As I mentioned is an earlier post, I was reading The Vegan Sourcebook by Joanne Stepaniak M.S.ED. It’s a truly solid book with lots of information on the many MANY aspects of Veganism. I thought I would publish their definition of the word Vegan on my blog for all to see.

“Veganism is an ethic that is committed to reverence and respect for all life and the planet that sustains it. Veganism brings with it the joy of living with peace of spirit, and the comfort of knowing that one’s thoughts, feelings, words and actions have a strong benevolent effect on the world.”

The book also includes a code of Vegan ethics which covers, but is not limited to, being sensitive to suffering (this includes human and non-human), valuing the uniqueness of ALL life forms (in my opinion living and non-living). Therefore Vegans shouldn’t disregard the exploitation of resources going towards over-consumerism.

It is also included in the code to never use violence (and I think throwing red paint on people qualifies as violence), withholding support from companies/people who treat animals poorly, choosing clothes and any other products that do not compromise the life or quality of life of living creatures, and advocate against testing and the using of animals as experimental or educational materials.

I, myself, think that being Vegan is about living in harmony with the earth. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. I don’t believe that animals are created for us to eat, wear, sit on and beat on. I think every creation of God is a miracle and has a purpose other than to be preyed upon by humans.

Before the fall, Adam and Eve were given seed bearing plants to be their food and even after they sinned, God didn’t give them loin cloths to cover their nakedness but rather fig leaves. I think that eating and exploiting animals has become a concession to our sins (much like divorce). I know many Christians don’t see it that way but the Holy Spirit (commonly known as a conscience) tells ME (me…not everyone as a whole) that eating animals and the cruelty that they endure in their life and death is wrong or, dare I say it, a sin?

The Vegan Sourcebook talks about the five different kinds of compassion. Here they are in brief.

1. Linear Compassion: How we react to those who are close to us. Your sibling, spouse, parent, friend etc.

2. Parallel Compassion: How we react to people like us. Based on a similar interest like religion, race, colour, hobbies etc.

3.  Perpendicular Compassion: How we react towards another species that is close to you (mostly cultural). Feeling bad for a beaten dog or a dead cat even if they aren’t your own.

4. Circular Compassion: How we react to species that we have no contact with. For example, feeling bad about battered chickens or lobotomized monkeys.

5. Spherical Compassion: Feeling compassion towards ALL people and species. Those connected to us and those that aren’t. “This is the essence of Veganism.”

I haven’t provided a meal plan in a bit so I thought that today I would work on that.

For breakfast I usually have the smoothie described in a prior post but today we made waffles. Here are some of the vegan waffle recipes I use:

Oatmeal waffles: 2 cups oats, 2 cups water, 1 banana, 1/4 tsp of sea salt, 1 tbsp of maple syrup (whole maple syrup is the best) and 1 tsp of vanilla. Just cook in your waffle iron for about ten minutes (until browned).

Pecan waffles (I prefer these ones): Beat finely 3 1/2 tbsp of ground flax seeds with 12 tbsp of water until it forms an egg-like consistency. Then let 1 tbsp of vinegar sit in 1 1/2 cups of soy milk for a few minutes. Add flour (1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour) half a cup at a time to the flax mixture alternating with the soy milk mixture until it’s all gone. Then add 3 tbsp of maple syrup, 3 tbsp of vegetable oil (your choice) and 3/4 cups of chopped pecans. Cook like above and enjoy!

For lunch there is always soup or sandwhiches but here is a Asian style meal that I just love.

Add a tsp of Miso paste to 2-3 cups of hot water. Add some arame (seaweed) and lentils, chunks of tofu or veggies (anything suitable). When it’s done you can top it with ground sesame seeds. Then you can have vegetarian sushi (yummy) with fillings such as carrots, lettuce, green onion and cucumber. I also love just plain avocado rolls.

Whenever I make something like this my husband loves to have a Won Ton soup as a side. I make my Won Tons (just buy the wraps) with mushroom and green onion and I just use Miso paste for the broth or you can buy Won Ton soup stock.

I also tried the sweet potato pot stickers from the Moosewood Celebrations cookbook and they are quite good too.

Another interesting filling for the sushi are strips of tofu coated in arrowroot powder and fried in oil until crunchy. You add that to the inside of the roll and it gives the same kind of feel that deep fried shrimp did in the rainbow rolls. I don’t do this much at all but I have tried it with success.

For supper you would probably want a pretty protein intensive meal (especially if you didn’t use tofu at lunch) and so I think a chili or a chickpea curry maybe in order. If you prefer something cold try a pita with hummus in it or a bean burrito. Or you can try a big bowl of black bean dip with sides like chopped veggies and slices tortillas or pitas.

Other ideas are spaghetti sauce chocked full of lentils or try a hearty ratatouille, black bean burgers, bean salads. Tofu stir-fry can be a change from the routine.

Well the progress update in brief is that I am meeting all of my weight targets and feeling quite good but I am having a hard transition to veganhood.

I was doing fine until the hubby brought home a big jug of chocolate milk. Once the boys emptied it and it was sitting in my recycle bin I was ok again. That is until last night.

I started getting an insane craving for french fries covered in gravy and cheese. A poutine. It happened innocently actually. I was looking through some video info and saw the word routine. My cheese starved brain thought poutine and then I spent the rest of the day craving poutine. Can you think of anything more fattening than poutine?

Other than that I am adjusting fairly well and have been seeing weight loss (yay!). It is encouraging to see that but now I have become neurotic about food. I think that if I cave in and eat badly, even just once, that it will undo a whole week’s worth of work.

I need to chill out a bit but I think I will wait until I hit my target weight goal and then will treat myself to big veggie burger from Red Robin!

Well, what a pleasant surprise! I stepped on the scale today and realized that I had hit my target weight goal for this Monday. I am averaging a loss of two pounds a week and it is making me feel grand.

I was surprised to see such wonderful results because I had company this weekend and ended up eating meals that are usually not part of my weekly meal planning. Things like pizza (white flour dough and cheese) and french fries. I thought for sure I would have gained three pounds from all these indulgences yet my weight loss carries on!

I think it’s because I have managed to get my metabolism working for me by feeding it small meals with high nutrition content (such as trail mix, fruit smoothies (with hemp protein powder), soups, chili etc.). I have also found that I seem to be seeing better performance since I have started eating a small snack before bed. Not bad snacks. Snacks like Brendan Brazier’s Recovery Pudding recipe on exercise days or an apple on rest days. For some reason it does seem to help the recovery process and actually help my metabolism stay active. Whatever the explanation is, it is helping.

I always get a little worried everytime we spend a weekend with family. It’s hard for us to eat mostly raw food when we go places. And the temptation to avoid the treats that lay within the cupboards is hard sometimes!

My husband has been doing splendid himself. He has managed to work out consistently and stay off of soft drinks since Jan. 1. That is a real feat for him. Going vegetarian was fine. Going vegan was OK. He didn’t have any problem seeing all the junk in our house get replaced with healthful alternatives but the pop…oooo…that was a toughie. But he decided for himself that 2008 was going to be his pop free year. He won’t make it an actual resolution but he is trying to break the addiction. Now when we go out to eat he fights his inner child and orders water or fruit juice. I am very proud of him for making and sticking to a decision of this nature on his own.

He too has been seeing results from his workouts. He is getting so toned now. My results are less obvious but my pants are feeling a little loose and I am seeing my results on the scale. Another ten pounds and I am sure that the results will be obvious. Kevin says that if I get to my target weight of 125 lbs. I can get a new wardrobe! A wardrobe to fit my new body. Of course this will all be at discount prices (I am the queen of good deals)! So for now I am staying away from stores and waiting to cash in on my reward.

I have mini rewards along the way. If I hit my target weight goal (and two other exercise related goals) I get to buy myself a pair of shorts for running. If I hit my goals for the next month I get my Under Armour running shirt! At the end of March if I hit those targets then I will beg for a really good pair of running shoes to make my running easier on my joints.

I mean, no animal dies right?

Eggs:

(The bulk of the info following here is from The Vegan Sourcebook and the values are from the U.S.)

Laying hens have a life expectancy of about one to two years. There are usually three to four hens crammed into a cage only large enough for a guinea pig. These hens average between 275 to 300 eggs a year. In 1933 chickens averaged 70 eggs! The overproduction of eggs leave these young chickens seriously calcium deficient. It is estimated that in travel to the slaughterhouse alone 30% of chickens have to endure broken bones. By the end of their handling it is close to 100% of them that have broken bones.

When the chicks are born they are immediately separated and sorted. The males are killed (drowned, gasses, ground alive for pet food) and the females are debeaked (cutting the tip of the beak off to prevent cannibalism in such close quarters) and sent to farmers. These chicks are raised in a barn/warehouse until they are old enough to start laying and then the old hens (one to years old) are sent to slaughter and the new hens replace them.

These chickens endure terrible hardship in those cages. They have no room for exercise, they attack each other with their blunt beaks and they are pretty much all half-naked by the time they are shipped to slaughter.

To emphasize on how badly these chickens are treated, in the slaughterhouse the meat from the chickens is so badly bruised that it can only be used for stews, soups and pet food; any source of food where the meat will be so hashed up to disguise the bad condition of the flesh.

The manure that falls from their cages is cleaned weekly. That means that chickens spend all week long enduring the burning ammonium smell of their own manure.

You think free-range is OK? These chickens still endure a terribly short lifespan and live, albeit not in cages, in crammed warehouse type buildings. Granted this is better treatment than regular chickens receive but there is still much suffering here as their end is ultimately the same.

Milk and dairy:

This one is a bit of an issue. Milk is not the health fountain that the milk industry and lobby groups have had you believe. There have been links attributing milk to childhood stroke, obesity and other problems. They are even saying now that milk can actually cause osteoporosis!!!

It is unnatural. What other species drink milk past infancy? The answer is none! What other species drink the milk of other animals? The answer again, is none!

Milk production (and dairy is included in this) is solely based on profitability. The cows must be bred every year in order to keep their milk supply up. After they have babies the babies are allowed 6-24 hours with their mama to drink her colostrum and are then separated to be raised on formula. The females are raised to replace the dairy cows when their productivity wanes and the males are either slaughtered for dog food or raised for veal. Veal is a terrible cruel meat. These babies are kept iron deficient to keep the flesh colour light and are kept sedentary to keep the flesh fat! These animals do not even develop the muscles to stand. These babies are raised to be lumps that lay in their own waste and get killed (put out of their cruel misery) at a very young age to feed people rich and sick enough to buy veal. I know that this is meat, but veal is a by-product of the dairy industry.

The females, get to remain alive to become milk producing machines. These milk cows produce more than double what they used to produce fifty years ago. This increases the problems associated with milking. There is the pain of carrying the extra weight of milk (they are carrying up to 25 litres at one time (and they get milked twice daily)). There is also a much higher incidence of mastitis (clogged, infected milk ducts). Any woman who has suffered one of these knows it is not fun.

When productivity goes down these cows are also sent to slaughter where they, being less than Grade A beef get used for burgers and other hashed meats.

Honey:

Honey was a surprise to me. I never much thought about bugs. There is still a part of me that think “bugs don’t count.” I will still kill a spider in my house rather than try to capture it and return it to wild! Shudder. Spiders. Yuck.

Honey however is a little more of an issue. A bit. The problem with honey is that it takes a considerable amount of time and effort for bees to make and it is stored as their source of food for the winter. When we take their food we take their reserves. Apparently in the wintertime they don’t have enough to live on and then the beekeepers usually end up having to kill the bees to reduce the cost of maintaining them. Beekeepers can easily and inexpensively start with a whole new batch of bees the next spring.

Beeswax requires gassing or shaking out the bees from the hive so that it can be deconstructed and have the honey and wax removed. This will occasionally hurt the bees and will force them to start rebuilding their home once again.

But…I would still rather use beeswax that any other sort of candles because I am very concerned about chemical exposure and the burning of candles releases their chemicals into the air we breathe.

If truth be told I use a tiny amount of wax when I make a couple of herbal remedies. I don’t burn candles just for fun or anything. 

Leather and furs:

Well this one seems rather obvious but people still don’t get it. The fur you are wearing does come from dead cows and animals but if the demand for fur or leather exceeds the demand for meat the animals will be slaughtered just so you can wear something “luxurious.” And it doesn’t stop at just cows. There are animals skinned alive every year because of fur trade. My sister was sharing with me some videos of fur trade workers skinning animals and leaving then in the snow, fully alive and conscious. She said that hours later, the wolf or dog (it was hard to determine what it was) was slowly dying from blood loss. All naked and bloodied.

And the same goes for the seal hunts. Clubbing baby seals for fur? Must we really?

Wool and down feathers:

This was the biggest shocker to me!

I will start with down feathers. Is there anything better than curling up in a down comforter and laying your head on a down pillow? Well yes there is! Because down is a fluffy feather than comes from the chest of birds (like ducks). These birds remain alive to be harvested for feathers. When the time comes the feathers are simply ripped out of the birds skin by hand without the administration of pain killers.

Wool is another seemingly harmless by-product and it certainly could be. Afterall, the sheep raised for wool are usually kept in pastures where they are free to eat grass, frolic and have babies. BUT, the sheep are especially susceptible to a parasite that causes diarrhea. This is not good for wool as it dirties it and so farmers have developed a way of dealing with this problem. They will use a blade to cut slits in the sheep’s hind parts. This, also done without anesthesia, causes scar tissue to build up and this acts as an extra barrier against the parasites. This likely leaves the herd at risk for infection as well.

There is medicine that can deal with this problem but it is not cost effective. By slicing into their sheep instead of administering drugs the farmers earn a better return on their wool.

Small scale farmers do not usually commit these atrocities but the farmers who supply the wool for the sweaters you buy at the mall do!

Think about the impact your lifestyle has on the world around you. Why can’t we all get along? Why can’t there be harmony?

Some of my sources include:

1. My own personal experience as a farmer’s daughter (cows (dairy and meat), sheep and other animals) and as an employee on a pig farm and egg farm.
2. The Vegan Sourcebook -Joanne Stepaniak, M.S.ED
3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals www.peta.com
4. Alive magazine www.alive.com

I started reading a book called The Vegan Sourcebook and I am very much enjoying it. It covers a multitude of topics related to veganism including it’s history, nutritional balancing and the many facets of vegan ethics.

On page 20 there is a statement that blew me away! It talks about how veganism is not a theology but rather a behaviour. People are characterized by how they act not what they think is right.  This meant so much to me because I have been struggling in my Christian faith lately because it seems as though Christians are more focused on belief that actions. The apostle Paul wrote that “faith without good deeds is dead” yet that is all I see. I have been betrayed by non-Christians and Christians alike but the deepest wounds come from those who, because of their association with Christ, are supposed to ACT differently. Act with compassion, understanding and love.

I love how to be a vegan you need to act on your belief. You can’t say, “I think it’s wrong how animals are treated. By the way, how do you like my new leather boots?” and call yourself a vegan. It’s more than good intentions.

Hmmm…if only veganism was a religion…just kidding. How can a faith system claim to care about others and be compassionate and loving if they don’t care for the smallest of God’s creations?

I was talking to a fellow Christian who was curious about what vegans were exactly and why we were vegan and I told her our reasons (one of which is animal cruelty (especially for egg-laying hens)) and she said that not eating eggs wasn’t going to solve the problem. That we should be asking for better regulations and better enforcement of the regulations on animal cruelty. Do you think that that will do anything? I doubt it. The lobby groups for meat and milk are very strong.

I see my lifestyle as being in harmony with the earth. I try to take only what I need and I try to make consumer choices that mean that a living being’s heart never has to stop beating on my account.

I also have a Facebook friend who, although he is not a vegetarian, said that he believes that when you eat something you absorb its energy. He followed that by commenting on the negative energy that must be absorbed by eating animals that are slaughtered in the equivalent way of a “Satanic bloodbath.” I think this may be extreme since I haven’t decided about how I feel about “energy” but I think his point is quite valid.

Yessir, I like being a vegan. It makes me a better, healthier person and it makes a difference. I think you save about 300 lives a year by not eating meat. That is not much compared to the millions of lives that are brutally taken for food but you know…

I once read a story about a little boy who would run along the beach and throw the starfish that were slowly dying out in the sun back into the ocean. An adult asked him if he really thought that that would make a difference and the little boy replied:

…”I am sure it matters to that one.”

I am always happy when I see people making an effort to lead a healthier life by eating less meat and animal products as well as processed foods but I don’t expect it. Health is something that matters to me but it doesn’t matter to most. I always get miffed when I see people who think they are making smart choices by drinking their diet pops and eating microwaveable low-fat, processed food entrees. Now that’s gross!

But then again, I don’t care about what most people care about. Sitcoms and reality TV shows (*dryheave*). So you think you can dance? Really?

Plant foods are the strongest cancer and disease fighting agents out there. There isn’t anything that you can do for your body that will benefit it more than eating veggies. Add fresh air and exercise to that and you have a combination for a long and vital life.

I get frustrated by the people who rely on Doctors to keep them healthy. They are great diagnosticians but also great prescription pushers. I visit mine when I need to and get his opinion on a diagnosis then I try to treat my problems naturally. If that fails then I will, with tears welling up in my eyes, take the dumb drugs. Yes, yes, I know I am hardcore.

I am amazed by the ignorance of people. Yes, medicine has saved countless lives but it has also taken many. I feel deeply saddened when I think of those people who have seen loved ones die due to drug side effect or to practitioner error (by either prescribing the wrong drug or improper dosages).

The National Post wrote an article once about how 25% of emergency room visits in Canada are due to drug side effects (and that does not include practitioner error). And when there was a series of recalls on drugs, like Vioxx, there was a Doctor pinning over yet another recall. He said that Doctors were going to have to make their own drugs with mortars and pestles if this kept up. The convenience of prescribing drugs is more important to this compassionate man than the lives of the many who died using these drugs. But what do I know? Just keep taking your prescription drugs. They’ll fry your liver and give you clinical depression but at least you will never have to eat broccoli!

Wake up people! You want to be healthy? You want to be thin? Put down the Frittos and go for a walk! People whine about skinny models on the cover of magazines. They say it causes low self-esteem in girls. Sure, eating disorders are serious and so we should maybe take Calista Flockhart off the front page of magazines but the normal, healthy lookin’ girl deserves to be on there. I don’t look like her but I know that that is my fault. I am working hard and with some diet restrictions and exercise I am losing two pounds a week.

Those girls work for their bodies. They don’t ALL have good metabolisms!

I remember the first time I went to a health food store. I purchased papaya enzymes for about five bucks to help with my pregnancy related heartburn. Since then those stores have become my “happy place.” I love shopping there so much that I wish I could afford to shop there every week. Maybe if my husband gets an extra $20/hr raise. Ha ha ha.  

My kitchen has changed considerably over the last couple of years. Where I used to keep crackers I now keep spelt flour and quinoa. I have learned the names of many foods that I had never had exposure to growing up. I must say that having a well stocked cupboard makes me feel like a chef! Especially when I routinely carry items that my family and friends can’t identify.

In the last week of December I started accompanying my hubby on his workouts. Since then (about two weeks of working out every day) I have lost four pounds! Yippee. When I became a vegetarian a year ago I lost 30 lbs. Then I hit a plateau and couldn’t drop the last 30 lbs that I accumulated after college, being married and having two babies.

It was my goal to finally stop saying “I would love to run a marathon, I should get in shape, I feel fat” and actually do something about it. It helps having my hubby there to help. Even last night I really wanted some of those fries that come with the sour cream and processed cheese sauce topped with chives etc. and he was strong enough to say no. I was happy that I hadn’t indulged when I looked at the scale and saw that my weight was 156 lbs and that my goal had been 157 for that week! Yay!

I don’t get many cravings when I am eating well but I have been a little overdue on a grocery shop and when there is less variety to eat it gets harder to find food to snack on.

Anyways…here is my meal plan from yesterday:

Breakfast:

• Usually I have a smoothie but I need to do a grocery shop so I had homemade whole grain toast with all natural peanut butter and molasses.

Snack:

• Mixed nuts.

Lunch:

• Some Chickpea Curry from the night before.

Snack:

• A whole food smoothie. I didn’t have the bananas and it wasn’t all that good without them.

Supper:

• Cous cous (not a whole food but I did cheat last night) is basically pasta, just tiny pieces. I top mine with homemade spaghetti sauce with all sorts of veggies including onions, garlic, zucchini, canned tomato etc.

I am very much wanting to post some articles about natural pregnancies and childbirth but until I get the time to do that you can check out some of my articles here:

http://www.squidoo.com/pregnancytest

 http://www.squidoo.com/positionsforbirth

http://www.squidoo.com/birthrisks

http://www.squidoo.com/birthprocedures

http://www.squidoo.com/firstweek

Yes…meat is a “complete” protein. Although it is far from being a perfect protein. Meat contains all the essential amino acids required for life but it also contains cholesterol, fat and possibly toxins from the food fed to cows and the addition of growth horomones (which is apparently causing puberty in girls to come at an earlier age than it did fifty years ago).

It is also true that there are not really any perfect forms of protein in the plant world (Brendan Brazier states in The Thrive Diet that Hemp protein contains an excellent score of amino acids). Many plants and their seeds etc. contain protein but their amino acid (AAs) profile is not complete. This is not a concern because they each contain a different set of AAs which through simple variety in diet can cause any vegan to obtain a complete AA profile.

Foods that have substantial amounts of proteins are soy products ((Seitan, Tempeh, Tofu etc.) these are often processed and are not recommended by me due to the controversy surrounding phytoestrogens and the possible toxicity of the bean itself), hemp, peas, lentils, chickpeas, other types of beans (canned of dry -although I try to buy canned goods with simple ingredients (like beans and water)), peanut butter, other nuts and seeds, and in smaller amounts grains like wheat and even vegetables.

Eat well and the protein will take care of itself.

Now without further ado here is my first meal plan:

Breakfast:

• Fruit and one whole grain toast (homemade is healthiest) with peanut butter and molasses.

Snack:

• A shake -Banana, 1/2 cup berries, ice, 1/3 cup water, 1 tsp psyllium powder, 1 tbsp protein (hemp, rice, pea, soy), 1-2 tsp fresh ground flax seeds, 1 tbsp carob powder (for chocolate flavour).

Lunch:

• Fresh veggie soup. Cook the lentils and barley soup first to soften (you can use a base like veggie stock or the juice from the canned tomatoes). This may take a good 10-15 mins. Then lower heat and add veggies (whatever is in the fridge). Don’t let the veggies cook too long. If they stay crunchy then you will get optimal nutrition. I usually add parsley for flavour and then you can salt and pepper id you need too.

Snack:

• A handful of peanuts with raisins.

Supper:

• Fresh veggies sandwhiches (veganaise, cucumber, peppers, tomato, onions, sprouts, mushrooms etc.) with a side salad topped with a little bit of a dressing and some nutritional yeast and sesame seeds.