Vegan Diet Guy

Sushi was one of the hardest foods to give up after I resolved to adopt a vegan diet. After all, my passion for sushi was one of the things that brought me to live in Japan in the first place. And while Japan is infamous for exclusive sushi shops that charge $500 per person, even low-end sushi (such as kaiten, or “conveyor belt” style) is fresh and inexpensive compared to other countries, making it hard to resist.

For some time after I had bid sayonara to meat, eggs and dairy, I continued the Japanese institution of going out for sushi with friends and family. At first, I ate varieties consisting of mostly vegetables such as natto (fermented soybeans) and green onions, cucumber, takuon (pickled radish), kampyo (dried gourd), as well as inarizushi (fried bean curd filled with sushi rice and black sesame seeds). (more…)

Veganomicon, simply the best cookbook to transform you from meat-eating to a 100% plant diet, has inspired my cooking for over 3 years. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s earlier  books, “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World” and “Vegan With A Vengeance” have amassed devoted followers, too, and I always wondered if I wasn’t missing out.

Actually, I never understood the hoopla over Vegan Cupcakes, because I gave up consuming animal products primarily for improving my health, and most vegan confectionaries–while better ethically and environmentally–are not necessarily healthier than non-vegan ones.

Generally speaking, vegan versions of non-vegan recipes merely substitute animal fat (butter, eggs) with equal amounts of plant-derived fat (oil) and vegan sweeteners for sugar. Many people don’t realize that  some vegan dishes are even less healthy than the original because they are prepared with excess oil (often fried) and salt, artificial coloring and flavor enhancers.

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Fast Tube by Casper

Fortunately, now there’s hope even for those not willing to read The China Study, provided they’ll go to watch the movie instead.

Written by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, The China Study is THE book that triggered me and many others to begin a vegan diet. Legendary South African golfer Gary Player is the one who recommended The China Study to me, explaining that giving up eating animal products (from his early 70′s) had changed his life and made him feel 20 years younger. (more…)

Joe Stepaniak’s “Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook” was among the first cookbooks I bought after deciding to adopt a vegan diet 3 years ago. For those not familiar with the term “uncheese”,  Stepaniak uses it to describe rich-tasting spreads, dips, sauces and blocks produced with dairy-free whole foods (primarily beans, nuts, or grains).

Cheese lovers be forewarned: you may be in for some disappointment if you’re expecting tofu to taste like Feta cheese or chickpeas like Havarti. The book’s introduction even acknowledges that “uncheeses are not going to be like dairy cheeses, so please adjust your expectations accordingly. ”

Unfortunately I skipped Stepaniak’s well-intentioned introduction and plowed in to the recipes, attempting  Tofu Ricotta, Chick Cheez, Swizz Cheez, Buffalo Mostarella, Brie, Betta Feta, White Bean Boursin, Monterey Jack and Port Wine uncheeses.  And while all were tasty (my favorite is the sharp Chick Cheez spread–made from Garbanzo Beans) they left me somewhat disillusioned and wondering whether I could actually live without real cheese.

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Isa Chandra Moskowitz has made a liar out of me. Not long ago, I wrote that Moskowitz’ “Veganomicon” was the last cookbook you needed to buy, and now she comes out with “Vegan Brunch”. Blame it on her vegan Italian Feast Sausage recipe.

You see, growing up in an Italian-American family, I was used to eating pasta with tomato-meat sauce for Sunday dinners and other special occasions. Meat usually included meatballs, spareribs, and sausages. Living on myown as an adult, special dinners had always consisted of meat of some sort, if not cheese, and more likely both! As a result, it seemed Sunday dinners would never be the same after becoming vegan. Now, 3 years later, I’ve discovered there are hundreds of other delectable and healthy meals worthy of Sunday and any other day. But when I’m feeling nostalgic, pasta with a “meaty” tomato sauce is the ultimate comfort food.

You may ask, why bother making your own vegan sausages, when there are already meatless sausages appearing on the shelves in major grocery stores? I think that’s great news, and without a doubt, vegan sausages are preferable to meat sausages, but reading the ingredients and the nutritional data, I’m not sure all meatless sausages are actually healthy, or good for your diet. If you like to know what’s in your food, like me, why not try making your own vegan sausages? (more…)

I’ve blogged numerous times about how The China Study was the single biggest motivating factor in my adopting a vegan diet. However, at least equally important is “Veganomicon,” the book that has sustained me through the transition and has become a fixture in my kitchen.

Veganomicon, which bills itself (rightly so) as the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, is the product of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, who also wrote “Vegan with a Vengeance” and “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World”. The pair also created the PostPunkKitchen (theppk.com) vegan recipe website, where you can find some teaser recipes from the Veganomicon book.

My partner and I have tried about 40 of the dishes in Veganomicon, some several times, and our copy of Veganomicon (covered with numerous post-it notes and splatters of various sauces) is never far from our sides or minds. (more…)

Since many of the special occasions in our lives are closely associated with eating particular foods, the older we are, the harder it is to contemplate adopting a vegan diet, out of concern it will no longer be possible to celebrate holidays and other significant events with family and friends.

In my case (growing up in an Italian-American family), Easter was always associated with ham; Thanksgiving, Turkey (with sausage stuffing); Christmas Eve, a variety of seafoods; Christmas Day, pasta dishes (containing  ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and parmegiano cheeses); New Years meant pork roast, etc; Not to mention countless extended family Sunday dinners of macaroni and meat sauce, chicken, roast beef, racks of lamb, etc.

On these special occasions, there were often antipasto or hors d’ouevres consisting of cheeses and dried meats, such as pepperoni. For dessert, cheesecake, layer cake, or ice cream served with whipped cream.  More recently, living on my own, I also  enjoyed preparing many foods outside my own ethnic background, such as Greek dishes like moussaka (containing bechamel sauce), or spanakopita (containing feta cheese). (more…)

Crispy Aromatic Luck

I’ve mentioned a few times the challenges of dining out as a vegan, especially if you’re eating a vegan diet for health reasons ( rather than just to avoid animal products).  For example, it may be healthier to order grilled fish rather than eat vegetables, grains, etc, that are either not fresh, or not prepared in a healthy way. Of course, given a choice, I would select restaurants where I can enjoy a meal that is both meatless and healthy.

However, London must be one of the best cities in the world for vegans to eat out, given all the restaurant alternatives available. Indian food is generally tasty and healthy, and there are Indian restaurants everywhere (one I would recommend is Punjab in Covent Garden). Although many popular Indian dishes, such as saag panir are made with cheese (Panir means “cheese” in Hindi), and Indian food and sauces often contain yogurt, there are usually many vegan-friendly dishes, as well.  Regardless if you’re vegan or vegetarian, you want to be careful to order foods that contain minimal amounts of oil, and ask the waiter to reduce oil, wherever possible. (more…)

Since I became vegan within the past 3 years, I have become an enthusiastic advocate of a vegetarian diet. As a result, I was disappointed to learn from the Vegetarian Resource Group’s 2009 survey that the vegetarian needle has hardly moved in the past 6 years. In fact, there has been little increase in U.S. vegetarianism from a statistical standpoint in 20 years. VRG poll responses indicated that 3% of adults were vegetarian, and about 1/3 of those could be classified as vegan (eating no animal products).

Unlike many vegans who became vegan for reasons of ethics or animal rights, my main reason for becoming vegan was to maintain and improve health. The China Study revealed that eating a plant-based diet was the best way to reduce risks for the top causes of premature death, namely cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mis-medication, and hospitalization. Because my work was extremely stressful, and there was history of heart disease and cancer in my family, I felt it almost inevitable I would fall ill, too.  While there is no guarantee I can avoid that fate, adopting a plant-based diet has given me a greater sense of control over my future.

As I’ve described in previous posts, getting to the point of maintaining a vegan diet (and considering myself vegan) took time. I was deeply attached to many foods, whether from my Italian-American upbringing (i.e. meats and cheeses) and also from having lived in Japan for two decades (sukiyaki, sushi, etc). The hardest part of a vegan diet is difficulty of eating with others and eating at restaurants.

In order to avoid eating animal products (and unhealthy products in general), you usually need to prepare and eat more food at home and carry it with you, as well. I recognize the time and trouble (varies depending on the type of work you do, i.e. sales) it takes to maintain a vegan diet is an obstacle for many who would like to become healthier, too. Eating at home is healthy, but I understand it is not always practical, and some people may feel socially isolated as well.

That’s why I was somewhat disappointed in the results of the latest VRG survey. If there were more vegetarians and vegans to attract marketers, there would be social support for busy and socially active people to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, encouraging more people to become vegetarian or vegan.  It would be a virtuous cycle.

Before becoming vegan, I used my my gas barbeque grill year-round. At least once a week (regardless of weather) you would find me barbequeing chicken with garlic and herbs, and on other days lamb, pork, steak, fish or other seafood as well. Often I would barbeque vegetables (i.e corn on the cob or potatoes) alongside the meat main course, but after becoming vegan, I almost thought about getting rid of my grill.  It was as though it was not worth firing up the grill just for barbequeing vegetables. Or perhaps it was out of fear that I might be tempted to barbeque meat again?

Fortunately, I kept my grill around as it’s perfectly suited for roasting large quantities of bell peppers needed in roast pepper salad antipasto.  During my transition period from meat-eating, it took me over 2 years to use up one tank of gas (so long between refills, in fact, my LP gas company had gone out of business!).

Now, however, in my 3rd year of following a vegan diet, I enjoy eating barbequed vegetables as much as I ever did any expensive cut of meat, fish or chicken. Although you can eat a lot more vegetables barbequed than raw, you’ll still find vegetables are much cheaper than meat in comparison.

Last weekend,  I enjoyed one of the best barbeques, if not one of the best meals in my life, period. We feasted on barbequed corn, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin squash, mushrooms, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, tofu, and Italian bread. Although my hosts are not vegans, and could easily have cooked some meat for themselves, none of them seemed to miss meat.

There was practically no preparation, and no fancy marinades were needed: just slice the vegetables (not too thin, to avoid drying them out) and brush lightly with olive oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill (or use a non-stick grill pan).   And, as it is with indoor vegan cooking, cleaning up afterward is much easier than for meat.

So, if you are a BBQ lover, don’t fear that becoming vegan means the end of barbeque parties. It may take a while (as long as 3-4 years if you’re in your 40′s like me) to change your habits before you can accept vegetables, rather than meat,  as the main dish. But, if you stick with a vegan diet, you will surely be able to find the same enjoyment eating BBQed veggies as you formerly did eating steaks, burgers, chops and chicken.