Blog Posts - Make Simple Vegan Meals

Iowa Public Radio Archive: Exploring Vegetarianism in Iowa

8/27/2013

A nice 48 minute audio archive from Iowa Public Radio providing several testimonials about the benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets including a dietitian at a hospital who witnessed improvements in patients with extensive heart disease and Type 2 diabetes who switched to plant-based diets!

Patients lost weight
93% reduction in chest pain among those suffering from heart disease within 3 weeks
Energy levels increased
Those with Type 2 diabetes went off medication within 1 month
Demonstration of reversal of heart disease

Also a discussion about getting enough protein from a vegan diet - easy to do!

On the Move - An Introduction to Veganism

8/26/2013

The vegan diet has become popular and gone mainstream! While there are many wonderful aspects of veganism, the most important is its impact to you and your health and happiness. My short eBook will introduce you to veganism and its many benefits!

Get it for FREE this week! (Sept 10 to Sept 14, 2013)

Link to the book's page on Amazon.com

Available as an eBook or an MP3 audio file.

Hold the Meat Blog Series Part 9: "Friendships Will Change"

8/26/2013

All relationships have an end point. Some relationships last for a long time while others end very quickly. I found that after becoming vegan, just as my relationship with meat ended, so did some of my relationships with people. I discovered that friendships will change.
To become vegan is to respect yourself, your body, and your mind. Putting good food in your body is to treat it with high regard. After a while, you expect the same appreciation from the people you know. You may more easily notice respectful behaviors towards you and discern actions or words that disfavor who you are or who you want to be. If you've been lenient towards subtle ridicule in the past from people with whom you have a relationship upon which you place some value, after becoming vegan, the value of that relationship may wane.
When you become vegan, you are caring for yourself, the planet, and animals. Your compassion enlarges for yourself as well as for the greater community and all life. Realizing that some people who you know are dispassionate about the life around us may make you reassess how much longer your relationship with them will continue.
This happened to me. People who I thought added value to my life, seemed less important to me after becoming vegan. I went through a transformation, while many friends stayed the same. It became harder to connect with some of them, and as a result, those relationships ended, just as new ones emerged. Friendships are important, but some will change as you do.

Apigenin - Inflammation Fighter!

8/25/2013

Those three veggies [artichokes, celery, parsley], essentials of the Mediterranean Diet, are loaded with apigenin, an inflammation fighter that kills cancer cells. These foods can boost cancer treatments (some studies show it makes paclitaxel, used to treat certain breast cancers, more effective) or prevent cancer (breast, colon, skin, thyroid and leukemia) in the first place.

According to this article by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Roizen, apigenin is one of the toughest inflammation fighters found in fruit, vegetables, and spices. It can be found in artichokes, celery, parsley, apples cherries, grapes, cilantro, basil, and oregano. So try to get a healthy dose of these ingredients daily which is easy to do with a balanced vegan diet!

New Vegan Restaurants in Los Angeles

8/25/2013

If you are visiting LA before the summer ends, here are a few new vegan restaurants to try compiled by LAist.com, including Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant on Melrose Avenue!

More Reasons to Love Avocados

8/25/2013

Avocados are one of my favorite ingredients. I put them in smoothies, salads, sandwiches, and use them as a garnish on a variety of southwest style recipes. I eat them peeled and chopped with a dash of salt and lime juice. They are filling and healthy! This article fromt the Huff Post lists six more reasons why avocados are a wonderful vegan food and more specifically, a delicious fruit, including...

Twice as much potassium as bananas
Very high protein for a fruit (4 g)
Good for hair and skin
Can replace butter in some recipes - use it as a sandwich spread!

Veggies May Reduce Bladder Cancer Risk in Women

8/25/2013

Researchers from the University of Hawaii "recently discovered that a greater consumption of fruits and vegetables may lower the risk of invasive bladder cancer in women."

For instance, women consuming the most yellow-orange vegetables were 52% less likely to have bladder cancer than women consuming the least yellow-orange vegetables. The data also suggested that women with the highest intake of vitamins A, C, and E had the lowest risk of bladder cancer. Source

Subway Expands Vegan Options in India

8/13/2013

In order to easily accommodate vegan diners as well as vegetarians, Subway restaurants in India bake their bread without dairy products, and use an egg-free mayonnaise. Subway India has gone even further to accommodate the varied types of diets in the country, unveiling sandwiches earlier this year that cater to the Jain population.

Typical vegetarians in India can already choose from several vegetarian Subway sandwiches, including the Aloo Patty, the Veg Shammi, and the Paneer Tikka. Also on offer are a regular Veggie Delite, and a Veggie Patty, similar to a sub-sized Garden Burger.

Read more at http://www.indiawest.com/news/12776-subway-restaurant-expands-in-india-targeting-vegetarians.html#pj0b2CU0wXFWpqis.99

More Americans Trying Meat Alternatives

8/12/2013

According to research by Mintel, more than one third of Americans use meat alternatives such as tofu, tempeh, and faux meat products. Respondents indicated that the main reason is for the health benefits along with the taste of the products. Since only 7% of those in the market study identified themselves as vegetarian, it shows that meat alternatives are gaining popularity beyond just the meat-free consumer market.

Health perception plays a large role in use of meat alternatives. One-third of consumers indicate using alternative meat products because they are healthy, higher than any other reason measured in the report. What's more, more than half (51%) of users believe they are healthier than real meat. In addition, some 31% are trying to reduce their meat consumption and another 31% say they enjoy the taste of meat alternatives.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/12/5643351/more-than-one-third-of-americans.html#storylink=cpy

Another interesting find was the increase in product labeling as 'vegan', surpassing 'vegetarian' labeling since 2011, which means the market demand for vegan products is gaining traction!

Are Avocados a Treatment for Prostate Cancer?

8/4/2013

By substituting healthy vegetable fats – such as olive and canola oils, nuts, seeds and avocados – for animal fats and carbohydrates, men with the disease had a markedly lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer and dying from other causes, according to the study. Source

According to the study of 4,600 men by researchers at the UC San Francisco, healthy vegetable fat "increases plasma antioxidants and reduces insulin and inflammation" which may slow the growth of cancer in the prostate. Prostate cancer afflicts one in six men during their lifetime.
An interesting observation from the study was that among the participants with prostate illness, more men actually died of cardiovascular disease instead of complications from prostate cancer during the period of the research. This finding suggests that a healthy diet is important for all health issues, and not just a specific illness.
Unsaturated vegetable fats can come from a variety of ingredients including avocados, nuts and groundnuts, olives, and seeds among others. The study indicated that by replacing a portion of carbohydrates with vegetable fat was key to the health effect. Avocados in particular are easy to add to salads, spread onto sandwiches, and blend into smoothies. A great vegan ingredient, avocados are also filling and have a number of other health benefits.
This is good news for those at risk for or already fighting prostate cancer. Leading a healthy lifestyle enhanced by a plant-based diet is a good way to help the body defend itself against chronic illness and adding healthy vegetable fats to one's diet can be done quickly and easily with common vegan ingredients!

Listen to an informative interview with the lead researcher, Erin L. Richman, on JAMA's website.