SoulVeggie

Heart Healthy Pizza Passes 1st College Exam!

What is the ultimate test of a good vegan pizza?

"The South American" Sweet potato, quinoa, corn "cheese-like" topping, collards, tomato slices, + Trader Joe's Mix: chopped broccoli, carrots, green cabbage, red cabbage, jicama, green bell pepper, radish, celery.

I've often wondered about this serious and sociologically earth-shattering issue while spending close to six years researching alternatives to the fatty, saturated dairy and non-dairy cheeses used with abandon on what could be a very nutritious meal, but in the United States has degenerated into a savage nutritional orgy of calories, animal flesh, fat, salt, and general dietary undesirables promoting a biological descent into the ravages of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and Type II diabetes... and that's just the watered down summary of what I think (trust me, it's not a pretty picture inside)... moving on...

Still, the Big Questions kept arising during my research: would a meat or dairy-eater enjoy one of my vegan pizzas?  Would someone of native Italian descent relish one of my recipes?  What would Oprah think?

But the test that had me worried the most, The Ultimate Eval (pun intended) that had me wake up in a cold sweat at night, trembling with anxiety in the wee hours of the morning as I drifted, ghost-like through my internal house of fears was:  college students.  That unique and feral species of energetic quasi-humans destined to eventually guide us into assisted living and run the planet.  What would THEY think?

Even now, I can remember the anxiety of wondering whether or not one of my heart-healthy plant-based pizzas could pass an examination by carnivorous and/or plant-strong college students, well known for their highly discriminate palettes (unless the food is free or cheap or is food).  Would it pass muster?  Would they show up at my door, pelting me with left-over globs of "cheese-like" sauce, chanting "Daiya! Daiya!?"  Would a big red "F" replete with a dripping font, be plastered across my book's website, and an animated giff show up of Guy Fawke's smiling face, taunting me? Laughing?

Well, I'm proud to say that the first test results are in.  Below I've posted, with permission, a letter I received from the newly and growingly infamous "College Greens." 

The College Greens (Ann Esselstyn in red) from "Engine2Extra.com"

This idealistic group of plant-strong college students have vowed to "get healthy while their warranty is still valid" through following the recommendations of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Rip Esselstyn, and the whole Engine2 Diet team:  a no-added oil, plant-based diet.

 

A few weeks ago, intrigued by what I read about them (as part of the fantastic Engine2 Extra online community) and their dedicated efforts to encourage other college students everywhere to eat a healthy plant-based diet.  I tempted fate, rolled the Dice of the Gods, threw RDA's of salt over my left shoulder, and sent them a copy of my cookbook.  Part of me giggled, part of me was wondering "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"  

Patiently I waited, day pages from printed calendars flying in front of me like in an old black'n'white cartoon (just got to get that window fixed)... then, the word came back, October 4th, 2012 A.D.  The first test results were in.  Shaking and stirred, I opened the e-mail.  And... 

"Hi Mark!!

Craig and I (Tara) did end up making a pizza last weekend for the party. And it was a HUGE hit!!!! We made the oat crust, with raw tomato sauce, then onions, mushrooms, spinach, and artichokes, and topped with the cannellini bean, oregano, and walnut sauce! :) Herbies and Omnivores alike were impressed :) We had a number of different people ask about the recipe, and we told them about your awesome book!!! 

One critique that we got, as cooks, was to make the pizza crust thinner. It wasn't overly thick, but a couple of people mentioned that they would have preferred a crispier crust. I don't know whether these crust recipes have the potential to be crispy or not, but we will experiment with crust thickness in our next attempt :)

I'm not sure when the next pizza-making extravaganza will occur, but we will keep you posted!!! :)

And as for your black halloween pizza... how about olives and carrots? :)

Wishing we had more pizza leftovers,

Tara, -The College Greens"

That's just so [expletive deleted] cool! Survived mid-terms. Hot [short series of very disturbing juvenile expletives deleted].  Of serious note, too, is that the C.G.'s  are planning to run some more tests and do their own review of the book to be published online (I did tell them that reducing the water in the gluten-free oat crust might enable it to be "rolled" thinner (between wax paper sheets, but in general, getting a thin crust with some GF recipes isn't easy). Experimentation is always advised.

But, so far, so good.  Now onto the Finals!  Maybe I can finally sleep again... for awhile...  (huh? what's this "pizza leftover" concept they speak of?"... I keep wondering and mumbling incessantly in the wee hours of the morning...).

Who ARE these people, you ask??  Find out more below:

ABOUT THE COLLEGE GREENS • ARTICLES BY THE COLLEGE GREENS

"Plant-Strong by the Numbers" - Heart Disease, Fat, Sugar, & Salt

"Although a knowledge of numbers isn’t critical to successfully navigating the journeyto a plant-strong lifestyle, recognizing important signals on the trip can be very useful for helping in deciding what to eat and what to avoid.  They can also be additional encouragement to help us stay on the road less traveled by and not get lost in false needs."

There are various numbers and statistics that are suggested as being useful to remember to encourage optimatl personal health. A discussion and distillation of these metrics on daily intake requirements for fat, sugar, and salt, as well as their content and measurements in certain foods, can be found in my guest blog post for the "Engine2 Diet" website."

Neil Armstrong, Paper Tigers, & a "Giant Dietary Leap for All Mankind"

When but a young fetus, I watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.  I'll never forget the rippling horizontal lines of greys on a small television set showcasing a grainy techno-ghost bouncing around the lunar surface like the Pillsbury Dough Boy on acid.

Still, it was awe inspiring trying to wrap one's cerebrum around the significance of what was then happening in real-time. No screenwriter could have written the script any better.  The "Spam in a Can" team on Apollo and the team on the ground supporting them were all true heroes in every sense of the word. People throw up the term "epic" haphazardly a lot in media these days, but that first landing on the moon literally defined the word "epic."

How sad and angry I was a few days ago to find out that Neil just had a "cardiac bypass operation."  That's the sanitized syntax used to describe a quadruple bypass in which the patient is put on a heart-lung machine, chest cut open, blood vessels removed from a pig or the patient, and re-attached surgically to reconnect proper blood flow through the heart, chest sinkhole sown up, heart put back in the body's blood loop, and the comatose human hopefully revived.  The doctors called this procedure on/for/in/on Armstrong a "success."

Oh really? That just means he survived the operation alive. Overall, it's a delaying tactic folks, as not only is there the risk of many after-surgery physical or mental complications (including dropping several I.Q. points because of taking the heart off-line), the "procedure" doesn't "cure" anything. The underlying causes of having four of your arteries to your heart blocked have not been eliminated. This surgery just keeps the human alive a little longer as long as he can tolerate (and accept) the quality of life experienced afterwards. Usually leads up to early death, or a heart transplant, then a slightly later death.

"In most people who have heart bypass surgery, the grafts stay open and work well for many years...This surgery does not prevent the coronary artery blockage from coming back." [Source]

Putting this in a larger perspective: around 500,000 bypass surgeries are performed in the United States each year, each costing anywhere from $50,000 to well above $100,000 each.  That's $50 billion a year. Not an insignificant amount of health expenditures.

Ironic for me was that I had been watching "Forks Over Knives" online [here] when I happened to get word of Armstrong's surgery.  I'd just watched world-class surgeon and clinician Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn talk about bypass surgery not being any solution, the cost of the operation(s), and how many unfortunate people will go through the onerous and misguided (my words) attempts to slow the progression to the inevitable death, totally ignorant of a real and tested alternative: a no-added oil/fat plant-based diet.

You see, if Neil had followed a no-added oil plant-based diet, the odds are extremely high that he wouldn't have had to have the surgery, that even if there were severe symptoms indicating, Dr. Esselstyn's 20+ years of peer-reviewed research (and to a similar degree, Dr. Ornish's) have shown heart disease can be reversed, and in theory, prevented.  Esselstyn has successfully treated over 250 patients.  Armstrong might easily have been (or be) one of them. 

Heart Disease is the #1 killer of people in our country as well as the world.  Some 800,000 people in the United States died of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 2008, according to the recent 2012 study by the American Heart Association. Every 39 seconds, someone in this country has a stroke. Some fifty percent of those who have heart attacks showed NO symptoms beforehand that they had a physiological problem indicating that they were potentially in serious trouble.

As a nation, we are spending incredible numbers of billions of dollars NOT trying to cure heart disease, but slow it down. Yet, it's been established that through changes in diet and lifestyle, heart disease can be reversed, something the surgeons and cardiac specialists have not been able to do.

How sad.  I remember John F. Kennedy challenging this Nation to the goal of putting a man (well, person) on the Moon by the end of the decade. There was this collective thrill and spirit amongst the populace, even through the turbulent late 1960s, that we can do this, and that we will. It wasn't a question of "would we," but "when." We'd find a way, it was important. That goal, that challenge worthy of a Nation's attention and resources was met, and it took a special vision of and trust in human tenacity, spirit, and resourcefulness, that it could and would be met.

So, why haven't we done the same thing regarding cardiovascular heart disease?  We've spent billions defending ourselves against illusionary terrorist attacks, yet so little in fighting an enemy we know fully well how to defeat.

"Neil's pioneering spirit will surely serve him well in this challenging time, and the entire NASA Family is holding the Armstrong family in our thoughts and prayers..." [NASA Administrator]

In my opinion, his pioneering spirit would serve the entire world much better in these challenging times if he were to adopt Dr. Esselstyn's lifestyle recommendations as has former President Bill Clinton, and help set an example of what must be done on a larger scale if we as a population are to survive this unnecessary epidemic.  He could encourage a "new vision" of health predicated upon a truly healthy dietary lifestyle, one that would contribute to not only reversing Heart Disease, but Type II Diabetes, Obesity, Alzheimer's Disease, and a host of other degenerative disorders that are primarily lifestyle-based.  There could be a new national goal of getting really really serious about dealing with this needless biological degradation of our health on a national level.

Why not a full-on collective and honest effort on the part of government, institutions, and our general populace, to beat down these paper tigers, these avoidable "food borne illnesses" as many believe they are, with realistic and proven approaches to true health?  A heartfelt and honest National Health Dialogue might take place as to what needs to be done.  We could marshall our best talent and resources with the goal of untangling the financial, political, and corporate gordian knots that are killing us in increasing numbers.

We are capable of collectively striving towards and achieving a true "giant dietary leap for mankind." How sad it would be to have reached so high as a society only to trip over our own dietary myopia, ignorance, and political apathy, and die like lemmings jumping off a known clift.

Let's tell the politicos running for office this year that although Medicare, the Deficit, and Taxes are serious issues, our Health is the most important.  What do they propose to do to help further our ability to life longer and healthier lives, and eliminate these Paper Tigers? How will they help us eliminate these lifestyle diseases instead of continuing to get money from Corporate Lobbyists to look the other way?  When will they take into account the incredible financial burden our nutritionally dysfunctional ways is imposing on Health Care and engage in the real debates regarding government expenditures?

Social media is much more powerful than is generally recognized, and it's time to put those resources to a greater good then following some media manufactured pop icon.  

Vote with your dollar, your voice, your Facebook Wall, your tweets, your texting, and demand realistic discussions of the situation, what must be done, and actions to see it happen.  We can all be heroes and manifest the real pioneering spirit that would usher in a true "giant leap for all mankind."

Contact your representatives, the media, those in power, and demand attention to the real problems threatening our existence. We need to take control of our "Dietary Destiny," both as individuals and as a society.  We need to do it now.

 

"Heart Healthy Vegan Pizza: TEXAS-STYLE!"

At:

 http://dallasvegan.com/blog/heart-healthy-pizza-texas-style

...I've written an article, posted some recipes, and sponsored a free giveaway of "Heart Healthy Pizza" (the first Vegan Pizza Cookbook).

Enjoy... Mark

©2012, Photo by Val Wagner (August 2010)

Re-post: "The Compassionate Vegan"

This was originally posted in 2005, one of my first posts.  One of my favorite stories & lessons about being vegan.  Am still working on cookbook, adjusting to new, unexpected circumstances, & enjoying periodic tweeting.  Mtg. some neat people.

Best to all, Mark (Twitter: @solveggie)

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She was 92 years old when I recently visited Leisure World (a retirement community in Seal Beach,CA) to see my "Baba" (a throwback to her Slavic upbringings - "Grandma").  I was in Los Angeles to do a "head photographer" gig at AR2003, and in the process, had an experience eating dinner with Baba that caused a bit of a moralistic "dust-up" with some of the harder core animal rights activists at the conference.  Here's what happened and why:

Baba had adjusted to my being vegetarian decades ago (indeed, after once cooking vegetarian for her for two weeks... she proclaimed I wasn't a "poor vegetarian" as she'd once believed).  I'd told her before flying out, that I was now vegan, and wouldn't be eating any dairy or egg products.  She said she understood.

It had been a lousy flight and cab ride to Leisure World.  I'd been told that Grandma was showing signs of dementia (one of the reasons for my visit).  I arrived, famished and exhausted, noting the carefully laid out dinner table in the kitchen.  She proudly pulled out a casserole from the oven, one of my pre-vegan favorites:  zucchini, yellow squash, cottage cheese, eggs, cheddar cheese, onions, butter....  She beamed, telling me that she had to walk to the grocery store to get all the ingredients, and that it took her most of the day to pull this all together just for me.

I gulped.  What to do? I thought, as she placed the steaming hot casserole on the kitchen table.  She was so proud and so happy to be feeding her eldest grandson...

I thought about it as she finished putting stuff on the table. I watched her labor to walk around in the kitchen (back problems), yet smiling and chatting away all the while as she finished dinner preparations.

What did I do?  It was a no-brainer.  I ate two big helpings, and told her it was "the best damn casserole I'd ever had."  She beamed with joy and pride.

Okay, I felt the internal discomfort all night as I slept that night, and the next day I told her that I didn't eat dairy products.  She was puzzled: "but you did last night?"

"That's because you made it, Baba, but no more," I responded, kissing her forehead.

Days later, at Animal Rights 2003, I told this story in the inevitable late-night bar meet-ups and was surprised by some of the indignent agitated comments from many around me.  "No compromise! You should have "stood" your ground."  "You didn't have to eat the casserole, you could have told her you were full."  "What about the animals?" were some of the negative responses.

I stood my ground, and explained my position politely: Why should I emotionally devastate this 92 year old woman and not accept her love offering?  Who was harmed by my eating her food?  The milk (for cheese and butter), and eggs, were a done thing. My refusing to eat this meal would have saved no animal, caused no less suffering, and made no important point or significant statement that would have changed anything at all (for anyone or anything).

I appeased a woman in the twilight of her long long life.  As so many animal rights activists fight for compassion for animals, I was compassionate for her.  I have no regrets, and I hope that those who might read this and think in absolutes might take note.  I believe we must learn to be aware of any situation in its entirety, and not act on principles that may not take into consideration the full reality of who we are as living beings ourselves.  Shades of grey do exist, and I'd make the case that it is, in today's society, impossible to be 100% vegan (that's for another blog another time).

So, for the day I visited Baba, I wasn't vegan in the physical, but I was in the metaphysical... I showed compassion to another living being, enabling a treasured memory to someone I love dearly and giving her an emotional blessing she rarely had these days.  Her beautiful and thoughtful gift of love was reciprocated with the same compassion she'd demonstrated herself.

I be vegan, not cruel.

[2011 Addendum: I went back to see her after the conference, last time I saw her before she died. Once again, the same casserole in the oven.  So glad I ate two big helpings, told her it was the "best damn casserole I'd ever eaten").  The memory of her glowing with pride remains to this day]

Butterfly Effects & Animal Rights

A friend is going through a major transition in life, from intense animal rights activist, to a full-time job with an organization devoted to helping mentoring children.  Not an easy change in personal lifestyle, but no less worthy than the prior work.

Let me explain.  As activists, we can get involved in pretty intense, physically demanding, and emotionally involving work.  By our very nature, we throw ourselves into these efforts in the faith and belief that we can help make a change.  It can be all-consuming in process and alienate ourselves from both friends and family.  This can also precipitate internal self doubt: "what the hell am I doing??"

What we sometimes miss, in the final attempted analysis, is that we can't always know the results of our efforts.  Correspondingly, we can't always know if it's the subtle or quiet act we make or do in life that has a significant impact versus that which involves a lot of fire, smoke, and action.

Several years ago I met a man with "Turban" & my interaction with him (blogged about here) taught me an important lesson in life.  Has to do with the concept of "faith."

You canNOT know, in advance, what impact any action you take or make will have, ultimately.  The ripples of impact through space/time are not predictable.  At best, you can have the highest moral and spiritual motivation behind EVERY action or motion you make, take, or think.  No other conclusion makes any sense.  Butterfly-effect in full force.  We move energy, by thought & action, and this is an inescapable reality.

To my new friend regarding working with an organization helping children: who knows what impact the seeds you'll help plant will grow? These children deserve, at minimum, as much attention as AR groups give poor Factory Farmed Animals. In a real sense, are not these kids being "factory farmed" by a negligent & mentally/emotionally inept political system as well?  Who knows what wonderful accomplishments will be effectived by even one child helped?

There is nothing wrong with helping humans survive and thrive, and in fact, I wish more animal rights "activists" remembered this. They sometimes seems so focused on "animal" issues as to forget "human health" issues. I sometimes weary of them providing ridiculously unhealthy recipes ("Oh, but they ARE vegan") with the cavlier attitude that the "ends justifies the means, and it's for the animals." They are helping contribute to salt, fat, & sugar taste addictions.  My particular issue: heart healthy humans.  Does this make me an animal rights activist?  On some cognitive levels, yes.

We are ALL activists to some degree.  It's just that some of us recognize it consciously, and focus that flow.  But in effect, we are activists whether we want to be or not.  Every interaction, action, motion, thought, affects (activates) the system.  Humans are animals, or rather, animals include humans. In a real sense, any efforts towards helping "humans" and "animals" (sometimes it's absurd to assume a distinction between the two) is an animal rights effort (sorry, won't go into the silly "welfare" issue here).

What I do know is that we have to live our lives at the highest standards we can, and trust/have faith that we are doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people we can.  We pick and choose our causes as vegan activists, and all should be respected.  More importantly, we may never know the ultimate results of our efforts, but at least we strive towards a better world for all animals.

Including us.

 

Twitter: @solveggie

 

Re-Post: "Sojourn to Burger King"

Was thinking about upcoming planting & memories of this earlier post came to mind. Posted in 2005, most people following this blog probably haven't read it. One of my favorites, as well as truly intense.  Enjoy!  Mark (Been busy dealing w/ tragedy & work. Hope to announce cookbook's title later this month).

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[I wrote this back in May 2002.  The veg'n community was "a buzz" with the arrival of the BK Veggie Burger.  The burger made quite a stir, and invited many debates (among them, is buying one supporting BK's negative impact on society's health and our environment? Eric Marcus of the great "vegan.com" stunned many with his thoughts on the matter).  I hadn't been to a fast food restaurant in years and documented what transpired.]

Oh, gawd... I feel so unclean......

I had to run some errands in Burtonsville, MD, late this morning, and there was this Burger King in the parking lot of the strip mall.  Girding my loins, adjusting my shades, pulling up my pants, I went in.  I tried to swagger a bit, like some of the workmen I saw going in... look tough... you're walking into a store painted in primary colors... could be worse... could be McSlaughter's....

Felt like I was a Dallas fan in a Redskins bar, only I had sunglasses on and no one knew any better.  What do I do? A long line.  Quite the mixture of ethic backgrounds, generally lower middle income.  What sort of demented artist designed this place?  They are so happy selling dead animal products.  Better get in line.

The people behind the counter wear uniforms... are they a para military force of some kind?  The assault on my sense was almost too much.  They spoke some numerical code... "I'll take a Number 4, she wants a Number 5 without onions, I want a super-this and a mega-that"..... very confusing...

I checked out the menu overhead... gaudy and bright.. Yup, the "BK Veggie"  $2.29...  Lord... look at the other products on the menu... my internal calorie counter was going off the scale.  Unbelievable fat-laden and salty food... look at all the dead meat.   I hear Schossler chuckling with a little Twilight Zone music in my head.... look at all the crap they are selling, and buried in that visual abuse is the "BK Veggie" (next month the big promo for all BK's will be Chicken Whoppers, btw).

The lady and kid in front of me were fascinating.  She was clearly his grandmother, and thin as a rail.  The kid must've been around 8 or 9 years old, and rarely have I see any child so obese... he had, literally, three chins.. his ear lobes were the size of my thumbs... it was awful to see what happened next.  She order fried chicken fingers, large order of fries, and a Diet Coke or Pepsi for the boy.  Absolutely amazing.

I placed my order.  "BK Veggie Burger, microwaved."

"Microwaved?" the guy behind the register said, slightly above the yelling of people in the kitchen making and delivering orders (they were very busy.... french fries literally flying around).

"Yup... I'd like it microwaved. You can do that... I checked.  I don't want it cooked on a meat greasy grill."  Was that a mummered rustling from people behind me I heard, or thought I saw peripherally?

He went over to the manager, who was barking orders at the adolescents in the back.  He nodded after a pause, looking at me like I'm an alien.. Hmm, one of "them."  "Okay" was the final pronouncement.

"Here or to go?" the kid asked me.  Hell, I don't know, I thought.... how is this done?

"Ahh... h-here.." I stammered (did the people behind me think I was from a foreign country? I thought to myself).  I paid the blood money.

"Number 61"... guess that's me.  I raised my hand... "You got the veggie burger?" "Yup." "Here!" he dashed to bark out more orders.

The burger was wrapped in Burger King paper and on a plastic brown tray.  Now what?  Are people watching me?  Get a seat, yeah....

Ketchup... sure... grab some packages... napkins... dodge the crowd at the soda fountain.... get seat for good recon (near the kid and his granny).  Try to look nonchalant... cool... with it.... Master of the BK Domain....

Okay.... let's take a bite.... not bad... OUCH! (I don't own a microwave and forgot about the heat...).  It was small, edible, relatively tasteless.... the bun was like eating styrofoam with a slight crust...

"Eat all your chicken fingers before they get cold" the wise Grandma was advising her grandson, as he was shoveling french fries into his gaping maw while grooving on his plastic toy that came with the meal.

I forced more of the burger down.... looking at people around me.... amazed at what they were eating, as though this is civilized and we are the greatest nation in the world.

I'm done... now what?  Jeez... look at the people in the line... at least two-thirds of them are very overweight.  Wonder if there's a connection?

Now what?  Okay... save napkins and ketchup not used.... throw away stuff, advertisement paper place mat trashed, put tray on trashcan.  Unclean... unclean....

I sneaked out the back door.... Ah.... fresh air... sunshine.... it's over.  The cognitive assault had abated.  I was free again... felt like gargling with carrot juice.

Okay, Eric... I bought one outta support for the movement.  Would I do it again?

Only under extraordinary circumstances.  Yes, it's encouraging to some, especially if they promoted it better (at this store it was almost invisible), and Mr. Marcus made good points.  Yes, I would urge every veg'n to buy at least one BK Veggie Burger, even if you throw it away.  I think he's right that it must succeed, or rather, it would be sad if it did not.  Presumably, the other Fat, er, Fast Food chains are watching.

But then, as comparison, at the Giant across the parking lot from the BK, bagels are fifty cents, boca burgers are about a buck apiece when buying a pack of four, tomatoes (or what pass for them), run around 99 cents a pound.  The salad bar is around $2.50 to $3 a pound. Across the street at the incredible Amish market, potato wedges (huge potato) are a buck, handmade burger rolls, six to a pack, about $2.20. Tons of fresh produce, grains, legumes (beans usually $1/lb., millet somewhat less).  The local farmer's markets will open in a few months... fresh local produce.

Limp lettuce, translucent tomato slice, pale mayonnaise, and some carrot flecks in the veg patty.  $2.29 plus tax, lotta paper wasted. Flourescent light and red/yellow color overdose.

Progress?

As luck would have it, packages of vegetable and greens seeds were on sale for 10 cents apiece at the Dollar Store near the BK.  Bought twenty packages (brocolli, mustard greens, lettuce, basil, dill, parsley, etc... most will be micro-greens for me... 30 to 40 gourmet salads for about 5 cents apiece (many many more if I grow them past adolescence), some soil, water, and sunshine).

That's my idea of progress.  This brand of seed is usually six to ten times more in cost.  You can buy organic seeds cheaper in bulk, elsewhere.

The kid was in the Dollar Store, too, his Grandmother buying him candy, among other things.  She was trying so hard to please him and he had her by the pocketbook via her heart.  And in her love for him, his heart was going to have a rough time from the lifestyle being encouraged by her emotions.  How sad!

I shoulda slipped him some seeds..... told him they were magic, and that with love and attention, they would make him strong and healthy, extending his life and enjoyment of same.  He would be able to run faster, jump higher, laugh louder, love longer, and think better.

Of course, that's a fairy tale... and no plastic toys accompanied the seed packets.

 

[Twitter @solveggie]

10 Additional Heath Benefits of Daiya Cheese

I'd been exploring Twitter & responding w/ some Tweets about the high fat content of Daiya Cheese, when the company tweeted back and said they wanted to talk to me about the health benefits of their products.  I responded, essentially, that the products were high fat, basically added oil, and nutritionally useless. What's to talk about?  Thought about this some more and decided to visit their website after a 2 yr hiatus (had blogged about them awhile back).

Keep in mind that the only two guys to reverse heart disease, Drs. Esselstyn and Ornish, with 20+ years of peer reviewed research to support their claims, recommend between 12 (or so) and 24 grams of fat per day (depending upon your caloric intake:  they prefer 10% of your calories from fat, NO added oil), I decided to be magnanimous and help provide Daiya with some additional health claims they can truthfully use.

First, what are the ingredients in Daiya Mozarella Cheese:

"Filtered water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and /or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, vegan natural flavours, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor)."

Second, here's the "health" claims on their website:

- cholesterol free

- trans fat free

- free of all animal products (vegan)

- free of common allergens including:  dairy (casein and lactose), soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconut)

- free of artificial ingredients

- free of hormones & antibiotics

A fine and thoughtful analysis by the Daiya team, even though a pile of rocks or leaves would easily be determined as "healthy" by the exacting criteria used above.  In the case of the leaves, maybe healthier.

It seems that the healthy benefits of Daiya Cheese are measured by what it DOES NOT CONTAIN instead of WHAT IT DOES CONTAIN, or as "compared to dairy cheese" (unless you take into account the fat, which isn't much of a difference).  One-fourth cup is 6 grams of just fat (and a slice of pizza would normally have around 1/3 cup, probably 8 grams of fat).  Have two slices of a Daiya dosed pizza and you've killed a day's worth of fat (according to Esselstyn/Ornish/Barnard/McDougall/Campbell).

Anyway, I decided to help them out.  Here's an additional 10 health claims they can add to their website for Daiya Cheese (as could many vegan cheese products) and be truly honest:

1) REDUCES HEART DISEASE POTENTIAL:  less plaque forming (which causes 90% of heart attacks) than from dairy or meat sources.  Of course, eliminating added oil totally would reduce that potential to near zero, but that's not the point.  It's LESS.

2) VERY SAFE TO EAT:  contains no glass shards which would irritate or cut-up your esophagus.

3) HUMANE:  not tested on mice, rabbits, cats, dogs, or platypus ducks.

4) EASIER DIGESTION;  contains no significant amounts of any nutrient (phytochemicals, antioxidants, micronutrients, any vitamins or minerals)... nutritionally useless means less demand on your digestive system.

5) "VEG" FRIENDLY:  suitable for pesco-vegetarians, bovo-vegetarians, swino-vegetarians, avian-vegetarians, and chitinous-vegetarians.  Flexi-vegetarian issues still being studied.

6) IMMUNITY BUILDING:  contains coconut oil, the #1 source of plant-based saturated fat, to help you build a tolerance to a substance the American Heart Association says should be limited in your diet.

7) ANALGESIC:  eliminates the emotional pain of re-calibrating your taste receptors to not crave fat and actively promotes your taste addiction to fat, thereby decreasing your stress.

8) FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS FREE:  contains no E.Coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Avian Flu, Mad Cow Disease, or Ergot Fungus (bummer).

9) CONTAINS NO REAL FOODS; which would be another demand on your digestive system.  The Pea Flour is borderline.  Glycerin (not a real food) and oils "slide through" your system, although, what is a vegan natural flavor?  However, the Xantham Gum is essentially slime, which is a real food, kinda sorta, although icky in concept. I also prefer my yeast "active."  Let the little buggers earn their keep.

10) WEIGHT-REDUCER:  does a fantastic job of making your wallet lighter & therefore less of a physical burden.

Of course, admittedly, shredded cardboard laced with coconut and olive oil would probably have a superior nutritional profile to that of Daiya Cheese, and many other vegan cheeses.  Cheaper, higher in fiber, but probably doesn't melt as well.

Is "Fat Free Vegan" a Religion?

There was a recent post on the Fat Free Vegan List where someone felt they were being a "heretic" for posting about the "health" benefits of coconut oil (which is myopic, more on this shortly).  This got me to thinking about how some might perceive those of us believing in a no-added fat vegan diet as being akin to dietary fundamentalists.

In formulating a response to the poster, I decided it was best to make it a blog post, for general consumption and that it wasn't really "on topic" for the List.  I've expanded my response to cover a bit more conceputal turf than just the List:

"Someone posted feeling that they were a heretic for what they posted, wondered if "fat free" is a religion, and wouldn't post any more. 

First of all, this is a Group List.  Mistakes can be made, I've made my own share, we move on, we post again.  However, know that advocating hamburger on a vegetarian list would be as bad as praising oil on a fat free vegan list.  There is a "charter" and we join with the tacit understanding that we agree to the bylaws.

As to the issue of fat free being a religion, it's an intriguing thought to me.  In my mind, being religious requires faith, and generally, faith in the unknown to some degree (unless one has had some sort of transcendent experience that "mandates" a religious perspective and/or viewpoint).  Still, not provable, at least from a quantitative or empirical standpoint.  Some akin "vegan" to a religion and/or philosophy.

IMHO, "Fat Free" requires faith to some degree, but more importantly, it also incorporates 20+ years of solid peer-reviewed scientific research, actually physical measurements of the effect of ingested added fat, and a sound understanding of the mechanism by which said added fat can cause harm to the human body in so many ways.  Furthermore, added oil is nothing but, to quote Rip Esselstyn, processed goop.  That's an inescapable reality.  Oil is a highly processed food-like product, but it is NOT real food.  Go ahead.  Tell me how you can "grow oil" or "harvest oil."

The "fat free vegan approach" is much more "provable" than a religion, imho.  And just as with a religion, you can "try it" and see how it works for you.  For many of us, fat free has been a boon, a revelation, invigorating, a release, and/or quite healthy.  Does one size fit all?  Ask someone wiser than me, I don't know.

Anyway, we may sound like religious zealots, and I can only speak for myself here, but in fighting a world that insists that "added oil is good" we get weary sometimes, and often have to remind ourselves that we've science, tested results, and the reversal of heart disease and diabetes (that no one but Essy, Ornstein, and Barnard have accomplished) to validate our perspective.  If you know someone who can walk on water, they are probably worth paying attention to, at least until you meet someone else who can do the same (or tells you where the low-lying rocks are in the pond).

We get tired of having to defend our views.  Our hard fought understanding that added fat is harmful and that oil is NOT real food is often met with scorn, derision, and disdain.  You can tell someone that one high fat meal decreases circulatory elasticity for several hours (that's a measurement, not theory), and over time, will take it's toll as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Altzheimer's disease, and other serious degenerative conditions, and they will still whine about needing Daiya "cheese" (very high fat processed oil, mostly) or "extra virgin olive oil."  EVOO=EVIL.  Often, just as with carnivores attacking vegetarians or vegans, they will throw out very similar insults and ill-thought out justifications for why you are wrong.  As though it was important that you be shown to be wrong.

Vegetarians and Vegans being scornful of low-fat vegans.  On the surface, it's silly, but in reality, it's that even Veg'ns are susceptable to the addictive qualities of fat, sugar, and salt.  As such, often the List has been a sanctuary of sorts, a support group and a rare place to share a minority view and recipes with others who are also struggling or who have successfully incorporated this new dietary perspective into their lives.  I mean, if there are 1 million vegans in the US (latest stats), how many are low-fat oriented?  We are a minority in a minority that will, most likely, live longer than the majority.

No-added fat is not a religion, but a reasoned approach to health.  Forgive us if we sometimes lash out at those who suggest otherwise.  In many ways, going vegetarian or vegan is/was actually easier than going no-fat.  I get more flack for no-fat than I have for vegan the past decade, although admittedly, when I went veg decades ago, it was truly radical.

We do what we think best, ideally.  But remember... asking 'why' on a fat free List is different than posting "health" information about fat or recipes with fat on a "fat free" List.

We see enough of those bogus health claims as it is.  They might be healthy on some myopic micro-managed selective subset of biological interactions, but, imho, avoiding heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Altzheimer's trumps them all.  Being firm and resolved to embrace a no-added fat vegan diet should not be confused with religion or groundless faith.  It is the acknowledgement of the research, science, and demonstrated results, that we choose to take advantage of and incorporate into our lives.

Our decision, not yours.  We're fine with it.

Regards, Mark"

Addendum:  Comments Off is a default (thank you Typepad) and I didn't notice it.  It's been enabled.

Essay: "On Fear and Going Vegan"

It’s sometimes amazing to me that so many people live so much of their lives being guided by fear instead of taking chances on the future.  The many fears that hold people back are legion.  Fear of committing to a new lifestyle --- going vegan, fear that you won’t be able to get over missing meat, dairy, and eggs.  Fear of cooking new recipes (or even cooking without recipes).  Fear of what people will think.  Fear of malnutrition.  Fear that in trying something new, you’ll miss something old.  Fear of being wrong or believing one is being criticized out an insecurity with one’s self or one’s own internal decisions.

I believe that most behavior held back by fear is from a misguided belief that one knows what’s going to happen,  and that often, the irrational fear of a particular action comes from actually believing one can ultimately know what the results will be.  When I first went veg, my father told me I was going to “die.” (sooner, not later).  For me, it was a, “why not find out?  will this work?  how will it affect my consciousness?”

“I won’t like it.  It won’t work.  I’ll be unhappy.  It can’t work.”  These are the faux justifications the fear-based philosophy promotes and by which the internal insecurity is fostered. We see the same in other areas of human existence:  fear of the new boss and that you’ll lose your job, fear that the business is going bankrupt when, it fact, it continues for over a year.  Fear of taking a chance that someone else is right.  Fear of changing careers.  Fear of giving one’s self to another, and getting nothing in return.  Fear of changing “the routine.”  Fear of "trust."

The true irony is that you can’t know the future.  To anticipate a negative result in many cases is self-defeating and feeds those same fears that rationalize this doubt.  To vegetarians afraid of giving up their precious dairy or bovine secretions, I say, “try going vegan, what have you got to lose?”  Instead of whining how much you'll miss cheese, note how many of us do not.  To the vegan who thinks oil (whether from a bottle or congealed as faux cheese) is a "real food" and you can’t live without it, I would say “try a low fat vegan diet for four months... what have you go to lose?  In this case, increased chances for heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and Altzheimer’s Disease.”  A four month test that might be successful versus higher chances for an early death?  If it doesn't work, at least you tried.

If you don’t try and find out, if you don’t take a simple new turn and give it a shot, if you don’t trust that you can change your mind later, if you don’t take a step towards a healthier future, you will never know what you missed.  This is not just regarding diet, but in all aspects of one’s life. 

In April 1984, debt-free for the first time out of college, I invested all the money I had into a Macintosh and associated peripherals.  I dreamed of what I could do with this unique machine.  The first thing I did with it in the store was use MacPaint to do a drawing of an Earth.  Years later, as a result of that leap-of-faith, I was using Macintoshes as the Visualizations Coordinator on two NASA Earth Satellite Missions.  I published graphics in many magazines, did a cover for TIME.  Could any of this have been anticipated spending $2500 for a 128k (yes, "kilobytes") RAM 512x384 grayscale monitor in boxy R2D2-like plastic?

If I’d been fear-based, if I hadn’t taken a chance, if I hadn’t been willing to find out what my soul was inviting me to do, it never would have happened.

The universe presents opportunities all the time, in many and often subtle ways.  Unfortunately, they generally have a short shelf life.  If one doesn’t act fast, the vast potential from trusting in the positive possibilities that could be made manifest begins to dissipate, distort, and eventually, disappear.  The dynamics change, and won't be the same again.

Throw away those fear shackles, get off the fence and take a no-risk chance. Life is too short as it is to waste on being afraid of the future and new more fulfilling experiences.   Go vegan.  Go low-fat vegan and find out that you can get rid of your fears, re-calibrate your taste buds, loose addictions to old ways, addictions, and patterns, and truly be healthier and happier.

A simple no-risk investment in the future... of you.