Happy Friday!

One year ago this month, I left my corporate job as the Marketing Manager of a large, global law firm to focus on this blog. It has been a crazy, fun, stressful and action-packed year of discovery and creativity. I got to know myself better, had the pleasure of spending more time with those furry beings for which I advocate and I finally found a way to satisfy my conscience and my voracious appetite (seriously, I can really pack it away) through truly delicious plant-based food.

I still had a few hoops to jump through to get to where I wanted to be and still have a few more to go. Just one year ago, I still needed cream in my coffee and cheese on my pizza and simply had to have a lobster roll when in Cape Cod.

Lucky for me and the big ‘V’, I have had plenty of time to travel, learn, research, write and for a good part of it, cook. In the past year I have had red hair, brown hair and now blond-ish with a touch of green hair (long story). I have hiked and biked 500 miles along the Camino de Santiago, rescued a pigeon in Madrid, learned to cook vegan like a gourmet, taught my first cooking class, became a farmer’s market vendor to sell mason jar meals and skincare products, rescued a Muscovy duck, became a volunteer writer for a farm sanctuary, served as a Bonus Expert for the Live Vegan Vibrantly Summit, mastered Instagram and linked up with countless farm sanctuaries around the world. All of these experiences have brought me just a little bit closer to my personal mission – to promote a plant-based diet that is kind to our palettes, our waistlines and inner voices. While I still have a little ways to go on the diet personally, I am happy to report that I eat 99% plant-based. It only took a year to go from vegetarian (since age 17) to nearly 100% vegan. What a difference a year makes.

What about the 1%?

Eating plant-based is easy at home if you are a skilled and enthusiastic cook. However, going out can be a little more difficult. Once every couple of months I cave and have an almond croissant with my Panther coffee or salmon cooked by a friend (with love, which I guess makes me feel less guilty).

Thankfully, there are many truly amazing plant-based restaurants popping up all over the world and certainly in Miami. To highlight just two near me, I love Soul Tavern and the Soulful Ramen and L’Artisane Bakery and their pastries (see screenshot). I will continue to urge the bakery that supplies Panther Coffee to create a dairy-free almond croissant. I know it can be done thanks to L’Artisane and my own personal experience. There are plenty of healthy, wholesome substitutes like flax seed water (for eggs); almond, coconut or oat milk (for dairy milk); and olive, canola or coconut oil (for butter). I have not met a single person who does not like my Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes. Ok there was this kid once who wasn’t crazy about them because he was used to the Publix sugar-laden, Red Dye #40 cake aka a food-like substance. We won’t blame him. He’s just a kid and I will win him over one day!

As for fish, like I said, once in a great while, I cave. However, I am working on creating a seitan dish I can add to the grill the next time salmon is on the menu at my friend’s house. I love to create dishes that rival typical foods. I used to crave clam chowder each summer in the Northeast, now I make Clam-ish Chowder that is to die for. Same goes for Tuna-ish Sandwiches. Thanks to nori, edible seaweed, which is also a superfood, you can make plant-based dishes that satisfy a seafood craving. There is nearly always a veg-based option for any recipe. Are my dishes exactly the same? Well…probably not, but they are so tasty, healthy and satisfying that I feel fulfilled rather than deprived. My conscience is clear and my risk of disease diminished by eating this way. Are you are interested in living a more plant-based life? It is completely within your reach.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” – Confucius

5 tried and true tips to get you from A-to-V

Tip #1 BE GENTLE

Go slow on this journey. Incorporate a little less of this and a little more of that each week, each month, each year. Like any lifestyle change, steady but slow adjustments turn into habits. Congratulate yourself for each little victory whether it be Meatless Mondays or smaller portions of meat and larger portions of beans, healthy grains and vegetables on your plate.

Tip #2 GET CLEAR ON PROTEIN

Most of us eat way too much animal protein and far too little antioxidant, anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and berries. I’m reading Eat, Drink and Be Healthy – the Harvard University Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating by Harvard Medical Director Walter Willett, MD. DrPH, which suggests that some essential amino acids in protein turn up the production of hormone IGF-1, which may further some cancers. “This hormone does what its name suggests: stimulates growth. Too much of it, though, increases the risks of developing breast, prostate and probably other cancers.”

how much protein do we need and when do we need it?

Complete protein, which stimulates growth is good for babies, children, burn victims and others who need a developmental push, like aging adults. “But large amounts of high-quality protein during adulthood may not be needed and may even be harmful,” writes Willett in his book.

Mothers giving their milk to their babies is a perfect example of the right protein needs being met at the right time. Isn’t nature beautiful? However, drinking too much milk – e.g. from cows – not your mom/not your milk – throughout life may overstimulate growth, which is not a good thing. Have you noticed that kids and adolescents who drink milk are usually taller? The book states, “Socially, being taller may be a good thing. But it has been linked to increased risks of several types of cancer, including lymphoma and breast, prostate, colon and ovarian cancers.” 

How do you ensure that you do not over protein and that you still get enough protein to achieve optimal health? A well-balanced, mostly plant-based diet can do this for you.  Consume a variety of whole, organic chia seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, lentils, quinoa, brown rice, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc. Nuts in particular are highlighted in the book and recommended to replace meat as a main dish as they contain mostly healthy unsaturated fat that reduces harmful LDL cholesterol and keeps protective HDL cholesterol high. Did you know that brown rice, which we think of as carbohydrate, has about 8% protein?

Still worried about getting enough protein? According to the National Academy of Medicine, the RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight or just over 7 grams per 20 pounds. Click here to calculate your daily nutrient recommendations. Remember, if you eat a diet rich in high quality, colorful fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, seeds and grains then you do not need to count calories or nutrients. Isn’t that a lot easier?

What about muscle and fuel for hiking, biking and pumping iron at the gym? It is a myth that you need to eat animal protein for endurance and to gain muscle. That’s my friend Pelican and me last summer on a particularly long, mostly uphill hike one day along the Camino. We existed on a mainly veg-diet – and lots of Spanish wine :-). Also, have you ever seen a vegan body builder? Check out Conscious Muscle. You’ll be eating your words. BTW This guy also runs a sanctuary Lily and Friends Rescue in West Palm Beach- Instagram: @lilyandfriendrescue. I keep meeting more and more vegans who are doing great things for the animals and it is truly inspiring.

Tip #3 PARTY RESPONSIBLY

Drink water before, during and after parties to handle cravings (and subsequent hangovers). Also, bring creative, outstanding dishes to contribute to the festivities that will keep you satiated and entice other party goers to try something plant-based and delicious. No party is too uppity for this suggestion. Many years ago, I attended a fancy dinner party at which one of the fancy guests I had just met brought an enormous kick as$ salad and had made enough for everyone. She was a vegetarian and didn’t want to be stuck without options. I was a little taken aback by her boldness – like I said, it was a trés chic dinner – but I was also inspired. Now I make sure that have something I like to eat – and enough for everyone else – wherever I go. One of my party-favorite recipes is the nutty cheese ball pictured right (which I will be making soon for tomorrow’s (Saturday 3/31) Farmer’s Market at the Upper East Side).

Tip #4 LEARN TO COOK AND HAVE FUN

There are tons of vegan recipes online and just as many fantastic cookbooks like any and all by Isa Chandra Moscowitz. Also, google vegan cooking classes in your area.

Another great way to learn is to gain new recipes when you travel. In Amalfi, Italy, the ‘mama’ of the B&B I was staying at taught my friend Elena and me how to make several of her specialty dishes like mini Italian pancakes with homemade jam made from fruit in her garden (I vegan-tweaked the recipe when I got home). The Sopa de Puerro y Patata recipe  came from the proprietor at an inn we stayed at along the Camino. If you are eager to learn the teachers will show up. It’s the law of attraction.

Tip #5 EDUCATE YOURSELF

It is certainly easier for me to eat healthy vegan dishes because I like to cook and seek out these types of recipes but in the end, the animals are all the motivation I need. They deserve my best effort. By getting close to them, I stay close to my vegan goal. There are thousands of animal sanctuaries around the world and I continue to link to more each day. My first sanctuary experience was at the Leilani Farm Sanctuary in Maui, pictured right. That’s me with Berney the pig. My sister is on my left. They gave us work boots as part of the tour! I grew up with a pet pig so I knew how friendly and smart they are but I did not know that chickens are surprisingly curious, sweet beings as well and even enjoy being petted like cats. The same goes for goats, donkeys, turkeys and of course cows.

Unfortunately, there really is no such thing as humanely-raised meat, dairy or eggs. How would you feel to be separated from your baby at birth so that someone else (another species mind you) can have the milk meant for them? – #notyourmomnotyourmilk. Take a look at this beautiful article, “Why we should stop eating meat now,” in Monday’s The Telegraph (UK publication) which sums it up why now is a good time to eat less animal products. Do not worry, it’s uplifting – no gruesome videos or pics. Note, I was able to view the article for free the first time, then I needed to sign up to read it again. Click here to access a synopsis on DawnWatch.

If you are interested in learning more about farm sanctuaries, you can follow them via their websites and newsletters or on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram is my personal jam for staying up to date on farm sanctuaries’ news. Just make sure you are following actual sanctuaries (often with 501(c)(3) status) so that you get the REAL news 😉

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful Easter/ Passover weekend. If you are looking for something to do, come to visit us at Farmer’s Market at Upper East Side on 65th and Biscayne from 9 am – 2 pm on Saturday. There will be tons of veg-centric eats (like my nutty herbed ‘cheese’) as well as homemade wares!

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