give peas a chance
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is a way to live more lightly upon the Earth- our planet Gaia. It is associated with a distinct lengthening of lifespan, as well as a lower risk for many cancers and heart disease. It is never too late to start vegetarianism to benefit your health. You do not even have to go "all the way", to reap benefits like less colon putrification, lower cholesterol, and a lighter 'carbon footprint'. Global warming is pretty much a hoax, however pollution is very real, and eating less meat saves large amounts of energy and water, helping to conserve and preserve our air quality and water resources!
So, be a part time vegetarian- every little bit helps You and the Earth! I am vegan usually 2 or 3 days a week; really raises my vibration!
A few vegetarian foods are absolutely super- high in protein and rich in nutrients. High on the list are tempeh and hemp seeds.
Hemp seeds, from industrial marijuana are quite nice ground up in a shake, or just eaten out of hand- they look like sesame seeds, and taste like tiny pumpkin seeds. They contain no THC, and so can be eaten in ANY quantity, and not interfere with your sobriety, or any drug testing. Hemps seeds have been eaten for centuries in parts of China and Russia. They are rich in protein, and GLA, a relatively rare, very healthy fat. They are also a good source of omega 3 fats, and plant sterols which protect against sex-specific cancers, and also lower cholesterol.
Tempeh is a fermented soy food, popular in various parts of Asia. Soy is not usually on my 'good' list, but tempeh is exceptional- unlike tofu, it is low allergenic, easily digestible, and a real whole food.
Vegetarianism is a way to live more lightly upon the Earth- our planet Gaia. It is associated with a distinct lengthening of lifespan, as well as a lower risk for many cancers and heart disease. It is never too late to start vegetarianism to benefit your health. You do not even have to go "all the way", to reap benefits like less colon putrification, lower cholesterol, and a lighter 'carbon footprint'. Global warming is pretty much a hoax, however pollution is very real, and eating less meat saves large amounts of energy and water, helping to conserve and preserve our air quality and water resources!
So, be a part time vegetarian- every little bit helps You and the Earth! I am vegan usually 2 or 3 days a week; really raises my vibration!
A few vegetarian foods are absolutely super- high in protein and rich in nutrients. High on the list are tempeh and hemp seeds.
Hemp seeds, from industrial marijuana are quite nice ground up in a shake, or just eaten out of hand- they look like sesame seeds, and taste like tiny pumpkin seeds. They contain no THC, and so can be eaten in ANY quantity, and not interfere with your sobriety, or any drug testing. Hemps seeds have been eaten for centuries in parts of China and Russia. They are rich in protein, and GLA, a relatively rare, very healthy fat. They are also a good source of omega 3 fats, and plant sterols which protect against sex-specific cancers, and also lower cholesterol.
Tempeh is a fermented soy food, popular in various parts of Asia. Soy is not usually on my 'good' list, but tempeh is exceptional- unlike tofu, it is low allergenic, easily digestible, and a real whole food.
one single spirulina cell
Spirulina is a worthwhile addition to everyone's diet, for energy and dense nutritional power. It is especially beneficial for vegans and vegetarians, since it is a very good source of iron, protein and vitamin B12, all from a plant source! Spirulina is a one celled plant, a blue-green, freshwater algae. brands I prefer are Pure Planet, Gandalf, and EarthRise. I often put a tablespoon or more of the pure powder into a shake. My shakes often consist of bananas, water, some honey and spirulina. It is extremely green, due to the incredibly high content of chlorophyll and blue-green antioxidant pigments.
On my recipes page I have some vegetarian recipes, click here to skip to it; and I recommend also a cool cool vegan site that has all kinds of info on being or moving towards being vegan, it's rawstruck. In Toronto, we have an awesome association that has cool events and also offers a discount card honoured in many food, health and resto establishments. It's the Toronto Vegetarian Association, at veg.ca
On my recipes page I have some vegetarian recipes, click here to skip to it; and I recommend also a cool cool vegan site that has all kinds of info on being or moving towards being vegan, it's rawstruck. In Toronto, we have an awesome association that has cool events and also offers a discount card honoured in many food, health and resto establishments. It's the Toronto Vegetarian Association, at veg.ca
In general, vegans don't get optimum amounts of protein. The symptoms are sugar cravings and fatigue. One client was a young University swim team vegan female who complained of being very tired, most of the time, in spite of her healthy diet and lifestyle. We designed a plan that included a heavy protein every meal and snack.
Heavy protein foods; beans, nuts, seeds and nut butters became the basis of her diet, of course with plenty of vegetables and fruits on the side.
Heavy protein foods; beans, nuts, seeds and nut butters became the basis of her diet, of course with plenty of vegetables and fruits on the side.
When I was vegan (for 6 months) I consumed a kg of cooked beans daily plus an entire jar of nut butter and on top of that I threw in 3 large blocks of tofu, and soymilk. This was my protein base, on top of which I had plenty of grains, vegetables and fruits. For me, it was not ideal. When I went back to animal foods, I gained back all the muscle mass I lost. Interestingly, I lost 15 pounds of solid muscle and promptly gained it all back upon returning to animal protein, with no change to my training! Everyone is different. I want to stress that I have met people that greatly improved their health going vegetarian. And I also met people who were the opposite; they improved by starting to eat animal proteins. Most people do benefit by eating less animal protein and more vegetarian proteins, like those mentioned above. Try it, listen to your body, and see.
DOES SOY SUCK?
Sadly, most soy foods Do suck, reason being soy is notoriously allergenic and difficult to digest. Where do we get the notion of eating soy? From the Chinese, who traditionally consume it fermented. They're smart about it; fermenting increases digestibility and therefore reduces allergenicity. Even their tofu is traditionally fermented.
I'd definitely say avoid soy milk, tofu and edemame, all non fermented soy foods.
Have only tempeh, miso and tamari if you want digestible, healthy soy foods. AND organic, to avoid GMO Franken-food.
Sadly, most soy foods Do suck, reason being soy is notoriously allergenic and difficult to digest. Where do we get the notion of eating soy? From the Chinese, who traditionally consume it fermented. They're smart about it; fermenting increases digestibility and therefore reduces allergenicity. Even their tofu is traditionally fermented.
I'd definitely say avoid soy milk, tofu and edemame, all non fermented soy foods.
Have only tempeh, miso and tamari if you want digestible, healthy soy foods. AND organic, to avoid GMO Franken-food.
What about protein supplements?
I'm not a huge fan - they can be good as a supplement, but I consider them all to be processed; I mean really, they're dried, powdered, basically "space food". And we are not in space. So eat real food, because you are a real person :-)
Having said that, I do like anything by Genuine Health. Really solid company. Also like the new vegetarian protein by Progressive. Not a big fan of Vega; not saying it sucks, just it's not my first choice if I wanted a vegan protein. I'd go with the first two mentioned above.
Making a shake? Want a natural natural protein source in there? Throw in a couple of handfuls of raw hemp seeds; they blend up easy, they're soft, and they are a protein rich superfood! For added energy zing, throw in a tablespoon of pure spirulina powder, but be forewarned, your shake will be incredibly dark green!
I'm not a huge fan - they can be good as a supplement, but I consider them all to be processed; I mean really, they're dried, powdered, basically "space food". And we are not in space. So eat real food, because you are a real person :-)
Having said that, I do like anything by Genuine Health. Really solid company. Also like the new vegetarian protein by Progressive. Not a big fan of Vega; not saying it sucks, just it's not my first choice if I wanted a vegan protein. I'd go with the first two mentioned above.
Making a shake? Want a natural natural protein source in there? Throw in a couple of handfuls of raw hemp seeds; they blend up easy, they're soft, and they are a protein rich superfood! For added energy zing, throw in a tablespoon of pure spirulina powder, but be forewarned, your shake will be incredibly dark green!
