Grains and Beans, Nuts and Seeds?

Thanks to a wonderful co-worker Diana, I was enlightened to food combination, an article of which explained a lot about this. This article tells a LOT about different ways to combine foods for the best nutrients in our body. It even mentions one of the best grains to be quinoa, which I hear 2013 is the year of quinoa?

I still reflect a lot on the situation of the poor in these thoughts. What do they do to not eat meat? Do they look for healthy alternatives, or know about food combining? Nuts and seeds seem to be a great idea for a snack -- but are those types of foods accessible to people?

I remember learning from a co-worker at CRS, when I interned in the Radnor office in 2008, that food access is a really big issue for the poor abroad. Here, sometimes people cannot afford to buy food, but in many areas, the poor do have access to food -- there is enough to feed them. The story my co-worker shared was from Ethiopia, where she said the people worried about whether or not they would even find food that day. If the crops are bad, or the animals hide/die, the scarcity of food is a real issue.

In Burkina Faso, the agriculture trade means that weather is a huge factor in whether or not someone eats that day. What would we do if the rain didn't come, or the precipitation ruined crops?

Food for thought. Hope you are enjoying my meatless endeavors!

Stop eating meat -- and save the planet!

"This whole Lent thing is meant to transform us not just for forty days but for a lifetime" - Mary DeTurris Poust 

I suppose that's my intention with this journey -- is to learn sustainable ways to help the environment on a daily basis. It's so important to turn off the lights at work, to use less (or no!) paper towels, straws, etc. This meatless journey has proven to be very fruitful so far, making me more conscious of what I am eating, and also making others around me aware. 

One of the great articles (thanks Jenn!) I found is called 'Stop eating meat and save the planet' says United Nations. The article states shocking facts, like "80 per cent of the nitrogen and phosphorus used in fertilisers is consumed by livestock because it is used to grow the crops they eat." Great. Another argument for consuming local and organic meat, if ever consumed -- because goodness knows those fertilizers cannot be good for us!

"Americans overeat [protein] by 58 per cent - and most of it comes from meat," the article quotes. My friend Angie recently shared similar information with me. I am excited to research this more -- but even in just the first ten days, noticing that I often am full after a meal, even if the quantity of protein is not as high as I normally would eat. 

I also notice, from the nutrition labels, that my intake of protein doesn't always have to come from those protein-rich foods. It can come from an abundance of veggies (including spinach, which definitely has great amounts of protein!), from tofu, from seeds, or even from cheese! I've been experimenting with eating cheese, tofu, etc. more -- and trying not to rely on fish for an auto-substitute for meat very much at all. It's been really rewarding to discover more sources of protein, and to discover that protein isn't as crucial as we think! 

Lastly, the article notes, "While this has had huge benefits for world food and energy production, it has caused a web of water and air pollution that is damaging human health, causing toxic algal blooms, killing fish, threatening sensitive eco-systems and contributing to climate change." Okay, point taken. Cut down on meat, and save the environment. Animal rights, minimizing pollution ... I'm learning the myriad of benefits to not eating meat!

A few words on organic food.

So! Hello! Recently, I've been having quite a ball not eating meat. Who knew it could be this fun? I started with two different patties...

Friday's dinner involved a vegan pattie, along with rice and broccoli. 

Saturday, I enjoyed a garden veggie sandwich, with more veggies on the side, and some fruit juice.

Aside from the meals, I've been enjoying LOTS of healthy snacks -- veggie and fruit juices (note to self: next time, omit the carrots from the veggie concoction), yogurt, string cheese and cottage cheese, and -- my new fave -- pumpkin seeds!

I love that these seeds are organic (so is the vegan burger, celery, and perhaps some of the other foods). I found this neat website called 100 Days of Real Food. It's put together by a family that focuses on completely eliminating processed food from their diet! It is a great option -- because it encourages purchase of seafood that is caught in the wild (not farm-raised), meat that is locally raised (and eating meat in moderation), etc. That last sentence doesn't apply to my Lenten journey, of course, but it is important to look at where our food comes from! I will definitely start to notice that more in the purchases I make this Lent (and onwards).

Other than that: encouraging healthy choices is a huge privilege we have when avoiding meat. All these websites say, "Being vegetarian doesn't mean eliminating the protein source, it means replacing it with a non-meat source!" ... so what happens when a poor family cannot afford meat and isn't educated on what other inexpensive protein sources exist?

Also, humbly realizing that when people serve you food, it is often out of our control. I realized quite quickly that if I have a vegetarian meal that isn't quite healthy, the solution is not to fill up on what's available, but to find healthy snacks/sides (i.e. soup!) to complement the dish.

P.S. Still looking for fun recipes -- so please send them my way!

What are we putting into our bodies?

"The food industry is the one leading our conversation in this country about food and nutrition, educating the mass public about what to eat and what not to eat." I see the problem stated in this article -- when an individual only looks at calories, diet soda and others seem like the best options! Sadly, diet soda has a pH level of 3 -- compared to a pH level of battery acid of about 2. Super close! Water is a 7 on the pH scale of 0 to 14, so as you can imagine, diet soda cannot be good for our bodies.

The quote above comes from this article, which was a good eye-opener to remembering that this Lenten exercise isn't just about giving up meat -- it's about eating healthier (less cookies and chocolate!), researching more pure foods (organic and local, for example) and becoming aware of where my food comes from. Thank you, 100 Days of Real Food, for the motivation!

Green juice, anyone?

Day 1 (February 13, Ash Wednesday) was not challenging at all! I felt like I had great energy all day -- partially due to the fact that I didn't grab any chocolate from Val's bowl either ... I think this change is making me rethink the sugar in my diet, too! As a supplement, I wanted to start making some green juice/smoothies. I found some cool recipes (like this one) and decided to just kind of throw in a bunch of veggies or fruit and try it out!

First attempt was a delicious fruit concoction: 2 bananas, 2 apples, some water, and pineapple. Check out the results!

Next, I made a veggie concoction -- with kale, spinach, water, carrots, and an avocado. The blending of the carrots needs some work, but overall good result here as well.

Yay! One social justice thought: as I've been researching vegetarianism, learning about various recipes, I note that they keep saying to replace the meat with something else, not to just withdraw it. How many families living in poverty can afford to do that? How many malnourished children can find good nutrients in a meal without meat? We are so blessed to have the luxury to access other sources of protein, vitamins, etc. 

40 days without meat?

Yup, you read it right -- my meatless Lenten journey is the start to this blog. Hopefully, this blog (and perhaps many of my other vegetarian habits?!) will continue after Lent, to really explore some different social justice issues. I spent so much time in college delving into the injustice surrounding hunger, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, education, lack of clean water, genocide, immigration and the environment -- and I desperately crave more conversations/motivation for that again.

So here's my inspiration to giving up meat for Lent:

Zoe tells us that "Modeling a message of kindness means committing to learn about the effects of our choices and then spending our money wisely, because every dollar we spend is a vote that says 'Do it again!'"

So here goes learning. :)

Some things I'd love from you all:
-recipes (especially easy ones!) for great meals and snacks
-articles on the pros of being vegetarian (or vegan, etc.)
-conversation about the topics of injustice that surround this journey: hunger, affordability of meat, animal rights, environmental concerns, factory conditions, suffering and sacrifices, etc.
-opportunities to speak out against previously-stated (or related) injustices (calls to action for writing to government officials, etc.)

Thanks for all your support thus far (and huge kudos to the prime vegetarians/vegans who inspired this -- Jenn Zocco, Angie Undercuffler, Alex LaBant, Jeff Will, Alecia Frisby, Kate Harner, Tierney Monahan -- and of course the many more that I'm forgetting!). It will certainly be a challenge at times, but that's the whole point of Lent, right? To do something that challenges you, and to think about the actions of said challenge?

Thanks again! Keep in touch!
Love, Beth