9 Vegan Foods To Help You Sleep
I've been having a bit of insomnia lately, which is actually quite unusual for me. I usually fall asleep without much effort at all. Life has been a bit hectic, and that's probably the root of my problem, my brain isn't ready to shut down when bedtime rolls around. In the olden days (pre-vegan), I would usually have a bowl of cereal if I couldn't sleep. I know hot milk is supposed to help... but the cold milk worked for me. Soy milk, well - it isn't doing the trick. I've also been doing all the other things they tell you to do. I'm not consuming caffeine, I'm exercising early in the day, I'm not watching television in bed, I usually go to bed at the same time every night... Last night I was still awake at 2.30 am. Ugh.
So today I spent a few minutes looking for helpful suggestions, and by happy coincidence, Natural News has a column today entitled Healthy Foods That Promote Restful Sleep. If all the usual suggestions fail (they have), the author suggests you should try to ingest some tryptophan as that helps create serotonin which helps you fall asleep. Interestingly, you should combine the tryptophan with a carb-heavy food. This makes sense. Think about the sleepy feeling most people claim to feel after overeating at Thanksgiving. Turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing. The stuff that sleep is made of, for non-vegans anyway.
So what are these healthy foods? Well (it gets even better), they're things most of us (vegans) have in our cupboards.
- Beans
- Whole grains, including rice
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Hazelnuts
- Peanuts
- Eggs
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Miso (fermented soy beans)
- Raw dairy products (if you can tolerate dairy)
Don't forget you're supposed combine these with a carbohydrate rich food too. (Although I'm not sure you'd need to do that with the rice...) So tonight, I'll be having a snack of multi-grain crackers with peanut butter. Hopefully that will do the trick. But I have to say, I'm a bit skeptical. I often have rice and beans, and don't require a nap afterwards. Well, it's certainly worth a try.
And here's my new vegan slogan... Can't sleep? Count sheep, don't eat them! (So now you're all hoping that my snack tonight helps, or there may be more of this sleep-deprived nonsense to look forward too.)
Meat Free – One Week Challenge
Here's a bit of fun I found on the internet.... the first annual Break Up With Meat Week, brought to you by Earthsave Canada, the Taste of Health Food Festival, and the Toronto Vegetarian Association. While most of the people reading this blog have already "broken up with meat" we probably all have friends and family members who haven't and might be willing to give it a try.
The premise is that you commit to giving up meat for one week, (Sunday, September 21 – Sunday, September 28) during which time you receive daily emails to help you achieve your goal of eating meatless for a week. They plan on providing the challengers with recipes, meal ideas, facts on eating meatless, and many other tips and tricks.
The idea of ‘breaking up' with meat suggests that while you may still enjoy its company from time to time, you no longer want or need it in your daily life - much like an ex. Sometimes, you may need a visit just to remind you how much healthier and happier you are now that it's out of your life. It is more important that everyone reduce their intake of meat, than to scare you away from vegetarian food options. If more people adopt a primarily vegetarian (or completely vegetarian or vegan) diet, we're making huge strides to solving huge global issues.
Amen to that! Anyway, it's a fun, fresh approach to trying vegetarianism.
Vegan Travel
I read a rather funny description of flying as a vegan in Monday's New York Times. The article was authored by Wayne Pacelle, of the US Humane Society and let me tell you, I can relate! Pacelle talks about his travails trying to get peanut butter through security -- "The security agent insisted that my carry-on food product was a cream, and therefore a forbidden substance. A rather strange discussion ensued in which I tried to explain that peanut butter was a solid with a “creamy” consistency. Creamy was, in this case, an adjective. And the peanut butter should not be thrown in the trash."
Although Pacelle doesn't offer tips for getting through air travel, he does mention he is occasionally served Biscoff cookies onboard certain airlines (but doesn't tell us which ones) and says they taste great and are a safe choice for vegans. If you're curious, you can find them here at Amazon
Our strategy is to bring our own vegan goodies. We tend to keep a few vegan protein bars in the house, and always have nuts on hand, so that covers any spur of the moment activities. If we have time to plan ahead, Jane makes sure to bring us things that travel well. Often we'll bring a travel container of hummus, some vegan pretzels, and fruit. And if I'm really lucky, Jane will bake some goodies ahead of time (banana nut muffins or brownies), and we'll have those too.
Although there wasn't a lot to the article, we do share Pacelle's dream of one day being able to walk through every airport and find wholesome vegan fare that is easily accessible.
Climate Change and Meat Consumption — Eat Vegan
The UN's top climate scientist, chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, is suggesting that people should consider eating less meat as a way of combating global warming. The IPCC collates and evaluates climate data for the world's governments.
UN figures suggest that meat production puts more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than transport.
"The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat production account for about 18% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions," he told BBC News.
"So I want to highlight the fact that among options for mitigating climate change, changing diets is something one should consider."
Source: BBC News
According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, total global meat production contributes 18% of greenhouse gasses, while total global transportation contributes only 13% of greenhouse gasses. The largest source globally of carbon dioxide from meat production is land clearance, particularly of tropical forest.
According to Dr. Pachuri, people should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change, and should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further. -- Source The Guardian
Meat eating is expected to double by mid-century. This is such an easy and important step for us all to take. It's something Jane and I strongly believe in and have blogged about a number of times (see More Reasons Not to Eat Meat and Vegan Eating Trumps Eating Locally). I'm assuming most of the people who are reading this blog are vegans or are interested in veganism. But this is a message we can bring to our omivorous friends and family. Imagine the impact to the enviroment and the animals if everyone ate vegan just one day a week.
Vegan Wines
Last week I wrote about the Vegan 100, a list of 100 vegan items that every vegan should try (note: the list was compiled by Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan
What, wine might not be vegan? For those of you who haven't already heard, alcohol is often refined using animal products. Here's the scoop on wine:
While wine is essentially made from grapes, on occasion animal products are used in small amounts in the production process. Wineries might use animal-derived products as finings. To remove proteins, yeasts, and other organic particles which are in suspension during the making of the wine, a fining agent is added to the top of the vat. As it sinks down, the particles adhere to the agent, and are carried out of suspension. None of the fining agent remains in the finished product sold in the bottle, and not all wines are fined. All Kosher wines are vegan.
Examples of animal products used as finings are gelatin, isinglass, chitosan, casein and egg albumen. Bull's blood is also used in some Mediterranean countries but is not allowed in the U.S. or France.
As an alternative to the animal products Bentonite, a natural, inert clay powder, can be used to clarify the wine. There are even some very patient vintners who let the wine's sediments settle naturally. Winemakers are not required to put on their label which clarifier is used, since it is removed from the final product. However, some wine makers will boast on the wine label that their wine is unfiltered, because some wine connoisseurs prefer wine to be unfiltered.
Source: Wikipedia
Anyway, we have been invited to a few dinners over the next several weeks. For most of the dinners Jane will be preparing a dish, but one of the hosts has asked us to bring a bottle of wine. Rather than go out to the store and just hope for the best, I thought I'd do a bit of research to see if I could compile a list of vegan wines. No need, the Vegan Wine Guide had done that for me. Their list currently contains 428 wines, and you can even search by country, and/or type (color) wine. So, if you're a strict vegan who likes to drink wine, you might want to visit, this list can definitely make your life a bit easier.
Miso
I was recently sent an article on miso by IamQuarry, a Stumble friend. We love miso. Jane makes an excellent gravy by whisking miso into vegetable stock. Yum. She also makes her own miso soup (not difficult at all), salad dressing (although I prefer our balsamic/dijon dressing), and it's an ingredient in a number of recipes we really enjoy.... So we always have it sitting in the back of the fridge somewhere.
The article I mentioned above, A Little Bit About Miso, on Foodproof.com, is just that, a little bit about miso... an introduction. It's an interesting read if you don't have much experience with miso. Even if you do there are a few tips that might be of value. I particularly like the suggestion to use miso as a glaze to broil vegetables:
There are a bunch of ways of doing vegetables, commonly called dengaku. The usual is a thin Asian eggplant, which you cut lengthwise in half (and sometimes across, depending on size) after washing and cutting off the stem. Then you skewer the halves on bamboo forks. Broil the eggplant, cut-side down, for a minute or so until barely getting saggy. Turn them over, spread with the miso paste, and broil about the same amount of time. Serve hot. You can also do firm tofu this way (NOT the soft, silky stuff I talk about in that blog entry, which will fall to bits instantly!). One note, though: Don't worry about the bamboo forks, which are a pain in the butt as well as hard to find, in my experience. Just do them in the broiler on a sheet of oiled aluminum foil and move them around with tongs.
We've tried red, white, and yellow miso. We tend to lean towards red or yellow miso these days. The red miso has the stronger flavor of the three; we find the white miso is a little too mild, although it works nicely in dressing.
You can find miso in the refrigerated section at your natural foods store or asian market. If you're lucky you can even find it in your grocery store, near the tofu... Miso is a "living" food, full of active cultures, enzymes and micronutrients, so once you get it home you should be keep your miso in the refrigerator. Use a clean spoon when removing some from the container to avoid contamination. The miso will have an expiration date stamped on the tub, it keeps for months! Oh, and don't overcook/boil your miso. You don't want to "kill" the beneficial properties.
If you're looking for more in depth information on miso (inlcuding nutritional information) World's Healthiest Foods has a good write up, as does Wikipedia.
Vegan Charities
Jane and I have reached a point in our lives where we no longer buy into the consumerist mentality that drives our economy. We often joke with each other that we are not the target demographic. We're not into fashion, we don't get a new car every two years, and we really try to live within our salary. Couple that with the fact that we're middle aged and have most of the stuff we already need, and you can see that we're not "shoppers." And we're really not into the $20 gift card swap. All of this makes us difficult to shop for, so last year we started asking for gifts to charities of our choice.
Today, I found out that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine also hosts a website that certifies charities which do not fund animal experiments with the Humane Charity Seal of Approval. The site is overseen by The Council on Humane Giving.
Member organizations of the Council on Humane Giving include:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Medical Research Modernization Committee
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
American Anti-Vivisection Society
In Defense of Animals
National Anti-Vivisection Society
New England Anti-Vivisection Society
Last Chance for Animals
Beauty Without Cruelty
International member organizations:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Europe
Humane Charities Australia
And while I'm hesitant to suggest any charity in particular, this site provides a good jumping off point if you're looking for charities which might appeal to vegans.
The Vegan 100 – 100 Things You Should Try
Many of you have probably already seen The Vegan’s Hundred list. There are other ”Hundred” food memes circulating round the blogosphere (The Omnivore’s Hundred, which started the trend; and The Vegetarian’s Hundred). Generally these a little bit of fluff we bloggers can use a way of introducing ourselves. Jane and I don't usually bother with them (do you really care what movies we've seen recently, this is a vegan blog after all). But I really like this list because it can inspire all of us to try new things.
Here's the basic premise:
1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you've eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you've finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!
1. Natto (ironically, we just tried this)
2. Green Smoothie (VeganMomma has inspired me, but I'm still a little nervous)
3. Tofu Scramble (not just for breakfast)
4. Haggis (vegan haggis? Huh?)
5. Mangosteen (I've never even heard of this)
6. Creme brulee (oh Jane, can you find a vegan version of this?)
7. Fondue (aahhh the 70s. I have fond memories of my parents having fondue parties)
8. Marmite/Vegemite (once was enough!)
9. Borscht (this might be the way we get over our beet phobia)
10. Baba ghanoush - (Yum!)
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea - (two things to look out for here - milk and honey, if you don't eat it. Often the tea is prepared with milk, and the tapioca "pearls" can be either soaked in sugar or honey... so make sure to ask, or read the label.)
17. Black truffle - (I have the oil, does that count?)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza - (can't get enough dumplings)
20. Vanilla ice cream (Not as good as the vegan chocolate ice cream)
21. Heirloom tomatoes (from our garden)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche (I didn't know this could be veganized...)
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish (often made with butter, milk, eggs... so ASK)
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper (hot, hot, hot)
27. Dulce de leche (vegan?)
28. Caviar (I've eaten caviar in my pre-vegan days, but never a vegan version)
29. Baklava
30. Pate (the goose will thank you)
31. Wasabi peas (I don't understand the appeal)
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl (and you don't have to do the dishes!)
33. Mango lassi - (make sure it's vegan... this is traditionally made with milk and yogurt)
34. Sauerkraut (IMO there are much better uses for cabbage)
35. Root beer float (funny, we were just wondering if vegan vanilla ice cream would make the float bubble like it does with cow's milk.)
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam (Jane makes a mean scone)
38. Vodka jelly (oooh, sign me up!)
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries (sorry to say, I have)
41. Raw Brownies (sorry to say I have... at Leaf, they were horrible)
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans (haven't seen these anywhere)
43. Dahl (gotta love that Indian cuisine)
44. Homemade Soymilk (homemade almond milk is better)
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (it was even better because work paid for it!)
46. Stroopwafle (I don't even know what this is)
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi (one day, when I don't remember how much I loved traditional sushi)
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (well, the paste, not the plum balls themselves)
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy (not since I was a small child, but I'm assuming it was vegan)
56. Gnocchi (I love gnocchi )
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips (don't let anyone fool you, this is not a chocolate replacement. Just stick with the semisweet or dark stuff)
61. S'mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets (yum!)
64. Curry
65. Durian (bizarre)
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies (every time I'm around and Jane makes them)
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can (I keep meaning to slip it in the cart when we're at Whole Foods)
76. Pomegranate (Jane actually likes to open the fruit and eat the kernels individually)
77. Fauxstess Cupcake (we have the cookbook, I know Jane's got a post it on the page...)
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky (I tried the cactus jerky)
80. Croissants (Jane made a croissant with the leftover dough from the Vegan Danish)
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings (I don't think Jane's moving away from SnapPea Crisps)
84. A meal at Candle 79 (Of course, you should never say never)
85. Moussaka (mock, made with eggplant)
86. Sprouted grains or seeds (not quite my cup of tea)
87. Macaroni and "cheese"
88. Flowers (Jane grows nasturtium and adds that to our salads)
89. Matzoh ball soup (it was more like Matzoh mush)
90. White chocolate (I don't understand the appeal)
91. Seitan (Shojin makes the best Seitan)
92. Kimchi (I had a boss who loved the stuff)
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon (one day, but I really love red watermelon)
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti (get the Tofutti in the yellow container... No trans fats)
97. Potato milk (huh?)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (we don't drink coffee)
100. Raw cookie dough (you've got to lick the beaters)
So I've tried 69 of the 97 I would try on this list... That puts me at 71%. Looks like I need to get a move on!
