Veganism is not about exclusion

Veganism is not about exclusion, deprivation, and sacrifice. On the contrary, following a vegan diet is adventurous, fulfilling, and motivating. Knowing that we're consuming foods known to protect health and allow our bodies to function at their best is a powerful thing.

Probably the biggest misconception about vegan diets is that they are restrictive. While it's true that we shun flesh, dairy, and eggs, it is also true that we enjoy literally thousands of different plant foods eaten in different ways. The available combinations of colors, textures, and flavors of vegan foods are literally endless. Just pick up a vegan cookbook at your local bookstore or library!

A little creativity and imagination unleashes myriad possibilities for healthful vegan meals. Ethnic variation is, to me, the most exciting aspect of a vegan diet. In fact, I get far more variety in my diet now than when I was an omnivore. Everything from African stews to Indian curries to Thai noodle bowls to Chinese stir fries to Italian risottos to Ethiopian spreads to Mexican bean dishes to Middle Eastern delights (and on and on!) keep my tastebuds on their toes. Soups, salads, grain dishes, bean dishes, burritos, tacos, chilis, pasta dishes, dips, pizzas, casseroles, sandwiches, spreads, cereals, breads, loaves, sweets, burgers... all can be made vegan, healthful, and delicious.

Vegans celebrate their health with good food, not mourn what they might be missing. We don't feel deprived: we feel empowered!

Chicken is not health food

Imagine this scenario: you are at a party and the topic of health comes up in your group. The woman standing next to you says to you, "I smoke a lot of Camel Lights." She goes on to explain that she used to smoke regular Camels but then she learned about the link between smoking and cancer, and smoking and heart disease. So she smokes the lights, which she believes will ensure optimal health and longevity.

What would you think?

Since you're aware that the right amount of tobacco to inhale is zero, you'd think this poor lady is completely delusional at best.

Well, consider this:

Back in the 80's, a positive correlation between red meat consumption and heart disease was firmly established, not only within the medical community but in the general population as well. And people started listening. Those who once considered beef to be "real food for real people" bought less red meat than before, limiting it to once or twice a week. Some even gave it up entirely.

But take away steak and what then? People started to replace red meat with poultry and fish, particularly chicken. These health-conscious folks would buy cookbooks featuring only chicken (my mom had two: "365 Ways to Cook Chicken" and "365 More Ways to Cook Chicken"). People were proud of their sacrifices, confident that they were protecting their health. And during the 90's and 00's, turkey became chicken's best friend, becoming available in just about everything, from burgers to jerkey. The trend was extremely powerful, and quite honestly, still is. Beef consumption fell 26 percent between 1977 and 1997, while chicken consumption rose 75 percent, turkey 101 percent. Similar trends are seen today.

This is absolutely amazing to me, because the truth of the matter is, poultry is not a health supporting food. It may have less fat than beef, but it does not protect our health. (Unless you believe the studies funded by the poultry industry -- a topic for another day.) Not a single independent (read: not funded by special interest) study even remotely suggests that eating the flesh of birds is the secret to good health. Careful -- those studies on "chicken eaters" often compare them to people who have even WORSE diets... and so what? Just as light cigarettes do less damage to our body than regular ones, poultry does less damage than beef. But it still ain't broccoli!

When people hear I'm a dietitian, one of the first things they tell me is, "I eat a lot of chicken." And they honestly, truly believe that they are doing themselves a great favor. With such good intentions, it is difficult to burst their bubble and tell them that chicken is not a health food.

And, unfortunately, the risks go beyond risk of bacterial contamination (A Consumer Reports analysis from January, 2007 revealed that 83 percent of fresh, whole broiler chickens purchased across the US harbored campylobacter or salmonella, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease).

Beyond the tremendous environmental impact (A typical slaughter plant uses 2 million gallons of water per day).

Beyond the horrendous, disgusting, unacceptable way the birds are treated (30,000,000 -- that's thirty MILLION birds are slaughtered for food EVERY SINGLE DAY in the US -- how could they possibly be treated with the respect and compassion they deserve as living, feeling creatures?).

Beyond the contribution of antibiotic resistance in humans.

Beyond the risk of Avian Flu.

Beyond its arsenic content and the slew of risks associated with that.

From a purely nutritional standpoint, it's easy to see why chicken isn't health food. All leading health authorities agree that the nutrients in fruits and vegetables -- namely fiber, antioxidants such as vitamin C, and phytochemicals -- are absent in poultry.

Unfortunately, the truth is that eating chicken is, pure and simple, not good for us or good for anything.

So what to eat? What protects our health and maximizes our chances of a long, disease free life? Why, plants, of course! Nuts, seeds, beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. All prepared in scrumptious, creative, flavorful, amazing ways!

Mark Bittman rocks

Mark Bittman is a food writer for the New York Times, a cookbook author, and TV personality. He's not a vegetarian, but his message is truly consistent with most veg*ns I know. He gave a moving and thought-provoking lecture last year at the Entertainment Gathering Conference in California. The talk is available in its entirety online. I owe my gratitude to one of my veggie RD colleagues, who passed along the video to the EML of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. It's a longie (20 min) but worth every second. EVERYONE should see this video. Mr. Bittman has a way of keeping it real, and presenting some pretty sobering facts without imposing guilt on the viewer. I think he is a genius, and this clip is a must-see.

I find it interesting that folks who are already forward-thinking and who are already making a difference are the ones sharing resources such as this. Preaching to the choir, if you will. This video should be shared on ALL dietetic lists, not just the veggie one... but beyond that, if you eat, then you should watch this.

Vegans don't only dine in veggie restaurants

Kudos to vegetarian FRIENDLY restaurants. I never understood places that refuse to include even one vegan option on the menu. What they simply don't get is that their potential vegetarian/vegan customers are often dining out with meat-eatin' parties. And even if there's only ONE vegan in a party of 8, chances are that the restaurant chosen will cater to that one. So restaurant owners who think it's too hard to slap a frozen veggie burger in the nuker are missing out on a boatload of business.

Anyway, this weekend, we had a houseful of wonderful friends and family to celebrate the 4th. Fortunately, they're all very veggie-friendly (they're like a collective Mikey -- they'll politely eat anything I make, even WITH tofu), so we enjoyed a nice mix of veggie meals and outings at restaurants that had both omni selections as well as veggie ones.

One of DS's favorite moments, as you can see, were the cupcakes. We happened upon this awesome bakery, Sweet Avenue, in Rutherford, NJ. Just look at how gorgeous these cupcakes are! Not a single animal-derived ingredient and all to-die-for yummy. They don't even use the word "vegan" anywhere in the storefront window; honestly no one would ever be able to tell. We're just glad they make such amazing treats. Thanks guys!

On Saturday morning we visited our new veggie-friendly local brunch spot, Toast, in Montclair, NJ. (Read my post about Toast HERE.) A GREAT place for mixed company; the omnis loved the omelets and egg scrambles, and the vegans enjoyed the tofu scrambles, oatmeal, and many vegan sides. And this morning we tried Life Cafe in the East Village in NYC. I had the Eggless Rancheros (pictured here), which were incredible. The dish comes with sauteed tofu, crispy corn tortillas, veggies, organic brown rice, black beans, and soy sour cream. Obviously, the meal was not only delicious but surprisingly nutritious. Even my 2-year-old loved it. For the omnis, there was the standard brunch fare: eggs, pancakes, French Toast, and the like. Everyone was happy!

Vegan Version of an Old Favorite

When I was little I LOVED Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats. I would make a mess and eat the plain side all the way down to the sugar, then let the sugar melt in my mouth. Quite a confession for a dietitian, I know, I know. Anyway, back in the early 1990s when I became enlightened and eliminated animal foods from my diet, I was devastated to discover that my favorite little cereal indulgence contained gelatin (for those who do not know, gelatin production, even kosher, requires slaughter of an animal, unless the gelatin is made from seaweed... which is rare, and the label will specify for us vegan folks). Anyway, so I went years and years without my mini wheats.

Then last week I happened upon a box of Bite-Size Frosted Shredded Wheat Squares, 365 Brand, at my local Whole Foods. Grabbing the box, I glanced at the ingredient list and whooped with joy to discover that it's free of gelatin (and sodium, it turns out).

There's also 11 grams of sugar per serving, so a square or two to satisfy a sweet tooth is where my indulgence ends, difficult as it is. But the fact that it's truly a whole grain (with 5 grams of fiber), that the sugar is unbleached, and that it's not too shabby in the protein department (it's got 5 grams), it's not the world's worst snack by far. Bonus: it's got added iron and B vitamins, including B12.

Toasting Toast

I live in Montclair, NJ, home of a huge assortment of amazing restaurants. Of course, I choose to dine in the ones that are most veggie-friendly (and how cool that we can walk to most of them). Today my hubby and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch out, and headed to the local vegetarian Indian restaurant, which offers a lunch buffet. On the way we spotted a chalkboard sign outside a relatively new and trendy cafe called Toast.


The sign read, "Check out our new veg menu!" Well, say no more. We headed in and were wowed by the new vegetarian menu (which identifies the vegan choices as well). Now, I'd given Toast a try in its infancy, and enjoyed their veggie burger, but I never thought to return because of their relatively small vegan selection. Well, all that has changed, thanks to the brilliance of owner and founder Amy Russo Harrigan, whom we got to meet and chat with this afternoon. Amy told us that the vegetarian menu is doing well, and that people are especially excited about the tofu scramble.

I adore tofu scramble, and I almost ordered it... couldn't choose among that, the Mediterranean wrap, and the Mexican Salad (pictured here). I ended up with the salad, as well as the vegan "air fried" sweet potato string fries. They look and taste like deep-fried fries, but they're air baked to perfection. The salad was extremely fresh and light, with a hint of lime and cilantro in the dressing. The rich, perfectly ripe avocado paired beautifully with the crispy jicama. The black beans gave it just the right "staying power" while the roasted corn and red peppers finished the salad with a summery, decadent flavor. Yum. DH ordered the vegan caesar salad and shared my fries. He was equally delighted.

I didn't intend for this to read like a restaurant review, but I'm just so thrilled that restaurateurs are really starting to get it and offer vegan fare. Toast also serves up a nice Sunday brunch, so you can be sure we'll be back again and again.

Seed of Truth

We hear a lot about the health benefits of nuts and seeds, but few people actually include seeds as a regular part of their diet. Sure, flax and hemp seeds are enjoying their moment in the spotlight for their high omega-3 fat content, but what about other seeds, like sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, caraway, and others? They're health-supporting too. And many spices, like cumin, mustard, and nutmeg, are ground up seeds; researchers are uncovering the many health advantages among those who "spice it up."

The nutritional content of seeds is fairly impressive. And why not? Seeds are the start of plant life: they are packed with essential nutrients that nourish a plant with everything it needs to grow. All seeds are good sources of protein, fiber, antioxidants, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Here are just a few nutritional highlights:

Pumpkin seeds are a superb source of minerals like iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and copper. In fact, just a quarter cup of pumpkin seeds provides about a third of the iron you need in a day, with fewer than 200 calories. Grab a handful for a snack or mix into a whole grain pilaf.

Sesame seeds (and tahini, or sesame paste, a common ingredient in hummus) are quite high in calcium, giving you about a third of your daily needs in a quarter cup. Sprinkle sesame seeds on grains, cereals, salads, and soups, and bake into quickbreads and muffins.

Sunflower seeds are an amazing source of vitamin E -- a quarter cup supplies almost 100% of your daily needs! Try them in a trail mix or ground into a "butter" for a yummy sandwich filling or spread.

Mustard seeds can be eaten whole or in the more familiar form (look for all-natural mustard in a jar). Just a tablespoon gives you about 20% of your daily needs for selenium, an essential mineral that may help with inflammation. Mustard seeds are also a surprisingly good source of omega-3 fats. "Pop" whole mustard seeds in a bit of hot canola oil, add chopped onion and garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Then add your favorite veggies, cubed tofu, and curry powder for a quick and tasty curry meal.

Caraway seeds are the familiar seed found in rye bread. Some use them to help relieve gas and indigestion. They're packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients. They do have a strong, domineering flavor, so keep that in mind when using them in cooking.