11 responses so far ↓

• 1 Opal @ Vegan Momma // Jul 14, 2008 at

  Greens (such as collards and kale) actually have more calcium than milk. That shocks the heck out of people when I tell them that. Many of them are also a great source of iron and vitamin C.

  I’ve always wanted to know whether B12 could be made within the gut similar as to what is seen in animals? Some researchers I’ve talked to think it’s possible if you have a healthy bowel. Interestingly enough (according to a few stats) the amount of nonvegans deficient with B12 is actually higher than vegetarians/vegans.

  I don’t take the supplements but according to my blood work it has increased since becoming Vegan, imagine that? To be honest, I wasn’t surprised.

  I would be interested to see what type of foods the vegetarians/vegans where eating. Just like the SAD you can have the SVD (standard vegetarian/vegan) diet) which can be just as unhealthy.

• 2 Alex // Jul 15, 2008 at

  Good find! This is some great information

• 3 Lane // Jul 15, 2008 at

  Hi Opal,
  Yes, we were shocked to learn that as well, but how much collard greens or kale winds up on your plate? We don’t eat as much of it as we could.
  Interesting about the B12. We’ll have to make sure to ask our physician if our b12 has improved over the last year.

  Hi Alex,
  We thought it was worth sharing.

• 4 Opal @ Vegan Momma // Jul 15, 2008 at

  @Lane,
  I definitely eat a lot a minimum three cups a day.

  Greens find their way into smoothies, salads, stir fries, wraps, and many more dishes. I don’t eat too much besides whole foods.

  Greens are a staple in my household. I definitely can see the results.

• 5 Lane // Jul 16, 2008 at

  Hi Opal,
  I’m not sure if I misunderstood. We certainly eat our fair share of “greens” per day, if by greens you are including salads. Jane and I have a gigantic salad with dinner every night, and most often a salad with (or as) lunch. We just don’t consume that much kale, and haven’t tried collard greens yet, although we did pick up a bunch last week. There’s a recipe in Vegan Express I’ve asked Jane to make.
  But, smoothies???? I’m not that daring. Perhaps you’d like to share a recipe? I didn’t find one at Vegan Momma.

• 6 Opal @ Vegan Momma // Jul 17, 2008 at

  @Lane,
  No the greens are the actual greens. I don’t post too many recipes on Vegan Momma, but you can find more here under green smoothies http://therawandthecooked.com/category/juicing-smoothie-recipes/ it’s another website of mine. It’s one of the websites that I’ll start updating more. Finding the time can be challenging. Yeah adding greens to drinks seemed odd. I learned about it when I became interested in raw foods, but you can make them taste sweet most of the ones I include are sweet drinks. The color can change to green, but the drinks still taste like a sweet drink.

  I began with a few leaves and as my taste changed I began adding more to the drinks, now my smoothies consist mainly of the dark greens.

  If a person is trying it out for the first time, I usually encourage them to use very sweet fruits. On the website, unsweetened apple juice is the base for many of my drinks. It’s easy to pick up in the store, and I don’t want to scare people off with “exotic ingredients” that they might not have access to. I think, at times that can widen the gap since some people will assume that people who live the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle have to be rich. I hear that often especially in the communities I volunteer with.

  Regarding the greens, I make sure I have them daily although my intake is already high I found that simple gesture gave me even more energy, I and I also need less sleep. I sleep about four hours daily. It used to be around six. I never required a lot sleep. The biggest bonus for me was no more menstruation cramps, along with lighter cycles.

  I know it isn’t just that it’s a combination of things that I’m doing. I also juice. I might drink fresh raw juices a few times each week. If I’m on a cleaning routine I’ll do it daily.

• 7 Lane // Jul 17, 2008 at

  Hi Opal,
  Thanks for the excellent info. When I work up the courage… I blog about trying the green smoothie.
  Interesting point about the exotic ingredients scaring people off. We had that experience with some of the ingredients in the first vegan cookbook we tried. I think some of these things add a certain nuance to the food, but really, the cost or the hassle of getting them is often not worth it.

• 8 Autumn // Jul 18, 2008 at

  I love the fact that the Japanese who eat a traditional diet live longer than just about anyone. Their secret is exercise into old age, small meals, stopping before full, a little of everything and lots of tea. They are also the cleanest people in the world bathing more than any other group on average. They always remove their shoes before entering their home which lowers bacteria, pesitcide and pollution levels in their homes and the air they breath. My husbands family is Japanese and they are all anciet and lively except for him of course. He is young and lively.

• 9 Lane // Jul 18, 2008 at

  Hi Autumn,
  Thanks for sharing. Interestingly, Jane has always had a “shoeless household.” At first I thought it was a nuisance, but I’ve come to appreciate the habit.
  Here’s hoping your husband inherited his family genes and habits!

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