No, it isnt cheeseeven though it kind of looks like it.

Instead, its a creamy, flavorful alternative to the dairy stuff that will leave you richly satisfied in your decision to leave the cows alone.

I always feel bad when a non-vegan tastes vegan cheese for the first time. Like, how can this stuff be described except to call it a cheese alternative? We all know that, in reality, not a single one of the veg cheese alternatives out there tastes like real cheese.

Therefore, may I introduce you to not-real-cheese-but-still-delicious-creamy-yellow-sauce-over-macaroni??

Okay, thats just way too cumbersome.

Whatevs. Call it cheese. Just give your non-veg friends a fair warning, mkay?

A few weeks ago, I discovered this recipe for vegan macaroni and cheese which was described by VegNews to be the best on the planet. I knew I had to give it a try, but that I couldnt exactly follow the recipe (because, as you probably know by now, I dont follow recipes). The original recipe calls for over 1/3 cup of vegan margarine. I just couldnt do it. I use plenty of vegan margarine in cakes and desserts, when I eat them, but for mac and cheese? For Little M?

I just had to replace it with something else. And then, I had to add a few more items, because yall know thats my nature.

So, today I bring you my crazily adapted recipe and what has become my favorite vegan mac and cheesewith no refined oil.

Who knew that potatoes, carrots, onion, cashews, coconut milk, and seasonings could make such a fabulous creamy combination? And that, when mixed with macaroni, that crazy combination will make your taste buds leap for joy?

Can I just eat it out of the pan like a bachelor?

Okay, Ill lay aside my strong animal-like urge to devour and take a moment to sprinkle paprika and parsley on the top.

And that, my friends, is as far as got with photographing this bowl of yumminess before I starting eating it. Sometimes, you just cant wait any longer, you know?

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

Super Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

Author: Lindsay Rey

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

If you are not using a high-speed blender (like Vitamix of Blendtec) for this recipe, I recommend soaking your cashews for at least 30 minutes before attempting this recipe.This recipe is adapted from VegNews' Vegan Macaroni and Cheese: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=40&catId=10

3.2.1275

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Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese - Vegan Yumminess

It became too difficult for students and teachers to reconcile eating meat with caring for abandoned animals.

The German International School in Chennai, India, has gone entirely vegan. Students used to dine on chicken, fish, beef, and cheese, but the school ran into an ethical dilemma when it started opening its doors to abandoned and injured animals. Suddenly, eating meat felt much more uncomfortable. As one school advisor, Thomas Pallushek, told the Times of India:

It became tough to eat mutton with a pet goat on the lawns nearby. We felt it was ethically not right. We wanted to reduce the human impact on the environment and eating less meat is the simplest way.

The process was gradual. School staff began by reducing the amount of meat and dairy served to kids in the middle of 2016, and then decided to eliminate it completely. Now the menu consists of legumes, beans, quinoa, hemp seeds, seitan, and homemade vegan cheese made from cashews The menu ranges from cucumber avocado toast, zucchini bread and apple sauce, to ratatouille, flavoured rice with dal curry, pumpkin spice muffins and fruit smoothies.

To facilitate the transition to veganism, the school showed documentary films, held debates in ethics classes, and organized a banquet that introduced many families to how delicious, nutritious, and satisfying vegan cuisine can be. Some parents have been pleasantly surprised by how willing their kids are to eat vegetables. Says Neha Banerjee, whose 9-year-daughter is non-vegetarian at home:

At home, I can't get her to eat vegetables. But in school, she is eating a variety of vegetables and also other grains such as ragi and barley, and getting wholesome nutrition.

India is a good place to start exploring veganism, as much of the population already embraces vegetarianism and eats legumes on a daily basis. What makes this situation unusual, though, is that the transition has occurred in a German school, whose culinary tradition is very meat-centric.

Even in Germany, however, change is happening. The country has the fastest growing market for vegan food products in the world, and its environment minister Barbara Hendricks made international headlines for saying no more meat would be served at official functions.

More here:

German International School in India goes vegan - Treehugger

No animals were harmed in the making of this event

August 29, 2017Lisa BeebeFood

The herbivores are getting wild. The occasion? Vegan Street Fair Nights, two nights of animal-friendly delights, setting up shop at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood on Friday, September 1, and Saturday, September 2, 2017, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Curated by Tim Moore (better known as the Instagram celeb@veganfatkid), the night-market style fair features vegan food and drinks from vendors from L.A. and beyond, including Bling Bling Dumpling, S + M Vegan, Taqueria La Venganza, and The Wild Chive. Satisfy your sweet tooth with treats from Cocobella Creamery, Donut Friend, and Scandylous Delights. Full menus to whet your appetite are available on Vegan Street Fairs website.

Photograph by @VeganFatKid

When youve eaten your fill, dance your butt off to two DJs and a live performance by the 80s cover band FlashPants, relax in the beer garden, or play oversized lawn games. You can also make friends with other vegans and talk about vegan things (suggested topic: tofu or tempeh and why?).

Its like having all of our closest friends over for a party packed full of delicious vegan food from across SoCal, and since VeganFatKid hand-picked the food, you know its going to be off the chain, Jessica Schoech, the events creator, said in a statement.

Photograph by @VeganFatKid

Friday night is for adults only; ticketholders must be 21 or over (and drinks from the bar can be enjoyed anywhere in the event, rather than confined to designated zones). Saturdays event is family-friendly, and children 12 and under are free. General admission tickets are $24 per night when purchased in advance or $30 at the door, and get you entry to the event, but food purchases are up to you. Upgraded VIP Passport tickets go for $80 to $164 and include food, drinks, and the ability to skip any lines.

Photograph courtesy of Vegan Street Fair

RELATED:Her Vegan Pastries Are So Good You Will Forget Butter Even Exists

Tags: vegan

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This Vegan Night Market Is the Stuff of Food Dreams, and You Need to Taste Everything - LA Magazine (blog)

Ok so by the title of this post, youre probably either angry or excited!Ill admit that even though I eat meat, Im not an enormous bacon fan. I dont love bacon in salads or other lighter fare. I dont believe that bacon makes everything better. I love the saltiness of it but its usually too indulgent and greasy for me. In the summer, I want lighter foods that make me feel good.

I learned how to make vegan bacon from my friend Laura Wright. This bacon recipe comes from her book, The First Mess. And the rest is, well, everything that youd put on a tomato sandwich: vegan mayo, heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce and salt and pepper. Its simplicity at its finest!

Eggplant is booming and thriving at the markets right now and I consumed them at nearly every meal. Im so grateful that the things I love to eat are usually healthy and delicious.

Hope you find the time to give this eggplant-bacon a try because its super savory and delicious!

Want to eat more veggies? You won't even realize this BLT is vegan and full of vegetables. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Yield: Makes 4 sandwiches

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. Shes a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

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A Spin on the Classic Sandwich, Vegan BLT - PBS

Like many of the people you may know who go vegetarian or vegan, Griff Whalens journey started with a documentary.

You know, those dang documentaries that shock, mortify and guilt you into swearing off all animal products. Youve probably been encouraged to watch one.

Big difference, however, is that you and your friends are probably not NFL players.

As far as he knows, Whalen is the only player in the league that does it 100 percent.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady attributes his longevity to the vegan diet he has for much of the year. This offseason, Pro Bowl Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams went vegan, but hes not sure how long hell keep it up.

Whalen has been doing it for four whole years. At first,he intended for it to just be a trial run a 28-day program. A week into it, he started doing major research into how sustainable it would be long term.

I felt so much lighter, Whalen said. My joints felt smoother, everything felt better. I could run and breathe easier.

The biggest difference Whalen found was that his recovery periods were much shorter. After a strenuous workout, he would feel fine a day later instead of two or three days later. He attributed it to better blood flow from not having as much saturated fat.

Ive always been a guy who has done everything I can to help myself, he said. Any little advantage I can find, Im going to do it. I felt like this really gave me an edge.

It shouldnt be surprising that Whalen has that mindset.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound wideout went undrafted out of Stanford in 2012. He spent three years with the Indianapolis Colts before bouncing between three teams last season (Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots).

The Ravens signed Whalen in late July soon before the start of training camp. He immediately transferred his strict diet to Baltimores Under Armour Performance Center. Other than vitamins, he doesnt use any other supplements.

Heres Whalens typical daily diet, which he shared with Mens Fitness:

Breakfast: Overnight oatmeal with 1 cup oats, 1 cup cashew milk, 2/3 Tbsp. maca powder, Tbsp. hemp seeds, Tbsp. chia seeds, 1/3 Tbsp. cocao powder, 1 date, a dash of cinnamon and Himalayan pink salt

Snack (post-workout): Smoothie with 1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 dates, 1 Tbsp. chia seeds, cup blueberries, 2 Tbsp. hemp seeds, handful spinach and arugula

Lunch: Large portion of grains with vegetables like peas, broccoli, spinach, and legumes like black beans, chickpeas, or lentils

Snack: Raw vegetables and hummus, banana, or a cup of berries

Dinner: Big spinach or kale salad with a ton of toppings like olives, carrots, avocado, corn, cucumbers and sunflower seeds, dressed with apple cider vinegar and olive oil or a scoop of hummus; side of rice

That actually sounds kinda delicious.

Its not too tough now, Whalen said. I would say the first six months, maybe a year, is pretty tough because youre totally reprogramming what you look for to fill your plate up. Like anything, its tough when youre starting over.

The Ravens make sure Whalen has the food he wants both at home and on the road, even if it means cooking up something special for him.

He says most of his teammates have asked him about his veganism. In a profession in which diet and your bodys performance is so important, players care even ones that begin the conversation by busting Whalens chops.

Theyre like, So you dont eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs? Whalen said. And then they look at their plate and its basically all animal products. Its just a huge change from what Americans typically eat. Hey, I grew up in Ohio eating your typical Midwest diet.

One hundred percent of the people say they could never do that. I usually say they dont have to. I think thats a flaw for a lot of people, thinking that if they want to try being vegetarian or vegan, they have to do it 100 percent. The point is to be more healthy, so if you just eat more vegetables and more grains and more fresh whole foods and less processed foods and less meat and less dairy, thats better for you.

Whalen said hes not trying to convert anyone. He just answers whatever questions they have.

Well, he may be changing some diets unintentionally. Defensive tackles Carl Davis and Michael Pierce expressed interest last week on Twitter. Safety Eric Weddle not so much.

Read the original here:

The Caw: Ravens WR Griff Whalen Is Vegan, and He May Be Converting Teammates - BaltimoreRavens.com

Two new plant-based restaurants opened in Maine this summer, expanding the short list of vegan restaurants in the state.

In Brunswick, Farm Fresh Cafe opened as part of a medical center, and in the Mount Desert Island village of Northeast Harbor, a local restaurateur and a teacher opened Crudo. Both restaurants emphasize raw vegan food.

Not counting vegan juice bars, Maine is home to only two other vegan restaurants: Olive Branch Cafe in Lewiston and Taste of Eden in Norway. For the past two summers, celebrity chef Matthew Kenney operated a high-end plant-based restaurant in Belfast (under a different name each summer), but it didnt re-open this season.

Portland used to have a long-running vegan lunch spot with Little Lads Bakery (first on Exchange Street and later Congress), but it closed last year to focus on its retail products (including health food store favorite Herbal Corn).

Meanwhile, plant-based restaurants have grown in prominence and number in major cities around the world, even in such notoriously meat-loving food capitals as Paris. In Maine, a handful of enduring all-vegetarian restaurants (including Chases Daily in Belfast, Cafe DiCocoas in Bethel, and Green Elephant in Portland) are scattered across the state. But plant-based restaurants remain a rarity.

We both thought the town needed a healthy alternative, said Katelyn Moore, who opened Crudo with her sister-in-law Whitney Ciancetta in Northeast Harbor. Moore owns Fork & Table, which has a traditional menu and is located around the corner. She said business is starting to pick up at Crudo as word spreads about the restaurant, which offers a juice and smoothie selection alongside sandwiches, salads and to-go items.

Dishes at Crudo include a tofu banh mi, raw vegan tacos, a coconut bacon BLT, and raw carrot cake cupcakes. Two menu items are vegetarian rather than vegan, and like many restaurants near Acadia National Park, the business is seasonal and will shutter in late fall.

The feedback has been that people are excited to have us here, said Moore.

The menu at Farm Fresh Cafe in Brunswick is also mostly raw, with a changing rotation of soups cooked in a clay pot, such as red lentil and corn chowder. The menu changes every day. Other dishes featured this summer have included spring rolls, watermelon-tomato gazpacho, pineapple-cucumber gazpacho, and a raw flatbread pizza topped with cashew-almond cheese, green olive tapenade, cucumbers, tomatoes and fennel.

Spring rolls with Thai peanut dipping sauce and raw flatbread pizza are featured on the summer menu at Farm Fresh Cafe, a new plant-based restaurant in Brunswick. Photo by Avery Yale Kamila

Im making crackers for this flatbread pizza with zucchini, flax seeds and walnuts, said Faith Crooker, who oversees the cafe and is a nurse at the health center, Therapia, which opened last year. Therapia offers treatments for people with chronic illnesses, particularly Lyme disease, diabetes and heart disease. Therapia practitioners recommend a plant-based diet and since Maine has few restaurants that specialize in such food, the owners realized they needed a cafe to serve patients, and they decided to open it to the public.

We are close to raw and all organic and all gluten-free, said Crooker. We stay away from the word vegan because we do use a little bit of honey.

Organic, heirloom tomatoes from Five Colleges Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts, which Crooker owns with her husband, Ted Crooker, feature prominently on the Farm Fresh menu. Ted Crooker, a former owner of Crooker Construction in Topsham, is also an owner of Pulse Cafe, a 9,000-plus-square-foot vegan restaurant that opened earlier this month in Hadley, Massachusetts, near the college towns of Amherst and Northampton.

Farm Fresh Cafe is also in a college town, but far from campus in the Brunswick Industrial Park. Yet its out-of-the-way location is enhanced by an apple orchard and a kitchen garden. A picnic table allows for garden dining.

In contrast, Crudo is located on the tourist circuit in the Northeast Harbor village, where Moore sees potential for more plant-based restaurants.

Maine is very geared toward a healthy lifestyle within most communities with hiking, farmers markets and even health education in the school systems, Moore said. People are becoming more aware of the benefits of a plant-based diet.

At the Olive Branch Cafe in Lewiston, which was opened by the Auburn Seventh-day Adventist Church four years ago, kitchen manager Kim St. Clair said the states restaurant scene is lagging behind the times, judging by the demand she sees for vegan food.

She said the restaurants customers include a number of regulars who will drive 40 minutes to come here because there just arent any options where they live.

People are constantly asking: Are you going to put one in South Portland? In Augusta? St. Clair said. I think there is a growing demand as people are learning that plant-based food can be delicious.

Michael Tardif, who owns the Taste of Eden in Norway with his wife, Sonya Tardif, gets the same requests. The Tardifs ran the restaurant in Bethel for six years before moving the business to Norway nine years ago.

People ask us to go everywhere, Michael Tardif said. They find us in this little town of Norway, Maine, and say, I wish I had one of these in my hometown.

Avery Yale Kamila is a food writer who lives in Portland. She can be reached at:

[emailprotected]

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila

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Vegan restaurants spreading in Maine, one plate at a time - Press Herald

Written by Katherine Sullivan | August 29, 2017

Did you know that many surfboard wax recipes contain beeswax? Unfortunately, surf wax recipes are often safeguardedas theyre considered trade secrets by many makersand arent regularly listed on packaging labels. This could complicate things if youre hoping to use only animal-friendly wax. Luckily for all you soul surfers, weve got your backand your boardcovered. Check out these vegan, cruelty-free surf-wax options, and hang loosetheyre all a perfect 10.

This company offers four different types of specially formulated surf wax: Original, Quick Humps, Really Tacky, and Bodyboard. Sex Wax uses paraffin wax for a base material, which the company believes helps create what it considers the best surf wax on the planetThe best for your stick since 1972.

The Southern Californiabased company has been family-owned and -operated since 1971, when founder John DahlThe Wax Manfirst launched Wax Research. Since then, Sticky Bumps has evolved immensely, enhancing wax performance and joining surfers on hundreds of millions of waves, producing over 4 million bars of wax annually. According to the companys website, All of our Sticky Bumps products are tested, designed and made for surfers, by surfers, period. Vegan surfer Tia Blanco, who is part of the Sticky Bumps team, even starred in a peta2 ad in 2014 and again this year.

This company is the proud manufacturer of surf fins, leashes, and equipment as well as Double Barrel Surf Wax. This wax is available in cool and cold surf varietiesas well as an all-temperature base coatand is available for purchase on Amazon.

This companys surf wax has been manufactured on a 25-acre farm in Santa Cruz, California, since 1988. The manufacturing team uses 10 percent organic ingredients grown on the farm. The eco-friendly surf wax is nontoxic and biodegradable, and the wrappers are printed with recycled ink on 100 percent recycled paper.

Not only does this company offer surf wax for four different water temperaturescold, cool, warm, and tropicalit also sells two types of wax: the original Famous Surf Wax and an eco-friendly Famous Green Label Surf Wax, which is petrochemical-free, organic, and completely biodegradable. In addition, the company features recycled FSC-certified packaging and printing with soy ink.

*****

Beeswax is obtained by melting a honeycomb with boiling water and then straining and cooling it.

Its not unusual for farmers at larger bee farms to cut off the queen bees wings so that she cant leave the colony or to have her artificially inseminated on a bee-sized version of the factory-farm rape rack. When the beekeeper wants to move a queen to a new colony, shes carried with bodyguard bees, all of whomif they survive transportwill be killed by the bees in the new colony. Large commercial bee farms may also replace the honeywhich bees produce and need to get through the winterwith a cheap sugar substitute that lacks the nutrition of honey. Many bees are killed or their wings and legs are torn off because of haphazard handling.

A vegan lifestyle means embracing every opportunity to reduce the suffering ofall animals, regardless of their species. With their populations in a state of alarming, steady decline, there has never been a better time to give bees a break and make the switch to bee-free products.

Billions of animals are used for food, clothing, and entertainment every year, and just as many arepoisoned, blinded, and killed in archaic product tests for cosmetics, personal-care products, household cleaning products, and even fruit juices.Whether youre waxing up a freshie, choosing a cake for your wedding, or applying mascara before a night out, you dont want to contribute to this cruelty. Luckily, PETA Living E-News makes it easy to stay up to date on the latest animal-friendly trends. Click the buttons below to start getting fashion, recipe, and lifestyle tips delivered straight to your inbox today.

PETA is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide websites with a means to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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5 Cruelty-Free, Vegan Surfboard Waxes - PETA

At churches from Maine to Maryland to Mississippi, the annual community supper means one thing: lobsters.

To animal rights activists, thats a problem.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the prominent advocacy group, has honed its focus on one beloved tradition in Episcopal churches across the country, the lobster boil. The animal-rights group sent a letter Friday to Bishop Michael Curry, the presiding bishop and primate who leads the nationwide church, asking him to end the practice of lobster dinners in favor of something more vegetarian.

Most of us grew up believing that killing lobsters and other animals for food is what must be done, but if we contemplate it, all killing requires conquering, violence, and separating ourselves from the rest of creation, PETA wrote to the bishop. God designed humans to be caretakers, not killers.

[Religious leaders gather in Washington to show moral opposition to Trump]

The letter cited both the Old and New Testaments and the writer David Foster Wallace, who examined the practice of boiling lobsters alive for consumption in his well-known essay Consider the Lobster. PETA described the practice as cruelty that I know doesnt reflect the tenets of the Episcopal Church.

Ben Williamson, a spokesman for PETA, said he didnt know if there was any particular link between Episcopalians and lobsters, and several Episcopal church leaders whom The Washington Post asked about the connection didnt have an answer either. But PETA staff noticed a pattern of lobster dinners as church fundraisers, and decided to look into it. They identified 28 Episcopal congregations advertising lobster fundraisers in more than 10 different states.

The PETA staffers looked into how many lobsters each church cooks at a fundraiser and got answers ranging from 75 to 2,000. In total, PETA said Episcopal churches kill well over 10,000 lobsters a year, a total that could not be verified by The Post.

Its evident, however, that the number is high St. Timothys Episcopal Church in Greenville, N.C., for instance, boasts on its website that its annual fundraiser has sold more than 65,000 lobsters since 1978. Put in perspective, weve sold around 40 tons of lobsters, or the equivalent of a couple of school buses, the website says, with accompanying jovial clip art of buses. (Lobsters at St. Timothys cost $16 each, and children can also enjoy a bouncy house and a hay ride.)

[Raised up by God: Televangelist Paula White compares Trump to Queen Esther]

A spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church said that Curry is on vacation and did not respond to further questions about how the church would respond to PETAs request that it abandon its lobster fests. Many of the churches on PETAs list did not respond to a reporters inquiry.

At St. Christophers Episcopal Church in Springfield, Va., the Rev. Peter Ackerman said that his church would continue its lobster dinner, but PETA raises a thoughtful point. I have shared this with our church board in the hopes that we can respond in a way that keeps the annual celebratory dinner gathering intact but also brings forth our awareness and sensitivity to how we interact with Gods creatures. That sort of reflection, he said, would be in line with the churchs social action activities like offering free physicals and school supplies to local children.

The letter to Curry is one of the first activities of PETAs newly reorganized Christian outreach arm, which in its prior incarnation helped persuadea Wisconsin Catholic church to end its 44-year tradition of human vs. pig mud wrestling, which ended with dozens of pigs being slaughtered after taking a beating. The church replaced the event with human vs. human football in the mud.

Just considering how many Christians there are in the U.S., wed be doing a disservice if we dont cater an animal rights message to them, Williamson said.

Asked what the churches should do to raise money for their parishes and charities, in place of a lobster dinner, Williamson replied, Vegan bake sales would be great.

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Episcopal churches cook thousands of lobsters. PETA asks them to consider vegan bake sales instead. - Washington Post

Chicken, fish, ground turkey, turkey bacon (what is this rubber?), pepperoni, bacon, cheese, cheese burgers, tacos, pizza just a short list of the delicious, sometimes assumed healthy, foods I ate until Saturday, Feb. 11. On Sunday, Feb. 12, I walked into a common space in a church right off of City Line Avenue to enter the Vegan Pledge.

Upon arrival I was told I must sign a contract before I could go any further. The primary reason was to get a commitment and to have numbers to give to sponsors of the program. I read the contract. It was simple and to the point, saying essentially: "You promise to not eat meat, eggs, dairy, or any animal products for the next month."

I crossed out a few words and said, "I'll try."

Seriously, the day before, I'd had all the meat and cheese I wanted. So switching from that smorgasbord to lentils and broccoli was going to be a challenge.

I wanted to try something I had heard was very good for your health. Something that would allow me to finally have the energy I've lacked for years, maybe lose weight, and generally have a healthier existence. I was game. They immediately set me up with a mentor whom I could contact anytime during the pledge when I struggled with what I call "meat urges" or general concerns about my process and progress. We met as a group every week at the church and once at the grocery store.

At this first meeting I realized I probably should have prepared at least a little bit before starting. I didn't know. My mentor asked, "What are you going to eat this week?"

Eat? This week? Well, I have butter and eggs in the fridge, so probably nothing.

Thankfully, they provided food at the meetings and there were a few items I liked and there were plenty of leftovers. So I had enough to get me through lunch the next day.

I'm pretty sure I almost died the first two weeks. I was always nauseated, tired, and dag gone hungry. What do you eat for breakfast when, as a child, you ate Cream of Wheat every single day sometimes multiple times a day and now the thought of hot cereal makes your throat close up?

Before starting the pledge, I ate eggs, some kind of meat (bacon, sausage, even Morning Star Farms meatless, but still egg washed) and a piece of bread. So I guess now I'll just eat this loaf of French bread. Yummy gluten.

When I was talking to one of the mentors who was much more compassionate toward those who were starting out, she said, "You're not eating." She was right. I wasn't eating what I needed to eat. It was throwing me all off and essentially making me sick. So we made a plan, and I was able to get what I needed.

One day, after an animal rights presentation, I was so fed up I wanted to eat a whole cow out of spite. There were vegans who were so self-righteous about their vegan lifestyle that it seemed they forgot about humanity and compassion. I wrote an email to my mentor, who had not been at that meeting. She was able to coax me off the ledge and encourage me to continue the pledge knowing that not all vegans hate non-vegans.

A month after our pledge began, we had a "so long, good luck" party. I gave my mentor a card, and she promised to continue communication as long as I wanted it. I was given a "you survived" vegan cookie from Whole Foods and a tiny Philly "LOVE" statue from the group organizer. I left feeling like I could continue a vegan lifestyle.

I also wanted to, because the science and information did make a lot of sense to me. Although I'm not a hardcore "I can't even eat around non-vegans" kind of person, I get it. The vegan diet does make me consider the way we treat animals as a reflection of who we are. So if we are willing to easily cause suffering, maybe we aren't as compassionate as we think we are.

I also think we could use more compassionate vegans in this world.

The world could just use more compassion in general.

Yooooo ... the vegan cheese, though. Nope!

I've almost fought people who tried to tell me vegan cheese is so good. (It is better than it was years ago.)

So, at the moment I'm a vegan in the home. We have not cooked meat, butter, eggs, or cheese since I started. However, when I go out, I sometimes indulge in the dairy. I know ... I know.

Since the summer began, the smell of the grill has made me crave all the meats. So instead I supplement my craving with something that has cheese in it instead. Lies. I threw away all my logic on my birthday recently. I woke up nauseated the next day. I didn't know a meat hangover was real, but when your meat tolerance is low, it will be a rough night.

I hope I don't forget that feeling next time so I can resist temptation and be delivered from evil. I want to be a pure and holy vegan, but I also know that if I am too hard on myself, I will go all the way back and it will take a whole lot of time to get this close again.

At this point I feel confident in my choices. I do know that it doesn't mean I can technically say I'm a vegan. It is a work in progress.

For now I'm just veganish.

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Essay: Vegan-ish - Newsworks.org

M

ove over, low-fat diets. More and more experts are recommending plant-based diets to reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions such as diabetes and cancer. But are all plant-based diets equally beneficial? And must they be all-or-none eating strategies, or is there a role for a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian approach?

The term plant-based diet often conjures up images of vegetarian or vegan fare. But it really means a diet that emphasizes foods from plants vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, and the like not one that necessarily excludes non-plant foods.

The results of studies on the health effects of plant-based diets have varied widely, largely due to how these diets were defined. Some focused on vegetarian or vegan eating habits, others included some foods from animals. Notably, these studies tended to treat all plant foods equally, even though eating certain foods from plants, such as refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages, is associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes or having a heart attack or stroke, while eating whole grains and produce are associated with lower risks.

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Thats why we were so interested to see the results of a recently published study performed by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Led by Ambika Satija, the team catalogued the diets of nearly 210,000 nurses and other health professionals based on their answers to food frequency questionnaires every two years for an average of 23 years. From these data, the researchers defined three versions of a plant-based diet: an overall plant-based diet that emphasizes the consumption of all plant foods and reduced the intake of animal foods; a healthful plant-based diet that emphasizes the intake of healthy whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; and an unhealthful plant-based diet that emphasizes the intake of less-healthy plant foods, such as refined grains.

In addition to detailing their food choices, the study participants also recorded other lifestyle choices, health behaviors, and their medical histories.

Over the course of the study, 8,631 participants developed coronary heart disease, which the researchers defined as a nonfatal heart attack or dying of heart disease. Those who followed an overall plant-based diet were slightly less likely (an 8 percent reduction) to have developed coronary heart disease than those who didnt.

But heres where things get interesting. Those who followed a healthful plant-based diet had a substantial 25 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, while those who followed an unhealthful plant-based diet had a substantial 32 percent increased risk.

This study is certainly not the last word on the subject. As an observational study, it cant prove cause and effect like a randomized trial can. And the diet data came from self reports, which arent always accurate at measuring an individuals diet. However, these diet assessments were validated against multiple-week diet records and biomarkers. Overall, this work adds to the substantial evidence that a predominately plant-based diet reduces the risk of developing heart disease.

It has two important take-home messages. One is that a plant-based diet is good for long-term health. The other is that not all plant-based diets are equally healthy. The kind that deserves to be highlighted in dietary recommendations is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and unsaturated fats, and contains minimal animal protein, refined carbohydrates, and harmful saturated and trans fats.

In practice, this translates into eating mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and soy products in their natural forms; sufficient good fats, such as those in fish or flax seeds, nuts, and other seeds; very few simple and refined carbohydrates; and little or no red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. It also means choosing quality over quantity.

As we wrote in a commentary on the Harvard study, just as physical activity is a continuum some activity is better than none, and more is better so is diet. For anyone following a traditional American diet, heavy on the meat, its easier to make a change by starting with small dietary tweaks instead of embracing a precipitous shift to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Try the elimination game: cut out red meat from your diet then, after a couple weeks, eliminate other types of meat; and then do the same with dairy foods and eggs. Or try the Meatless Monday approach dont eat meat on Monday then gradually add more meatless days each week. No matter what approach you take to cutting out foods, try to add one or more new plant-based recipes to your cooking repertoire every week.

What you stand to gain is so much more than what you would give up.

Hena Patel, M.D., is a cardiology fellow and Kim Allan Williams Sr., M.D., is chief of the division of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

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Not all vegan or plant-based diets are equally healthy - STAT