Introduction Page Index

Introduction
Beef and Pork Consumption
Dairy Products
Chicken
Seafood
Hidden Animal Ingredients
Processed Foods
Organic Foods
Sugar
Kitchen Equipment
The Good Stuff
The Recipes

Introduction

This is NOT a diet book, though you will probably lose a significant amount of weight following a plant based, vegan diet. If you are looking for quick fix ways to loose weight, this is not the book for you. The recipes in this book advocate nonprocessed, whole foods, so if you are looking for long lasting health, increased vitality and an overall improved quality of life this is the book for you.

My journey towards a vegan lifestyle began about six years ago. My husband was having a lot of problems with his stomach and had been diagnosed with the illness of the moment, acid reflux. He didn’t believe that taking medication was the best way to deal with his stomach problems, because medications typically treat symptoms and not illnesses, so he turned to Chinese and Alternative Medicine to find solutions to his problem and over and over again, each of these pointed to diet as being the main culprit to his problems. No matter what book he read, all of them pretty much detailed a plant-based diet as the best way to reduce acid reflux.

The more we read about plant-based diets, the more we realized that we had fallen into the processed-food trap and were eating all the wrong foods. I had not, at this point, embraced a vegan diet (my husband still hasn't), but was well on my way. We did begin to reduce are carb consumption, but still ate out a lot. In 2002, I began seeking help for a growth in my stomach that felt like a bruise. It wasn’t extremely painful, just uncomfortable. The doctor’s told me it was nothing to worry about and that it would just go away. It didn’t go away, in fact, it continued to get worse. In the beginning of 2005 it became so bad that, at times, I was completely unable to function normally, which is not easy with a 3-year-old. The pain was cyclical, and the growth in my stomach would become bigger and then go back down in size. The doctor’s thought it was a tumor that had become infected and placed me on antibiotics. They told they couldn’t do anything as long as the growth was infected. One day I read an article on endometriosis and it described many of the symptoms I was having. I also realized that the cycle I experienced was congruent with my menstrual cycle. The pain began to increase the day or two before menstruation and would subside some about a week after menstruation. I looked up treatments for endometriosis and there were three basic treatments, male hormones, surgery, and diet. I did not want to take male hormones because of the side effects, at the rate the doctor’s were going, surgery was definitely not going to happen soon, so that left diet. Once again, the treatment was a plant-based, whole foods type of diet that called for the elimination of beef and pork because of the high levels of hormones and low saturated fat.

We had already begun to transform our diet and were consuming few processed foods at this point. We refined our diet even more by cutting out beef. I don’t eat pork so this was not an issue. The great part about transforming my diet is that I taught myself to cook. I love food and I love food rich in flavor, so in order for me to make a lifestyle change it was vital that I learn to cook foods that were not only good for me, but satisfying to my palette.

I am working on a PhD in clinical psychology and have been reading a lot about ecopsychology, which is basically a form of science in which psychologists are called upon to use their skills to effect behavioral changes regarding environmental issues. I have become much more aware of my impact on the earth and have become more concerned with my own health and the health of my family, especially my son. I worry about things like global warming, depletion of our rain forests, disconnect from our natural food sources, and a culture that is overly focused on material things. I had slowly been making the transformation towards a more vegetarian diet, and home free of dangerous chemicals. I no longer use chemical cleaners, I use cloth grocery bags, I buy only organic products. I do not do this out of some faddish hippie desire, but because I truly want to reduce my families impact on the earth and improve my own health and the health of those around.

More recently I read John Robbins (2001) book The Food Revolution and as I read about the meat and dairy industries, I realized that I could no longer consume meat. I do not convict others for doing so, but have found that in good consciousness I cannot support industries that have so little regard for the health and well-being of both humans and animals. I encourage you to read John Robbins books. For now, I just want to highlight some of the reasons for adopting a vegan diet, whether you include animal products in your diet or not.

Beef and Pork Consumption

If animal cruelty is not enough of a reason to decrease or completely eliminate consumption of animal products, then I would hope that your own personal health might prove reason enough. Increasing evidence is finding that diets high in pork and beef are unhealthy. This can be especially true for women, who are more sensitive to the hormones that can be found in these products. There have been direct links between pork and beef consumption and endometriosis, fibroids, autoimmune disorders, and increased heart disease. There is also research connecting beef consumption with increased risk for endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, and seromucinous benign ovarian cysts.

Today’s beef and pork are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. Hormones are given to cows and pigs to increase their size, and for dairy cattle to increase milk production. In addition, factory farm animals are fed antibiotics because they are often so sickly from the unethical living conditions that they are forced to live in that the antibiotics are the only things keeping them alive. These animals are rarely fed a vegetarian diet, though cows by nature are herbivores. Even most chickens are not fed a vegetarian diet. Instead these animals are often fed ground up leftover animal parts, animal feces, and ground up pieces of animals that have died from serious illness and cannot be sold in their original forms. This is part of the reason for the proliferation of mad cows disease, which is spread through the consumption of the organs of infected animals. How would cattle come into contact with these organs, unless they were consuming them?

Dairy Products

The dairy producers wanted to put on the milk cartons that milk is good for your bones and prevents osteoporosis, but the FDA would not allow them to do so. The reason for this is that the dairy farmers actually have no proof that this is true. In fact some research has shown the opposite, that the more milk one consumes the greater likelihood that he or she will get osteoporosis. Animal fat has actually been found to inhibit the absorption of calcium. Calcium found in plant sources such as kale and broccoli have been shown to be much more easily absorbable, and therefore, a better source of calcium.

In addition, the animal suffering experienced by dairy cattle is horrific. Dairy cattle are pumped full of hormones to increase milk production. In many cases the baby calves born to the dairy cattle only get to feed off of the mothers for a week or two and some never feed off of their mothers. The calves and then sold to cattle ranchers or to veal manufacturers. When sold to the veal manufacturers, the cattle are fed low fat milk from an automated pump. Low fat milk is used to keep the calves anemic so that their meat remains light pink or almost white. The calves and changed in a small cage in a manner in which they are not able to stand up to keep their meat tender. These baby calves never get to walk and are totally neglected throughout the short life span, at which time they are killed and processed for their meat. Remember, even if you buy your milk organic, it says nothing about how the dairy cattle were treated, nor the well-being of their offspring.

Chicken

Chickens, like cows and pigs, are highly abused during the time that they are alive. They are packed into cages, not even leaving enough room for them to spread their wings. By nature, chickens are very social, and have an established pecking order, in which each chicken knows their place. When packed into cages, survival intinct kicks in and chaos ensues. Chicken farmer's state that they pack the chickens into cages for their own protection, so they don't have enough room to attack each other. The only reason the chickens attack each other is in pursuit of survival and the freedom to move. They weren't meant to be caged up. When chickens get their legs caught in the wires of the cages, instead of untangling the leg for them, the farmer's will cut the leg off. In addition to these horrors, chickens are often put on special grain diets and injected with hormones to make the breasts larger. These super-chickens are so fat that their legs break under their weight. Egg chickens are just as maltreated as the chickens raised for food consumption. They are caged, isolated, and fed unnatural diets. This is no way for any animal to live.

Seafood

Seafood has many health protective properties, unfortunately, we have polluted our oceans so badly, that many of the health benefits are outweighed by the health hazards. Doctor's are cautioning pregnant women to avoid shellfish, tuna, and high fat fish that are caught in shallow waters due to mercury contamination, and the possibility of birth defects in the growing fetus. If a food isn't good for you when pregnant, my guess is that it is never really good for you at all.

As far as animal cruelty goes, many creatures are harmed in the fishing process. Fisherman cast out nets into the ocean, and many unintended animals get caught in these nets, such as dolphins and sharks. In addition, fisherman do not often fish with discretion, and will catch as much as they can, endangering many classes of fish.

Hidden Animal Ingredients

Animal Ingredients have been hidden in so many foods, that you almost have to go to a health food store to find vegan ingredients (of course it is best to cook everything from scratch as much as possible, but you will still need some basic ingredients to do so). One will be surprised about the number and types of foods, with hidden animal ingredients in them. Here are just a few examples of products that caught me off guard.

Worchestershire Sauce is a common ingredient used in a lot of Asian cooking and sauces. Unfortunately, it has anchovy paste in it. This is one that you will need to look for, in the vegan version at the health food store.

Watch out for soy cheeses. One would think that these cheeses are made specifically for vegans, but some actually have caseinate in them, a milk bi-product.

Most veggie burgers are made with egg, though there are vegan options, you just have to read the labels carefully. Most vegan burgers, have vegan on the front of the package.

I just recently read that some wines and beers have been fined using animal products usch as gelatin, isinglass (collagen fibers from the air bladders of fish), egg albumen, casein, chitosan and bentonite. You can easily look up vegan wines on-line.

These are just a few items that you will find on your grocery store shelves. The number one rule of vegan shopping is to always, always, always check the ingredients list. Even in foods that look seemingly safe.

Processed Foods

Just because you eat a vegan diet, does not mean that you have escaped the processed food trap. I do not highly advocate for the use of vegan cheeses and vegan meat substitutes, because they are made of processed soy proteins. Once soy is heated to high temperatures, it can actually change the chemical make-up of the product, turning it into franken foods. Soy is not the only processed food to be mindful of, processed carbs can cause significant damage to your health. They are the biggest contributor to increased obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and most noncommunicable forms of illness and disease in this country. Processed foods are rich in refined carbohydrates, sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, chemicals, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, none of which are good for you. These foods nutritionally void, therefore do nothing to satisfy one’s hunger, leading to overeating.

Most processed foods on the shelves also contain partially hydrogenated oil, which is one of the most dangerous substances that one can add to food. This type of oil is responsible for the high rate of heart disease and can cause severe arterial blockage. This is an additive that is being banned by some European countries in hopes of protecting the people of such dangerous chemicals in food. This is a chemical that is not safe for human consumption. Thankfully many companies are removing this dangerous chemical from their products, but it can still be found in every aisle in the grocery store. This is a chemical that should not be consumed even in small quantities and should be banned from one’s home entirely.

Unfortunately, many companies are now replacing partially hydrogenated oils with fully hydrogenated oils. What this does is basically turn the oil into saturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats are basically two fat chains with an empty space in between them. By adding a couple of hydrogen atoms, these fats become partially hydrogenated, making a completely new type of fat called trans fat. Full hydrogenation occurs when the space is completely filled why hydrogen atoms, which creates the same chemical make-up as saturated fat, which is only slightly better for you than trans fat and should be consumed in small quantities.

Organic Foods

Americans are crying out for organic foods and finally the food industry is beginning to respond. Many major food chains are creating their own line of organic products to appease this increased demand. Just remember organic does not necessarily equal healthy. Organic junk is organic junk no matter how you slice it. I always buy organic cereal for my son. The brand that I purchase has three ingredients: organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane syrup and sea salt. When I look at the ingredients list on many popular organic store brand cereals the list is still a mile long and still filled with many preservatives and food dyes. Yet the brand that I regularly buy tastes as good as, if not better than the store brands. The point is that you should read labels no matter what. The fewer listed ingredients, unless they are all fruits and vegetables, the better the product.

So why buy organic? There are so many reasons, including lack of pesticides, no genetic modifications, increased nutritional value, better for your overall health, and yes even better for your waste line. Organic farmers do not use pesticides on their crops. There are those out there who will try to scare you by stating that there will not be enough fresh fruits and vegetables if pesticides are not used to protect crops. This is spoken about a country in which thousands of fruits and vegetables are thrown away every year due to overproduction by farmers. In many cases the government subsidizes the farmers to produce crops that will never to used, just to increase the bottom line of the farmers. This too has been found to be unnecessary, being that it is the larger farms that are being subsidized, those that are financially stable. This information came to light following Farm Aide, in which many journalists exposed the truth about subsidy programs. Pesticides have been found to be in no way, shape or form, good for people to consume. Some are relatively innocuous, though most have been found to contribute to increased rates of cancer, stroke, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune disorders, and neurological impairment.

Organic foods are also free of any genetic modifications. European countries no longer allow for American crops to be imported into the country due to the growing number of genetically engineered crops and food irradiation. Many countries pay a hefty fee to the United States to keep these crops out.

Organic foods have increased nutritional value. Organic farmers use organic mulch to fertilize their crops. This mulch returns nutrients to the ground. In addition, they use a crop rotation system so as not to totally deplete the mineral levels naturally found in the ground. These increased nutrients in the sole improve the nutritional value of the crops grown in that soil.

Some recent findings have shown that increased consumption of organic foods can decrease the size of one’s waste line. This occurs for two reasons. First, nutrient rich foods naturally decrease one’s appetite. Food cravings often occur because the body is literally starving for nutrients. Nutritionally void foods, such as processed foods, high sugar and high fat foods increase food cravings because they do not provide the body with necessary nutrients required for the body to operate optimally. The second reason eating organic foods can decrease one’s waste line, is because pesticides in traditional foods can lead to build up in the intestines. This build can cause bloating and increased weight. The more people demand organic foods, the more we will see traditional farms begin the conversion process to organic farming.

Sugar

Sugar, often known as the white devil, has actually been found by some researchers to be physically addictive. The definition of physical addiction, is that the body goes into withdrawal once a substance has been removed. Many people will experience cravings, headaches, and stomach discomfort when first removing white sugar or table sugar from their diet. There are many alternative sweeteners that are natural that one can use to sweeten food, that it is not necessary to rely on sugar. Some natural alternatives include fruit juice and fresh fruit (especially bananas and apple sauce), brown rice, agave, barley, or oat syrup, maple syrup and for those who are not opposed to its use honey.

It is at this point that I feel I must warn against the use of artificial sweeteners, including sucralose, saccharin, and aspartame. These sweeteners have been linked to cancer, neurological disorders, immune diseases, birth defects and host of other possible illnesses for years. Most doctors will recommend against giving them to children or using them while pregnant. If they are not good for our children, they are not good for use either. Other countries have banned the use of some of these sweeteners. One sweetener that the jury is still out on is Stevia. It is a wood sugar that comes from the Stevia tree. Some research has found that it could cause possible impotence in male rats, but thus far it has been linked to little else.

Kitchen Equipment

You have this beautiful organic food, free of pesticides and genetic modifications and rich in nutrients and then you cook it up in your chemical cookware. Many people are still unaware of the dangers of using Teflon coated pans. I feel like I am repeating myself over and over again, but Teflon is another chemical that is being banned in some European countries due to the dangers of this chemicals on living beings. Teflon has actually been found to release many dangerous chemicals when heated, as is done with cooking. It has even been found to kill birds, when humans cook using Teflon coated pans near the animals. Not the kind of stuff one would probably want around children. A lot of people have a hard time giving up their Teflon because it makes dishes easier to clean, but I believe health is more important than being able to easily clean one’s dishes. It is important that one uses stainless steel or cast iron to cook food in. The first few times they are used they may stick, but the more one uses them, the more seasoned they become. An added bonus to using cast iron is that is increases the iron in one’s diet when used for regular cooking.

In addition to Teflon, plastic can pose problems for the home cook. This is another substance that has been found to release dangerous chemicals when heated to high heats, such as in microwaves or dishwashers. Plastic also breaks down over use, allowing chemicals to leech into one’s food when it is stored in old plastic containers, especially if the food is placed in the container while still hot. Plastic coated cooking utensils can also be problematic if used to stir hot food. It is best to buy stainless steel or wood cooking utensils and store your food in lead free ceramic or glass.

The Good Stuff

A plant-based, whole foods diet is based on a Mediterranean style of eating, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, good fats, and rich spices. Fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of what one consumes and should be considered the main course. Fruits and vegetables should take up at least half of one’s plate at each meal. This scares many people, especially in America, where most people do not consume even half as many vegetables in a day as they should. It is recommended that a person eat about 5 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruit a day. This is not as scary as it sounds. Vegetables can be used in so many different ways, and with the addition of spices can be exciting and exotic. Fruits and vegetables are full of essential vitamins and minerals, including protein, iron, vitamins A, B, C, and E, all of which are vital to one’s health.

Another major food group that should be consumed in large quantities is whole grains. Once again this does not mean white flour, or processed wheat products. Whole grains should emphasize whole grain bread (preferably made fresh at a bakery), brown rice, barley, whole-wheat pastas, quinoa, and oats. These foods are high in fiber, which aides in digestion. They also provided sustained energy levels and assist in keeping insulin levels constant. Adults should consume between 5 and 7 servings of whole grains per day and children should consume 4 to 6 servings a day.

Legumes and nuts are another essential ingredients in a healthy diet and should provide the majority of one’s protein. Legumes, particularly, are high in essential amino acids and low in fat. Legumes include black beans, white beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, lentils, and lima beans. Nuts are another excellent source of protein, though higher in fats, therefore they should be consumed in slightly lower quantities than legumes. If vegetarian legumes or nuts should be consumed daily, otherwise they should be consumed at least 4-5 times a week. Even with meat eaters, legumes should provide the majority of one’s protein.

Another staple of an organic, plant-based diets is olive oil. It is used widely in the Mediterranean, where the rates of heart disease are the lowest in the world. The rates of heart disease in Greece are only two percent, compared to approximately 20 percent in the United States and even 5 percent in Japan. Olive oil is used in place of butter and animal fat to add richness to food. It is used to cook with, in salad dressings, for dipping vegetables and bread, and to preserve foods. In the Mediterranean, approximately 40 percent of their diet comes from fat, mostly in the form of olive oil. It is thought to be one of the main reasons that the people of the Mediterranean are so healthy.

Though often consumed in large quantities, sweets should only be consumed occasionally. Most cultures consume sweets only on special occasions and in very small quantities. Dessert comes in the forms of fruits in most countries, with richer desserts reserved for holidays. Even richer desserts are sweetened with fruit juices and honey and rarely contain large quantities of refined table sugar.

The Recipes

Many people think that healthy food is boring food. Who says healthy food has to be tasteless? Healthy food can be just as delicious as high fat, high sugar processed food. The recipes in this book are as nutritious as they are delicious. I have used my family as guinea pigs for my recipes and even my parents, who love their “semi-homemade,” high in animal products foods, said they would eat these recipes on a daily basis. From quick and easy to gourmet quality you will not be disappointed. All of my recipes in this book are vegan, and do not include processed sugars. I encourage mostly whole grains, and even highlight gluten-free recipes for those with gluten intolerance or who are uncomfortable consuming carbs. I want you to have fun with the recipes and modify them to your own tastes. Cooking is an experiment and can bring out some of your greatest creativity. What can be better than creating a nutritionally sound meal that even the biggest consumers of processed foods will whole-heartedly enjoy.