Happy Earth Day!

What's the best way to go green? The answer - without a doubt - is to go vegan. Think I'm biased? Okay. But it's still true. Here are some startling facts:

• Human population of the U.S. - 270,000,000
• Number of humans that could be fed by the grain fed to livestock - 1,300,000,000
• Animal agriculture contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than all the cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined
• Seven football fields' worth of land is bulldozed every minute to create more room for farmed animals
• Of all the agricultural land in the U.S. 80% is used to raise animals for food and to grow the grain needed to feed them
• One pig raised for food consumes 21 gallons of water per day
• One dairy cow consumes up to 50 gallons of water per day
• It takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of cow flesh
• It takes 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat
• More than half the water used in the U.S. goes to raising animals for food
• Production of excrement by total U.S. population: 12,000 pounds per second
• Production of excrement by total U.S. livestock: 250,000 pounds per second - without a sewage system
• As of 2006 there was a "dead zone" the size of half of the state of Maryland in the Gulf of Mexico. No plant or sea animals exist there due to the high nitrogen levels caused by waste runoff from factory farms. The runoff seeps into nearby waterways which almost always lead to the Mississippi River, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

These are just a few of the startling facts about factory farming. But you can make a difference! The Smithsonian Institute reported that if every American replaced one meal containing chicken with one containing vegetarian foods every week, it would be the same as removing over half a million cars off the road. So how about Meatless Mondays? Do you think you can go meatless for just one day of the week, every week? Try it! Do it for the animals, the Earth and for you!

Why I Became A Vegan

Believe me when I tell you that if just a couple years ago someone told me I'd be a vegan one day, I would have thought they were crazy. Now that I get asked all the time what ultimately influenced my decision to go vegan, I think it's only appropriate that I address those reasons here on my blog...


I grew up eating meat and dairy products but I think even early on I knew that on some level, I didn't want to eat them. I can tell you that I never, ever liked drinking milk or eating eggs on their own. I wouldn't even put milk in a bowl of cereal for breakfast. In fact, it wasn't until I went vegan that I had milk (rice) in my cereal for the first time.


Little by little, I stopped eating different meats. First it was hamburgers, then it was steak. I'll never forget when my mother told me that sausage was encased in intestines. There went that, too! Then I learned what hot dogs were made of (more like, what they aren't made of) and I stopped eating those too. By the time I was about 12 or 13, the only meat I ate was chicken and white meat only.


From very early on I was also an avid baker and couldn't even imagine how to bake without butter, eggs or milk. The thought of actually being able to use anything else didn't even cross my mind. I went on through life thinking that I had to eat chicken because I needed protein (where else would I get it from?). I also ate things with eggs and dairy in them because that was all I knew.


The funny thing is that I don't really remember what was going on in my life at the end of 2008 that made me decide that my New Year's Resolution for 2009 would be to convert my entire household to cruelty-free products. I guess I remembered how passionate I was when I was younger when it came to animal rights and wanted to do something to make a difference. (Side note: I'll also never forget how devastated I was when I applied to volunteer at my local chapter of the A.S.P.C.A. and was rejected because their minimum age requirement was 16 years old - I was probably only 9 or 10.)


I took on the task of changing out almost every product that I use with excitement and satisfaction. I felt like I was really making a difference and enjoyed trying new things. I admit that it probably got somewhat pricey at the time but I also didn't have someone to go to for advice on what the best cruelty-free, eco-friendly, safe laundry detergent was (Ecover!)... Or liquid hand soap (Mrs. Meyer's!)... Or shampoo and conditioner (Avalon Organics!)... Needless to say there was a lot of trial and error to determine not only what works well but that I also liked! Somewhere in the middle of it all, someone pointed out that I should really read the labels and avoid these horrible things called "parabens"and "sodium lauryl sulfate". But more on ingredients another time...


It was around this time that I also started reading books like The Omnivore's Dilemma, Animal Liberation and Diet For a New America. I also watched documentaries like Food Inc. (highly recommended) and did a lot of research on the internet. By the time 2010 rolled around my thoughts and views on the food I was eating had done a complete 180.


I'll never forget January 11, 2010. Why? Because it was the last day I ate meat. I sat there eating my dinner and could barely get through the first of two pieces of chicken. I forced the last bite of the first piece down and stopped. I said to myself (and out loud), "that's it. I'm done." And I was. I couldn't bear to eat it anymore after learning everything. There had to be another way.


Fast forward to June. I had just purchased the cookbook, The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. In the first few pages she explains her journey of becoming a vegan. Then, I read it - the sentence that changed me forever. And I quote - "There is no greater feeling than knowing that my behavior is aligned with my values." !!!! That was exactly what I had been trying to do in my own life at the time. I decided right then and there that I had to go vegan. My values included animal rights so I no longer wanted to participate in the pain, suffering or violence against any sentient beings.


I thought about it for a moment and decided to give myself until the end of the year to work it all out. I figured six months would be enough time to find substitutes that I liked. Ironically, my biggest fears (ice cream, cream cheese and other cheeses) wound up being the least of my worries. What's there to worry about when you have Tofutti and Daiya?! It was so much easier than I thought that I found my kitchen was already 100% vegan by Autumn.


I'm eating so much healthier than I ever have now that I care about what I put into my body. I've never felt better in my entire life. I have more energy. My skin glows. I've lost weight (and continue to lose weight). I feel wonderful not only in my body but in my soul.


And that right there is the best feeling in the world.




If you'd like more information on cruelty-free products go here!
Toying with the idea of going vegan? Here are 57 excellent reasons!

Misconception Monday: Milk, It Does A Body Good...

This was the slogan I grew up hearing over and over again. Did anyone know that the National Dairy Council wound up settling a lawsuit because it was false, misleading and deceptive advertising? Interesting, right? That's because by that point we were all brainwashed into thinking that milk actually was good for us. The truth is that dairy has been proven to cause cancer, obesity, heart disease, allergies, diabetes, and even osteoporosis - the one thing we were told it would prevent!


Human beings are the only species on the planet that drink the milk of another species. We are also the only ones who continue to drink it throughout the rest of our lives. Every other mammal produces milk when they give birth, feed their young, and then stop. So then why do we drink a cow's milk? Because the dairy industry has spent billions of dollars convincing us that we should - that's why.

Dairy cows hooked up to milking machines

And it's worked! It's worked so well in fact, that in order to keep up with the demand, dairy farmers inject their cows with hormones so that they produce much more milk than normal. The average free cow will produce about 1.32 gallons of milk per day to feed her young. The average dairy cow? 11.62 gallons!! That's a LOT of hormones! Hormones that undoubtedly end up in their milk as well.


What else is in milk? Viruses, bacteria, hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, pesticides, pus, feces, blood and more! Then it's "bleached" with hydrogen peroxide. Yep, that's right. Hydrogen peroxide.


Remember something else... Cows do not "give" us milk. Humans enslave cows to steal it from them. By supporting the dairy industry you're supporting the veal industry. How? Because the dairy cows must always be pregnant in order to keep producing milk. So they're artificially inseminated (another thing we "steal" from male cows. Use your imagination to figure out how!) as soon as possible after giving birth. Her babies are taken from her as soon as they're born which as I'm sure you can imagine, is extremely distressing for both the mother and her young. Most of the girls are sent off to become milk-producing machines like their mother while most of the boys are doomed to become veal. Veal calves are confined in small crates so that they can't move (so their meat is tender) and fed a poor diet to be kept anemic (so their meat is white).

A veal calf in a crate too small to turn around in

There are many alternatives to dairy milk that are so much better for our bodies. The best part is that they don't cause any pain or suffering either! Try soy, almond, coconut, rice, oat, hemp or cashew milk. I think they're all wonderful in their own way and use different milks based on what I need them for. I hope you have fun trying all your different options out, too!


(Little known fact: The popular soy milk brand, Silk, is actually a company owned by Dean Foods - one of the nation's largest dairy farmers. So while many consumers think they're making a more compassionate choice by drinking soy milk instead of dairy milk, they're still putting their money into the pockets of a dairy farmer when buying from this brand.)

Happy Birthday Lily!!

The bestest, cutest, sweetest, mushiest dog in the world, Lily.

In honor of my little girl's birthday today, I thought it would be the perfect time to address why she is also a vegan! The funny thing is she was actually a vegan before me.   =p


I was at a time in my life when I had begun reading and watching everything I could get my hands on in regards to our food system. It was only natural that the questions I had eventually turned to the pet food industry as well. After reading and seeing all that goes in to a food system meant for humans, I couldn't even imagine what they made pet food out of.


Imagine my shock and disgust when I found out that pet food is made from 4D meat! 4D is a term used to classify meat that is either Dead, Disabled, Diseased or Dying; basically it is meat unfit for human consumption (according to the USDA). Their food also includes heads, hooves, organs, blood, feet, bones, tumors, fetuses, tails - the list goes on and on. Then, if it's dry food, it's sprayed with used restaurant grease to make it more palatable to the animals. THEN it's sprayed with preservatives like ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT (BHT is the same stuff that's in jet fuel and embalming fluid) which are known carcinogens! Pretty scary stuff...


Have we already forgotten about what happened in 2007? When over 5300 pet food products (most of them manufactured by Menu Foods) had to be recalled? It was later discovered that the recall was due to the contamination of aminopterin (used in rat poison), cyanuric acid (used to stabilize chlorine in swimming pools) and melamine (a nitrogen-rich chemical usually used in plastics and laminates). The combination of these chemicals makes for a lethal cocktail, usually resulting in kidney failure. It killed thousands of pets and sickened even more. Unfortunately, these recalls happen very often. Perhaps not on such a large scale as the one in 2007, but they are common nonetheless.



I had been feeding Lily with Newman's Own Organics but after discovering what pet food was really made from I started looking around on the internet for something more plant-based. One day I was in the pet food store and walking down the aisle toward the Newman's food when out of the corner of my eye I saw a bag labeled, "Vegetarian Formula". I stopped in my tracks to check it out and was overjoyed when I saw how much better it would be for Lily. After all my searching on the internet here, right in front of me was Lily's new food! That day I went home from the store with Natural Balance dog food instead and have been ever since.


So how does Lily like her new vegan food? To put it simply - she LOVES it. I've never seen her get so excited for her food before. Now she drools uncontrollably at feeding time. One day I made the mistake of leaving an open bag out while I showered. When I came out, it had been knocked over and eaten out of. Mind you, she has never, ever done anything like this with any other food. Another time I left an unopened bag thinking it would be fine since it's sealed. Silly me!

The aftermath.

When I took Lily for her first checkup as a vegan even the vet noticed how great she looked. He said her coat looked shiny and wonderful and that she was finally at the perfect, healthy weight. He asked if I did anything so I told him - she went vegan!


I know this is somewhat of a long post but the crazy thing is I've only scratched the surface! Plenty of people still think that dogs are carnivores and must eat meat. It's simply not true. I feel that everyone has the right to feed their pet whatever they choose. That being said, I strongly encourage everyone to look into what exactly they're giving them. There are virtually no regulations regarding what goes into pet food OR how they label it. Hence, 11 significant recalls in 12 years. Here's a wonderful resource for everything you need to know about pet food!




Author's note: While this post is based on information about the pet food industry as a whole, veterinarians do not recommend feeding cats a vegan diet. Dogs, like humans, are able to acquire all their nutritional requirements from a plant-based diet. Cats, on the other hand, are obligate carnivores with completely different digestive systems and needs. Please always consult with your vet if you have any questions regarding your pet's diet!

Natalie Portman Drops Vegan Diet While Pregnant

The news broke this week that vegan poster-child, Natalie Portman, has reverted to a vegetarian diet now that she's pregnant. Being as I've never been pregnant I was a little hesitant to even blog about it since I'm unable to speak from experience. But I'll try anyway.  =p


I can certainly see both sides of it since I firmly believe you should learn to listen to your body and do what it tells you. But where she loses me is how she justifies it because she was "craving cookies and cake". Huh? Doesn't she live in NYC where there is a plethora of vegan restaurants and bakeries? Isn't she also a multi-millionaire who can afford to hire someone to bake delicious vegan treats FOR her?


Is there something more to this story or what? She admitted that plenty of women adhere to a vegan diet while pregnant and that you just have to be extra cautious when it comes to your iron and B12 levels. Very true. So now she's going against her ethics (which are what she has always claimed led her to a vegan lifestyle to begin with) because of pregnancy cravings?


Again, I am in no position to judge but I'm confused nevertheless.


I want to know - what are your thoughts????

Recipe: The Perfect Grilled Cheese

On my last two visits to Las Vegas (which also happened to be my first two trips as an official vegan) I made a stop at Whole Foods for some essentials. In their Las Vegas store I happily discovered that they have an ordering counter for fresh food like pizza, sandwiches, stir-frys, etc. Both times I had a vegan grilled cheese that is to die for! I tried re-creating it myself and what resulted is a masterpiece. I now give you, the most amazing grilled cheese you'll ever eat...

I've found that the perfect grilled cheese is made by both stove and the microwave. <GASP!> I know, I know. It may sound sacrilegious but trust me. It's a surefire way to get both a perfect brown color AND melted cheese. Without the microwave I would always end up with burnt bread by the time my cheese melted. This recipe yields 3 sandwiches (or in my opinion, enough for 2 people. Haha). This is because I feel that 1/3 of a tomato and 1/3 of an avocado are the perfect amount to put on a sandwich. Feel free to adjust ingredients and/or measurements according to your own tastes if you'd like, but try it at least once without changes. It's phenomenal.  =)


6 slices of bread (I prefer whole wheat or whole grain)
Earth Balance
Daiya Cheddar Shreds
1 tomato
1 avocado
1 jalapeno pepper
Veganaise
Salt and pepper, to taste


Begin by preparing the jalapeno. Cut off the stem and then slice the pepper down the center to the tip. Remove the seeds and membranes. Cook the pepper in one cup of boiling water for 2 -3 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse in cold water. Drain and dry it off with a paper towel. Slice into small pieces and set aside.
*Remember to use extra caution when handling jalapenos!


Slice tomato and avocado into thin slices. Set aside.


Butter one side of each slice of bread with Earth Balance. Spray a griddle or large pan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat place the bread in the pan, buttered side down. Spread Daiya Cheddar Shreds over three of the six slices. Once your bread has reached a golden brown color remove it from the heat. Place the slices with the cheese on it onto a plate.


Microwave the bread 15-20 seconds per slice (depending on your microwave) until the cheese is melted. Arrange each sandwich by piling on the tomato, avocado and peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. Microwave each assembled sandwich for about 10-15 seconds to warm the sandwich up. Remove the top slice and spread some Veganaise.


Slice in half and enjoy immediately.

Misconception Monday: All Alcoholic Beverages Are Vegan

Beer, wine, liquor... They're vegan, right? Well the answer is yes --- AND no.


I think this is one of the most shocking facts for non-vegans to comprehend. I get asked quite often whether or not I "can drink" as a vegan and like I said, the answer is both yes and no. I can drink alcohol if I want to but depending on what it is, it may not be vegan. How?


Sometimes it can be obvious. For example, Bailey's Irish Cream is made with - you guessed it! Cream! So no, vegans won't drink it. Many beers are also made with honey, so no to those too. But for the most part, the answer lies in the refining process. Isinglass (a form of collagen that comes from the swim bladder of fish) is a positively charged substance, and when added to wine or beer, it attracts negatively charged particles in suspension, and then drops to the bottom, aiding in clarification. In Layman's terms, the swim bladders are used in the filtering process to make the finished product less cloudy. 

A fish's swim bladder

But isinglass isn't the only animal part used for clarification. Sometimes it's filtered through egg whites, gelatin or even blood. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?


But that's just for clarifying. Then you have a very popular red coloring, Carmine (also known as Cochineal, carminic acid, crimson lake, natural red 4 or E120), and is made from crushed, pregnant cochineal beetles. Yes, bugs! They are boiled alive not only to kill them but to dissolve their waxy coating as well. Then, once they're completely dried out they are crushed into a fine powder. It's then used to color everything from red wine and fruit juices to cosmetics and fabrics.

A cluster of Cochineal Beetles

I know that to many non-vegans it may seem extreme that I'll avoid a bottle of wine just because there are trace elements of isinglass in it and/or because it was colored with bugs. But the real point (I think) is this: there are plenty of wineries, distilleries and breweries that achieve the same outcome but without using any animals in the process. So if I have a choice between one who does and one who doesn't, I'm obviously going for the one who doesn't.


*If you're interested in drinking animal-friendly alcohol, be sure to check out Barnivore. They maintain an extensive list of who is vegan and who isn't.