The popularity of my post “Are Soba Noodles Healthier Than Spaghetti?” showed that many of you are looking for ways to introduce healthy whole grains and cereals into your diets. Great news!
Buckwheat (or soba) in Japanese is one of THE most nutritious foods. I’m referring to buckwheat groats, not the namesake soba noodles, which are often made of mostly plain old refined white flour. Continue reading
Hana is a charming town on the northeast tip of Maui famous for its curvy highway, pristine beaches, and utter lack of vegan restaurants.
OK, it’s not so famous for that last one–in fact, Hana has only a handful of restaurants to begin with. But–unless you enjoy staying in and cooking while on vacation, you’ve got to appreciate any restaurant that makes an effort to accommodate those of us on plant-based diets.
Imagine brushing your teeth after eating your lunch and not having another bite of food until tomorrow’s breakfast. Sounds impossible? Take it from a guy who used to enjoy devouring banana splits at midnight: you truly can do anything you put your mind to.
I’ve posted before about how staying at a rejuvenation or detox center is one of the best ways for you to be introduced to a raw vegan diet, because these facilities serve up delicious healthy raw organic plant-based meals and are supervised by naturopathic physicians. Oh, if you don’t know what naturopathic medicine is, don’t worry–I just learned about it last year.
Another way to be exposed to a vegan diet is to visit a meditation center for a meditation course or “sitting.” Continue reading
At last month’s Vida Vegan Conference 2013, I received a swag bag filled with the motherload of plant-based products targeted at vegan attendees.
Everybody likes to receive free stuff–and I particularly don’t like wasting food–but some products barely meet my definition of “food.” Srutinizing each one closely, I weighed my curiosity to sample against my nutritional sense and the pain of carrying additional luggage. Continue reading
Several years ago, there were only a handful of vegan cookbooks. Today, there are dozens, and I recently learned there are 200 new vegan cookbooks on the way!
Great news, unless you are deciding which cookbook to add to your library. Fortunately for me, I did not have to choose, as I received a hardcopy version of Crazy Sexy Kitchen as a gift.
When I attended a Saladmaster demonstration/dinner at an acquaintance’s house last year, I hadn’t eaten cooked food for weeks and–as an aspiring raw chef–wasn’t sure whether I would “cook” again. Continue reading
Two years ago, by the time I learned about the first Vida Vegan Conference, it was already too late to sign up. I was living in Tokyo at the time–shortly after the “3-11” (Fukushima) disaster–and was feeling pretty uneasy.
I didn’t know how it would happen, but I was determined to make it to the next VVC bloggers conference, to be held 2 years later.
Often-cited as a shortcoming of a plant-based diet is deficiency of Vitamin B12, an essential nutrient made by bacteria in the intestines of animals (including humans). For many omnivores, this is reason enough to continue eating animal products.
You may be surprised that the most common cause of B12 deficiency is not lack of B12 containing-foods but intestinal disease, and the prevalence of B12 deficiency among vegans is not much different than in the overall population. Continue reading
Many people aspiring for a healthier diet are surprised to learn there are just as many varieties of vegan diets as there are non plant-based diets–and not all of them are health promoting. The biggest differences among vegan diets are what foods are permissible, how they are prepared, and the balance of macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
After trying a raw food diet on and off for the past year, I decided to visit the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, AZ, to experience the diet and lifestyle developed by Dr. Gabriel Cousens. Continue reading
On my previous Oahu visit, I wrote about several vegan friendly restaurants and markets. I’m excited to report I’ve experienced even more great dining spots this time around.
After spending several months on Oahu, even a health-conscious vegan begins to crave more variety than offered by the island’s handful of vegan restaurants. In the winter months, you may find even yourself craving hot soup. That’s the time to head to Nickie Cafe (3297 Campbell Ave).
Although Nickie has been vegan for most of her life, her sister (who runs the cafe together) is not. On the bright side, the menu has dishes to please everybody. Continue reading
