cafe will do; it doesn't have to be fancy. You'll see what I mean; the hummus at these places is definitely a cut above.


• Speaking of Mideastern restaurants, have you had falafels? If not, you must try them! Get yourself over to a Mideastern restaurant that serves falafels this week; next week at the latest! Falafels are wonderful. They're usually served in, or with, pita bread and topped with tahini, a sesame seed-based sauce. Such excellence from the humble chick pea. You can also make falafels yourself—it's actually not that hard—and some stores sell frozen falafels (which aren't nearly as good as ones made from scratch, but will do).


• Indian restaurants often do some wonderful stuff with chick peas (and chick pea flour). Another chance to broaden your culinary horizons—enjoy!

To be continued...

Labels: chick peas, diet, garbanzo beans, legumes

Legumes includes peas, lentils, and beans—including soy products. For this section of the series, I'm going to focus mainly on lentils and beans, but not soy products like tofu and veggie burgers. We talked about peas back in the vegetable section, and I'll get to the soy stuff later.

Why should you eat legumes?

1. They are extremely healthy. They're low-fat and high-fiber, rich in vitamins in minerals, and have lots of protein. They're also loaded with complex carbohydrates, which supply energy to muscles and the brain. Repeated studies show that when people include legumes as a regular part of their diet, their health improves and they lose weight.


2. They're tasty and versatile. They fit into tons of dishes—salads, soups, side dishes, and main courses—and are featured in a million recipes.


3. They're cheap. If you're on a budget, you definitely want to look at ways you can add legumes into your daily food regimen.

Worried about the side effects? Take note of these strategies:

• Buy Beano or another enzyme product, to help you digest. Beano in particular has a good reputation and is easy to find. There's no shame in purchasing this product!


• Don't gobble down your food. One trick: heat up the plate, so your food doesn't get cold. Another tip: If you're using a serving dish, put relatively small amounts on your plate. Chew and don't eat so fast. Relax and enjoy.


• Control your portions. Make them moderate, not humongous.


• Gradually increase the amount of legumes in your diet; let your body adjust.


• Use the following spices (not all at once): fennel, turmeric, dill, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, and bay leaf.

Often meat-eaters ask vegetarians and especially vegans how they get enough protein. This obsession with protein is sort of amazing. The American diet tends to have, if anything, way too much protein and far too little fiber and certain vitamins and minerals. In any case, legumes are a great source of protein. (Food for thought: Studies suggest that eating lots of animal protein, i.e., meat and dairy, contributes to bone loss. On the other hand, in a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volunteers who cut their animal protein intake to zero, and got all their protein from plant sources, cut their calcium loss in half.)

Next: Some tips on how to increase the amount of beans and lentils in your diet.

Labels: beans, diet, legumes, lentils

That's a serious deficit.

Now step back a minute. How much do we spend looking for a cure for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes? Billions when you add it all up. What are our medical bills from those diseases? How much do we lose in productivity when people are stricken with these diseases? How much do we spend on long-term care? What about the emotional toll on patients and their families?

According to repeated studies in respected journals, we might cut our risk for those diseases—at least some forms of those disease—by roughly up to a third, simply by switching to a fiber-rich diet as recommended by nearly every health and medical group in the country (probably the entire world). The bottom-line net cost for this powerful preventive measure: zero.

You get fiber from a variety of plant-based foods, including whole grains, and they're as close as your grocery store shelves or local farmers market.

Why isn't the National Institutes of Health (NIH) studying ways to get people to increase their fiber intake? Maybe because there's no prestige in it?

Overwhelmingly, the commercials during prime time are for appallingly unhealthy, low-fiber foods, such as fried chicken, pepperoni pizza, and bacon cheeseburgers. The purveyors of these products know that high-fat, high-salt food is tempting, especially when they present it in the most tantalizing and inviting ways possible. You better believe they spend no small amount of time and money carefully crafting every image, every action by every actor in the commercial—everything; they want you hooked, regardless of what it might do to your health. In between these commercials are a flood of spots for drugs: heartburn pills, weight loss formulas, high blood pressure medications, you name it—conditions that may come about from eating an unhealthy, low-fiber diet. They've got you coming and going. Why doesn't the USDA or NIH promote fruits, vegetables, and whole grains during prime time, and tout these foods' heart disease-, cancer-, and diabetes-fighting potential?

Well, you don't have to wait for the government to change its policies. You can start increasing your intake of fiber-rich foods immediately. Did I say the net cost was zero? I was wrong. It's probably way less than zero once you consider that you'll probably have a much lower outlay for long-term meds and hospital procedures. And the side-effects of more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes in your diet are almost exclusively positive ones, such as more energy, lower blood pressure, improved regularity, weight loss, and overall better health. It's a no-brainer!

I hope the tips in this series for increasing your intake of high-fiber foods help you integrate these natural miracles and potential life-savers into your daily lifestyle.

Here are a couple of tools to help you approximate your individual daily fiber needs and daily fiber intake:

Daily Fiber Intake Requirement
Figure out how much fiber you need per day, roughly (no pun intended).

Fiber Content of Common Foods
Estimate your actual daily fiber intake, in grams. For foods that aren't on the list, pick something close.

Two more tips when increasing your fiber intake:

1. Do it gradually, to let your body adjust.


2. Drink more water. Fiber is like a sponge.

Labels: diet, fiber, fruits, legumes, vegetables, whole grains

• Eat oatmeal for breakfast. The non-instant kind is the healthiest. But I have to admit, it's probably been a decade since I had "real" oatmeal—the kind that doesn't come out of a single-serving package. Those variety packs of instant oatmeal are a godsend. Healthy up your bowl of oatmeal even more by adding fruit—fresh or dried. In fact, here is a random forum thread that presents a hundred good ways to have your morning oatmeal: http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5301.


• Other hot cereals usually contain lots of whole grain goodness. Give them a try. The variety of hot cereals is actually pretty amazing.


• When buying bread, look for the word "whole" near the top of the list of ingredients, preferably as part of the first ingredient. The amount of fiber in the bread is also a good tip-off as to how whole grain-ish it is: 3 grams of fiber or more per serving is good; 1 gram or less is bad. (Though note that bread may contain ingredients other than whole grains that add fiber.)


• Whole Grain Fact

  Did you know that popcorn is a whole-grain snack?
  It's roughly the same deal with cold cereals. Look for "whole" at or near the top of the ingredients list and check the fiber content. Bonus: Oat milk (give it a try!) and some varieties of soy milk will add a couple more grams of fiber to your cereal. (Note: Some cereals contain gelatin, which is basically slop and discarded body parts from the slaughterhouse. "Organic" brands of cereal are less likely to be made with this disgusting ingredient.)


• And ditto for frozen waffles. Most of the major brands I see in the stores are quite lacking in their whole graininess. Look for brands like Van's and Kashi. You're more likely to find these brands in Whole Foods or health food stores, but you also may see them in mainstream grocery stores.


• Buy whole wheat pasta, and/or spelt pasta if you can find it. Some people find the taste of whole wheat pasta too heavy. One thing I've found is that whole what pasta likes thicker, heartier sauces, like a dense, veggie-rich version of marinara.


• Prefer brown rice over white rice. Granted, brown rice has to boil for 45 to 50 minutes, so you're looking at an hour cooking time and a lot of people (including me) don't feel like waiting that long. A decent compromise is quick-cook brown rice, which generally has been partially cooked already. If you're at a restaurant that offers brown rice as an option (many vegetarian and health-food restaurants do this), take it.


• Wild rice is another good choice.


• Couscous is wonderful, and only takes a few minutes to cook. Look specifically for whole wheat versions. Unfortunately, that's not available everywhere. But you can ask! Vegetables taste great on top of couscous. For instance, you could nuke some frozen asparagus, saute some cherry tomatoes and pine nuts in olive oil, throw everything on top of cooked whole wheat couscous, and add in Italian spices like oregano, basil, marjoram, and garlic powder—or an Italian spice blend. [Thanks to Tamara for pointing out that I need to add the "whole wheat" qualifier.]


• Quinoa is an amazing grain. Google or GoodSearch it; you'll see what I mean. It's a powerhouse. Simple to cook, and like most grains goes great with beans, vegetables, and a variety of sauces.


• Look for products that display "Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk for heart disease and certain cancers.” Buy law, only products that contain at least 51% whole grains by weight can state this claim.


• Try your hand at baking. Muffins are a good place to start. (By baking I mean getting out the mixer and bowls and so forth, not roasting vegetables in the oven—although that's good, too.) Look for recipes that use generous amounts of whole grain flours. Note that baked goods made with whole wheat flower may be quite dense compared to those made with white flour. In some cases, and/or for some people, this doesn't matter, and in fact, you may prefer (or come to appreciate) the rich whole wheat taste. But you may want to start out by using a 50% whole wheat - 50% white flour (or "enriched" flour) blend.
  
  A great suggestion from Tamara in her comment to this post: Try white whole wheat flour; it's sort of the best of both worlds.


• All kinds of food products these days, including pretzels and tortilla chips, are advertising their whole-grainness. In some cases, the amount of whole grains in the products is puny, in other cases, it's legitimate. If it's at the top of the ingredient list, or if the amount of fiber in the product is considerably more than that of similar products that don't have the whole grains, it may be worth a try. Note that just because a product has whole grains doesn't automatically make it healthy. It could still be high in sugar or fat or salt, or otherwise be an overall unhealthy food. Generally, try to get your whole grains from products that are a little closer to nature.

Next: Some facts, commentary, probing questions, and handy tools regarding fiber. After that, we tackle legumes!

To be continued...

Labels: diet, fiber, whole grains

The Internet and the "real world" both have a plethora of information on whole grains. And I think most people by now have heard the message to include more whole grains in their diets, or at least to make sure that the grains they eat are predominately of the whole, as opposed to the refined variety. A wide spectrum of health and medical groups agree that whole grains have multiple benefits and should be eaten daily.

So -- I don't want to repeat too much stuff that you may have heard elsewhere, possibly a hundred times. What I'll do starting in the next post is present a list of practical tips on how to increase the amount of whole grains in your diet, as well as the proportion of your grain intake that's unrefined. But first, a couple of bullet points on why you want to do this.

• Epidemiological studies show that the populations that have the highest percentage of whole grains in their diets are also the leanest. I'm not talking about starving people, but people who get enough calories. Clinical studies have shown the same results. (Email me if you want the details—author, journal, volume, and so forth.)
  
  It's not all about weight, but extra poundage a) puts a strain on nearly every part of your body, including vital organs and bones and joints, b) is correlated with several deadly diseases, c) may even affect your self-esteem.


• Studies show that eating a sufficient amount of whole grains reduces your risk of—among other things—heart disease and certain cancers.

Next: Tips on how to easily up your whole grain intake.

To be continued...

Labels: diet, whole grains

A 14-year study of 71,768 female nurses, aged 38 to 63, showed that, after controlling for lifestyle factors, those eating the most fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat foods had the greatest protection from stroke.
A study of 519,978 subjects in 10 European countries showed that individuals who consumed the most dietary fiber had a 40 percent reduction in colon cancer risk than those who consumed the least. Fiber is found in a range of plant-based foods, including fruits and vegetables.

A 17-year study of 29,564 women, aged 55-96 and initially free of cancer, showed that increasing fruits, vegetable, and plant foods, and limiting the intake of salt, additives, fat, and meat may significantly decrease cancer incidence and mortality.

A Harvard Medical School study of about 85,000 female nurses and about 32,000 male health professionals showed that men and women who consume the most magnesium were least likely to develop diabetes. Magnesium is found in beans, green vegetables, whole grains and nuts. The benefits of magnesium were still apparent after adjusting for age, family history, exercise, alcohol consumption, and other factors that may influence the disease.

A study of 1,230 men aged 40 to 64 showed that men who ate three or more servings of vegetables per day had a 48 percent lower risk of prostate cancer compared with those who ate less. Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli had the strongest effect.

Canadian researchers analyzed dietary data for 585 people with pancreatic can