I'm continually impressed with how mainstream veganism is becoming. Sure, it's not always easy to get a vegan meal at a restaurant without "working with" your server. But it is getting easier. And the number of vegan products seems to be increasing. Now, we're even getting representation in Gourmet magazine. This week, Gourmet says:
Vegan desserts are like the pastry world's version of breast implants: The best ones are indistinguishable from their conventional counterparts. For plenty of vegan bakers, the ultimate compliment is a look of shock.
That's true for Jane. Her vegan brownies and vegan danish have met with incredulous stares when we've revealed they're vegan, as have her cookies. Athough there are still a number of things we've tried which really don't work for us.
Overall, it's really encouraging to read something like this in Gourmet. If foodies think vegan fare is good, then maybe the rest of the world will be willing to try some. But breast implants?
So after writing about the born-again carnivore yesterday, I wanted to write a post that promotes a vegan diet tonight. This is a vegan blog after all!
So what's the first thing people ask you when you say you've gone vegan? Where do you get your protein? Jack Norris, co-founder and current president of Vegan Outreach, and Registered Dietician, is authoring a blog of his own... JackNorris.com. Fittingly, his first (real) post talks about protein.
According to Norris, if you eat 3 servings of proteins per day, your protein needs should be taken care of. He suggests not eating more than 2-3 servings per day of soy or wheat gluten products.
So, where do you get your protein? We get ours from a wide variety of foods.... Beans and legumes mostly (lots of chickpeas), followed by soy and nuts, and seitan. And almond milk, and quinoa... I also start my morning with a smoothie made of almond milk, almond butter, a banana, and rice protein powder.
And a special thanks to Joe H. of Temecula, CA who's email alerted us to Norris's new blog.
For those of you who don't know, this weekend is the Super Bowl. The culmination of the 2008 American football season. And perhaps the most watched event annually. PETA's "Veggie Love" Super Bowl campaign has been banned by NBC. My first reaction was where did PETA get $3 million for this ad? (Super Bowl spots will start at $3 million for 30 second spot. - Source: Reuters) My second reaction was the Super Bowl is not the appropriate forum for a vegetarian ad... then I saw the spot, and I thought to myself, "This time those folks at PETA know what they're doing."
According to PETA, NBC nixed the ad, saying it "depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards." Personally, I don't agree... with all the Viagara and Cialis they market, this should be right up their alley!
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the US blogged about "Your Plate, Your Planet" (in other words, what you eat affects the environment) tonight. It's something I ranted about a few times over the summer. Eating lower on the food chain is a very effective tool to reduce our individual carbon-footprints. Apparently, this is still such an unpopular choice that we're looking for a high-tech solution, rather than go the easy route and reduce our meat consumption.
Meat consumption is expected to double, across the global, between 2000 and 2050. Yikes!
Farm emissions, one of the major contributors to global warming, will be one of the main topics discussed in Poznan, Poland as 187 nations gather for talks on a new treaty to help combat global warming.
In releasing its latest figure on emissions last month, United Nations climate officials cited agriculture and transportation as the two sectors that remained most “problematic.”
“It’s an area that’s been largely overlooked,” said Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Nobel Prize-winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He says people should eat less meat to control their carbon footprints. “We haven’t come to grips with agricultural emissions.” -- Source NY Times
Hopefully there will be some forward progress towards a reduction in the number of animals being produced for food. Perhaps Mr. Pacelle and the HSUS will take on this challenge after their successful campaign to get Proposition 2 passed in California. Or maybe the skyrocketing cost of food will drive more people to consider the cheaper alternative of vegetarian-based meals. Trust me people, it's not that hard to go vegan. We've been at it for almost 1½ years, and we're not going back!
