Vegan

One of the posters that is running in the Transit Ad campaign This month Mercy for Animals Canada, in conjunction with local veg groups across the country, is running an extension of their poster campaign, which started in Toronto, and met with enormous success. The ad series of three featuring the pig, the chicken, and the cow will run on transit systems in Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. “This provocative ad campaign is designed to get people thinking about their food choices in relation to animal suffering. The ad series draws attention to the similarities between the animals we call “family” and the animals we call “dinner” and then exposes the shocking cruelty that Canadian animals raised for food face on today’s factory farms.” If you haven’t already seen the video on this campaign, take the time to find out more today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfR7VNvCWzQ and consider supporting the campaign, so it can reach even more people. Here’s how to get involved: “You can support this event by inviting others from across Canada to spread the word, taking photos of you with the ads and sharing via social media, and donating to the campaign.” – or check out the facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/570394732982900

Meet our Herbie of the Week, Rhanda, who is an excellent reminder that diet-related health problems aren't always visible on the outside. I immediately identifed with Rhanda's story, because I too have suffered from debilitating migraines and menstrual cramps in the past. Transitioning to a whole foods, plant-based diet has significantly helped both of us — all hail the power of plants! Here is Rhanda's Herbie success story, in her own words: "It’s been 7 and a half months since I’ve been a herbivore, and I want to share my story with you. Although I was never overweight, I’ve always been quite small — I was still experiencing health scares. These health scares started when I was a teenager and different problems kept popping up. My diet included chicken patties, beef as a main ingredient in most meals, processed cereals and snacks, milk, dairy, and everything in between! As a child, our family could not afford expensive produce, so we ate foods that were convenient and cheap. Unfortunately, these are also the unhealthiest foods on the market. Like most people, my parents thought the beef and milk were healthy, just like any other American. Anyway, as I reached my later teenage years, I had gained a little weight but that wasn’t the main concern.  I began to have headaches on a daily basis, and migraines would occur about 2 times a month. My menstrual cycle was extremely irregular, sometimes it would take months before I would get it. When I did get my menstrual cycle, it was so bad that I would be lying in bed for days in pain. I always felt tired and never refreshed in the morning. When the migraines and headaches occurred, I would miss several school days and my grades fell behind. It got to the point that I always had Excedrin Migraine with me, no matter where I went because it would always sneak in. It was really a disappointment when I would go on vacation or a family event and I would have to lie down in a quiet, dark room until the migraine had passed. I also experienced IBS, depression, and anxiety. When the doctor tried to put me on medication, I knew this could start a never ending spiral on medication — so I went home and threw it in the garbage.  By this time, I had spent the last 8 years of my life living with these intrusive headaches, migraines, and an overall feeling of anxiety (worrying about when the next migraine would strike). I was ultimately sick and tired of being sick and tired. This was when I started researching and tried every natural remedy out there including yoga, chiropractic, aromatherapy, herbal supplements, exercise… everything! Although it seemed to help a little, nothing really changed too much. I knew at this point that my health wasn’t the best; I looked healthy and fit — but my body was trying to tell me something from the inside.  I tried to go vegetarian a few years ago (for the animals) and I didn’t do enough research beforehand, so it didn’t last long. I actually ended up even more sick because I was replacing all the meat with dairy. Randomly I would throw up, feel nauseous, weak, and my brain felt foggy.  After watching Forks Over Knives, I realized that dairy was even worse than the meat! My life changed on August 1st, 2012 when I quit meat and dairy, the day after watching Forks over Knives. The Engine 2 Diet helped me to get started, and then I discovered Happy Herbivore! My husband thought I was crazy, but he is starting to really enjoy this new lifestyle as well — even though he hasn’t completely given up the meat or dairy, he has cut back.  Some of the benefits I have noticed are clear and glowing skin, more energy, no more 'brain fog' or 'cloudiness,' recovering faster from cold/flu, decrease in anxiety, headaches, and migraines, and now I’m happier than I was before! My menstrual cycle is regular now and the IBS is gone. I really fee

A chilly house during winter is no fun at all. How can you relax when your home is freezing cold? Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to cozy up your home to get ready for the upcoming cold. Use this advice to get through the winter in one piece. Take Advantage of the Sun The sun keeps on shining during the winter. While the sun isn’t as warm this time of year, it’s still bringing in heat every day. With a little planning, you can take advantage of this source of energy. Every morning open up the curtains and drapes in your house. During the day, the sun’s heat will soak into your floors and walls. At night, this heat will come off and make everything feel a bit warmer. Best of all, you’re getting extra heat for free. Run Ceiling Fans Backwards Ceiling fans come in handy during the winter as well as the summer. Many fans let you reverse the fan cycle, so they go clockwise. By making this switch, the fan pushes air down. This is helpful because hot air rises and settles by the ceiling. By running your ceiling fans backwards, you’ll push this warm air down to your level where you need it. Coordinate Your Cooking Schedule with the Family The oven and stove in your property are both great sources of heat. Every time you cook something up, it will heat up the whole house. You can use this as another way to keep your heating bill lower. Try to cook when most of the family is at home so everyone stays warm without blasting the heating. As an added bonus, everyone will get to enjoy the delicious aroma of your cooking making your house feel even cozier. Keep Furniture Away from Windows and Walls The coldest spots in your house are the sections close to a window or wall facing the outdoors. If you have your couch or chairs near these chilly areas, you’re going to feel uncomfortable sitting down and will be tempted to turn up the heat. A smarter approach is to rearrange your furniture so people don’t sit in these areas. During the winter, people will feel more comfortable sitting in the warmer, more central parts of your home. Keeping your home nice and warm during the winter takes some work but with these easy tips, you should be able to keep the cold at bay. The post Easy Ways to Cozy Up Your Home for the Winter appeared first on .

The Problem with Palm Oil : Palm oil is a globally traded commodity that is used in 50 percent of all consumer goods, from lipstick and packaged food to body lotion and biofuels.  Used in about half of the products on supermarket shelves, palm oil imports to the U.S. have jumped 485% in the last decade. This has resulted in severe negative impacts on the environment, the climate, and local populations. Palm oil destroys rainforests:  Rainforests provide critical habitat to endangered species including Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants and orangutans. One government, Indonesia, has announced plans to convert approximately 18 million more hectares of rainforests, an area the size of Missouri, into palm oil plantations by 2020. Palm oil causes climate change:  Rainforests are destroyed to create industrial palm oil plantations, releasing massive quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Deforestation causes eighty percent of Indonesia’s CO2 emissions, making the tropical nation the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Palm oil threatens forest peoples:  Millions of Indonesians rely directly on rainforests for their livelihoods.  A single palm oil plantation can destroy the forests, watersheds, and forest resources of thousands of Indonesians, leaving entire forest communities to face poverty. For more information, and to find out what you can do to help, visit the Rainforest Action Network.

An Organic Fuji Apple and Two Energy Bites for breakfast. This was very satisfying.Stuff off the WF's Hot Bar (Hot and Spicy Tofu, O'Brien Potatoes! and Chana Masala) for lunch....'Pea Pesto Pasta w/Shitake Mushroom Bacon, served with a Spring Green Salad' $10 carried out from The Randy Radish for dinner. Wish I hadn't blocked the pic of the Salad part with the little cup of Dressing. The Salad was incredible -- Strawberries, Oranges, Slivered Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds. Could have shoveled in a few pounds of that. The Pasta was great as well, but I was expecting that. Tofurky Italian Deli Slices on White Bread with lots of Vegenaisse for dessert.WFH again tomorrow, so that's good.

VEGAN DAILY RECIPE:  Fat Free Quinoa Salad

Tips For Cooking Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa: Cultivated in the Andes for over 5,000 years, quinoa has been called the “mother grain” and “the gold of the Incas.” (It’s technically not a grain but a seed, but it is used in virtually the same ways as other whole grains.) Today, the popularity of quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is growing steadily as people discover its pleasant nutty taste.  Here are some helpful hints in preparing our favorite superfood…!

Last week my little brother was in town from the USA and we had an incredibly fun and ridiculously debaucherous time with him and a pair of his hilarious friends. Not being used to the many party-friendly novelties of Berlin (you can drink on the street! bars never close! everything great is walking distance!) they made it their mission to stay up all night every night and take it all in. I managed to avoid the craziness for a few nights but by the weekend I was in too, and I think I'll be recovering for some time. (Also from the heartbreak of suddenly having to go cold-turkey off of American-boy humor, which I apparently have really been missing.)So for dinner after they left I decided to make something with a lot of raw garlic and green stuff to stave off oncoming infections surely flooding my weakened immune system. The perfect thing? Green Goddess dressing from Appetite for Reduction, a garlicky, tahini-laced herb dressing with tons of punch. Instead of serving it on a salad like normal however, I opted for some comfort food (to soothe my empty-nest syndrome). What better than some toothsome gnocchi? I boiled a couple of potatoes, set on the window sill to cool off, then put them through a potato ricer and kneaded the resulting mash with flour until it was easy to form little dumplings. Then I pan fried it in some olive oil and margarine. For a final kick, I peeled a carrot and quick pickled it in a bit of vinegar and sugar in the fridge.Two parts raw, one part cooked, and extremely vibrant and delicious. I can think of many variations on this theme...Another bright and delicious weeknight meal that incorporates a raw dressing? Another rendition of the sweet potato, tahini and onion dish from Jerusalem, served alongside some kale with garlic, diced red peppers, and a dollop of pomegranate molasses. Man I should eat like this every night! But then, what would I tell the veggie dogs in my fridge...?Song of the Day: Paolo Conto- Sparring Partner

Check it out! I haven’t tried it yet but there’s a Van Leeuwen in my neighborhood in BK. I’m so excited! Everybody loves this stuff! According to their fb, the vegan flavors will be available at all locations. HUZZAH!

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” - VEGAN DAILY QUOTE:  Henry David Thoreau