Sounds like a good title? Okay, because really what I want to talk about is how full of random ideas one's head can get in a day:
Ways to help all the animals in need
How to create a green vegan arcology
Vegan meringue (and I don't even like pie)
What's the best way to introduce vegan concepts to the mainstream public
Which music to use in my next adventure video
The price of polenta
Teaching nutrition without subsidized agricultural bias
Where I want to open vegan bed & breakfasts
Why pescetarians pick on the fishies
What animal my fourth mermaid chapter book is going to focus on
Accidentally ingesting bioluminescent moon jellies while swimming last summer (gave me hives in my mouth)
Rabbit food
Bees
How to test medical advances without animals (or even humans)
...That's just a handful of stuff that crossed my mind while driving back from work...
Without giving away my best ideas, lol, I find I have to keep a note on my phone and multiple Google docs going to list and organize everything. I have many things I want to create to entertain and improve the world. Many of these focus on vegan ideals and how to promote them in ways that will make them commonplace. But wow there's hardly enough time in the day for a shower and coffee sometimes. And right now I'm starved for IRL conversation with another vegan after a day surrounded by mainstream meat-eaters who mean well but make me fear for the future.
As much progress as vegans are making, striving for a more compassionate world, it can be frustrating. Discouraging. Disheartening. What's the best way to influence the most people for the good of all inhabitants on Earth? My brain feels like this toy plane, crammed with blocks and beads and plastic food and a shiny green Lamborghini Huracan... all of it needing to co-exist together peacefully somehow. And none of it should fly, but we have to do it anyway.
I remember the first time I ever watched a SpongeBob SquarePants episode. We were vacationing in Florida and one of the kids got sick. This was 5-6 years ago, shortly before their initiation into streaming Netflix on the iPad. Whatever channels the rental house had, that's what they could watch. Enter SpongeBob into our lives...
"Are you ready kids? Aye, Aye, Captain! Oooooh...
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants! Absorbant and yellow and porous is he... SpongeBob SquarePants! If nautical nonsense be something you wish... SpongeBob SquarePants! Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish! SpongeBob SquarePants! Ready? SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants! SPONGEBOB SQUAREPAAAAAANTS!"
I don't know what it is about SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward and the lot, but it's mindless fun. Gary Takes A Bath is my favorite episode (teleporting snails that meow!) but I also love whenever SpongeBob tries to retake his driver's test at Mrs. Puff's Boating School. Hehe.
So yes, I have made a few SpongeBob lunch bentos over the years.
I should make more when I have the time... and my bento paraphernalia out of storage, hopefully soon!
It's so cliche by now that most vegans roll their eyes. But we've all heard it:
Where do you get your protein?
How do you get enough protein?
I don't feel good unless I eat a lot of protein.
Maybe some people can do it, but *I* NEED to eat meat for the protein.
Adults might be okay, but kids need meat for the protein.
Most of the time, these people aren't interested in facts. They don't seriously want to look at a chart comparing vegan versus animal sources of protein. They don't care that broccoli has more protein per calorie than beef. They don't want to hear about world records in sports being shattered by folks eating plant-based diets.
They do want an excuse to continue eating what tastes good to them. They don't want guilt. They don't want to change their habits. They want to keep doing what they're used to. It's comforting.
This post isn't about how to arm them with knowledge or inspire them to take action to change. This is about what you can say--a few helpful one-liners--to end the conversation on the topic. Because enough with the protein question already!
Shut them down with one of these:
How do the biggest land mammals alive get their protein? Plants.
Which were the biggest dinosaurs ever to inhabit the Earth? Herbivores.
How do the animals that omnivores eat get their protein? Usually plants.
My PBJ on whole wheat bread has more protein than your hamburger.
You need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight... Just walk away while they do the math.
I am a non-traditionalist when it comes to breakfast... if I eat it at all. But I have 4 kids. I know how important breakfast can be for many people. If you don't prefer leftover cold pizza or curry for breakfast like me, there are plenty of quick "normal" options you can create at home with minimal effort. Older kids can make these themselves, freeing you up for coffee, commuting, worrying about work, whining under the blankets, etc...
Cereal - Good old cold cereal can be reasonably healthy if you choose a variety with little or no sugar. Top with fruit, chopped dates, nuts, and your favorite non-dairy milk.
Granola - Personally, I eat granola for dessert at night. But it's tasty and filling in the morning too. Add unsweetened shredded coconut. Or mix it with vegan yogurt.
Quick Oats - If you like oatmeal, quick oats only take 1 minute in the microwave, and they're super cheap, even when buying organic. Add water or non-dairy milk, any add-ins you enjoy, and nuke for 1 minute. Chia seeds, cinnamon, and a blob of jam (stirred in after cooking) are favorites with my kids.
Fruit - Easy peasy. A bowl of melon, fresh berries, a banana or apple. Need extra protein and/or fat to fill you up? Nut butters and shredded coconut work well.
Toast or Bagel - Add nut butter, avocado, Earth Balance, nutritional yeast... use whole grain bread and you've got a hearty meal.
Breakfast Sandwich - Sandwiches are my favorite, for any meal. It's also an easy way to add vegetables and extra protein to the beginning of the day. Mix and match whatever fillings you've got handy.
Breakfast Quesadilla - Two tortillas and some filling in a pan, flip, done.
Tofu Scramble - This needn't be complicated. Break up firm tofu, saute with or without oil in a nonstick pan with a splash of vinegar and herbs and/or greens. In a hurry? Place in a wrap with avocado or greens and take it with you.
Muffins - If you plan ahead, you can grab a muffin from the freezer and let it thaw overnight, or mix up the batter before bed, then pop it in the oven in the morning. Grab and go.
Smoothie - Liquid calories have been proven less filling, but whatever floats your breakfast boat. Smoothies are a portable sweet high-calorie breakfast option. Easily customizable, you can disguise almost anything in one. Get yourself a good blender and keep chopped fruit ready to go in the freezer.
Think outside the box for breakfast, or as I remind my kids (from the 1990 film Pump Up The Volume): "Eat your cereal with a fork, and do your homework in the dark."
Sweating is healthy. Smelling bad... not so much. Body odor is caused by bacteria. Not harmful, but not pleasant either. You can find deodorants that are not also antiperspirants, but you also need to find one made by a company that doesn't test on animals, and preferably isn't packed with a bunch of chemical crap.
And it needs to work.
Luckily, there are many options. With a little trial and error, you can find a simple solution for what works best for you:
Let's face it... once you've been vegan for awhile, you've likely been subjected to an utterly useless conversation with someone attempting to nitpick everything from the source materials of components in your laptop, to bugs accidentally splatting on your windshield as reasons why we can never truly be completely vegan.
Being vegan isn't about being perfect. Veganism is about doing the least harm possible to the best of our abilities. And this isn't the same for everyone, since we all lead different lives in different places with different options. We can all strive for an ideal, but no one of us is perfect.
I was reminded about this subject today while reading 5 Life Traps Surfers Should Avoid on The Inertia. The first piece of advice is not to let surfing rule your life. Some folks say the same about veganism, occasionally straying from veganism where it is convenient to them. But respecting life is not about convenience. And neither is surfing. If you want the best waves, sometimes that means getting up at 5am and driving 2 hours before you'd normally get up so you can still make it to work on time... maybe. And maybe remaining vegan at work means spending extra time in the morning packing your own lunch for that employee appreciation barbecue. How does that saying go? If it's important, we find a way. If it's not, we find excuses.
Both surfing (or bodyboarding and swimming for me) and veganism are lifestyles. Both are concerned with ocean conservancy, the environment, and health. But veganism originates from a moral imperative. I can reluctantly set the ocean aside and do other things, but I can never simply set my vegan morals aside. I feel both internally and externally obligated to cause the least harm possible to all tenants of our world. Once you understand and embrace a vegan lifestyle, you can never go back.
There are other parallels from the article I enjoyed, such as "Don't try to be a surfer." Don't try to be a vegan? This is getting too Yoda... Do or do not, there is no try. Often people new to veganism end up accidentally buying food with whey, or a leather belt, and they become discouraged. Just get up the next day having learned from your experience and make better choices at the next opportunity!
Don't pull back. Really. Don't go back to being vegetarian or flexitarian or pescetarian (what do those terms even mean anyway besides "sort of" caring about a select bunch of animals). Go vegan, stay vegan, and if you need help along the way there are millions of people out there willing to offer support and advice.
Avoiding social media is probably not good advice for a new vegan. It is one of the best ways to find information and encouragement. It is also the best way to feel inadequate. Your dinners don't need to be Zagat-rated museum-worthy creations, your activism needn't contain gruesome slaughterhouse images, and you don't have to live off the grid in a solar-powered yurt to live a green lifestyle.
Do the best you can. Read. Learn new things. Compete only with yourself. You'll never be perfect, and that's okay. That's not what it's all about.
It's Independence Day here in the United States, so I considered doing a depressing post about how fireworks aren't environmentally friendly, plus it's so hard to find out if the magnesium stearate used in them is vegan or not. Fireworks are one of those strange ubiquitous cultural activities that are not worth boycotting... we need to work on finding greener ways to make them so the show can go on.
What else explodes?? Popcorn! And we made some this evening to take with us to watch fireworks. You can pop corn many ways simply using the kernels and popping them yourself. Methods you can use:
Sushi?? That's raw fish! Eeew. Yuck.
Erm, no. The term sushi means "sour-tasting" and actually refers to the vinegared rice. It can be combined with any number of ingredients. There's no reason not to enjoy a variety of vegan sushi!
Unless you are lucky enough to live near a vegan sushi restaurant--yes, they do exist: Superfood Sushi in Sydney, Shizen in San Francisco, and Beyond Sushi in New York City--you just need to know what and how to order. You can, of course, learn to make your own sushi, which is heaps of fun but takes practice. I will definitely be vlogging more about making various types of vegan sushi (even completely raw sushi) once the video portion of this blog commences!
Even at the most traditional sushi establishments in Japan, you can find vegan options. I ate a lot of kappa maki (cucumber rolls) and edamame when I visited Tokyo. Various sprouts, mushrooms, and pickled vegetables can all be included if you know what to ask for.
Last summer, I reviewed one of my favorite Boston sushi establishments, Oishii (which means "delicious" in Japanese). Check it out and you will see not only why Citysearch dubbed it "the best sushi restaurant in America," but how eclectic the vegan options can be at the right restaurant.
What will you find at the average sushi place that is suitable for vegans? Plenty!
Ingredients most folks will recognize may include:
Kappa (cucumber)
Avocado
Oshinko (the Japanese term for pickle, usually you will see pickled daikon radish dyed yellow)
Kanpyo or kampyo (pickled sweet gourd strips)
Sweet potato (if it is tempura battered and deep fried, ask if the batter contains egg white)
Asparagus
Scallion
Burdock root (pickled and often dyed orange)
Spinach
Shiitake mushrooms
Kaiware (radish sprouts)
Inari (fried sweet tofu pockets)
Other ingredients you might encounter:
Shiso leaf
Ume plum paste
Yuba (tofu skin, skimmed off the top when boiling soymilk)
Enoki or Enokitake (thin, white mushrooms)
Natto (slimy, smelly very fermented soybeans)
Menegi (scallion shoots)
Tonburi ("mountain caviar," the dried seed of the summer cypress)
Sushi trains where you can choose pre-made tiny plates of sushi and sides are tons of fun, especially for kids! Don't be shy. Ask about any ingredients you're not sure about. At Wasabi, I was surprised to learn the cilantro pesto garnish was vegan.
What do you need to avoid? There is very little dairy used in Asian cuisine, but there are other things to look out for.
Ask about:
Egg white in tempura batter
Dashi (fish) stock in miso soup, seaweed salad, or oshitashi (blanched spinach)
Bonito (dried fish flakes) in soups or used as a garnish.
Natto made with fish.
Sake make with isinglass.
Mayonnaise! In Australia, I noticed it was frequently used to compliment vegetable maki, spread inside and easy to miss.
Are you new to sushi and unsure about all the little side dishes? Pickled ginger is a delicious condiment, mildly spicy, that is used to cleanse the palate. Wasabi is the green paste similar to horseradish that delivers a real nasal kick. Soy sauce/shoyu/tamari is meant to be used sparingly (do NOT dunk your food in it or soak your maki in it 'til it's dripping).
Sushi can be as diverse as your culinary imagination. Vegan sushi おいしいです !
I was sitting in Starbucks the other evening, as I often do, chatting with the baristas during the only slow part of the day. In walk two women. As they are waiting for their order, Girl A overhears Barista S and I continue our conversation about veganism. The conversation went something like this:
Girl A: "I support eating that way... except for women. Women just need to eat meat."
Barista S shoots me a look like I can't wait to hear how you're gonna handle THAT comment.
Me: "Why do you say that?"
Girl A: "Well, they need more energy. It's so easy to become iron deficient without meat."
Me: "Hmm, I haven't noticed."
Girl A: "After not eating meat for a while, that's just what happens."
Me: "Well, I've eaten a vegan diet for over 20 years. I've had 4 vegan pregnancies and I never once had low iron levels during that time. All 4 kids are vegan too and they're fine. I guess I'm lucky."
Girl A: "I know when I have low energy, meat makes me feel better. I get anemic if I don't eat meat."
Me: "Meat-eaters are as likely to become anemic as vegetarians. Some people absorb iron better than others, often depending on what else they eat."
Girl A: "Or maybe something's wrong with me and I need meat to get enough iron."
Me: (shrugs) "Who knows." (Smiles.)
They took their drinks and went to the tables outside. I was left thinking about the horrible low energy that two decades as a vegan has given me... I definitely didn't have enough energy two weeks ago to participate in a 1-mile memorial swim race, then drive to another state and go on a 2 hour ocean sea cave adventure, then go for an evening swim in the harbor with bioluminescent plankton. Yep. Sucks about vegan food depleting one's energy like that. *massive sarcasm*
So what happens if you are one of those folks who has trouble maintaining adequate iron levels? Sure, once a month I pop an iron pill because I'm female and I have to rebuild a bunch of red blood cells. There are lots of tricks to increase iron absorption, such as eating citrus foods with iron-rich foods, cooking in cast iron cookware, and avoiding manganese and calcium-rich foods when eaten iron-rich foods.
While Popeye's message to eat spinach is generally a healthy one, the high levels of oxalic acid (the cause of that funny feeling you get on your teeth after a meal of spinach or swiss chard) also inhibit absorption. Best to stick to other leafy greens like kale and collards.
Ironically, since this discussion took place in Starbucks, I should have mentioned to them that coffee and tea also block iron absorption. Perhaps, it's time she cut back. Maybe we all should. It's not one of my better habits either!
(Slightly OT: My 8 year old (pictured at left a few years ago picking greens) is composing an email to Starbucks asking them to make recycling available to customers in their stores and/or to switch to compostable plastics.
There is also a new petition at Change.org asking Starbucks to offer vegan food options. Please, consider signing!)
Drink your beer alone. Drink it with food. Drink it with other drinks. But let it be vegan beer.
Why is some beer not vegan?
Obvious ingredients are easy to avoid, like honey and bacon (honestly, I don't know that bacon beer exists, but if there's bacon ice cream, I assume there is bacon beer, or will be very soon). Some beer producers use:
gelatin
isinglass (gelatin from fish)
glycerin (often made of animal tallow instead of vegetables)
casein (dairy protein)
German or Belgian-style beer is more likely to be vegan. Lighter ales are usually vegan.
Your best resource besides the brewery itself is Barnivore. VegNews and PETA have also compiled admirable vegan beer lists. Check out Barnivore's list of mobile drink apps for vegans. For the most up-to-date information, go right to the source, since new craft beers appear on the market all the time, and many are vegan and fabulous. Don't hesitate to contact a brewery to ask; it creates awareness of the rapidly increasing market for vegan products!
