Teaching your vegan kids to eat right is easiest when you start early. Here are some tips for parents of picky eaters:
* Set a great example. Kids are young sponges. If they see you eating healthy, they will be more inclined to think of it as the way to go.
* Discuss the whys of eating vegan. Explain the healthy problems such as cancer or heart disease that come with consuming meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. Take them to visit people in the hospital or nursing home who are dying from these diseases. This might seem harsh but your children's health is precious. Depending on their age, show them some videos such as Meet Your Meat designed to teach the truth about the abuse in the meat, dairy, and egg industries. They may gag but they will definitely be moved by the misery of the animals involved.
* Respect your kids. Don't try to force them to eat a food they don't like. Try to find out what it is about the food that they don't enjoy. You might be able to serve it in a different form that they will enjoy more.
* Offer healthy snacks. Go slow on the juice and limit it to one glass per day. Eating the fruit itself provides far more nutrition and fiber.
* Allow your children to serve themselves from a variety of choices. Kids don't like what you cooked? Fine. Don't prepare anything else. When your child gets hungry, she will be glad to eat some of what you prepared.
* Keep mealtime positive. Avoid fighting over food. Never demand that a child finish everything on his plate. Let his appetite determine when he is full. Keep meals and snack time casual and relaxed.
* Don't worry if your children don't seem to eat enough. Your kids won't starve. When they are truly hungry, they will eat. Starting fights with your kids over what they eat and making demands often lead to eating disorders.
* Collect a few family-friendly vegan cookbooks and find even more on vegan websites. Invite your kids to help you prepare meals and snacks.
* Start a backyard veggie and fruit garden or create one on your patio or balcony or even a small one in your kitchen window. Many kids will try a formerly hated veggie if she helped grow and harvest it.
* Turn your kids into chefs. Pore over easy recipes with them in your vegan cookbooks (or check some out of the library if you don't have any) and let them choose a few that they would like to try. Let them prepare the meal for the family with you as their assistant. Write out a menu to post the day of the meal and let them decorate it with markers.
* Prepare meals that include some of your children's favorite foods each day. Using foods they already love will guarantee there is something on hand that they will want to eat.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Vegan Christmas Morning Quickies
Once the kids start ripping the wrapping paper off of all those gifts under your tree and digging through their stockings in search of candy, there is no pulling them away for a breakfast you don't even feel like cooking. Don't sweat it. Lunch will roll around soon enough . In the meantime, tempt them with these delicious and nutritious vegan goodies that take less than 10 minutes to prepare and require no cooking. Pass them a Silky Strawberry Smoothie and some Better-Than-Candy Fruit Balls then settle down to open YOUR gifts!
SILKY STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIES
What You'll Need
4 cups strawberry soy yogurt
2 cups soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk
2 cups frozen strawberries
12 tbsp sweetener of your choice
4 tbsp lemon juice
What to Do
Toss all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Makes 4 servings.
BETTER-THAN-CANDY FRUIT BALLS
What You'll Need
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
1 cup dried mango
1 cup dried peach
1 cup dried pineapple
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut flakes
4 tbsp orange juice
extra sweetened coconut for rolling
What To Do
(1) Place dates, mango, peach, pineapple, pecans, and walnuts into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
(2) Add the coconut and orange juice and continue to process until the mixture forms a ball. Place the fruit ball on a plate.
(3) Pinch off pieces of the fruit ball one by one, form into small balls by rolling between your hands , and roll each ball into a bowl with the extra coconut. Serve on a place lined with waxed paper.
Makes about 30 balls.
SILKY STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIES
What You'll Need
4 cups strawberry soy yogurt
2 cups soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk
2 cups frozen strawberries
12 tbsp sweetener of your choice
4 tbsp lemon juice
What to Do
Toss all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Makes 4 servings.
BETTER-THAN-CANDY FRUIT BALLS
What You'll Need
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
1 cup dried mango
1 cup dried peach
1 cup dried pineapple
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut flakes
4 tbsp orange juice
extra sweetened coconut for rolling
What To Do
(1) Place dates, mango, peach, pineapple, pecans, and walnuts into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
(2) Add the coconut and orange juice and continue to process until the mixture forms a ball. Place the fruit ball on a plate.
(3) Pinch off pieces of the fruit ball one by one, form into small balls by rolling between your hands , and roll each ball into a bowl with the extra coconut. Serve on a place lined with waxed paper.
Makes about 30 balls.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Better Than Meat
Quite often a new vegetarian or vegan will ask what they can use in recipes that traditionally call for meat. Many people want to continue using favorite recipes but want to make them vegan. Here are my top four suggestions:
(1) Tofu
This is a very versatile food that can be used for everything from stir fries to desserts. Tofu will pick up the flavor of whatever you marinate or cook it with. It can be crumbled and scrambled like eggs. Be sure you are purchasing fresh tofu and keep all tofu refrigerated. Soft silken tofu is perfect for making dips, beverages, puddings, desserts, and more. Firm and extra firm tofu are excellent when you want to make stir fries, casseroles, and baked dishes. Tofu is not only high-protein, but is also low calorie, low carb, has calcium and iron, and has no artery-clogging cholesterol. Most tofu is refrigerated but some are silken and in special packages that do not need to be refrigerated until opened.
(2) Seitan
This wheat meat is a favorite of mine when it comes to making orange "chicken" stir fry. You can use this protein rich wheat gluten product right from the package. You can slice it for stir fries or to make sautes, in soups or stews, and even to make burritoes, tacos, sandwiches, spring rolls, and eggless egg rolls. Seitan (pronounced SAY-tan) is very filling and nutritious and made from wheat flour with all of its fiber and goodness.
(3) Tempeh
This high- protein, thick fermented soybean cake can be soy only or else mixed with grains such as rice or millet. Pronounced TEM-pay, tempeh is chewy and has a nutty flavor.Tempeh has no cholesterol as meat does yet is just as filling. The grain-based ones tend to be milder in flavor. Keep tempeh refrigerated for freshness. You will want to tenderize tempeh if using it in recipes that do not call for it to cook for 10 minutes in liquid. To tenderize, cover tempeh with water in a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes then remove and pat dry. Do this just before adding to your recipe and the tempeh will be of the right consistency.
(4) Textured Vegetable Protein
TVP is made from soya flour. You can buy it in bulk, in crumbles, in chunks, or shredded. It adds nutrition and bulk to any recipe. Many people like this in chili .
There is also a wide variety of faux meats in the stores, natural food groceries, and health food stores. The Whole Foods grocery chain has many options but now even Kroger, Wal-Mart, and other traditional groceries offer at least some selection of veggie burgers, "chicken"nuggets, and even "turkey" roasts made with tofu, seitan, tempeh, and TVP. For those transitioning to a vegetarian and hopefully a vegan diet, these products will enable you and your family to continue to enjoy the texture and taste of your favorite dishes without contributing to the abuse and cruelty of the meat, dairy, and egg industries and without the health dangers of meat.
(1) Tofu
This is a very versatile food that can be used for everything from stir fries to desserts. Tofu will pick up the flavor of whatever you marinate or cook it with. It can be crumbled and scrambled like eggs. Be sure you are purchasing fresh tofu and keep all tofu refrigerated. Soft silken tofu is perfect for making dips, beverages, puddings, desserts, and more. Firm and extra firm tofu are excellent when you want to make stir fries, casseroles, and baked dishes. Tofu is not only high-protein, but is also low calorie, low carb, has calcium and iron, and has no artery-clogging cholesterol. Most tofu is refrigerated but some are silken and in special packages that do not need to be refrigerated until opened.
(2) Seitan
This wheat meat is a favorite of mine when it comes to making orange "chicken" stir fry. You can use this protein rich wheat gluten product right from the package. You can slice it for stir fries or to make sautes, in soups or stews, and even to make burritoes, tacos, sandwiches, spring rolls, and eggless egg rolls. Seitan (pronounced SAY-tan) is very filling and nutritious and made from wheat flour with all of its fiber and goodness.
(3) Tempeh
This high- protein, thick fermented soybean cake can be soy only or else mixed with grains such as rice or millet. Pronounced TEM-pay, tempeh is chewy and has a nutty flavor.Tempeh has no cholesterol as meat does yet is just as filling. The grain-based ones tend to be milder in flavor. Keep tempeh refrigerated for freshness. You will want to tenderize tempeh if using it in recipes that do not call for it to cook for 10 minutes in liquid. To tenderize, cover tempeh with water in a sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes then remove and pat dry. Do this just before adding to your recipe and the tempeh will be of the right consistency.
(4) Textured Vegetable Protein
TVP is made from soya flour. You can buy it in bulk, in crumbles, in chunks, or shredded. It adds nutrition and bulk to any recipe. Many people like this in chili .
There is also a wide variety of faux meats in the stores, natural food groceries, and health food stores. The Whole Foods grocery chain has many options but now even Kroger, Wal-Mart, and other traditional groceries offer at least some selection of veggie burgers, "chicken"nuggets, and even "turkey" roasts made with tofu, seitan, tempeh, and TVP. For those transitioning to a vegetarian and hopefully a vegan diet, these products will enable you and your family to continue to enjoy the texture and taste of your favorite dishes without contributing to the abuse and cruelty of the meat, dairy, and egg industries and without the health dangers of meat.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Team Omega
We all know that the Omega 3's and 6's are heart healthy and good for us. What many don't realize is that you do not have to obtain these nutrients through animal abuse in the fish and egg industries. So, just where can a compassionate vegan go to get what they need from the plant kingdom? Here is where to start:
SOURCES OF OMEGA 3
(1)Canola Oil
(2) Flaxseed Oil
(3) Soybeans, soybean oil, tofu
(4) Walnuts and walnut oil
(5) Wheat Germ and wheat germ oil
SOURCES OF OMEGA 6
(1) Almonds and almond oil
(2) Black current oil
(3) Borage oil
(4) Corn Oil
(5) Evening Primrose Oil
(6) Peanuts and peanut oil
(7) Safflower oil
(8) Soybeans, soybean oil, tofu
(9) Sunflower seeds and sunflower oil
(10) Walnuts and walnut oil
(11) Wheat germ and what germ oil
It is obvious that plants provide all of the Omega 3 and 6 that our bodies need and we cannot use this need as an excuse to eat fish and eggs.
May you eat in a compassionate way each and every day.
SOURCES OF OMEGA 3
(1)Canola Oil
(2) Flaxseed Oil
(3) Soybeans, soybean oil, tofu
(4) Walnuts and walnut oil
(5) Wheat Germ and wheat germ oil
SOURCES OF OMEGA 6
(1) Almonds and almond oil
(2) Black current oil
(3) Borage oil
(4) Corn Oil
(5) Evening Primrose Oil
(6) Peanuts and peanut oil
(7) Safflower oil
(8) Soybeans, soybean oil, tofu
(9) Sunflower seeds and sunflower oil
(10) Walnuts and walnut oil
(11) Wheat germ and what germ oil
It is obvious that plants provide all of the Omega 3 and 6 that our bodies need and we cannot use this need as an excuse to eat fish and eggs.
May you eat in a compassionate way each and every day.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Iron for Vegetarians and Vegans
One question I get frequently is "How do you get enough iron in your diet if you don't eat meat?" That is easy to answer. The good earth provides us with all of the iron we need in plant sources. If you are concerned with getting enough iron, you can always take an iron supplement or a multivitamin/mineral combination that provides iron, but for those who want to explore the earth's bounty of iron sources in plant life, here are some good food choices for you:
(1) Legumes such as kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils
(2) Nuts and Seeds- such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, and cashews.
(3) Whole and Enriched grains such as iron fortified cereal and quinoa.
(4) Dark leafy greens such as spinach
(5) Dried fruit
Whichever foods you choose to supply you with iron, try to include a generous supply of vitamin c with that meal or snack. Even a glass of orange or grapefuit juice will enhance your body's ability to absorb the iron from the foods you eat.
Eat healthy. Be well.
(1) Legumes such as kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils
(2) Nuts and Seeds- such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, and cashews.
(3) Whole and Enriched grains such as iron fortified cereal and quinoa.
(4) Dark leafy greens such as spinach
(5) Dried fruit
Whichever foods you choose to supply you with iron, try to include a generous supply of vitamin c with that meal or snack. Even a glass of orange or grapefuit juice will enhance your body's ability to absorb the iron from the foods you eat.
Eat healthy. Be well.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Never Grow Weary of Doing the Right Thing
Today I was attacked by several women I have helped to rescue animals with in the past. It all began when we were spreading the word about a pit bull in need and then 4 of the women in the thread on Facebook began to attack three of my friends who are vegetarian. One of my friends had dared to ask one of these women why they care only about protecting dogs from abuse while funding the horrific abuse and cruelty towards cows, pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys, and other farm animals with their food dollars.
These 4 women then attacked and made fun of my friends for being vegetarians and then when they found out that I am a vegan, I received the worst treatment of all. As they sent me messages fast and furious describing how they enjoy eating dead meat and wearing the fur painfully ripped off of mink and other animals, I wondered where the violence in their hearts came from. They attacked me for being a vegan and for being an Atheist yet how moral are they who claim to be Christians when they care nothing at all for the pain and suffering of innocent farm animals?
As they sent me descriptions of animals being slaughtered, I could feel the violence. All of these women hate Atheists, vegetarians, vegans, Buddhists, Wiccans, Muslims, Hindus, Asians, Africans, and anyone different from them. I have come to the conclusion that vegetarianism and veganism naturally softens the heart and enchances compassion and the capacity to love. If we can feel the pain of another creature such as a cow or pig being abused , then we can certainly feel the pain of other humans on Planet Earth in their time of need.
I defriended these women with sadness in my heart. Their words still sting and their lack of compassion for others and for animals in the cruel meat/dairy/egg industry break my heart. They told me that farm animals are not really the same as companion animals and their lives don't matter. I don't believe that.
As Albert Schweitzer so wisely said, "Until he extends the circle of his compassion to ALL living things, man will not himself find peace."
Let us never weary of doing the right thing .
These 4 women then attacked and made fun of my friends for being vegetarians and then when they found out that I am a vegan, I received the worst treatment of all. As they sent me messages fast and furious describing how they enjoy eating dead meat and wearing the fur painfully ripped off of mink and other animals, I wondered where the violence in their hearts came from. They attacked me for being a vegan and for being an Atheist yet how moral are they who claim to be Christians when they care nothing at all for the pain and suffering of innocent farm animals?
As they sent me descriptions of animals being slaughtered, I could feel the violence. All of these women hate Atheists, vegetarians, vegans, Buddhists, Wiccans, Muslims, Hindus, Asians, Africans, and anyone different from them. I have come to the conclusion that vegetarianism and veganism naturally softens the heart and enchances compassion and the capacity to love. If we can feel the pain of another creature such as a cow or pig being abused , then we can certainly feel the pain of other humans on Planet Earth in their time of need.
I defriended these women with sadness in my heart. Their words still sting and their lack of compassion for others and for animals in the cruel meat/dairy/egg industry break my heart. They told me that farm animals are not really the same as companion animals and their lives don't matter. I don't believe that.
As Albert Schweitzer so wisely said, "Until he extends the circle of his compassion to ALL living things, man will not himself find peace."
Let us never weary of doing the right thing .
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Milk- It Does a Body Bad!
Why should everyone stop drinking milk and eating dairy products? In addition to the horrors of the dairy industry and its terrible abuse of cows, here are 6 good reasons:
(1) Lactose intolerance affects 75% of the world's population. Many people are unaware that their stomach upsets, asthma, diarrhea, cramps, gas , and even colon cancer is associated with the dairy products they consume. Why drink-or serve your children- something that is poison to your system?
(2) Milk contains artery-clogging fat and cholesterol and in many cases, contaminants and artificial hormones.
(3) Milk is linked to type 1 diabetes, colon cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases.
(4) Drinking milk leads to painful kidney and bladder stones and expensive surgery to remove them.
(5) It is not normal nor natural for any species to drink the milk of another species nor does any species drink its own milk past weaning.
(6) The cultures with the lowest calcium consumption and with people who consume little or no calcium have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
What are some safe sources of calcium for the vegan? I have listed a number of them below along with the milligrams of calcium each contains.
Broccoli- (1 cup cooked) -62
Sweet Potato- (1 cup, cooked)- 76
Carrots- (2 medium)- 40
Collard Greens- (1 cup cooked)- 266
Tofu- (1/3 cup, raw, firm)- 253
Soy Beans-( 1 cup cooked)- 175
Vegetarian baked beans- (1 cup)-86
White beans- (1 cup cooked)- 161
Soymilk- (1 cup, calcium-fortified)- 368
Navy Beans (1 cup cooked)- 126
Great Northern Beans- (1 cup cooked)- 120
Kidney Beans- (1 cup cooked)- 62
Pinto Beans- (1 cup cooked)- 79
Rice Milk, Almond Milk- (1 cup, enriched)- 300
Corn tortilla (1) -42
Dried figs-(10)- 140
Orange Juice- (1 cup calcium-fortified)- 300
Orange- (1 medium)- 60
This is only a tiny fraction of the wonderful vegan sources of healthy calcium. Protect your health and go vegan today.
(1) Lactose intolerance affects 75% of the world's population. Many people are unaware that their stomach upsets, asthma, diarrhea, cramps, gas , and even colon cancer is associated with the dairy products they consume. Why drink-or serve your children- something that is poison to your system?
(2) Milk contains artery-clogging fat and cholesterol and in many cases, contaminants and artificial hormones.
(3) Milk is linked to type 1 diabetes, colon cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases.
(4) Drinking milk leads to painful kidney and bladder stones and expensive surgery to remove them.
(5) It is not normal nor natural for any species to drink the milk of another species nor does any species drink its own milk past weaning.
(6) The cultures with the lowest calcium consumption and with people who consume little or no calcium have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
What are some safe sources of calcium for the vegan? I have listed a number of them below along with the milligrams of calcium each contains.
Broccoli- (1 cup cooked) -62
Sweet Potato- (1 cup, cooked)- 76
Carrots- (2 medium)- 40
Collard Greens- (1 cup cooked)- 266
Tofu- (1/3 cup, raw, firm)- 253
Soy Beans-( 1 cup cooked)- 175
Vegetarian baked beans- (1 cup)-86
White beans- (1 cup cooked)- 161
Soymilk- (1 cup, calcium-fortified)- 368
Navy Beans (1 cup cooked)- 126
Great Northern Beans- (1 cup cooked)- 120
Kidney Beans- (1 cup cooked)- 62
Pinto Beans- (1 cup cooked)- 79
Rice Milk, Almond Milk- (1 cup, enriched)- 300
Corn tortilla (1) -42
Dried figs-(10)- 140
Orange Juice- (1 cup calcium-fortified)- 300
Orange- (1 medium)- 60
This is only a tiny fraction of the wonderful vegan sources of healthy calcium. Protect your health and go vegan today.
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