"If you don't eat meat, then where do you get your protein from?"

First things first: Vegetarians will not die of protein deprivation.  

It's funny that people still think this. In fact, someone just asked me about this today.  During a conversation that we were having about food, I told this man that I was a vegetarian.  After giving it some thought and seeming slightly surprised his response was in the form of a question, "If you don't eat meat, then where do you get your protein from?".  

I was caught off-guard and suddenly everything I knew about protein sources in a vegetarian diet was gone, missing! Yikes! Why was he asking me this question, I wondered? Does he really care, or is he just challenging me to see how 'dedicated' I am to not eating dead cows?  Based on my lack of response, you would have thought that I just became a vegetarian yesterday. I've been asked this question so many times since I've stopped eating meat but it still surprises me every time.  So I gave him all that I could think of at that moment: beans, eggs, cheese and spinach. Oh, and tofu!  

I was so disappointed in myself....and I decided that I would be more prepared for the next time the carnivores come a'questioning. So, I've done some research & compiled a list. Here's to healthy eating!

LEGUMES: COOKED		Grams per serving
LENTILS	1 CUP	17.13
CHICK PEAS	1 CUP	15.65
BLACK EYED PEAS	1 CUP	12.98
BLACK BEANS	1 CUP	15.2
KIDNEY BEANS	1 CUP	14.83
LIMA BEANS	1 CUP	10
MISO	1 TBSP.	2
PIGEON PEAS	1 CUP	9.12
PINTO BEANS	1 CUP	15
SOYBEANS	1 CUP	29.77
SOYMILK	1 CUP	6.62
TEMPEH	3 OZ	15
TOFU, EXTRA FIRM	1/2 CUP	20
SEEDS/NUTS, RAW
PUMPKIN SEEDS	1 TBSP.	2
SESAME SEEDS	1 TBSP.	1.6
SUNFLOWER SEED	1 TBSP.	1.8
ALMONDS	1/2 OZ.	3
CASHEWS	1 OZ.	2.5
PEANUT BUTTER	1 TBSP.	4
PEANUTS	1 OZ.	7
GRAINS, COOKED
BARLEY (HULLED)	1 CUP	3.64
BARLEY (PEARLED)	1 CUP	3.55
BROWN RICE	1 CUP	5.03
CORNMEAL WHOLE	1 CUP	4.42
COUSCOUS	1 CUP	5.95
FARINA (CREAM OF WHEAT)	1 CUP	3.11
SOBA NOODLES	1 CUP	5.77
OATS	1 CUP	4.98
QUICK RICE	1 CUP	4.6
QUINOA	1 CUP	11
PASTA (WHEAT, ENRICHED)	1 CUP	8.12
SEITAN	3 OZ.	22
WHEAT BRAN (DRY)	1 CUP	9.02
WHEAT GERM (DRY)	1 CUP	26.62
WHEAT ROLLED	1 CUP	3.7
WHEAT SPROUTED	1 CUP	8.09
WHITE FLOUR (WHEAT)	1 CUP	12.91
WHITE RICE	1 CUP	4.2
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD	1 SLICE	4
WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR (DRY)	1 CUP	16.44
WILD RICE	1 CUP	6.54
VEGETABLES, COOKED
ASPARAGUS	1/2 CUP	2.16
BEET GREENS	1/2 CUP	3.7
BROCCOLI	1/2 CUP	3.2
CORN ON THE COB	1 EAR	1.5
EDAMAME	1/2 CUP	6
GREEN PEAS	1/2 CUP	3.91
KALE	1/2 CUP	1.25
PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM	1/2 CUP	2.53
POTATO W/SKIN (BAKED)	1 MED.	4.32
SPINACH	1/2 CUP	2.62
SUGAR SNAP PEAS	1/2 CUP	2.61

Take Monday's Off!

If you don't think you can commit to going completely meat-less, try one day a week.

Meatless Monday became popular during World War I, and was revived in 2003 by health advocate Sid Lerner.  Going meatless once a week has many health benefits. It may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

You can read more about Meatless Monday by visiting their website: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/why-meatless/

Can I Overdose on Agave Nectar?

Shortly after I was diagnosed with cancer, I came across an article written by Dr. Scott Olson in which he explained how he feels that many of our health issues are directly related to our consumption of sugar.  Upon further investigation, I found a facebook page of his in which he proposed a "30 Days Sugar Free Challenge".  http://olsonnd.com/think-you-can-go-30-days-without-any-sugar/

I was interested, but I wasn't sure that I could commit to 30 consecutive days without sugar. The reality was, I had lived a rather satisfying 30 years with a daily dose of sugar. I was sure that cutting out sugar "cold turkey" would end up worse than someone stopping a smoking, drinking or drug addiction. I wasn't interested in completely detoxing from my sugar addiction. Not yet.

However, after reading about all the damaging effects that sugar has on our bodies, I was very interested in learning more.  I continued reading and during my next trip to the local health food store, I visited the section that contained alternative sweeteners.  I had read about them, but I had never seen this kind of variety before.  As I stared at all of the options, I was in shock. Before this moment I really believed that my only trusted 'sweetener' options were: sugar (obviously), honey, sweet & low, equal, & splenda...and out of those options I knew that the last three were loaded with chemicals.

That day at the health food store I decided to get stevia extract. I had read about it previously and since it was the only option that sounded familiar to me, I went with it. I bought a box that contained 100 individual packets. I looked in the box today and I'm pretty sure there's about 96 packets left. I didn't really like it.

During a recent visit to my local Shop Rite, I discovered organic blue agave.  I love this stuff! It has the same look & feel as honey, but it's not as thick....and I can add it to everything! Even my coffee. I'm sure it sounds crazy, but any sweetener that tastes good in my coffee gets an automatic approval rating from me. I'm starting to wonder if it's possible to overdose on this Mexican goodness.  I guess it's time for me to find out.

So I came home and did some research. Just because the label indicates that it is "organic" doesn't mean that it's good for me....and since I've been adding agave to everything, I wanted to read more about it.

Here's what I found:

• Agave nectar comes from the agave cactus that grows in Mexico, and it is becoming increasingly popular because of its lower glycemic index.
• It has the same number of calories as sugar, 4 calories per gram. That works out  to 16 calories per teaspoon.
• Agave nectar is about one and a half times sweeter than table sugar, which means you need to use less to reach the same sweet point. That works out to slightly less calories for the same level of sweet.
• The taste of agave nectar is comparable, though not identical, to honey. Many people who do not like the taste of honey find agave a more palatable choice. It also has none of the bitter aftertaste associated with artificial sweeteners. 
• In many regards agave nectar bridges the gap between real and artificial sweeteners. While it has all the useful properties of real sugars, its lower glycemic index helps protect against health risks associated with higher glycemic sweeteners. 
• Since the FDA makes no effort to enforce food-labeling laws, consumers cannot be certain that what they are eating is what the label says it is. New sweeteners like agave syrup were introduced into the market to make a profit, not to make consumers healthy. Clever marketing has led many consumers to believe that the high level of fructose in agave syrup makes it a safe and a natural sweetener. Agave syrup labels do not conform to FDA labeling requirements, thus deepening the illusion of an unprocessed product. If a sweetener contains manufactured fructose, it is neither safe nor natural, especially at levels up to 70 percent.

I had no idea! All this time I believed that Agave nectar was a great choice to use as an alternative to sugar. I guess it's not as great as I thought. Although it is low on the glycemic index, it has the same amount of calories as sugar...and not many other health benefits. The good news:  it's extra sweet. So we can consume 1/2 the amount of calories for the same amount of sweetness. I guess I have no other option than to start using it more sparingly.

....tomorrow.

FYI

This blog contains all things healthy, positive & inspiring...and I'm so glad that you're here!

my aha moment.

My aha moment occurred today. smh. (shaking my head...)  It's almost embarrassing to share this with anyone.

I started this blog on Tuesday. This past Tuesday. Two days ago. Actually, I agonized over my first post for 3 days prior to Tuesday. I wrote, deleted & re-wrote it three times, changing the subject completely and starting from scratch each time.

Finally, I decided on a subject:  I wanted to share my excitement about the BBQ wings I had discovered over the weekend! Those friggin' things were delicious and I wanted everyone to know about it!

BBQ WINGS?!?! Was that really the best I could come up with? Well, it ended up being my first post, and since it's now been shared with the 'world wide web' (I love that old-school term) I guess the answer is yes. Yes, that's the best I could come up with as a new, nervous blog writer.

So now I'm a blogger. Cool.

Time to start blogging about how easy it is to be a vegetarian. After all, it is easy to be a vegetarian...isn't it? I thought so. Well, until I really started thinking about it.  Today was that day. I thought about it. Maybe too much.

Here's how it went down:  I was talking to my BFF on the phone, and I asked her what she thought about my new blog. She started laughing and told me she thought it was 'cute'. She liked my idea and supported my effort.  She's cool like that. Seriously, I could tell her that I started a blog about crayons and she would support me 150%. Hence, part of the reason why she's my BFF. The other part is because she's totally awesome (...just like me). enough about that.

I'm not sure why, but I always feel the need to explain myself to everyone, and with her it is no different. I told her the reason I started the blog: I'm always being questioned by people when they find out that I don't eat meat. First, most people look at me like I'm from outer space, then they want to know how I do it, why I do it, what I eat, how hard it is, if I think they could do it...etc.

I have a bunch of reasons why I stopped eating meat. Since I had cancer, I'd say it's mostly for health reasons, but I also have some compassion issues. I'm not interested in any animal suffering/dying for my benefit. If I were to completely explain to you my reasons for being a vegetarian, we would be here for a very long time. When it comes to health issues, I'm very long winded and try to leave no stone unturned. 

I enjoy helping people help themselves. And that my friends, is the reason why I'm here. There are a ton of people in the world who are interested in becoming a vegetarian & start eating healthier, but they're not sure where to start or what to do. I want to be their source of information for starting a healthier lifestyle & becoming a vegetarian.

Well....getting to (the point) my aha moment:
As I was talking to my super-supportive BFF on the phone, I started telling her my 'ideas'...what I wanted to blog about and how I could make a positive difference in people's lives. Then, suddenly as I continued to talk to her, something became very clear to me....

I am a vegetarian & I eat like shit. complete shit! How am I going to help other people be "healthy"?


omg. I have no idea. All this time I thought that because I was a 'vegetarian' that I was doing good. I'm not. I'm not doing good at all. What I eat is not a good example for anyone. While I was talking to her, I started to recall all the things I had eaten so far today:

Breakfast
1/2 of a sesame bagel with cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts
A small iced coffee with cream, no sugar
Lunch
Rice pudding from Wawa
Cream Soda

Yikes! Time to regroup.  Immediately. 
Waaaay too many carbs, not enough (not even a smidgin') of fruits and/or veggies. 
What. The. Heck?!?!

Lesson learned:  originally, my intent was to use this blog as a teaching tool for others. However, after my aha moment today, I realize that I need to be a student. I've got a lot of work to do....and I welcome the challenge. So from this point forward I will research & learn, and share my findings with you!

Quick meat -free meal: gardein sweet & tangy BBQ wings

I've never been a big fan of artificial meat substitutes. To me, many of them taste like they have a ton of chemical additives and the flavor that I'm left with is very....well, artificial.

So when I'm in the grocery store, I try to stay away from the artificial meat substitutes. However, a few weeks ago I was starving & shopping at the same time - which is the #1 rule of things not to do while food shopping. I'm aware of that. Needless to say, everything in the entire grocery store that day looked delicious.

While I was in the frozen food section, I started daydreaming about chicken wings. I began to crave them. I wanted them immediately and I was prepared to do everything in my power to get them. Then I came to my senses and headed straight for the vegetarian category of the frozen foods. That's where I found these gardein-brand sweet and tangy barbecue wings...and I'm so glad I did! Admittedly, they sat in my freezer at home for a few weeks. Although I was salivating over them the day I bought the wings, I wasn't overly excited about the idea of indulging in artificial meat substitute so I put them in the freezer & made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for myself when I got home.

This past Saturday night we had a really bad thunder storm which meant the kids and I were stuck in the house.  Earlier that evening I had made chicken nuggets for the kids and saw the package of BBQ wings in the freezer so I decided to cook them. Since I didn't think I was going to like them, I only made two wings.

As soon as I tasted the first bite I immediately wished I had cooked the entire bag, but thankfully I only made two because the electric went out (for four hours!) shortly after I started cooking. However, there was just enough heat remaining on the stove for me to finish them...and they were DELICIOUS!  Exceptional! It was the first time I've ever truly enjoyed an artificial meat substitute. The wings were so good that my 6 year old son loved them too. Not at all spicy, just perfectly balanced with sweet & tangy.

These wings are a fantastic, quick meat-free option for meat and veggie lovers alike. They are made with a savory blend of beans, wheat, grains and veggies.

For more information, visit their website: www.gardein.com

I'm going to check it out now to see what other kind of deliciousness they have for me.  Can't wait to see what kind of new goodies I come home with after my next visit to the grocery store.