Plant-based Diet Starter Kit - Part 3

It's been over a week since my last post, I hope that you have had time to read over some of the last blog entries, try some new recipes, research this lifestyle, and work toward better plant-based nutrition.  I have been busy cooking, trying some new dishes (that I hope to post soon), and sharing documentaries like Forks Over Knives with my family.  If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it in order to answer a lot of the health related questions you may have about a whole foods, plant-based diet.  But more on documentaries in another post, let's dive in to your next few tips in part three of your PBD Starter Kit!

Tip 11- How To Eat on Holiday and Throughout Your Travels

Maintaining a plant-based diet on holiday and when you are traveling can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be.  In order to stay in check with the foods you have chosen to nourish yourself with, you need to be prepared and remember why you adopted this lifestyle - no one ever got fat from eating broccoli and no one ever got heart disease from an apple.

So let's tackle the holidays first.  If you are hosting a get-together, keep your non-veg guests in mind.  Just because you may have grown accustomed to a PBD and have enjoyed the wonders of Indian curries, Asian stir frys, cous cous this and hummus that ... it still doesn't mean your guests are quite there yet.  Make sure you offer some delicious and hearty dishes that contain heavier foods like eggplant, potatoes, tofus, tempehs, etc. to satisfy your guests and demonstrate that a plant-based diet is not all salads and unhappy salad-eaters (not that salads can include hearty ingredients too, they can!).  Also, provide a few different options for your guests.  Just because the more non-meat and non-dairy things you make, the more you like, this is still often a whole new world for other eaters.  Be patient and stay creative.  There is a wealth of holiday plant-based recipes available online and in great cookbooks provided by The Happy Herbivore, The Kind Diet, and Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook.

If you're venturing over to your family or friend's house for the holidays, here are a few ideas to enjoy yourself and show off your new plant-based cooking skills.  Always offer to bring an appetizer, main dish, and/or dessert when you are attending a holiday meal or some type of dinner party.  It will ensure that you have something to eat and also provides your friends and family with the option of trying something that is healthy and new.

 
Try to keep your own routine as much as you can on holiday by working out and eating regular plant-based meals.  Don't allow yourself to get too hungry, stressed, and caught without a plan!  Eating a PBD can be a breeze during the holidays if you prepare some of your own dishes and stay focused on nutrifying your diet.  If people ask about why you eat plant-based, feel free to look back over basics from this blog.  It comes down to what is good for your health and theirs, the animals, and the planet.

Ok, so you have the holidays under control, what about when you are traveling and there isn't a vegan restaurant on the street corner or in the airport food court?  Well, I personally have yet to find myself in a restaurant where I could not veganize a meal.  We discussed those ideas in a different blog post about how to eat out so I am not going to recover them in full here.  Basic principles if you are dining out while traveling:

• research ahead of time - call the restaurant, look at their menu online if provided, or google vegan restaurants to find plant-based cuisine
• default to Indian, Asian, and Italian restaurants - ask if your food can be made with oils, fish sauce, egg, and creamy dairy sauces - cheeseless pizza or salsa with veggies and potatoes can easily be provided to accommodate your plant-based meal

More importantly than trying to dine out, we should always try to figure out how we can dine in ... while traveling.  If you are staying in hotels, ask for a room with a refrigerator and microwave.  However, if this cannot be accommodated, most hotels will allow you to use their own fridge and mic to store and cook your meals.  This amazing detail means that you can bring some of your own dried or canned food and buy anything fresh you need from the local grocery store or farmers market!  You can always find fresh produce, nut butters, bread, crackers, instant oatmeal, and hummus wherever you are.  Thus, making your own meals in this home away from home is all too easy.  I personally stick to simple things like cut veggies with hummus, salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups, fruits, nuts, green smoothies (I bring a little magic bullet blender), etc.  Figure out recipes that you can make with or without a microwave and you are set!

If you are in a pinch, this website http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/OtherInfo/FastFoodRest.htm lists the fast food restaurants where you can find vegan options.  While not the best source of plant-based food since most of it is still processed and has tons of oil and sugar, it is still better than getting caught without a plan.

When traveling by car or plane, I typically pack a bunch of bananas, apples, dried fruit, snap peas, carrots, cherry tomatoes, almonds, granola bars, etc. to snack on when I get hungry.  Most of them travel well and always taste great without any preparation.  And again, if in a pinch, most airports and gas stations have fresh fruit and nuts somewhere along with some salad or sandwich options.

Tip 12 - Why should organic foods be part of a PBD?

Despite the controversy over organic and non-organic foods ... let's break it down to the very basic notion of what this means.  Organic foods = organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.

 
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

The USDA has identified for three categories of labeling organic products:

• 100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients
• Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients 
• Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms) 
• Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.

Aside from the pesticide issue and wanting to avoid needlessly putting carcinogens in your body, organic farming also:

• Creates healthy soil -  mono-cropping and chemical fertilizer dependency has taken a toll with a loss of top soil estimated at a cost of $40 billion per year in the U.S., according to Cornell University. Add to this an equally disturbing loss of micronutrients and minerals in fruits and vegetables. Feeding the soil with organic matter instead of ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers has proven to increase nutrients in produce, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in organic food, according to the 2005 study, “Elevating Antioxidant levels in food through organic farming and food processing,” Organic Center State of Science Review
• Boosts flavor and taste - organic food often tastes better, which makes sense that strawberries taste yummier when raised in harmony with nature, but researchers at Washington State University just proved this as fact in lab taste trials where the organic berries were consistently judged as sweeter. Plus, new research verifies that some organic produce is often lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food
• Promotes family farms of all sizes - the Organic Farming Research Foundation state that as of 2006, there are approximately 10,000 certified organic producers in the U.S. compared to 2,500 to 3,000 tracked in 1994. Measured against the two million farms estimated in the U.S. today, organic is still tiny. Family farms that are certified organic farms have a double economic benefit: they are profitable and they farm in harmony with their surrounding environment
• Keep poor science out of your food - cloned food, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and bovine growth hormone (BGH) ... Yikes! It is crazy how fast these new food technologies were thrown into the marketplace, even though organic fought for 13 YEARS to become federal law. Eleven years ago, genetically modified food was not part of our food supply and now today 30% of our cropland is planted with GMOs. Organic is the only de facto seal of reassurance against these and other modern, lab-produced additions to our food supply, and the only food term with built in inspections and federal regulatory teeth.

(Courtesy of organic.org)

  
If you are not able to always buy organic due to availability or cost, here are the top 5 fruits and vegetables that we should always buy as organic;

• Apples (including apple juice & apple sauce)
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach

Rinsing and/or peeling will not eliminate all the pesticides.
Below are also some fruits and vegetables that are 'cleaner' (or have the least amount of pesticides);

• Onions
• Asparagus
• Sweet Potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Buying these as non-organic fruits and vegetables is a way to save a little money and not have the highest exposure to pesticides.

Brief note on why organic produce costs more.  Actually, the truth of the matter is that organic food does not always cost more.  Depending on the current supply and demand of their counterparts, it is dependent on the market and season for how much produce costs.  As the demand for organics continues to grow, the cost will continue to come down.  When the cost is higher, take these facts into consideration when you are contemplating organic produce:

• Organic farmers do not receive federal subsidies like conventional farmers do. Thus, the price of organic food reflects the true cost of growing.
• The price of conventional food does not reflect the cost of environmental cleanups that we pay for through our tax dollars.
• Organic farming is more labor and management intensive.
• Organic farms are usually smaller than conventional farms and so do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger growers get.

Bottom line, organic food does not contain hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, pesticides, or any other scarcely tested additives and molecular changes.  It is good for the farmer, the planet, and YOU!

PBD Recipes

Homemade Trail Mix

 
Ingredients (any fruit, nut, or seed!):
- raw or smoke unsalted almonds
- raw cashews
- raw sunflower seeds
- raw pumpkin seeds
- raw walnuts
- raw pecans
- raw peanuts
- raw hazelnuts
- raisins
- unsweetened (or juice sweetened) craisins
- dried apricots
- unsweetened dried cherries
- dates

Make your own trail mix by adding your favorite unsalted, raw nuts, typically 2-4 types and your favorite dried fruit, again 2-4 types.  My favorite trail mix includes raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, and craisins.
*I try to buy any dried fruit unsweetened and any nuts unsalted and preferably raw.

Quick Snack Edamame Beans 

Ingredients:
- Organic edamame beans
- Soy sauce or Brigg's Amino Acids sauce

Making edamame beans is a super easy and quick snack.  You can buy them in most grocery stores in the fresh or frozen section.  I spray them with a little Brigg's sauce and steam them in the microwave for a minute.  Voila!  You have a snack, side dish, or appetizer that is tasty and quick. 
*Add soy sauce or Brigg's to taste afterward with a sprinkle of sea salt if desired.

Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, chopped
• 1 large head broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1 cup plant milk
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Place all the vegetables, water, and vegan butter in a covered sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to a simmer and set the timer for 10 minutes.  Put the rest of the ingredients in the blender.  When the vegetables are tender, add them to the blender, and puree to the consistency you prefer.  Serve warm.  Makes approximately 4 servings or 6 cups.

Party - It's Vegan Taco Dip! 

Ingredients:

• organic BLACK refried bean
• original hummus 
• 2 tsp of chili powder 
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 2 mashed avocados tossed with lime juice and garlic salt
• 8 oz container of Vege Shreds (Cheddar and Pepper Jack) or make your own nut cheese
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 small can black olives
• 1 chopped green onion
• Bit of fresh cilantro

Place the organic BLACK refried beans (black has better flavor) at the base of the pan. In a separate bowl add the hummus (I chose hummus to create the creamy layer) and season with 2 tsp of chili powder and 2 tsp of cumin.  Spread hummus on top of beans.  This serves as the creamy layer, which you then top with two mashed avocados tossed with a bit of lime juice and garlic salt first. Finally, an 8 oz container of Vege Shreds or homemade nut cheese (see previous post for recipes), chopped tomatoes, black olives and green onions, and a bit of fresh cilantro leaves to give it a kick.  Serve cold with tortilla chips or fresh veggies.  Enjoy!

~

Also, keep in mind these fun facts when you're contemplating a lifestyle change to plant-based or struggling to avoid meat, dairy, and egg products:

PBD changes the earth by:

• 2.9 times less water and 2.5 times less energy from raising animal for food.
• Less pollutants from animal waste in the soil and run-off into the water sources.
• If every American skipped one meal of meat per week and used only plant products in that meal, the carbon dioxide savings would be the equivalent of taking more than a half-million cars off US roads.

PBD changes your body by:

• Healthy weight loss (the average vegan weighs 15% less than meat eater... approx. 20-25 lbs).
• Clearer skin.
• Lower cholesterol.
• Lower blood pressure than meat eaters.
• Reduced diabetes risk.
• Fortified immune system.

Happy Thoughts from Your Healthy Herbivore,
S
"Nothing in the world tastes better than excellent health feels." - Julienna Hever, M.S., R.D.