Category Archives: Alexa Asks

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #22: How do I buy vegan shoes?

November 20, 2015

Alexa is working toward a vegetarian diet, and is loaded with questions. Jennifer’s got answers. We talk about anything as long as it is vegan. Are tattoos vegan? How do I politely not eat Thanksgiving dinner? How do I order without pissing off the waitress? We know you are dying to ask!

When going vegan everyone focuses on food, but what about clothes? How can I tell shoes are vegan? And where do I get them?

There are lots of vegan shoes out there, but it can be a little hard to find. Sure if you type in “vegan shoes” in google you get a bunch of stuff. There are stores that specialize in vegan shoes like Moo Shoes (which has a brick and mortar store in New York City and Los Angeles) but they can be pretty expensive. There are other all vegan shoe stores like Lookie Lou, Vegan Chic, and Alternative Outfitters. Some companies have vegan shoe tags like Modcloth, Zappos, and Lulus. But I’ve found sometimes these searches aren’t the greatest. For example if I went to DSW and search “vegan” I get a few hits. But truthfully there are MORE shoes available. So why the low results? Because they are basically showing only brands the identify the faux leather as VEGAN faux leather.

So how can you tell what your shoe is made out of? Well, luckily it is all in the tag. Do yourself a favor and grab a shoe from your closet (hopefully not too old that the label is worn down) There are several different ways shoes have their materials listed. They sometimes have a chart, sometimes they have a small note, sometimes it is on a sticker, or printed on the inside of the shoe. Just keep looking around.

The shoe should have materials listed for upper material (this is what you see on the outside of the shoe), lining/inner (you know, the stuff your feet touches), and outer sole. Some shoes will have these graphic charts. It will have these images, and whatever is next to upper shoe icon will be the material they use.

images

So for example I grabbed an old pair (pre-vgan days) of shoes from my closet (it’s this pair if you are wondering). I flipped the shoe over and on the sole there was a sticker that looked like this: (synthetic outside, leather inside, synthetic sole)

shoes

So not vegan, but only the inside isn’t vegan, which is actually very common. The problem with these icons is that they are vague. For example, they have “textile” but it doesn’t need to specify what the material is. So you could picking up a pair of shoes that have a fabric that is made from silk or wool. Some people even have found that the icons don’t match up with information on the box, or catalogue. There is also the chance the glue isn’t vegan, and it is pretty much near impossible to find any confirmation about the glue source. So it is always a good idea to check the box the shoe comes in to see if there is any additional information.

Truthfully I am loving Target’s website as they do a great job listing the materials in their shoes. It is nice to be able to look around and read the materials before heading out to the store. In general I find that vegan shoes are usually super expensive or super cheap. Why? Well, leather is a little expensive, and is actually desired by most people. So most shoes want to have it. Most cheap shoes are cheap because of the lack of leather. The downside is that this can be bad for the environment and be made in sweatshops. Some of the more expensive vegan shoe brands are trying to have better quality and better working conditions for the workers.

How do you guys buy vegan shoes? Any favorite sites or store to shop at?

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Clothing Tags: alexa asks, Alternative Outfitters, dsw, fashion, lookie lou, lulus, modcloth, moo shoes, shoes, target, vegan chic, vegan clothing, vegan shoes, zappos

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Vegan Mofo 2015 Day 11: Alexa Asks #21: Food Nutrient- Iron

September 11, 2015

Now that I started pumping iron, should I start worrying about where I get iron?

Somehow in our mental psyche we imagine iron intake with strength and manliness. I mean weak women are prone to being iron anemic right? Well, lets start with why we need iron in our body. Our bodies take the iron we eat to create hemoglobin, which helps transport oxygen to our body. Not enough iron means that our body isn’t making enough hemoglobin, which means we can make enough red blood cells, which means our muscles are deprived of oxygen.

So how much iron do you need? It varies with age, but the average adult male needs 8mg of iron, while a woman needs 18mg of iron. Why the extra load? Well, remember we need iron for our blood, and what happens each month? Menstruation. Yup, once a month we loose blood. But does that mean we still need to get 18mg each day that we don’t have our periods? Iron takes awhile to build up again in our system, so lets say your donate blood, it might take awhile to rebuild the iron again and would show in blood work a week later.

I like to use CRON-O-Meter a few random weeks during the year to try and check my dietary intake. I usually find that reaching that 18mg of iron is actually easy. Sometimes you need to try and focus on it, but it is more like what you eat are drops in the bucket. For example I got most of my iron from white beans from my lunch, but I also got iron from kale, spirulina, oats, and soymilk. Heck, I even got 6% of my iron from peaches (I ate three, so uh.. not sure if that is normal)

So what about this iron rich beef I keep hearing about? It is known in pop-science that beef is great for anemics. Right? Not really. This myth probably comes from two ideas. One is that liver is very high in iron. Each animal has varying amounts of iron in their liver, and apparently duck liver has the most iron. When comparing meats to each other, beef has more iron compared to chicken and pork. But compared to high iron vegan sources, beef isn’t that impressive. Three ounces of cooked beef has about 200 calories and 12% of your iron requirements, while half a cup of tofu has about 100 calories 35% of your iron requirements!

But there is something beef has over tofu- heme iron. Basically when animals consume iron, they start to process it for themselves to help with oxidizing their blood. When we eat animals were are eating half-processed iron, making it easy for our body to absorb. There is some evidence that heme iron may be bad for us, but like most nutritional science, it is hard to figure out if those bad things are from meats, or the heme iron. If you are concerned if the iron is being absorbed, you can try and increase absorption by eating a lot of vitamin C with your iron. Calcium and caffeine can hinder iron absorption, though I figure these can be hard to avoid pairing with foods. And my favorite suggestion is try cooking your food in iron pots, because the iron can leech into your food!

So should you supplement iron in your diet? I would say no unless you have an iron deficiency. Also keep in mind how often you donate blood, because that will effect your iron levels. But once you get your iron levels up, you can easily get the daily recommendations! I find adding a teaspoon of spirulina in my morning smoothie gives a nice boost to my iron intake. But for the most part, most foods have iron in it, and all those foods add up. It is also easier since many grain products have supplemented iron in them. For example oats have iron added to it, and does most wheat products. Try eating various greens, spirulina, tofu, beans, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, lentils, peas, blackstrap molasses, and tomato paste. And shit- there is even a fair about iron in CHOCOLATE! Even more in cacao!

Want some recipes for iron rich foods? Well here are few savory and sweet.

Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili – If you ate a quarter of this dish (which is a lot) you will have consumed about 40% of the iron your need in your day. Not bad.

Spinach and Coconut Dal – This recipe mixed spinach and lentils to make a protein rich dish. You will be getting a quarter of your iron intake from a quarter of this dish.

Pinto Bean Mole Chili – This dish mixes beans and chocolate together with vitamin C rich foods. Making it great for iron absorption!

Beet and Carrot Juice – Freshly made juices are a great way to add iron to the diet, making it easy to eat lots of veggies and fruit in one sip.

Spinach Dal – Okay I’ve been listing a lot of lentil dishes, but this one features lots and lots of spinach, leaving a bright green goop!

Green Iron Smoothie – Alyssa talks about her method of adding the small amount of iron to equal a lot of iron. So her Green Iron Smoothie has 61% of the iron in a day! Holy cow!

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Vegan Mofo, Vegan Mofo 2015 Tags: alexa asks, Vegan MOFO, vegan mofo 2105

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #20: B12, Why are you so complicated?!

August 7, 2015

So vitamin B12. Sometimes I read it has vegan sources, sometimes I read it is the only “non-vegan” vitamin. Why the heck is vitamin B12 so confusing?

Vitamin B12 is a complicated and confusing vitamin. The vitamin is important for brain and nerve function, and having a deficiency in B12 can result in some serious problems, from tingling in the hands and feet to the more extreme blindness, deafness, and dementia. So clearly you want to make sure you get it.

Most people use vitamin B12 as the example of why we need to eat meat. But when you look closer B12 is in our meats because the animals are almost always given shots of the vitamin. So that means they aren’t actually making it themselves. So where does B12 come from? There aren’t any plants, fungi, or animals that make B12. Instead there are specific bacteria that make the vitamin. It is one of the most complicated vitamin structures out there and is produced commercially using bacteria.

There is some debate about how we and other animals even got the B12 vitamin naturally. Some make the argument that we as humans have lost the bacteria that produces B12 in our gut over time. But the most common agreement is that we as a society have gotten too good at cleaning our food. B12 is naturally found in streams and soil, where the bacteria live. We filter B12 out of our water as a by product of making our water drinkable. We wash our produce because crunchy dirt in salads suck. This would also explain why domesticated animals lack the B12 vitamin as they are drinking filtered water, and grains that are removed from the ground and brought inside. So basically supplementation of some sort is needed unless you want to drink water from streams and scarfing down dirt, which no one recommends. I also want to say that is is a little bit of an oversimplification, as each animal have their own way of getting vitamin B12 (sometimes poops is involved.)

But here is where it gets complicated. There are some vegan foods that contain B12, usually foods that are made with bacteria. Some kombucha, tempeh, and algae contain vitamin B12, but some people cite these sources as unreliable and doesn’t absorb all the way by the body. Supposedly there can be a pseudovitamin state for vitamin B12, making the whole thing really complicated.

B12 is often broken down when heat is applied to it. So even if you are eating meat, cooking it breaks down some of the B12. This would happen in tempeh or other B12 fortified foods like soy milk or nutritional yeast. This is something you will want to keep in mind when thinking about your B12 intake.

So what can a vegan do? Well, there are lots of different options for B12. Many foods are fortified with it. For example many vegan milks fortify it, and a cup can yield 50% of the B12 requirement. Make sure you check the label, as I found even within brands the levels vary. For example the Wegman’s soy milk has B12 but the almond milk does not. Red Star nutritional yeast is fortified with B12 as well. There is even fortified chewing gum, which I started to take a liking to.

Even with some of these products in my diet, I still take supplements. I take a mental note about what I had that day, and if I didn’t have enough milk, gum, or whatever I take a pill. There are many different supplements on the market, and many are vegan. There are supplements that are in liquid form. Some people prefer this form because it absorbs faster in the blood stream through the tongue, and cuts out the chance of lactose or gelatin being in the supplement. There are sprays and drops that are taken orally.

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Health Tags: alexa asks, nutrition, vitamin b12

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #19: Why all the soy hate?

July 10, 2015

I hear that soy is both good and bad? Which is true? I know a few people have told me that since I’ve been diagnosed with hypothyroid I should lay off the soy. Why is that?

There are two main reasons why people avoid soy. One reason is allergies. This is a VERY good reason to avoid soy. There is only a small percentage of people who actually have a soy allergy, even though it is one of the more common food allergies. Soy allergies are commonly an allergy that children grow out of. What makes it so scary is that there are many soy by products in our processed foods. As mentioned in the non-soy proteins post, there are lots of replacements for soy based products, even things like tofu and soy sauce.

The second murkier area for avoiding soybeans is the presence of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are “dietary estrogens” because they are not made by the body, only plants produce them. When most people hear this they automatically assume it effects you estrogen levels and it is more complicated than that.

It is worth noting that soy isn’t the only food that contains phytoestrogens. In fact, nuts and seed oils have more phytoestrogens than soy products. Other foods that include phytoestrogens would be grains and cereals, legumes, and meats (what do you think cows and chickens are eating? Remember your are what you eat.). There are lots of foods we eat everyday with phytoestrogens and no one makes a stink about it, like flax seed (which has more phytoestrogens than soy), sesame seeds, coffee, apples, carrots, rice, and lots more.

Why do plants produce phytoestrogens? Well it is part of their defense systems, and protects them mostly from fungi. But since plants have been producing these estrogens for so long, humans and animals have evolved with them. That means we kind-of use these estrogens in our body too. But it is hard to pin point what makes phytoestrogens good or bad because of synthetic estrogens that are used in cosmetics. But there has been observations that phytoestrogen has helped regulate cholesterol and bone density in post-menopause. It has even been linked to the prevention of many different diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, brain function disorders, and osteoporosis.

So what about hypothyroidism and soy? Some people believe that phytoestrogen interferes with the absorption of hormones in the medication. But after reading through lots of medical journals, most say the effect is minimal. Still concerned? Guidelines that I read said to wait 4 hours to eat soy after taking any medication. That’s all you need to do. So it is probably good thing to eat soy for dinner or lunch, and just exclude it from your breakfast plans (if you take your medication in the morning).

I see men say they don’t eat soy because of the phytoestrogen, actually they say because of the estrogen. Phytoestrogen isn’t the same as estrogen. Studies have shown there is no effect on men from soy consumption. So shriveled testicles, no decreased semen samples, nothing. The frustrating thing about hearing men say this is that there is actual estrogen in milk and meat products.

Overall, all studies that find adverse effects of soy tended to be small studies, or studies performed on other animals. I wouldn’t be too concerned about phytoestrogen levels in soy, and it certainly shouldn’t discourage you from going vegan. As mentioned there is phytoestrogens in meats, most likely since cows and pigs are eating lots grains and soy, which have the plant-based hormone. There is also actual estrogen in milks and meats from animals, which is more likely to have more of an effect on your body than the phytoestrogens.

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Health Tags: alexa asks, estrogen, health, hypothyroid, Phytoestrogens, soy, soy-free, vegan

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #18: Gimmie all that fiber!

June 5, 2015

Because I apparently live under a rock, I recently realized that apples are a great source of fiber – do you know of some good/reasonably priced sources of fiber?

Once I found this out, I was shocked- vegetables and fruit have lots of fiber! It is a little shocking since we keep reading about whole wheat or whatever whole grain is great source of fiber. Commercials keep suggesting grain products are truly the best way to get fiber. But really fruits and vegetables trump all. Once I put two and two together I wondered why we were told more about fiber in our greens over grains. Well, one reason is that you can’t really put a brand on an apple. Sure there are groups that promote specific produce to represent many different farmers, but their marketing tactics tend to not be as obvious as bread or cereal commercials.

The other reason that the fiber in fruits and vegetables isn’t common knowledge is probably generational. I know I get lots of poop and fiber jokes from my older bosses whenever I eat a big salad. But truthfully, a large salad filled with 5 cups of lettuce might only be around 10% of the fiber you need for the day. Point is that the idea of “ruffage” has disappeared in our food pyramids in class.

So what does fiber do for your body? I think this is an important thing to know since most people view it as a way to “keep full” and push your digestion tract clean. Well, first thing to point out that there are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble fibers. Insoluble fibers are the gross ones. They help “facilitates regular defecation” and “adds bulk to the stool” (thank Wikipedia for that very sterile wording). It also helps regulate blood sugar, which can be great for diabetics.

Soluble fiber is a little different. This fiber is known for lowering LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol. Which means it is good for the heart, remember those honey nut cheerio commercial guys! But they also form a viscous gel in the stomach which delays digestion, which means delayed digestion of carbohydrates, which means even blood sugar levels.

So which foods have which fibers? Well most insoluble fibers come from grains, nuts, beans, seeds, potato & fruit skins, avocados, green beans, zucchini, and cauliflower, just to name a few. Soluble fibers can come many of the same foods, nuts, seeds, beans, oats, rye, barley, various fruits and their skins, root vegetables, and psyllium husks (they have both fibers by the way). If you haven’t noticed I listed all vegan foods, and I wasn’t excluding any animal based products.

Both types of fiber can help serve as “prebiotics.” They are basically foods for the bacteria that live in your gut. By feeding them plenty of fiber they continue to grow and thrive. Of coarse this is a little trickier since probiotics are a little more of new discovery. Not all high fiber foods are equal in prebiotic world. Bananas, onions, garlic, asparagus, wheat bran, leek, dandelion greens, jerusalem artichoke, and chicory root are great prebiotic sources.

So do you need to worry about fiber on a vegan diet? Most likely not. In fact many vegans, especially weight lifting vegans, worry about too much fiber. Some have diet where they have days that are suppose to be low fiber, and it can be a struggle to find vegans foods that fit the bill. Even something that comes off as being full of fat like an avocado is full of fiber. A cup of avocado has 40% of the fiber you need in a day!

So should you be concerned about having too much fiber? Maybe. Some people have medical conditions that limit the amount of fiber they can have. But if you don’t have them you will find out if you have too much fiber in your diet by paying attention to your digestion. If you have lots of gas pains and bloating, you might need to focus on incorporating less fiber into your diet. You may want to add more nut butters, protein powders, tofu, white wheat, milks, and juices.

But keep in mind, too much fiber is pretty rare on the Standard American Diet, and most people need MORE fiber. When working at a juice bar I use to get asked by mother’s all the time how their sons get more fiber. I couldn’t say it, but I should of just said a salad. But I would give them a shake with some psyllium husks in it, which probably got all thick and nasty by the time the son would be able to drink it.

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Health Tags: alexa asks, Diet, fiber, vegan

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #17: Where my non-soy proteins at?

May 29, 2015

I’m currently on a diet that limits my soy intake – what are some good soy substitutions (tofu, tempeh, etc.)?

Although I have some beef against some of the anti-soy people out there, I am fully aware some people simply can’t have it. Most of the time it is allergies, but I’ve heard some people say it isn’t the greatest for people how have thyroid issues. But if anyone gives a reason that they don’t eat soy because of the “estrogen” in it, I call them out on it. There is actual estrogen in meat and dairy, and soy has a component that looks like estrogen and sometimes our body reads it.

That being said let’s talk about replacements! Well, there are some basic soy products that people are making substitutes for, so if you still want to partake in them, you can buy soy-free counter parts.

Miso: Many people are using other beans in miso to make them gluten-free and soy-free. They tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum so keep that in mind. One is a chickpea barley miso from South River and another chickpea miso by Miso Master (this one you will most likely find in stores!)

Tofu: If you are feeling a little adventurous in the kitchen, you can make a soy-free tofu. There are two methods, one is chickpea tofu (or also called Burmese Tofu) and the other uses lentils. It is a little work, but it could fill in the desire for tofu. No major companies make this yet. Try out this recipe using besan or this video for Burmese Tofu and this other that shows you how to use lentils.

There is also a hemp tofu by Tempt. The company is pretty big, but I personally have yet to see their hemp tofu in stores. Take a look around next time you are in a grocery store though!

Tempeh: There are a few places that are now making a soy free tempeh. If you know how to make tempeh, it isn’t hard to omit soy all together. You can use other grains and beans in place of soy. BUT if you are lucky enough there are two companies that make black bean tempeh, Smiling Hara Tempeh (local to North and South Carolina) and Lalibela Farm (which is local to Maine). Take a look at your grocery aisle though, just in case there other companies I don’t know about!

Soy Sauce: Although soy sauce isn’t high in protein, you may still want to have some. A lot of people really like coconut aminos. It pretty much uses the same process as soy sauce only with coconuts.

Faux Products: A lot fake products use soy, but there is almost always a soy-free alternative. For example faux mayo, margarine, faux cheese, etc. Just flip to the back and quickly check, but most of the time they have “soy-free” on the front. They will probably not be as high in protein as their soy counterparts.

So what about other sources of protein? Where else can you get more protein? Well, getting your 10% of protein of your day isn’t hard, but it can be harder if you are trying to get more for weight training. I find myself using protein powders in my shake after a workout for an extra boost. So the need for protein can be a real concern. So where can you get it?

Protein Powders

I’ve mentioned protein powders in the Should I Use Protein Powders question. The three main protein powders out there that are vegan and aren’t soy are pea protein, brown rice protein, and hemp protein. Each has their own flavor and texture profiles. Because of this there are lots of blends out there. I like to shop around, going to vitamin shops, independent health food stores, and major chains so I keep prices in the back of my head. Also keep in mind not all powders are equal. Read ingredients and make sure you can read and understand most of them. I personally find Vega to the tastiest, but Sunwarrior is pretty tasty as well. Again, search around and figure out what you like.

A cool thing that you can do is mix in protein powders in other foods. For example you can stir some powder in your chia pudding, pancakes (or any other baked good really), parfaits, oatmeals, mashed potatoes, burgers, ice creams, lattes, lentils, soups, pretty much anything. If you are interested in boosting your proteins with powders, I suggest sticking to “pure” one ingredient protein powders and getting unflavored. Seems boring but it will work with sweet and savory.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds can be great for extra protein. What makes them particularly great is that you get some nice healthy dose of healthy fats as well, which will help you absorb vitamins from your veggies (yup, you still need fat!) What makes nuts and seeds so great is that there is a lot of variety. Some commons “nuts” are peanuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and almonds. But since a lot of people have allergies, you can usually use some sort of seed instead like sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, or pumpkin seeds.

Then take it a little further. Lots of seeds and nuts can be made into milks. You can make them at home with a blender and a nut bag, or you can buy them pre-made in a grocery store. They also make many other products like nut butters, yogurts, and nut cheeses (which you can also make at home). Flax, hemp, and chia seeds are particularly great because they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, and have a thickening quality. So if you add a tablespoon to your shake, you can get a nice texture to it.

Lentils & Beans

This is honestly where I get 80% most of my protein. Heck even most protein powders use beans (hello soy and pea protein!) They are cheap and well established in many different cuisines. How you buy them is up to you. You can buy them dried, canned, or frozen. I personally try to buy them dried and freeze any extra to save the most amount of money.

But what can you use beans and lentils in? Well some answers will be obvious, a side, chilis, soups, baked beans, tacos, burritos, rice and beans. You can make your own vegan bean burgers, which there are MANY different styles out there. In the same vain, there are many baked falafel recipes that are low in fat. There are lots of casseroles that use beans, which can vary from tex mex, to greek, so you have lots to play with. Some recipes use beans in pasta, tossed with the pasta, or sometimes blended up in a sauce. You can even make little bean balls to make spaghetti and bean balls. Once you start to look around, you will find the possibilities are endless.

There are also various bean flours that you can work into other recipes. For example if you are making a baked falafel, instead of using whole wheat flour you can use besan, a chickpea based flour. There is even a recipe for a vegan omelette using besan! There are tons of other bean flours that you can sneak into recipes where flour is used. I would stick to more savory recipes. If you sneak them into desserts you will probably have to add more sugar to mask the flavor, and you don’t want to have to do that.

And don’t overlook lentils! They are a little tricky to incorporate since they tend to be a little more “fluid” than beans. They are smaller and tend to be found in soups since they are so fast to cook in comparison. They are great to sub in a recipe that uses ground beef since of their small texture. But if you are a fan of Indian food, you will find lots of “dal” recipes, or recipes that use lentils.

And FINALLY you have your young beans. That would include green beans, edamame (soy), peas (pod peas, snow peas, snap peas), lima beans, fava beans, and cranberry beans. Some of these beans are not as common are hard to find fresh (for example you will most like find fava, pod peas, lima, and edamame frozen) while some are you see all the time (green beans and pea varieties). These fresh beans tend to have less proteins than their dried counterparts. But if view them as a sub for a veggie side, it’s just added protein.

Dark Leafy Greens

Pound for pound leafy greens have more protein in them than meats. Find that hard to believe? Well, it isn’t once you see how much a pound of greens is compared to a pound of meat. I get the issues with keeping greens, they take up lots of space, and sometimes it is hard to think of what to cook with them. I think I would get sick of kale if I steamed it everyday. Some quick ways to get your servings is tossing a handful in your shake every morning. You honestly don’t taste it.

There are lots of dark greens you can incorporate in your diet. The common ones are kale, chard, spinach, and collard greens. The shame is that there are lots more, you just might not find them. For example beet greens are PACKED with nutrition. Bok choy, gai lan (chinese broccoli), tatsoi, and yu choy are great in stir fries. Fans of Italian food might be familiar with broccoli rabe. Mizuna or mustard greens is yet another green that isn’t talked about much. Where do you find half of these rare greens? Farmer markets are great and so are CSAs (mine serves tatsoi and a mix of asian greens). But you can also check out an Asian supermarket, as they tend to have some.

You can use greens in almost any type of dish. Many people make a side dish from them, but you can put them in chilis, stir fries, soups, pastas, or burgers. If you are a snacker, you can make kale chips which usually have an added bonus of nuts in the coating for protein! If you have some greens that are going bad, just juice those motherfuckers! Don’t have a juicer? You can make a green juice from a blender and a strainer. This method is a great way to see if you want to buy a juicer in the end as well. A lot of people like to use collard greens as a wrap. Which is pretty handy for lunches.

Quinoa

You would think quinoa is a miracle food by how some vegans describe it. Yes, it is a complete protein, and yes it is high is protein compared to rice. BUT, I don’t find it as handy as beans. It has all the issues of rice and grains but none of the good qualities culinary wise. It cooks in small pieces just like grains, but isn’t sticky like them so it is harder to include in recipes like burgers. You can also make it into a flour but has an aftertaste so you can’t add too much of it to a recipe. Yes, quinoa has it’s limits.

But I wouldn’t dismiss it. If you are trying to get a lot of protein in a diet, it is a great replacement for most grains. Technically quinoa isn’t a grain (it’s actually more closely related to beets, spinach, tumbleweeds and amaranth) but it often treated as so in cooking. There are lots of recipes out there for quinoa, ranging from quinoa “mac and cheese” to chilis. A common vegan option is kale and quinoa bowls. I personally like to cook both quinoa and rice and mix them together as a side in dishes or in a recipe.

Seitan

Oh wheat meat! You are so misunderstood. Most people going into a vegan diet accuse of seitan of being totally fake, and only trying to be similar to meat. Well, seitan has been discovered hundreds of years ago in China. You can make it easily by washing flour over and over again till the starches wash away, and you are left with 100% pure gluten protein. Some people find it problematic if they think gluten is bad for the body. There isn’t provable evidence yet that gluten is bad for everyone, but some people are allergic or have trouble digesting it. I don’t eat it often, but I think eating it once a week is perfectly fine. If you are concerned make sure you pay attention to how you feel after eating it.

Seitan is pretty easy to find. You can find it canned in Asian food markets as mock duck (or whatever the else you may possibly want). These are cheap, but I tend to be cautious about them. Read labels and use your own judgement. You can find seitan frozen or in the refrigerator section of most supermarkets. They can be pretty pricey though. So what do you do? Make your own.

Yes making your own seitan is really easy, especially since you can buy vital wheat gluten. There are lots of methods, baking it into logs, boiling it broth, pressure cooker, mixing in tofu, or beans. Possibilities are endless. Some of my favorite tutorials include Vegan Metal Chefs video, which reassures you that you can’t mess it up. Freeze what you don’t use in a recipe, and you are covered for awhile.

Beyond Meat & Fake Meats

I am going to suggest something that is unpopular- fake meats. Half of the vegan community love it and think they are great, and the other half think it is sacrilegious and poison to the body. I personally think they aren’t ideal but not as bad as what everyone makes them out to be.

Now most people think fake foods are made from soy, and that is not entirely true. My favorite company Beyond Meat uses pea protein to build up their “meats”. They try and be as open as they can be without revealing their secret techniques. They have chicken strips, beef crumbles, and now burgers. They are available at Target and Whole Foods (though I suggest Target since their prices are cheaper) and usually they have some sort of coupon on their site.

Field Roast is another brand of soy free fake meats. But basically you’ll just need to take a look around when you go shopping. There are lots of different brands out there and depending on where you live you will have different options available.

Another bonus is that many of these foods have added vitamins that you need in your diet. Examples? Sometimes companies add calcium, vitamin B12, iron, etc to help mimic the nutritional value of meats. This concept also extends to some milks, yogurts, etc. Keep in mind the two brands Field Roast and Beyond Meat might not actually do this.

Alternative Pastas

There are lots of gluten-free and soy-free pastas coming on the market. Well, correction, I don’t know many or any soy based pastas… yet. But there many different types out there. There are black bean noodles, which boasts 25 grams of protein per serving. That company makes even more noodle type such as adzuki and soy bean. I personally like to use quinoa pasta from time to time, though the protein isn’t as high as the black bean noodles, 4 grams of protein per serving.

That being said regular old pasta can be fairly high in protein. Normal run of the mill pasta can have 7 grams of protein per serving, which is pretty dang good. If you pair it off with lentil, beans, kale, or some other source of protein you can reach you protein goals fairly easily.

Everything Else

Okay so as we mentioned in the How much protein do I need post, pretty much everything has protein. And although I am not saying you should just eat whatever you want, just don’t forget to count all the protein in all your food. If you are having a chickpea salad sandwich, I would count up the protein in the veggies, the vegan mayo, and the bread! Yes, all of that. I think you might be surprised how much of that protein comes from other foods.

Anyone else have a vegan high protein food that I forgot to mention?

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Health Tags: alexa asks, Diet, protein, proteins, soy, soy-free, vegan

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #16: Why Should I Give a Fuck About Bees?

May 22, 2015

By definition honey isn’t vegan, but I honestly have a hard time giving a crap! What are some good reasons to stop consuming honey and beeswax?

Those damned bees, being so damned productive and good at their damned jobs. Before going vegan I didn’t give two shits about honey or beeswax. I’d pass by stands and give a big yawn. For years I never check honey on my no-no list, and honestly I am sure I didn’t consume that much since I never actively bought honey.

Then I learned about mead and fermentation. I suddenly became obsessed about honey and making mead. It was a miracle drink, one could sweeten a cocktail with more booze! It was amazing. Till one day I asked myself, why should I care about bees? Do we really harm them to farm honey? And naturally I wondered about how “domesticated” honeybees and how they shape the environment. Now I am finding myself eliminating honey from my diet, which I am finding to be incredibly hard.

Vegans have very different views and boundaries, which can cause some arguments in the community. Bees, oysters, and many other invertebrates get the short end of the stick. Many people who adopt a vegan diet for health tend to include honey in their diet. Some vegans will eat oysters and other bi-valves since their nervous system is drastically different, and in theory don’t feel pain. Some vegans would argue that by not eating honey or bi-valves we are drawing clear and distinct lines. Some would argue that we truly don’t know how much pain we are causing to these animals. And some will argue that exploitation is still exploitation.

Humans like to think that the smaller the animal the smaller of a life it has. But insects can have incredibly long and complex lives. For example the queen bee can live as long as seven years while other bees live much shorter lives ranging from a few weeks to half of a year. Bees have complex social systems (like humans) and have a precise way of sharing information through dance. Their dance shares sources of pollen, and will calculate the change of the position of the sun.

What makes honey and bees wax a hard sell to stop consuming is that bees aren’t as adorable as puppies. But in many ways we should find bees very relatable. They have a complicated form of communication, they have a complex social structure, and they probably have a range of emotion. Yes, scientific research is showing that bees have emotions. And it makes sense for an animal to form emotions when they have a strict social structure. And if bees do have emotions, then maybe they don’t like having their wings clipped or being artificially inseminated.

Many people rationalize that bees don’t NEED the honey. Surely there is enough to go around, right? Well, the answer is not really. To put into perspective how important honey is to bees, some species die once they sting an enemy to protect their honey. If the hive is destroyed, the bees quickly gobble up their weight in honey so they can build up their reserves again in their new colony. Anyone who has done beekeeping and have collected honey will tell you that you have to feed the bees with a cheap sugar syrup– meaning we need to replace what we took from the bees.

bee

But what about keeping the bees alive? We are constantly hearing about how bees are dying off and it might seem that honey consumption would be a great excuse to help keep bees alive. But this isn’t necessarily true. At least in the United States, our bees used in farming are not native. They have been imported from Europe, and clearly the flowers and fruit that occur naturally in the US have pollenated just fine. In fact some produce cannot be pollenated by domesticated bees (such as early spring blooms like blueberries), and I am sure if you have been at a farm or CSA, you probably haven’t seen a bee hive. Keep in mind that pollination can be done naturally with bees, insects, mammals, reptiles, birds, and humans.

There is a difference between bee farming for honey production, and pollination. Honey farming probably isn’t what you are picturing in your mind, it more similar to cows, bees are farmed in different ways according to their purpose. The honey we eat comes from bees that are confined to specific crops. Each plant will effect the taste of honey, so humans pick the food for bees. So when you buy honey it isn’t going to help pollenate almond trees. When bees are raised for pollination, it usually implies that their colony will be shipped long distance to pollenate a crop. Sometimes the bees aren’t coming back. A lot of bees get shipped to pollenate almond trees, and they have had negative effects on bee colonies. The dependence of domesticated bees have actually caused a decline of native bees, which are better for pollination since they are less susceptible to diseases.

TL:DR; Honey isn’t vegan because

It doesn’t fit the definition, it is an animal by product
Bees need the honey to survive, and humans provide alternate foods to keep colonies going
Bees colonies are incredibly complex and intelligent
Bees may have emotions.
Most produce don’t need domesticated bees for pollination
Domesticated bees usually lead to declines to native bees, endangering native plants.

As far as I am concerned there are lots of reasons to reduce consumption of bee products. But it can be hard since we eat honey and use beeswax in many other contexts. We rub beeswax on our hands and on our lips. It can also be used in lost-wax casting, candles, art, bow making, sewing threads, shoe laces, etc, etc. The list is so long that it will be featured in next week’s Alexa Asks.

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks Tags: alexa asks, bees, honey, vegan

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #15: How can I transition to being vegan with non-vegans?

April 17, 2015

I am living at home and eat often with my family and my man’s family. I find it hard to say no to their animal based cooked meal. So how can I transition into a vegan lifestyle?

So let me state by painting the living situation that Alexa and I are dealing (or rather dealt with in my case). Basically I’ve lived with my sister and Alexa is living with her parents. These situations, I would say sitting down as a family for dinner wouldn’t happen daily, but sometimes would still happen. But I think Alexa and I can agree the trouble was the idea of having dinner with our Man’s family. I lived with my husband’s parents for about a year and a half and his father cooked dinner with a passion. It took forever to get him to stop cooking a dinner for me when I worked late at a restaurant.

So what does one do when dinner is being served for the whole family? And with little choice from your end as well? I truthfully gave up veganism when living with family. I babysat my nieces a lot and I had a hard time not nibbling at their uneaten mac and cheese (which actually got them to eat it). When I live with my husband’s family I felt really rude asking for them to cook all vegan or make another dish for me.

So I kind-of found some middle ground, or rather ways to work towards a vegan diet. Now these steps are basically if you are in a temporary situation. I now live alone with my husband, and shared family dinners are now vegan. If I visit my in-laws they make a vegan meal for me. If I visit my family I usually make food for myself. If for whatever reason you think you’ll be living with other people in shared dinner situation longterm I would recommend taking steps to eat 100% vegan. Although these steps are still good to get use to the vegan transition.

1 – Start with veganizing your breakfast & lunch

Breakfast and lunch are pretty easy to make vegan for yourself since they are meals that vary widely from other people in your family. In fact, I think this is an easier way to transition into veganism than slowly eliminating certain foods from your diet. I think starting from breakfast you start to create new traditions. It might be hard at first since breakfast in a Western diet is very heavy on animal products (yogurt, ham, sausage, bacon, buttermilk pancakes, etc) But even starting out with smoothies and vegan cereals with soy milk are great starts.

Lunch might be a challenge if you are a sandwich person. They can be really easy to make on the go. There are many different sandwiches you can find on pinterest that are vegan. Sometimes it involves some time in the kitchen, but often yields several servings. So you might be in the kitchen for lunchtime, but you will be able to make lunches for the week, which can be worth it. Salads, wraps, soup, and sushi can be other great lunches to make.

2 – Start “phasing out” certain foods for dinner

Once you become pretty comfortable with a vegan breakfast and lunch, start telling people that you are trying to go vegan and start phasing out certain foods. I would recommend with little things. For example, try asking the cook to make vegetable sides with olive oil instead of butter. Then after two weeks, say you are trying to cut out steak, then eggs, cheese, etc.

I would try and get rid of foods that are used as a garnish first, then used in sides, then just not as commonly cooked. Like if the family eats a salad every night ask for no cheese in your salads or buy your own vegan dressing. Make it so it is easier for the cook.

3 – Offer to cook dinner

Rarely do people turn down a free dinner. So share the vegan joy by offering to cook for the family. Respectably this can be hard. When I was living with my in-laws I would have to plan ahead since they planned dinners out for the week. It was even more difficult since they would make this list on Monday- to go grocery shopping that weekend (a whole week ahead!) Hopefully, by cooking for everyone they will taste vegan food, and get an idea what vegan dishes they can make themselves. Sometimes people are just clueless about what dishes are vegan or how to veganize something.

You can also make quick dishes. If the dinner is steak with sides, you can heat up some vegan protein to add to you meal. Making some veggie burgers and freezing them is a quick option, just microwave them or ask if it could be grilled before the steak. Getting other frozen dishes like faux chicken nuggets, seitan, etc, can make you dinner easy.

4 – Research vegan options for eating out

Take a look around for vegan meal options. Keeping a mental note about what your options are. There are tons of blog posts that list various options you have at major chains like chipotle, panera, etc. Google things that are nearby and keep track. That way if your friends want to make a sporadic late night trip, you don’t worry about not having something to eat.

I also recommend checking out that Happy Cow for local restaurants that have vegan options. There are usually a lot more options that aren’t listed. The database is from readers so sometimes restaurants that are new or have non-vegan options tend not to get listed. So if you don’t see a restaurant on that site, that doesn’t mean it won’t have any options.

5 – Be strict about what YOU buy

Once you start getting a hold of eating out, breakfast, and lunch get really strict about what you spend you money on. Start flipping over boxes for cereals, cookies, granolas, breads, etc. You maybe surprised about what isn’t actually vegan. Once you know what is vegan for the meals that are more automated, it will be easier when you move out. That way your vegan focus can be on making vegan dinners and recipes. Which brings me to the last point:

6 – When you leave, announce you are full vegan

Once you move out and you decide you want to be 100% vegan, make an announcement. Once you move out it is easier to tell everyone that you are now vegan and stop making meatballs for dinner. Even if you haven’t fully transitioned out, it still a good idea to tell other people. I use to get served eggs and cheese with family members for awhile. It was mostly a pain since they would make these special dishes for me, even though they got it wrong.

What about you guys? What are some tips about living in a non-vegan household?

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks Tags: alexa asks, transition, vegan

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #14: Should I use protein powders?

March 13, 2015

I’ve been doing crossfit, and trying to stay active. In the protein post, you recommend upping protein for people who are more active. Should I use protein powders? Are they really healthy?

If someone came up to me saying they were worried about their protein intake, I would necessarily start pointing them towards powders. But I wouldn’t discourage people from using them. They’ve kind-of earned a reputation of being something for die-hard muscle builders, and certain brands are filled with garbage to make them taste better or dissolve faster.

That doesn’t mean they are all bad for you. But as a vegan you need to proceed with caution when buying protein powders. Many brands use whey or egg whites since some people think they are better absorbed by muscles. This is only half true and has a long complicated answer. The important thing is that you still absorb the protein in vegan based proteins.

Protein powders are great to toss in a shake to quickly add protein to it. Some protein powders say to mix in water, or plain soy milk. But truthfully they taste best when added or incorporated into a smoothie with fruits. A quick formula would a cup liquid, a cup fruit, and a serving of protein.

So where do you start? I like to divide protein power ups into thre categories: pure powder, powder mixes, and raw ingredients.

Pure Powders

When a vegan first dabbles in protein powders they might see comparisons to brown rice protein, hemp protein, soy protein, etc, etc. Each have their own benefits, nutritional profiles, and price ranges. Soy protein is widely available with store brands, and can be the cheapest. For example Trader Joe’s have their own soy and hemp protein powders. I personally use brown rice protein or hemp protein on alternating days, or depending on the type of shake I make. There are tons of sources, but very few brands sell completely isolated varieties.

The benefit? These have higher amounts of protein for less calories. Sometimes they are gritty, so I never use the full recommended serving size. I usually use just a tablespoon or two in a shake. They can dissolve with some extra blending, and usually dissolve better when you add more than just water or milk to the shake.

The most common protein powders? Brown Rice Protein, pea protein, soy protein, and hemp protein. I left links to products for each protein powder. Make note that these are not the ONLY brand. Each brand have their own taste and ingredients list.

Powder Mixes

There is an ever increasing amount of vegan protein blends. They are usually much more expensive than “pure powders.” I found that buying single ingredient protein powders usually averages $1-$1.50 per suggested serving, less if you are only using part of a serving (like I do). Powder mixes are intended to be used by the scoop and have a collection of different powders using peas, quinoa, rice, sprouts, you name it. Other vitamins and nutrients are added which can help you meet some trickier dietary needs like calcium, B12, iron, etc. Many are designed to be a meal by themselves. Because of all these extras sometimes the serving sizes are can be $2-$5 each! Some of these inflated prices come from shipping since they are sometimes only sold online.

The prices might seem crazy, but the more active I become, the more it makes sense. I really enjoy having a high protein – high fiber shake after a workout. It really helps with recovery. And it makes sense to have a blend that I can just toss in a blender without anything extra and chug down.

There is also a HUGE taste difference. “Pure powders” usually taste awful when pair purely with water or milk. They work best when you pair them with an already existing smoothie recipe. I’ve had some powder mixes that taste wonderful with some milk and ice blended together. Nothing else. Honest.

Thinking about trying it? Well, if you are scared to buy a whole tub, many health food stores have sample pouches. They are great when on the go, and to simply try out a blend. Many times you can find some deals on blogs giving away samples or having contests for tubs. Some mix brands that I really enjoyed were Vega, Nuzest, Sunwarrior, Plant Fusion, Phood, and Spiru-tein. Sample around before committing, because honestly everyone has their own personal tastes. Plus if you go into a whole foods, supermarket, or health food store they almost always have some single serving packets you can try.

And it might get confusing, many brands have specific protein blends. Some for dieting, some for sports, some meal replacements, etc. Try not to over think it. Just try and rationalize your decision by price, protein content, taste, and ingredients.

Raw Ingredients

Alright, so maybe you don’t want to buy any powders. There other ways to boost protein in your shakes. It is called adding raw ingredients that are naturally high in protein. Duh! There are lots of ingredients you can add to a shake, soaked nuts, hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, soaked buckwheat groats, nut butters, oats, yogurt, soy milk, tofu, and spirulina.

The downside? Well, you usually can only add so much before it really effects your shake. Add too much chia seeds and you will get a goopy mess. Add too much yogurt and your shake will be too tart. Nuts will add a lot of fats with your protein. You get the gist. Listed below are some high protein shakes and DIY protein blends:

DIY Protein Powders:
Fork and Beans: Candida Friendly Protein Blend
Back to Her Roots: Oat, Rice, & Lentil Blend

High Protein Shakes with No Protein Powder
Minimalist Baker: Recovery Shake 8 grams
PopSugar: High Protein Vanilla Milkshake 17 grams
Oh She Glows: Green Warrior Protein Smoothie 17 grams
This Rawsome Vegan Life: Chocolate Berry Protein Smoothie
Choosing Raw: Green Apple, Pumpkin, and Quinoa Smoothie 20 grams

TLDR: Powders can be good

Overall, protein powders are getting better and better. They are much more wholesome than they were in the past. But still buy with caution. There are lots of blends with fillers and other “stuff” in them that aren’t necessarily great for you. The plus is that most of those protein blends tend to have non-vegan ingredients in them, so you wouldn’t buy them anyways.

There are cheaper “whole” ingredient blends, but they can overpower your shake easily. Blends can be great but can have high price tags. But if you are looking for convenience and taste, you probably just one to buy those. But if you are still not sure, there are plenty of option using whole, unadulterated ingredients.

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Health Tags: alexa asks, protein, protein powders

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #13: Vitamin D- the Sunshine Vitamin

February 27, 2015

Is it true there is no vegan source of vitamin D?

Of coarse there is a vegan source of vitamin D, it’s called the sun.

Oh you wanted a better answer. Okay, well if you are deficient in vitamin D and need to take supplements, there are vegan source pills you can take for vitamin D.

Done, and done.

Oh still need more? Understandable.

See, we need vitamin D to help absorb calcium in bones. Also being deficient in vitamin D is linked to many diseases such as cancer, autism, weight gain, depression, and heart disease. The problem is that many doctors argue what levels of vitamin D we need to stay healthy.

It is also worth noting that many meat eating, milk guzzling Americans have low vitamin D levels. The reason? We are all cooped up inside with conventional 9 to 5 jobs. The easiest way to stay healthy is get 10 to 20 minutes of sun everyday.

That’s it.

How can you do this? Start biking or walking to work. Park at the far end of the parking lot. If you work a 9 to 5 office job, take small 2 minute breaks outside when you stretch your legs. Try some simple activities outside, like reading outside, gardening, raking leaves, walking the dog, etc.

It is a struggle since we are often told to wear sunscreen to avoid skin cancer. And you should keep that in mind if you are going to be outside for an hour or longer, or in direct sunlight. If you are traveling to a brighter area like places near the equator or a dessert, lather up! Cancer or not, your skin might not be use to it and you might burn.

Yes you can take supplements but keep in mind there is a free alternative. Plus you could use some fresh air.

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Health Tags: alexa asks, vitamin d