SoulVeggie

Paula Deen's: "Perfect" After School Snack, Y'all

I  hadn't watched the "Food Network" for years and have been able to the past several days (indeed, one of my first posts on this blog was about Emeril, and of course, he's not getting any better... disturbing to see people cheering when he now puts a 1 cup or so of olive oil on highly nutritional microgreens).

Anyway, it's been a mixed blessing.  Some neat ideas, but mostly an amazing array of unhealthy meat, dairy, and fatty food being touted as 'good cooking.'  Tonight I happened to catch the tail-end of an episode of "Paula's Home Cooking."  Paula Deen is a rotund fat/sugar/salt aficionado "chef" who specializes in "southern cooking" (y'know, from where the highest percentage of very obese Americans live, the South), as well as saying "y'all" as often as she can.

Normally I wouldn't bother blogging about Ms. Deen (too easy, obvious that her meals are nutritional roadkill), but I'll make an exception tonight.  She was making "healthy and perfect after school snacks" for children.  I caught the last one.  The Pretzel Peanut Bark.  She called it the "perfect snack" twice.   It's white chocolate, salted pretzel sticks, and salted roasted peanuts.  I did a quick ballpark estimate of the nutritional profile PER ONE SERVING:

• 1733 mg of sodium (two-thirds of what the American Heart Association says an ADULT should have per day)
• 46. g of fat (two-thirds the American Heart Association says an ADULT should have per day)
• 50.2 g of sugar (the American Heart Association recommends no more than 37.5 grams for an ADULT per day)

Unbelievable.  It's a dietary disaster for an adult, how much more for a child?  And she called this the perfect after school snack.  Ironic too, is that all the snacks she demonstrated making in this episode were spread out on a table in front of TOWERING LARGE PLATE OF FRESH BEAUTIFUL FRUITS.  In reality, the PERFECT snacks were the fruits put there as eye candy.

"Paula's Home Cooking" indeed.  Perfect for getting you later put into a home for any number of diet-related disorders, and a "perfect" way to get kids even more addicted to fat, sugar, and salt, than they already are (where by genetics or environment).  Forget taxing sodas.  Take a percentage of her profits from her various interests and give it to children's nutritional awareness programs.  They'll need all the help they can get if their parents buy into Paula's nonsense... y'all.

10 Thanksgiving Survival Tips for Vegans

[Note:  this is a re-post of a popular post I did a year ago.  This one's for you V.!]

"I thought it might be fun to put together a quick ad hoc list of some of the "survival tips" that have served me well when faced with attending a Thanksgiving Dinner with carnivorous family and/or friends.  I take no responsibility as to whether these will or will not work for anyone in particular as they are based upon my own experiences.  Use them wisely...

1.  BRING VEGAN FOOD:  often people will tell you it's not necessary to bring anything, but I've found it's best to ignore that advice and bring one, preferable at least two vegan dishes.  It's best (and safest) to have made them once before, unless you are very skilled in the kitchen.  I think it's rare that anyone would turn you away at the front door for bringing food!  Find out if you can bring a big salad (with fresh veggies and a fine no-fat dressing).  Find out if there's something you can bring veganized.  If nothing else, you'll look less conspicuous with a full plate than one with some crudite sans dressing and limp greens.  Don't have a recipe?  Use the GOOGLE, Luke.

2.  BRING FOOD THAT DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO MIMIC MEAT:  with the possible exception of "Gimme Lean Sausage" for making a stuffing (it's really close to that ground up dead spiced pig taste and texture),  I've found that bringing meat analogues (particularly that odious and overpriced "Tofurkey") invites people to miss the point.  They focus on contrasting the "fake" meat with the real, instead of relishing the intermix of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains.  If fellow guests are a bit more veg'n friendly than most, maybe seitan or tofu done right (gravy counts), but think that out carefully.  I tend to think that incorporated IN a dish rather than as "steaks" or the like is more likely to be accepted.  Mom couldn't handle the TVP chunks in an entree I brought once (but then, I pointed them out to her in advance... bad move).  Try to define yourself, if asked, by the incredible variety of nature's bounty that you will eat rather than that which you won't.

3.  BRING A CROCKPOT DISH:  soup, entree, or better yet, dessert (if you've not already made something).  The beauty of the crockpot is that it's easy to prepare something, travels well, and in case the oven and burners are already used up in your target location, you can always find a plug (I usually bring a power strip or extension cord), and serve FROM the crockpot.  Winter Squash Bisque, Tofu/Artichoke Spread ("No-Cheese Cookbook," Stepaniak), Apple Brown Betty, Fruit Cobbler --- examples of very easy and effective crockpot foods.

4.  BRING SUBTLETY:  resist the temptation to proudly proclaim that the food you bring is "no-added fat vegan."  They will probably already know you are vegan, and it's more fun when sometimes, after sampling your wares, they say, astonished:  "Hey!  This is good... is this vegan?"  I'm more inclined to live with "added fat vegan food" at a holiday gathering if someone has been thoughtful enough to at least make something vegan.  Let's face it:  to many vegan is radical, a "no added fat" vegan could easily cause conceptual brain seizures. Now, if I had heart disease or diabetes, I would let the main host know in advance, and have a short concise explanation as to why I won't eat "added fat" vegan ready to use when asked.  It's also usually pretty obvious as to what has dairy in it, but eggs are a bit more devious when it comes to bread.  I tend to go situation dependent:  if things are hectic, I'll either skip the debatable food product or have a very small helping.  If things are a bit more laid back, I would have already asked, in the kitchen, what's vegan and what's not (esp. if chicken broth is used invisibly).  Doing this at the dinner table can easily (and rightly so) be seen as rude and draws the wrong kind of attention.

5.  BRING BREAD:  if you've mastered making bread, especially with a bread machine, time a 2 lb. loaf to finish close to when you leave (if by car).  People ALWAYS like homemade whole grain bread (I often make a no-added fat spread like hummus or something more holidayish to facilitate slathering onto bread slices).  Vegan cookies are also a winner.

6.  BRING A BEVERAGE:  alcoholic or not, it's always a sign of good etiquette.  Also:  I always have a few caffeine and no-caffeine herbal teas in my computer bag, jacket, or pocket.  It's rare that you can't get hot water!  Vegan egg nog in a crockpot is a show-stopper, made easier these days with Silk Soy Egg Nog (and recipes for making it from scratch on the Web).

7.  BRING SOME PREPARED EXPLANATIONS & WEBSITE ADDRESSES:  memorize a short 30 second and longer 2 minute explanation, that's not insulting or derogatory, as to why you are vegan.  Voice the first ONLY if/when asked "why are you vegan?"  As Howard Lyman, aka, The Mad Cowboy" puts it:  that's your 30 second window of opportunity when they are paying attention.  Sometimes family members or friends will express interest in learning more about your diet.  In my case, I might write down my soulveggie blog, www.fatfreevegan.com, www.goveg.com, www.madcowboy.com, www.pcrm.org, and www.vegblogs.com, as starting points for learning "why" and "how."

8. BRING A SENSE OF HUMOR:  preferably self-deprecating... if teased, laugh... use that disarming smile... if the situation is particularly mellow, you might risk teasing back, but BE CAREFUL.  Often it's okay to tease the vegans, but not the reverse (people tend to rationalize, feel defensive, or guilty).  During one Thanksgiving my father was confused that I was drinking wine during dinner.  I lightened the moment by saying, "whoops...  I better go call the Vegan Guru and double-check!"  Then I mentioned something about great vegan margaritas.  I've also made jokes about "hunting down" wild vegetables, the danger of dealing with a rabid block of tofu in a soybean field, and that I'm not completely vegan:  do you realize how many bacteria are dying in my gut as we speak?

9. BRING UNDERSTANDING, A POLITE ATTITUDE, & (if necessary) SILENCE:  trying to convert carnivores to veganism at Thanksgiving is like trying to talk people into joining AA at a beer or wine-tasting party --- akin to "spitting in the wind" and just torques people for no justifiable reason.  Exclaiming "ewwww, how gross" loudly when being offered a drumstick isn't necessary or particularly useful.  The same probably holds true for throwing tomato sauce or catsup on Great-Grandma Pearl's mink sweater or yelling out:  "I can't believe you all are eating slabs of a giant dead mutant bird's corpse with it's organs minced and sauteed delicately in gravy as a topping!"  Bonus tip: an in depth discussion of pus cell counts in milk and cheese might get you shot by a blunderbuss or tossed out into the snow.

10.  BRING COMPASSION & LOVE:  these are family and/or friends.  This is a festive gathering, not a lecture on animal rights, diet and heart disease, or environmental degradation.  Focus on the good in the people there and not what they eat or what they wear.  Focus on setting and being an example.  Like it or not, you will be seen as representative of vegans everywhere, and if you misbehave, unfortunately (if not unfairly), it reflects on all of us.  I've converted more people to veg'nism by setting an example than by proselytizing, and I suspect its more effective in the long term (and takes less emotional energy).  A loving, thankful, thoughtful, understanding, giving, and happy vegan will accomplish more than an arrogant sanctimonious obnoxious know-it-all malcontent.

Having been both, I prefer the former.  That's the "me" I want remembered.  Here's my "Thanksgiving 2005" Post where I think I really started to catch-on to the best way to approach these events.  Enjoy.

...and a "Happy Vegan Holidaze" to all!  Mark

@2008 by Mark Sutton... if used elsewhere, please credit me and my blog.  Thanks!"

1.  BRING VEGAN FOOD:  often people will tell you it's not necessary to bring anything, but I've found it's best to ignore that advice and bring one, preferable at least two vegan dishes.  It's best (and safest) to have made them once before, unless you are very skilled in the kitchen.  I think it's rare that anyone would turn you away at the front door for bringing food!  Find out if you can bring a big salad (with fresh veggies and a fine no-fat dressing).  Find out if there's something you can bring veganized.  If nothing else, you'll look less conspicuous with a full plate than one with some crudite sans dressing and limp greens.  Don't have a recipe?  Use the GOOGLE, Luke.

2.  BRING FOOD THAT DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO MIMIC MEAT:  with the possible exception of "Gimme Lean Sausage" for making a stuffing (it's really close to that ground up dead spiced pig taste and texture),  I've found that bringing meat analogues (particularly that odious and overpriced "Tofurkey") invites people to miss the point.  They focus on contrasting the "fake" meat with the real, instead of relishing the intermix of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains.  If fellow guests are a bit more veg'n friendly than most, maybe seitan or tofu done right (gravy counts), but think that out carefully.  I tend to think that incorporated IN a dish rather than as "steaks" or the like is more likely to be accepted.  Mom couldn't handle the TVP chunks in an entree I brought once (but then, I pointed them out to her in advance... bad move).  Try to define yourself, if asked, by the incredible variety of nature's bounty that you will eat rather than that which you won't.

3.  BRING A CROCKPOT DISH:  soup, entree, or better yet, dessert (if you've not already made something).  The beauty of the crockpot is that it's easy to prepare something, travels well, and in case the oven and burners are already used up in your target location, you can always find a plug (I usually bring a power strip or extension cord), and serve FROM the crockpot.  Winter Squash Bisque, Tofu/Artichoke Spread ("No-Cheese Cookbook," Stepaniak), Apple Brown Betty, Fruit Cobbler --- examples of very easy and effective crockpot foods.

4.  BRING SUBTLETY:  resist the temptation to proudly proclaim that the food you bring is "no-added fat vegan."  They will probably already know you are vegan, and it's more fun when sometimes, after sampling your wares, they say, astonished:  "Hey!  This is good... is this vegan?"  I'm more inclined to live with "added fat vegan food" at a holiday gathering if someone has been thoughtful enough to at least make something vegan.  Let's face it:  to many vegan is radical, a "no added fat" vegan could easily cause conceptual brain seizures. Now, if I had heart disease or diabetes, I would let the main host know in advance, and have a short concise explanation as to why I won't eat "added fat" vegan ready to use when asked.  It's also usually pretty obvious as to what has dairy in it, but eggs are a bit more devious when it comes to bread.  I tend to go situation dependent:  if things are hectic, I'll either skip the debatable food product or have a very small helping.  If things are a bit more laid back, I would have already asked, in the kitchen, what's vegan and what's not (esp. if chicken broth is used invisibly).  Doing this at the dinner table can easily (and rightly so) be seen as rude and draws the wrong kind of attention.

5.  BRING BREAD:  if you've mastered making bread, especially with a bread machine, time a 2 lb. loaf to finish close to when you leave (if by car).  People ALWAYS like homemade whole grain bread (I often make a no-added fat spread like hummus or something more holidayish to facilitate slathering onto bread slices).  Vegan cookies are also a winner.

6.  BRING A BEVERAGE:  alcoholic or not, it's always a sign of good etiquette.  Also:  I always have a few caffeine and no-caffeine herbal teas in my computer bag, jacket, or pocket.  It's rare that you can't get hot water!  Vegan egg nog in a crockpot is a show-stopper, made easier these days with Silk Soy Egg Nog (and recipes for making it from scratch on the Web).

7.  BRING SOME PREPARED EXPLANATIONS & WEBSITE ADDRESSES:  memorize a short 30 second and longer 2 minute explanation, that's not insulting or derogatory, as to why you are vegan.  Voice the first ONLY if/when asked "why are you vegan?"  As Howard Lyman, aka, The Mad Cowboy" puts it:  that's your 30 second window of opportunity when they are paying attention.  Sometimes family members or friends will express interest in learning more about your diet.  In my case, I might write down my soulveggie blog, www.fatfreevegan.com, www.goveg.com, www.madcowboy.com, www.pcrm.org, and www.vegblogs.com, as starting points for learning "why" and "how."

8. BRING A SENSE OF HUMOR:  preferably self-deprecating... if teased, laugh... use that disarming smile... if the situation is particularly mellow, you might risk teasing back, but BE CAREFUL.  Often it's okay to tease the vegans, but not the reverse (people tend to rationalize, feel defensive, or guilty).  During one Thanksgiving my father was confused that I was drinking wine during dinner.  I lightened the moment by saying, "whoops...  I better go call the Vegan Guru and double-check!"  Then I mentioned something about great vegan margaritas.  I've also made jokes about "hunting down" wild vegetables, the danger of dealing with a rabid block of tofu in a soybean field, and that I'm not completely vegan:  do you realize how many bacteria are dying in my gut as we speak?

9. BRING UNDERSTANDING, A POLITE ATTITUDE, & (if necessary) SILENCE:  trying to convert carnivores to veganism at Thanksgiving is like trying to talk people into joining AA at a beer or wine-tasting party --- akin to "spitting in the wind" and just torques people for no justifiable reason.  Exclaiming "ewwww, how gross" loudly when being offered a drumstick isn't necessary or particularly useful.  The same probably holds true for throwing tomato sauce or catsup on Great-Grandma Pearl's mink sweater or yelling out:  "I can't believe you all are eating slabs of a giant dead mutant bird's corpse with it's organs minced and sauteed delicately in gravy as a topping!"  Bonus tip: an in depth discussion of pus cell counts in milk and cheese might get you shot by a blunderbuss or tossed out into the snow.

10.  BRING COMPASSION & LOVE:  these are family and/or friends.  This is a festive gathering, not a lecture on animal rights, diet and heart disease, or environmental degradation.  Focus on the good in the people there and not what they eat or what they wear.  Focus on setting and being an example.  Like it or not, you will be seen as representative of vegans everywhere, and if you misbehave, unfortunately (if not unfairly), it reflects on all of us.  I've converted more people to veg'nism by setting an example than by proselytizing, and I suspect its more effective in the long term (and takes less emotional energy).  A loving, thankful, thoughtful, understanding, giving, and happy vegan will accomplish more than an arrogant sanctimonious obnoxious know-it-all malcontent.

Having been both, I prefer the former.  That's the "me" I want remembered.  Here's my "Thanksgiving 2005" Post where I think I really started to catch-on to the best way to approach these events.  Enjoy.

...and a "Happy Vegan Holidaze" to all!  Mark

@2008 by Mark Sutton... if used elsewhere, please credit me and my blog.  Thanks!"

Consciously Deep-Fried Butter @ The State Fair of Texas

The Award-winning Deep-fried Butter (article), (award) was not a surprise (I lived in Dallas).  But it's not much worse than the "Conscious Chef" recipe I evaluated in my previous post.  To wit:

• Let's assume a stick of butter is cut-up, breaded, and deep-fried for the Texas State Fair award-winning appetizer.
• The self-proclaimed "Conscious Chef" (noted in my previous post) fries a breaded meat sub in oil, fries udon noodles in oil (and drizzles oil over them), and then uses 1/2 cup of Earth Balance to make a mushroom sauce.
• Here's the revelation:  that 1/2 cup of Earth Balance, in fat grams, is the same as 1 stick of butter.

CONCLUSION:  the "Conscious Chef" has created a gourmet vegan entree (minus as much, but still high saturated fat), that is pretty much (or more) as totally fatty and unhealthy as the Texas State Fair's Award-Winning "deep-fried butter."  He's using, amongst the other fat additions,  the equivalent of well over a STICK of butter, in terms of fat grams, for his "beautiful and filling" vegan entree.

Wow.  Both recipes are creative ways to insult your cardiovascular system and promote gawd knows what other physical ailments.

It's ironic that we laugh at the "deep fried butter," and praise the intrepid vegan chef's work, when in fact, both attempts are pretty much similar in being nutritionally blasphemous to our bodies when ingested.  At least the vegan chef is honest enough to admit that to him, "fat is flavor."  Yet, both "chefs" know full well it's a taste addiction.  "Frying the butter" versus "frying in butter" is of minimal differential.  Both cater to taste addication.

How "conscious," and more important, healthy, is this?  Why is it that a vegan chef's recipe is, in terms of fat, pretty much as bad as a State Fair's Award-winning "Deep-fried Butter" and still promoted on a popular vegan blog?  Are we so desperate as to be excited about some vegan recipe or a Chef getting Oprah-attention that we ignore evaluating the recipe or body of work from nutritional criteria just 'cause we're so happy to see something vegan?  Too simplistic and narrow-minded.  We must do better than this.

Ultimately, imho, "Moderation kills" (Esselstyn, Campbell, and McDougall).  Going vegan isn't the answer, but going very low-fat vegan, and re-calibrating your fat receptors, is.  Let's stop praising recipes just because they are vegan, and instead, extoll them because they are both vegan AND healthy.

Let's be truly "discriminating."

The Unconscious Cook & "Fat Equals Flavor"

Vegan Chef Tal Ronnen is "known for his convincing Oprah to try going vegan," but when a fav vegan blogger posted a video cooking recipe of his, I was stunned to learn more about his approach to vegan cooking.  An excerpt from the blog post:

"Tal Ronnen, the notorious chef that got Oprah to [try to] go vegan [and failed], shares his enticing, unexpected vegan dishes with everyone who relishes eating beautiful, flavorful, and filling food. In the Conscious Cook every recipe delivers on his promise to omnivores and foodies: “You won’t miss the meat.”" [but the added fat will still mess with your cardiovascular system]

Okay, I decided to check out Tal's video for "Chicken Scaloppini."  I won't embed it on my blog.  It's horrendous and I can't justify promoting his cooking and attitude. I've check out some of his recipes on Oprah's blog... bleech...  But here's the YouTube link cited by The D.B. and then my ad hoc comments/observations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9A3ahO_t_8 

Here's some comments and quotes about/from the video:

First of all, he's using Gardein Chicken Fillets, and I won't fault him for the ridiculous expense of spending $4 to $5 for 2.5 oz. of 11 grams of protein per serving (hell, you could get 4 lbs. of lentils or 3 lbs. of tofu for the same price).  See this post for more on protein issues.

Okay, in the video, he dredges the cutlets in flour, and FRIES them in OIL (fat).  Is excited that he can "cook it like a traditional protein."  Ignoring that there are many vegetable and grain sources of protein that don't need to be dealt with like "meat."  Figure at least two TBL of oil (probably more):  24 grams of fat.  It's so clever!  He's doing all the same things he would have done if the "protein" was "veal" or "chicken."

He makes a mushroom sauce.  About a half cup of Earth Balance processed goop is added (judging from the video, he doesn't say how much).  That's about 88 grams of fat.

We're already at a total of an estimated 112 grams of fat for a 4 serving dish.  He praises Earth Balance (which is essentially pure fat, and not a real food):

"A lot healthier than butter or margarine."  [not a helluva lot if you consider heart disease]

Then, in a classic moment, justifies using it:

"Fat equals flavor."  [what a narrow and addicted perspective... you are a slave to your taste for fat and probably oblivious of what even the conservative Feds say about fat ingestion and heart disease, diabetes, and obesity]

Fries the udon noodle cakes.  In oil.  Pouring oil over them.  Add another 2 TBL of oil here (I'm being kind):  24 grams of fat.  Running total:  136 grams of fat.  Then, this amazing statement, that tells me he has no idea as to what a healthy vegan diet is:

"Traditionally, people have focussed on creating low-fat vegetarian food.  And, ah, fat does equal a lot of flavor... so I've kinda taken the other approach in using really good and healthy fats.  So if you focus on the "center of plate protein" have have some really good fat, you have a vegetarian dish that is more fullfilling than something you might have eaten in the 70s, like a plate of steamed vegetables and a sandwich with hummus and sprouts, or something like that.  Hippie Food."

The chef is dietarily clueless.  I'm guessing around 30+ grams of unnecessary added fat per serving of his dish, which is ONE HALF of the total daily fat recommended by the Feds for a single person, and over 100 % of what Essy, Ornish, et. al. (the guys who reversed heart disease)  recommend is where's this is at.  Is "fulfilling" more important than promoting degenerative diseases via excessive fat consumption?

"Fat equals flavor?"  Tal says this a couple of times in the video. Even the American Heart Association would be disturbed by his attitude and approach.  And Esselstyn has shown you can lose your taste for fat.

Is Tal really that blind regarding consuming fat and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and Altzheimer's?  The fat grams in his single dish are amazing...  But then, even ONE fatty meal messes with your blood vessels for over six hours.  The Discriminating Brute was so "discriminate" as to note that "Chef Tal" is known for his beautiful, flavorful, and filling food (at least the word "healthy" wasn't erroneously slipped in there).

Hell, I'd definitely go with (and relish) the "hummus and sprouts" sandwich and steamed vegetables he dismisses in the video as "hippie food" before eating his excessive heart-attack special added fat-ladden fried entree.  The "protein-centric" view he speaks of is also so retro and, with all due respect, nutritionally myopic.  No wonder Oprah went "off the vegan wagon" if this guy was advising her.  Hardly a whole foods and systems approach to diet.  "Fat equals flavor?"  What a shallow perspective of food preparation.

Fatty non-vegan recipes substituted with a "vegan meat" but still, with all the added fat, imho, are not any kind of achievement to praise.  The addiction continues.   Not really an impressive or "conscious" or "discriminating" concept.  Substituting a meat analog while continuing the excessive use of added oils common in "high end culinary cooking" is harding an advancement in health.  It's "unconscious" of dietary reality.  We're killing ourselves via added fat, sugar, and salt.  Tal's vegan recipe is pretty much as unhealthy as the non-vegan equivalent.

IMHO, a "conscious cook" would take the "health characteristics" of a meal into consideration and act accordingly.  Stop with the added oil and the dellusion that "fat adds flavor."  That's akin to saying to an alcoholic that "vodka adds life."  People are addicted to the taste of fat, salt, and sugar, and that's irrespective of their being vegan or not.  Don't cater to it.  Help them get past this... learn the subtleties of taste and flavor that are beyond gross fat... that would be conscious, compassionate, AND creative.  Not to mention, healthy.

False Energizing (Day One)

A "vegan" blogger has been writing a series on "energizing meals and foods" and I thought it would be interesting to do a fat analysis of the recipes for DAY ONE.  I can't give you a direct link (she's so proud of her work she blocks me from linking to her from here), but here's the address:

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/09/foods-for-your-mood-series-part-two.html

Now, IGNORING dessert and sugar or salt content, here's the nutritional breakdown (all per one serving and approximate):

"Upon Rising: Handful of raw cashews and glass of tea or fresh juice:  2 oz (quarter cup): 

24 grams of fat

Breakfast: Super Enzyme Banana Pineapple Smoothie with protein powder added or 1-2 vegan sausage patties for protein:  assume ONE patty (Morningstar): 

3 grams of fat

Mid-Morning Snack: Pop Quiz Toast-Ups (any nut butter and fruit combo)  (all the spreads are high in fat:  assume 1 T): 

12 grams of fat

Lunch: Fennel Arugula Citrus Salad with 1 cup of edamame soy beans and sunflower seeds added (slice of sprouted grain bread optional) --- didn't add up soy beans and sunflower seeds:

8 grams of fat (for avocado)
12 grams of fat (olive oil)
4.5 gram of fat (1/2 T of vegannaise)

Afternoon Snack: "My Glass is Greener" Green Juice (add some ambrosia-style trail mix if extra hungry)  --- I'm ignoring the trail mix, might be fried in oil, the nuts are fatty, but overall, this is insignificant with what will clearly be an amazing amount of fat per person.

Dinner: Sweet Potato Mash with Lemon Pepper Tempeh Cubes side of Crunchy Cool Jicama Slaw

12 grams of fat (olive oil, one serving)
18 grams of fat (1/2 tempeh block, assume a cup)

3 grams of fat (olive oil, one serving)
4 grams of fat (vegannaise)

Bedtime Munchie: One Nutty Peanut Butter Brown Cookie

Ignoring "bedtime munchie," my ad hoc analysis shows that in DAY ONE, the recommended "ENERGIZING" menu of recipes easily exceeds 100 GRAMS OF FAT for one person.

The Feds recommend no more than 60 grams of fat per day on a 2,000 calorie diet, Esselstyn and Ornish recommend 14 to 26 grams of fat per day.

This vegan menu, under the delusion that it's "energizing," for one person, has almost 2 times the daily recommended fat from the Feds, and roughly FIVE times recommended by the guys who demonstratively reversed heart disease.

Energizing?  It's a fat-ladden monstronsity, and, imho, ill-advised. Certainly NOT "healthy and happy" unless you want "happy healthy" heart disease, obesity, and a host of other physical ailments.

From the menu creator:

"Foods for Your Mood: Energizing Menus.
*Note that this is an example diet of how I eat for energy, your dietary needs may vary so always consult with your own doctor or dietitian."

Nuts... you don't need to consult anyone.  Just do a basic nutritional breakdown using Google's Search engine.  The fat facts don't lie.  "Dietary needs might vary?" Sure, someone out there needs twice the daily fat the Feds recommend, so it's okay.

Can't wait to check out "Day Two" if I've the stomach for it.  Probably not.

Homestyle Heart Attack Pot Pie & A Healthy Alternative

Just glommed a vegan "healthy happy Homestyle Tofu Pot Pie" recipe blogged (at http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/)  yesterday.  As busy as I am (harvesting, digging, fencing, etc.), a quick "fat fact check" on this "killer" recipe was in order.  Here's the ingredients with significant fat in them:

1/4 cup oil:  8 grams sat fat or 48 gram fat
1 block (10 oz) extra firm tofu:  about 13 grams fat
4 T olive oil:  8 grams sat fat or 48 gram fat
1 cup full-fat soy milk:  .5 grams sat fat or 4 grams fat
3 T vegenaise:  3 grams sat fat or 27 grams fat

Total:  140 grams of fat  (around 20 grams of saturated fat).

At 4 servings (avg. for a 9" pot pie):  that's at least 35 grams of fat PER SERVING.  Unbelievable.  Remember, the entire Denny's Grand Slam breakfast is around 50 grams of fat (14 grams saturated).  This recipe has, per serving, has about 2/3rds the TOTAL fat content of the entire Grand Slam Breakfast.

Why does this matter?  Well, the guys who've reversed (and in theory, prevent) heart disease (Esselstyn & Ornish), and Barnard (who's reversed Type II diabetes with diet) recommend 14 to 20 grams of fat total PER DAY.  The Feds recommend around 60 grams of fat per (25% of a 2,000 calorie a day diet).  So, that tofu pot pie has over half the daily fat recommended by the Feds in ONE serving or over 1 1/2 times the recommended fat by the three good doctors on the high end.

You can read about the amazing impact just ONE high fat meal can have on your cardiovascular system, for 6 hours, here (courtesy Rip Esselstyn, vegan firefighter).

Please be kind to your cardiovascular system and pancreas.  Avoid the "Homestyle Heart Attack Pot Pie" and instead, try this neat and clever "Savory Swiss Chard Pie" from the always amazing Susan Voisin:
(http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/06/savory-swiss-chard-pie.html)

... it's a fine low-fat vegan pot pie (you could easily use other vegetables), it has less than 3 grams of fat per serving (the tofu pot pie has over 10 times that per serving), and significantly less saturated fat.

Now that's a Happy Heart-Healthy Recipe for a Longer Life!

[ADDENDUM:  08/09/09:  2300 est.:  It's amazing.... said blogger above just bashed a recipe (http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/08/my-review-of-melissas-ten-dollar.html -- Kathy's so proud of her posts that she prevents my blog from linking to them) from some cable food network show as being unhealthy, too fatty, etc.  Surprisingly enough, the per serving of the the torte recipe she complained about (35 grams of fat) is the SAME amount of fat grams per serving of the recipe for "Homestyle Tofu Pot Pie" she posted yesterday.

That blogger also seems to still think that "saturated fat" is the only significant issue regarding health.  For a read on issues about fat, check out a previous post I made summarizing the issues:

http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/01/15-reasons-to-avoid-vegetable-oils.html

I do think that if one is going to come down on a recipe for having too much fat, then you probably, from a credibility standpoint, shouldn't post a recipe with the same numbers the day before.  That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

Furthermore, we need to realize, even as vegans, that added oil/fat is wrong, and it's not food... real food... the sooner we get past this taste addiction, the better.  You can have it as a vegan or non-vegan, and that's what altogether too many vegans don't realize.'  But, despite what some people say, you CAN "reset" your taste receptors to not desire fat if you want to.  It takes several weeks, been there, done that.

It works, and will help keep your heart working, too.

"Fish is Healthy" & Dietary Enabling

A vegan blogger, with a several hundred Twits following, in posting recipes for non-vegan relatives asserted today that "Fish is Healthy." (Kathy's so proud of her posts she won't let me link to them directly.  Here's the address: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/04/cooking-for-your-not-vegan-family-4.html)

  WTF?  Suggesting sliced dead animal parts and cheese for sandwiches as part of showing love to non-vegan relatives I can live with (barely, I could write pages about this), but how can someone make that statement about fish?  The problems with fish, from solely a health standpoint, as noted by a number of articles and studies by researchers, are readily apparent when you consider, minimally, pesticides and environmental pollution.  Takes nothing but a quick "web search" to learn a few things of import.

So, here's a link to an article by Dr. McDougall that does an excellent job of summarizing the issues regarding fish.  It's a good read and lays it all out in detail.  Fish is not healthy nor advisable for human consumption for many reasons.  My post awhile back on "Pescavegetarianism" provides more.

But, I do take real offense to a vegan posting that "fish is healthy," because I fear that altogether too many people who believe too much in the veracity of posts on that blog might actually, without a little research or thinking, buy into another erroneous "wellness, healthy and happy" nutritional pronouncement (especially coming from a vegan).  This is more significant than the usual overstatements posted as the statement lends credence to a major dietary myth.

In general, I believe that we, as bloggers, have a real responsibility to provide accurate information that can be checked by any of our readers, not mindlessly parrot generalities and urban or marketing myths we read elsewhere.  That way, our readers can make intelligent choices.  I'm astounded at the amount of nutritional BS that's being posted on so many food-related blogs with no real substantiation. Issues regarding what we put into our bodies, imho, demand more accountability, especially if we are claiming certain "nutritional attributes" to any given product or food. 

The focus of many bloggers primarily on taste to the exclusion of what's inside the stuff being reviewed or promoted, is biologically myopic... drops those who do so onto the same perceptual level as them who claim that "Milk Does A Body Good" and agree with McDonald's, "I'm Loving It."  Ponder the following:  if we didn't think beyond taste or silly corporate health hype to begin with, and do some research to figure out the truth, we wouldn't be vegans, would we?  Should we stop questioning what we are told or read just because the blogger is "vegan" or a company says it's "natural"?

Finally, as a personal, situational "what works for me" side note:  dietary enabling isn't necessarily love and understanding.  I've been more effective by impressing relatives with tasty healthy VEGAN food as a matter of course and example (that I've researched as being healthy), and not waffling or appearing insincere in my beliefs by serving them something I intrinsically believe might negatively effect their health, and/or life.  They can get that elsewhere if they need it.  I won't be the pusher.

...and that's "lovin' them."

Vegan Before Dinnertime (article/audio interview)

"In his newest book, “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating With More Than 75 Recipes,” Mark explains how increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and reducing dependence on processed foods will lead to better health not only for your body, but also for the planet...

"My arrangement with myself is that from the time I wake up until dinner I eat only fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. I don’t even eat white bread during the day. And then starting at dinner, I do. I have one meal a day when I do pretty much what I want, which is normally quite indulgent."

Mark made the changes after developing high cholesterol, borderline high blood sugar, bad knees and sleep apnea, and realizing he was about 35 pounds overweight. A doctor suggested he adopt a vegan diet, which means no animal products. But for a food writer, Mark said, becoming a full-time vegan was both unrealistic and undesirable [yeah, right]. Instead, he came up with a compromise:

"I decided to do this sort of “vegan till 6” plan. I didn’t have huge thoughts or plans about it. I just thought it was worth a try. Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal … and my sleep apnea indeed went away. All these good things happened, and it wasn’t as if I was suffering so I stayed with it…."

Mark says he’s not trying to promote a particular diet, but does want people to realize that a simple evaluation of your diet can lead to meaningful changes."

[On the one hand, it's great that someone as well-known, listened to, and celebrated as Bittman is recognizing the importance of diet, the environment, and your health.  On the other hand, I do think it's a bit of a cop-out to be a dietary vegan for 12 hours a day, and gourge on multiple meats/fats the next six hours (I've heard about some of his meals from various interviews).  Overall, probably positive in making more people think.

Especially in view of what some vegans are eating.  A self-proclaimed "heath guru" vegan cook recently posted a choc-starwberry birthday cake recipe creating a 2 layer killer with 10 servings (according to dessert vendors), each of which has a full day's worth of fat a la Esselstyn: over 15 grams.

But, surprisingly even worse, was a post from a college student this week (excited to make it "soy and gluten-free"), who (while praising her) took a classic Joanne Stepaniak recipe for unprocessed cheese sauce, with 1 gram of fat per serving, eliminated the small amount of tofu, added 1/3 cup of canola oil, 1/3 cup of cashews, and essentially made each serving around 24 times fattier (yup, an incredible 24 grams of fat per serving).  That's way over Essy's recommendations AND over 1/3 what the Feds recommend per day.  One serving... megayuck...

Perhaps Bittman's advice about a "simple evaluation of your diet" leading to "meaningful changes" is something many vegan cooks should seriously consider for their own long-term health.  Added fat kills.

Full article here (with link to audio interview) and below.]

Voice for Vegans: FatfreeVegan's Voisin

Susan's been at it longer on the web for veganism  than just about anyone.  Here's an article about Susan, her prolific and creative FatFree Vegan Blog, the amazing (and recipe searchable) FatFreeVegan.com, and a cool quinoa-based recipe.  Many congratulations to Susan for getting some of the recognition she so much deserves for being so ahead of the curve with her tireless efforts.  Let's hope that many more in the vegan community finally pay attention to pioneers like Susan, McDougall, Esselstyn, and Ornish, who have shown how and why it can be done, and stop risking their health by blindly and needlessly adding fat to what are otherwise wholesome meals.  Enjoy reading about Susan and be inspired!

"Susan Voisin's Jackson dining room may now be her office, photography studio and in-house props storage facility, but the focus remains on food.  Not all food. Just what fits in the scope of her vegan diet - a personal and increasingly professional pursuit.  What started as a hobby and a service has grown into a bread-and-nut-butter (in limited quantities) blogging business, sharing her kitchen creations with fellow readers who eschew meat and animal products, and even some who don't.

Voisin began her Web site, www.fatfreevegan.com, in 2003 and her blog, www.blog.fatfreevegan. com followed three years later. Mentions in magazines Vegetarian Times and VegNews helped swell her readership and in 2007, hers was voted the most popular blog by VegNews readers. Last summer, she was a guest chef at the McDougall Health and Medical Center in Santa Rosa, Calif.  For the past year and a half, SusanV, as she's known on her blog, has made a living at it. She has about 125,000 visitors a month, who check in for her latest low-fat vegan recipes and commentary.

"The cutoff is no added oils or margarine or anything like that, and low on other fats, such as nuts and seeds," Voisin says of her recipes. "I do use a little bit of peanut butter and other nut butters and nuts themselves, but no oils at all."

[Full article here (with recipe) and below]

Engine 2 Diet Vegan Lasagna Recipe

"If you've heard about the Engine 2 Diet and want to try an Engine 2 approved recipe, here's a sample recipe to try. This is Rip Esselstyn's "Raise the Roof" sweet potato vegetarian lasagna. It's so good, he says, that he served it at his own wedding! It's also low in fat and cholesterol-free. Recipe courtesy of The Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn."  (From here, where the recipe is as well)

Note:  free registration at Rip's website will get you access to tons of recipes and a chance to interact with others endeavoring to follow Esselstyn's dietary recommendations.