What to do About Global Hunger

Reading a short blog this morning about global hunger and the fact that the less meat we eat the more people we can feed got me thinking.

I've always been a big believer in going to the top.  Let's face it when you need to get results it's always sometimes quicker and easier just to go to the top man rather than working your way through the chain of command.

It's like that for food.  Why not cut out the middle man?  Why go through the food chain for nutrition?  Why not go directly to the source?

Are you with me here?  Let me explain.  The grain that grows has all the nutrients needed - the meat industry feeds that grain to the animals then in turn feeds it to the humans….so, cut out the meat and get to the primary source (the grain) and get the pure nutrients.

Extrapolate this out.  Not only do you need land to grow the grain, but you need it also to farm the animals.  Cut out the "middle man" i.e. the farmed animals and you have more land to grow crops = more food to feed the hungry.

It's really quite simple math……but here's the rub - money.  The meat industry, unfortunately, just doesn't see it that way - it would appear that personal gain comes way above the gains of the planet.  So it's up to us.  By choosing to have at least one meat free day a week you will make a difference.  Try to make it a completely animal free day (vegan) like no dairy products or eggs and you will make that one small step towards doing something about world hunger.

Brilliant Book:

So, Do You Like Mushrooms?

I have just read the most interesting little book called "Mushrooms For Health and Longevity" and, to say that I was amazed at the medicinal properties of these fungi would be an understatement.

It's pretty common knowledge that mushrooms are good for you....let's face it, you're pretty safe to assume that anything in the fruit or veggie department has to have some goodness, so why not mushrooms. 

But I really had no idea how much these insignificant, brown/white/sometimes off white/sometimes dirty weird looking things could pack such a major punch in the health and well-being stakes.

Did you know that there is a variety of mushroom that contains the highest amount of vitamin D of all edible natural foods?  No?  Neither did I. 

Could A Vegetarian Diet Help Lose Weight?

If you are under the mis-conception that vegetarian style eating is not nutrient rich or has the protein that the body needs - then please think again.

A study that has recently been published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in June (111: 819-827, 2011), has found that instead of being nutrient deficient a vegetarian diet is actually nutrient dense.

Oil Spill in Clean Green New Zealand

C'mon NZ where's your "clean, green" policy?

I'm struggling a bit to get my head around why it took so long for NZ to start getting the oil off this ship.

Life's Not Easy Being Vegetarian

 Life is not as easy as one thinks when it comes to being vegetarian!  Oh, the food's a doddle (that means easy), but trying not to use animals in other things....that's where the headache begins.

Are Babies Safe?

Here's a random thought:

I often wonder when I see mums with youngsters in strollers walking along the sidewalk - do they realize that the baby's face is in direct line to the cars' exhaust?

Vegan Visit

Over the weekend I was blessed to have my son and his 8 year old daughter come and visit.  Needless to say we had a whale of a good time (maybe one of my literary followers can help me out - I'm assuming it's "whale" as in large or grand and not "wail"....?).

Anyhoo - my vegan son was pretty impressed with the shepherds pie (vegan)

2011 International Year of the Forest.

See the title......did you even know that????  I didn't and it's now late August - so what's up with that, where's the education?  Personally I think that it's really important that we stop butchering our forests so the more the message gets out there the better.

Say No To Meat - Book Review

This is an absolute first for me.  I love books and I have quite a few that I will suggest to friends that they should read….but this book "Say No To Meat" is one that I feel warrants a review - so here goes…

Title:               Say No To Meat
Authors:         Amanda Strombom & Stewart Rose
Published by:  Healthy Living Publications
My Rating:     *****

The Beautiful Bumble Bee.

A very long time ago when I was 11 years of age I got my first pair of glasses.  What's that got to do with being vegetarian? I hear you ask…..absolutely nothing!! I'm going to tell you the story anyway. (Don't panic - it's short).

Organic Food is Marketing Hype - debate

I was surfing around the internet yesterday (as I do) for inspiration for the next blog and I came across a debate on "Organic food is marketing hype".  Naturally, being into organic food I clicked the link and proceeded to watch the most interesting debate I'd see for quite some time.

Gorgeous Coconut Smoothie

As you would have noticed - that's of course, if you read it…  In my last blog I talked about my all time favorite place to eat - Cafe Gratitude and I mentioned the awesome smoothie I had there.

Thought today I'd give you the recipe for it.... and before you ask -  I did write to the cafe and did ask permission which they kindly gave me.

Back To Normality!

What a grand holiday!!!  Do I really have to come back to normality?  Think I might just have to make every day a holiday :)

As stated in the last post - I've been away visiting my daughter and her family in Northern California and what a great time I had.  Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with the fun I had with my grand-daughter who at 15 months is climbing on everything, learning to talk (also learning spanish and signing) and who kept me on my toes with a constant smile on my face - I love being a grandma...all the fun with no responsibility!!!

Off To a Vegan Home

Joy oh joy I'm off tomorrow to spend nearly a month with my daughter and family in Northern California the added bonus is that it's a vegan home and she is such an excellent cook!!!  Not only that but there will be restaurant dinners in some of my favorite places - oh, the food will be heaven…the best part is I'm not going to be the one cooking (well, I might cook the odd meal).

The Effects of Fast Food

I knew at the time I shouldn't……but it was late, I was tired and coming home with the thought of having to turn around and start cooking dinner just wasn't doing it for me. 

"Shall I get take-away?"

"No, better not, you know what it does to you"

"But, it's late, I don't want to face cooking." 

"Don't think about it, you know you can have something quick at home." 

"Yeah, but can I be bothered" 

- and so the conversation in my head continued

Way Back When....

There are times when I feel so blessed to have been born to the mom and dad that  I had - and yes, I do refer to them in the past tense.  Being a little girl in the 50s was both a fun time as well as an affluent time.

What Should We Eat?

In this modern age there's a saying going round "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize" in my opinion it's a statement that's pretty near to the truth.  Mind you, for a lot of you young ones, you may like to change that to great grandmother…?

I'm Soooooo Glad of Becoming Vegetarian.

The title of this blog really says it all (you can read my story on Becoming Vegetarian here) especially after watching a video the other day that really shocked me.
I feel sorry for omnivores (people who eat meat and veggies) as, not only do they have the minefield that we vegetarians have of finding foods that are not sprayed, GM  or played around with by other means, but now they are faced with not knowing about the meat they are eating.  Having bits of meat glued together and passing it off as the "real" thing.

This apparently is not a new…been around for quite some time, I'm just a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to meat - well, don't eat it, apart from the treatment of animals, don't really care about eye fillets, chicken breasts etc etc.

At least you can grow your own vegetables.  Even if you live in an apartment, you can still grow small crops of, especially, salad plants….but I really can't see you having a cow or a sheep living in the apartment with you, so you're kind of reliant on the meat industry. 

Even the top restaurants serve this "glued up together" meat, so you're not safe there - unless you dine at organic places.  The old saying "waste not, want not"…well in this case I think the meat industry is taking this a bit too literally, it's appalling, dangerous and disgusting.  Do yourself a favor and watch the video below - maybe you already know about this or maybe you don't.  Would love to know what you think - am I just a crazy vegetarian?

No Matter What You Eat - Make It Natural!

Now as you are all well aware  I am a vegetarian - duh, the name of this blog says it all.  There's a likelihood that many of you reading this are omnivores (meat and veg type people) and I don't have a problem with that.  It's not that you eat meat - it's what meat you eat, where it comes from, how it's "farmed" and how it's killed.

Are We Killing Our Kids?

This morning I came across an article on TreeHugger, well, actually it was the photo (shown here) that grabbed my attention.

Why, why, why do we have such obesity?  Well, I do know why but I just can't get my head around the fact that the food industry is killing our children and not being made accountable.  They seem to take great delight in blaming the parents but, in my opinion, so many parents have no concept of what is or isn't nutritional…I mean, take a look at the eating habits of the parents - the kids don't stand a chance.

Veggies Rule Wins Versatile Blogging Award!

Have a look over on the right.....you may have to scroll down a bit, but you'll see that I am part of an awesome community called Blog Frog.  Imagine my surprise when I logged in this morning to see that I had won, not just one, but two Versatile Blogger Awards.

The first came from a great blogger that I follow Notes From The Second Half

What can I say, but Thank You.

The Best Juicer - Get Juicing

Today I'm handing the blog over to a friend of my who knows a lot more on the subject of juicing than I do - why? you may ask - well it's just that she's been juicing for a long time....me, I'm new to it, so can't call myself an expert on the subject....All I know is that it is really pretty good stuff!!

What the….A Flexitarian?

As a vegetarian I take great interest in what is going on in the world of food etc and one word that has been popping up lately is "Flexitarian".

What does Chocolate and Sumatran Tiger Have in Common?

Found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra there are only approximately 400 Sumatran tigers left.  The problem is the loss of their habitat to palm oil plantations (along with poaching etc).  And the Sumatran tiger is not the only animal to be affected by this oil.

Vegetarian Dining with Meat Eaters

A fabulous night out with a friend and her friends inevitably led to the question - "what do you do for protein?" (check the article on my website about protein foods http://thevegetariancenter.com/protein-foods-for-vegetarians.php).  Usual stock answer - "all I need is wheat toast and some peanut butter…" - bored, bored, bored with the question.

Grow Your Own Vegetables

I have a little bit of a back yard and luckily I'm able to grow a few vegetables.  The sun is perfect and the soil is good, so the veggie patch usually offers me a good supply of the basics. 

At some point I will get into growing more of a variety of odd veggies, but for now, while I'm still getting the hang of it I've tended to go with the more traditional - you know, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce etc.

What Are The Calcium Rich Foods?

You know, you can find anything you want on the internet - things like meat is good, meat is bad - dairy is good, dairy is bad… it all depends on which way you view things you can always find the answer that suits you.

However, there are some facts that do stand alone, that can't be changed or swayed or turned into just another opinion and calcium and where to get it is one of those.

Will Our Baby's 1st Words Be Moooo?

You probably have already heard by now that scientists in China believe that they have successfully introduced human genes into dairy cows to produce milk with the same properties as human breast milk.

Actually do I even need to write anymore?  If you didn't know already (or even when you first read about it) what is going through your mind when you read the above? 

Dumpster Diving Also Known As Freeganism.

Quite a number of years ago I learned that my vegan son went dumpster diving. My initial reaction was one of "ew yuk!" and I sort of refused to believe that he would do that.

So, let's back the truck up a bit and I'll explain what dumpster diving is just in case you don't know.
It's known by a few different names - freegan, skipping, bin-diving,  D-mart, containering and tatting.  But, regardless of what it's called, it's the same thing - it is sifting through, mainly commercial, trash to find items which are useful to the person doing the diving.  In most cases, this is food items.  However, more often than not, the diver will find other items which usually are in pristine condition.

A Vegetarian in the Family.

I've heard it so many times….."my daughter wants to be a vegetarian"  "I could happily be a vegetarian, but the rest of the family like their meat".

The thing is - it really doesn't have to be a problem.  If it's you wanting to be the vegetarian and you're doing the cooking - then cook your vegetarian meals and just add a dish of meat.  Or....  If you're cooking a stew - then prepare the stock with veggies all minus the meat, prepare the meat as usual in a separate pot then place some of the stew stock over to continue cooking as normal. (yes, you will need another pot) With the stew stock without the meat you can add beans or lentils or chickpeas.  Then  voila you have the meat stew for them and a vegetarian stew for you.
Just think outside the square.

OMG! I Didn't Know That.

I happen to walk through the lounge the other night torch in hand, yes, I was about to go out on snail patrol, and on the T.V. was a doco about the journey of cotton from grower to T-shirt.
Now I'm not about to give you a lesson in cotton growing so I'll cut to the chase.
What made me stop in my tracks and stand watching the screen (torch still in hand) was the amount of chemicals used, but wait…there's more - cotton is used in our food! I didn't know that.

LSA - What's With That?

I get a lot of flack being a vegetarian, however, there's one thing that can be used by both veggies and meat eaters and that's LSA. What is LSA? I hear you ask (well, I don't literally "hear" you of course that's a figure of speech).  If you know what LSA is - then you don't need to read any further - you can wait for the next blog report.

Hot Chocolate - Be Still My Beating Heart!

Strange as it may seem to all chocolate lovers out there.....not everyone loves chocolate!  Let me reassure you, I'm definitely a chocolate lover.

 I was doing a bit of research the other day for my new web page Hot Chocolate and I found some very interesting facts. I'm not going to put them on this blog you can read about them on my site,  Hot Chocolate Page, however, one that did take my fancy was that chocolate syrup was used in that famous shower scene in the epic Alfred Hitchcock movie "Psycho".  and what was it used for?  The blood.

Using Tofu to Fool Meat-eaters

Why is it that meat-eaters automatically assume that vegetarians & vegans (if they know what vegans are) eat tofu and mushrooms to replace meat?  Well, I must admit, it's kind of true although I personally detest mushrooms and others I know don't eat tofu - go figure.

What Do Vegetarians Eat?

There are two questions I get asked often - "what's the difference between vegan and vegetarian" (you can find the answer on the website The Vegetarian Center) and the other one is "what do vegetarians eat?"

To me the second one seems such a strange question. Do people eat that much meat that they can't think of any of the other ingredients that may be on the plate? My stock reply usually is "everything you eat minus the meat". I've had some come back with "yes, but what else do you have?"

Thank Goodness I'm Vegetarian

As you've probably guessed, I do surf the net a bit and try and ferret out useful information for the FaceBook Page.  I came across this article the other day which I found very disturbing and got me thanking my lucky stars that I'm vegetarian.

Now, I'm not going to relate the article here - you just have to read it yourself….it's not long  Animal Death Toll Ends Cloning Trials   what I am going to do is add my penny's worth.

Amazing Vegan Desserts

Not that long ago I purchased a recipe book (link below on the banner) for vegan desserts.  I've been out to raw food and vegan restaurants that serve up the most scrummy desserts and have often wondered how they did it.  As I'm vegetarian - I still have dairy and eggs so it's easy to get recipes from "normal" cookbooks and they don't phase me.

Meat Vs Vegetarian For Protein

The other day a friend and I were discussing the dairy and meat industry and just how much of an effect it has had on the way we live.

You have to hand it to them that both industries have done such an amazing marketing job over the last few decades that the majority of people actually believe that you have to eat meat to get protein and that you have to have dairy in order to get calcium.

Vegan Supermarket

I came across a little piece the other day on the internet about a vegan supermarket that is opening (probably open by now) in the city of Dortmund, Germany and it got me thinking about our supermarkets in generally.

I look around at the standard supermarkets in my area and it pains me to say that they don't offer anywhere near the variety of foods for vegetarians or vegans.  In this day and age it really is quite disgraceful.  The lack of organic fresh foods. the lack of variety in the meat alternative area not to mention the nonexistence of vegan cheeses, sour creams and other "dairy free" items in the chillers.

Recommending Thai Dining

While my daughter and granddaughter were with me we managed to have a wonderful family get-together.  All the family gathered from both within this country and from overseas and we converged on a small town to a family member who was unable to travel. 

Vegetarian Food for Baby

I've had the last few days with my daughter & granddaughter (who is absolutely delightful, not being biased) and have been having amazing vegetarian and vegan foods.  Cooking is something both my daughter and I love to do so we have come up with some crazy meal combos.

What I have found very interesting is how she is feeding my granddaughter.  Let me put you in the picture…..She is now 11 months old and is still getting her main "food" from nursing but is supplementing with solids at breakfast and dinner and this is what I do find fascinating.

A History Lesson in Vegetarian Diet

I've been reading up a little history that I thought you might be interested in.

It seems that every culture throughout history has used food to prevent and treat illness and promote good health. Apparently the Egyptians used lentils to enlighten the mind and the Greeks and Romans used honey to heal wounds. In China, grains and sprouted beans treated a wide range from constipation to dropsy.

What Made You Become a Vegetarian?

Since becoming a vegetarian I often get asked the question "What made you become a vegetarian?".  This first thing I do is ask them "do you really want to know the answer or are you just asking to make conversation?".  The reaction is usually "no I really do want to know".

This gives me a bit of an idea of how far I can take it.