Celebrating an all-natural lifestyle

Nourishing Vegetable Broth

My answer? Vegetable broth. Vegetable broth is not only tasty, nourishing, and a time-honored comfort food for vegetarian soup lovers, but an ideal way of attaining nutrition without doing digestive work. Bingo!

There are tons of vegetable broth options out there. As far as store bought options go, I recommend the Pacific brand’s organic, low-sodium broth. There are, of course, countless recipes to be found on the internet as well. Lately, I’ve been enjoying my own spin on Dr. Hyman’s Healing Veggie Broth, which my fellow health counselor Andrea shared with me. My recipe follows his closely—minus the onions and garlic, and with a few small tweaks. The result? A lovely, warm, and comforting broth that will nourish and heal you. The red cabbage addition, by the way, gives it a beautiful purple hue! Try the recipe yourselves and see:

Question of the Week: Helping a Parent to Understand Vegetarianism

Hey guys,

Thanks for your response to the snowy sesame seed milk. And the requests for raw eggnog have been duly noted; I’m going to give it my very best shot!

I’ve been slacking a bit lately with questions of the week, but it’s not for want of requests. Fortunately, a young reader of mine recently provided me with a very excellent question to share with you all:

Courtney wrote in last week with this thoughtful question:

Hello!

I would like to preface this email with the fact that I am fourteen. About a year ago, I became a vegetarian for the first time. I did not fully understand how to give myself the correct nutrients with this type of diet. I gained quite a bit of weight from eating so many grains. My mom told me she was worried about my health and advised me to begin eating meat again.

Throughout this past year I have been learning and understanding better ways to receive proper nutrients. I am ready to become a vegetarian again (the right way) and eventually continue on to veganism. I have discussed this with my mom and she is more than wary of this idea. I expressed to her that it is a much healthier way to live and it makes me happy to do so, but she still does not think it is the best option for me. This frustrates me so much!

What do you think I should tell her to help her support me? Are there any amazing articles you know of that I could show her? How can I prove that I am able to get enough b vitamins, protein, and iron this way!

Thank you so much!

Courtney

Wow, Courtney! I should begin by saying how happy I am to hear that I’ve been reaching young readers–especially young readers who write so elegantly and maturely and with so much composure. Thanks for writing.

This is a very important question. A healthy vegan lifestyle depends on education: educating yourself, and educating the people who love you, about vegan foods. While I sympathize with your frustration at your mother’s doubts, I also urge you to remember that many of the most well intentioned moms out there simply don’t know a lot about plant-based nutrition. So when their precious little girls announce that they intend to eat vegetarian or vegan, they may be left with all sorts of questions and doubts.

The best thing you can do to help your mom understand vegetarianism is to:

1) Educate and inform yourself with legitimate and thorough information
2) Share your source material with your mom

I’d suggest one of the following books. They’re not as short and digestible as articles, but they’re far more comprehensive, and they’ll surely be able to put some of your moms questions to rest. While she’ll have to invest time in reading them, I guarantee she’ll be persuaded. My top five are:

1) The China Study (Colin Campbell)
2) Food for Life (Neal Barnard)
3) Becoming Vegetarian or Becoming Vegan (Brenda Davis, etc.)
4) Eating Healthy For Life (For Children) (Neal Barnard and the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine)
5) The Food Revolution (John Robbins)

I also recommend the pcrm.org website for tons of great articles, as well as Go Veg and Veg Family. They’re full of information that’s presented in an accessible and welcoming format.

Don’t forget, too, that seeing is believing! Give your mom evidence of your optimal diet: get routine blood work on a yearly basis (just as you probably do already), and be sure to get your B-12 and Vitamin D checked. Contrary to popular thought, many vegans do not experience low levels of either of these nutrients, but it’s always wise to check! And be sure to discuss your vegetarian lifestyle openly with your doctor.

Good luck, Courtney! It may take your mom some time to adjust, but when she does, you’ll be able to celebrate your lifestyle, even if she doesn’t share in it directly or agree with it 100%. And remember: never stop educating yourself! This will not only be crucial for helping your mom to accept your vegetarianism, but also for ensuring that you are as healthy and nourished as possible.

Good luck and stick to it!

And now, I invite my readers — especially those who went vegan at a young age — to share the resources that helped them most, both in making the transition to plant based foods, and in helping loved ones to understand your choice.

I’d love to hear more, and so (I’m sure) would Courtney!

Night all.

xo

Question of the Week: Transitional Bellyaches, and What to do About Them

Hi guys!

Glad everyone was so into the pumpkin smoothie! It’s one of my better blended creations, if I do say so myself.

I’m here tonight with one of the more commonly asked questions from raw newbies. I’ve seen it in countless variations, but I’m going to quote directly from reader Sarah, who recently wrote:

“Hi Gena! I love your blog. In the last couple of months, my husband and I have been transitioning into a vegan and mostly raw diet. We both feel really good — I have so much energy! — but we’re having a slightly embarassing problem. I hate to be graphic, but, um, we’re having gas. A lot of gas! Mine is worse, and my husband is actually teasing me about it. Also, before I ate raw, I tended to get a lot of constipation. I don’t anymore, which is great, but now I’m having the opposite problem, if you know what I mean!!

I know that raw food is supposed to help with digestive issues, so I’m just a little confused. Are we doing something wrong, or is this normal? Is there anything we can do to make it better? Thanks for your help!!”

Alright, ladies (and gents). It’s time to dish about digestion. Put on your armor, and listen up:

Yes, Sarah, it’s totally normal to experience bloating, flatulence, mild diarrhea, and other sorts of digestive changes as you transition into raw. Sure, the diet is famous for aiding in digestive distress, and over the course of time, it will. But depending on what you were eating before — and for many, this was cheesesteak and onion rings — the movement into clean eating can be a bumpy road, so to speak.

Why? Aren’t vegetables good for our bellies? The answer, of course, is yes. But vegetables are also high in fiber and alkalinity (translation: they’re very cleansing). As they cleanse, they awaken a lot of old waste matter. This can mean tremendous bloating and gas, and it can also mean loose bowels (if you’re lucky and all goes well, you’ll have tremendous elimination without the runs). In addition, the fiber in raw foods may upset those whose stomachs aren’t used to it.

Relax. This isn’t going to last: it will be a period of adjustment, and it will ultimately subside as your body becomes used to all of the cleansing foods you’re nourishing it with. But prepare yourself to be a bit patient.

Of course, the symptoms I mention shouldn’t be acute. If you’re doubled over with cramps or discomfort, if you’re plagued with flatulence that moves your partner from gentle teasing to a restraining order, or if your diarrhea becomes severe, something is up, and there’s a good chance that raw vegetables are only a part of the problem. In these cases, be sure to call your doctor or speak to a professional as soon as you can.

If your symptoms are obviously transitional, there are things you can do to alleviate them. These include:

1) Gravity administered colonics from a professional you trust (this is especially important if you develop constipation)

2) Probiotics and enzymes, which I discuss in this post

3) Speak to a nutritionist, dietician, naturopath, doctor, or coach with a backround in raw and vegan cuisine — like yours truly!

In the meantime, relax. If you’ve been eating a mainstream diet for twenty or thirty years, and a raw vegan diet for only three weeks, it stands to reason that it’ll take your system some time to come into balance. So often, those who are new to raw foods develop short term memories; they want complete transformation after two weeks of salad. This simply isn’t how it works: moving into a vegan or high-raw lifestyle is a process that demands patience.

And a healthy sense of humor.

Last, but definitely not least: do not go raw overnight. I’ve said it before, and I’ll preach it like gospel for as long as I have to! Our bodies exist in a delicate balance, and forcing them to move from a standard diet to a raw (or almost raw) one is not only unnecessary, but dangerous.

Remember: you have all the time in the world to move towards veganism and raw foods. The important thing is to construct a journey that will be gentle on your body. If you’re experiencing true digestive trouble–and indeed, Sarah, it sounds as though you are–my best suggestion is for you to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Eat a combination of raw AND cooked: start with 80% cooked and 20% raw if need be, and adjust the ration in small increments. Avoid uncooked crucifers, roots, and other raw vegetables that are likely to upset your stomach, as well as an excess of dried fruit. Try food combining, and feel free to rely heavily on blended and pureed foods. Over time, as your system gets cleaner and stronger, you’ll be able to rock raw kale salads and broccoli like it’s your job. Promise.

Take it easy, Sarah, and good luck!

Have a great night, all.

xo

Question of the Week: How Important is Organic?

Hello, my dears!

TGIF, indeed.

I’m here to discuss one of my most frequent reader questions. So frequent, in fact, that I’ll forgo sharing a reader email and simply paraphrase the many I’ve received: how important is it to shop organic?

On Monday, I included a guest post from the wonderful Melody, who, earlier this year, undertook the incredible task of feeding a family of three on $3.33 a day. In her post, Melody alludes to an ethical quandary with which I’m all too familiar: the struggle to reconcile oneself to not shopping organic 100% of the time.

Let me make one thing clear: in a perfect world, I’d eat only organic food (well, in a perfect world there would only be organic food). From a health standpoint, local and organic foods are most health-generating. They’re also the most ethically sound, as far as I’m concerned.

Of course, we’ve all debated the exceptions: conventional apple from a local farm vs. organic apple from Chile? In these debates, I tend to favor local foods, but I respect both arguments. For the most part, I’ll keep it simple and say this: organic food is preferable to non-organic most of the time, and if I could, I would eat it exclusively.

But this is not a perfect world, and I am not working in a lucrative profession. If you have the means to eat organic and local all the time, terrific: do it. It’s a far worthier investment than fancy clothes, shoes, cars, technology, and the like. What, after all, is more important than what we put in our bodies?

If you are, like me, living on a budget, eating organic 100% of the time (such as the $5.63 red pepper I picked up the other night, and immediately put back when I heard its price) simply isn’t an option. And this is where you must begin a series of internal negotiations. My own such negotiations have yielded this solution:

I always shop organic for the dirty dozen—that is, the vegatbles most prone to pesticide contamination. Those are:

•    Apples
•    Cherries
•    Grapes, imported (Chili)
•    Nectarines
•    Peaches
•    Pears
•    Raspberries
•    Strawberries
•    Bell peppers
•    Celery
•    Potatoes
•    Spinach

If something’s too expensive within this column (like those bell peppers) I either a) try to find it at a farmer’s market, or b) just live without it, and get something else that week.

For those veggies that are least susceptible:

•    Bananas
•    Kiwi
•    Mangos
•    Papaya
•    Pineapples
•    Asparagus
•    Avocado
•    Broccoli
•    Cauliflower
•    Corn
•    Onions
•    Peas

I nearly always buy conventional. Once again, though, if I can buy them at the farmer’s market, I will. The farmer’s markets in NYC are—at least in my experience—cheaper than grocery stores, which means that organic produce from them will be less pricey for me, anyway. Score!

For those veggies that appear on either list? It depends. I’ll try to buy everything from the farmer’s market, but if a food I need/want isn’t available, I’ll use my judgment at the health food store about whether to go organic or non. This will often depend on my budget for the week; on weeks when I have more disposable income, I’ll shop organic; if I can’t, I don’t become riddled with guilt. I’m human, and I do my best; a clean lifestyle and positive outlook and physical activity are the greatest gifts I give my health. Organic foods are another great gift, but they’re secondary to those first three, and they are contingent on my means. A few non-organic foods won’t undo all the clean things I put in my body.

It’s true that, as one cleanses over time, one will become more sensitive to non-organic produce. When I started eating raw, I didn’t feel the difference between conventional and organic produce. Now that I’m deeper into cleansing and detoxification, I do feel it when I eat more conventional food than usual (such as on vacation, or in restaurants, or simply because I’m short on cash). Does this suck? Yes. Is it tragic? No. I always know that I’ll be eating more organic foods soon, and that my body will be back to normal.

Contemplating the importance of organic food—like so many other decisions within a healthy life—boils down to personal judgment, balance, and forgiveness. It’s fine to take a stance about eating only organic: certainly, that’s a noble pursuit. But there’s nothing noble (or healthy) about going broke, nor about living outside of one’s means. If you can find a way to support organic and local foods some of the time, all the while recognizing that organic can’t be your single priority all of the time, I think you’re still in good shape. And if you’re living well besides, you will not be poisoning your body enough to undo your hard work towards health.

One more point: I do try to juice only with organic vegetables. A friend once described doing anything but as a “pesticide cocktail,” and I’m afraid that image is now seared in my mind. But I make exceptions for conventional juice when I’m on the road. Juice that’s a little skeevy is better than no juice at all.

Hope this helps to answer a hot-button question, guys. What are your thoughts on shopping organic? How do you find solutions within your own lives?

Speaking of farmer’s markets, and organic food, my first stop post-NOLA was my own farmer’s market at Union Square. Flying is a quick and easy way to deplete one’s system, and I always do my best to eat bushels of greens directly after. On the night of my return, I steamed up some turnips, potatoes and broccoli (all farmer’s market fresh) and decided to serve them along with a very large, very green salad. I hope you all aren’t getting tired of salad recipes, because this one is a winner.

It begins with a sweet, spicy, autumnal honey-mustard vinaigrette. This is poured on top of kale and Swiss chard. The latter is a vegetable I love dearly but rarely eat enough of because I always allow it to be overshadowed by kale, which I prefer. The mixture of both is pretty perfect. Paired with carrots and red cabbage, they’re perfect fall foods. This salad is rich beta-carotene (an immune booster, hence perfect for the after-flight), vitamin K, enzymes, chlorophyll, protein, calcium, vitamin C, fiber…you get the idea. And it’s earthy, grounding, and delicious. Give it a try, and tell me if you like it!

Autumn Greens Salad

For the dressing (this yields 1 ½ cups):

¾ cup olive oil
1/3 cup mustard (organic if you like!)
1/3 cup local honey (I’m a vegan who eats local honey; if you are not, use agave)
¼-1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (adjust based on how much acid you like)
¼ tsp. salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor, or by hand till creamy.

For the salad (this serves 1):

4 cups raw, finely chopped kale and Swiss chard
¾ cup red cabbage, shredded
¾ cup carrots, shredded
½ avocado

Begin by putting your greens into a large bowl. Dress them with ¼ cup dressing and proceed to massage them with your hands, till they’re soft, well-covered, and a little wilted. Add remaining veggies, toss well, and enjoy.

It was a perfect fall salad, and chased the travel blues away.

I hope you’re all off to enjoy a great weekend. Stay tuned for a special event recap early next week!

xo

(Top image courtesy of UA nutrition club’s blog)

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