Life as a vegetarian—finding joy in living well
Tofu Fillet with Pesto
By guest blogger, Lynn Davis
Only a decade ago, shopping in a smallish town in a mountain state, we took our cart piled high with fruit and vegetables to the cashier, and asked, “Do you have tofu?” She tilted her head to the side and asked, “You’re not from here, are you?”
“What do you eat?” folks sometimes ask, and vegetarian blogs suggest it’s a common question. Once, I began a list: alfalfa, amaranth, apples, apricots, asparagus, artichokes, avocados—and realized that few heard beyond “alfalfa.” Which I eat the seeds of just after sprouting. As the ads say, “Delicious and nutritious.”
Nowadays, even a mid-sized grocery store’s produce department carries a wide variety of fruits and vegetables—many you may have never tried! Look for new tastes wherever you’re accustomed to shopping. Be aware, though, that because chain stores need to limit the varieties of produce they sell (in the same way that they limit varieties of brands in all other products) by checking out shops that sell only produce you will find even more options, Produce stores and farmers markets provide shoppers with wider variety and fresher goods—and they are often organic or cheaper—or both!
Full nutrition is easily achieved by vegetarians. Protein comes in the form of soy products, including tofu and TVP—textured vegetable protein, aka soy flour—which is comprised of only protein and “good” fat. Other useful fats are found in nuts, seeds, and some vegetables—avocado springs to mind. Vegetarians do need to be aware of getting enough vitamin B12 in their diet, and many do so by using brewer’s yeast.
Where and how to start living as a vegetarian? Two different paths I see suggested:
- Make small changes in steps—perhaps enjoy one or two vegetarian meals a week until you find recipes you like; perhaps go to vegetarian restaurants; perhaps eliminate red meat entirely.
- Make the change total—decide what your vegetarian diet will look like, remove everything from your pantry, fridge, and freezer that don’t fit that, do a big shopping and go for it. Good time to decide if you’ll include fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy… many folks who consider themselves vegetarian use some or all of these.
The health benefits of reducing or eliminating red meat are pretty clear, but I’d be remiss as they say “in this age” to not mention the environmental benefits as well.
Our government recognizes the environmental benefits of a vegetable-based diet:
Eating For Health and the Environment
Environmental organizations tout the benefits:
The Environmental Impact of a Meat Based Diet
Educational institutions recognize environmental benefits:
Environmental Harms
Our society is changing—in almost all facets—dramatically so in some cases, such as varying diets. Tofu and other meat substitutes can be found in all but the smallest towns, the internet provides sources for specialty foods, and farmers markets are now common.
That small-town store now carries tofu, soy milk, and sometimes alternate meat products. Yay for change. I hope you, too, try the vegetarian change!
Help to get started:
Vegetarian Times
Vegetarian Starter Kit
VegOnLine
May 19th is Food Revolution Day
We’ve heard the scary statistics. Obesity is at epidemic levels not only in the U.S. but also worldwide. There is not one single solution but two are pretty basic: get moving and eat better.
To help promote awareness and lifestyle change, May 19th is Food Revolution Day, a day for people who love food to become a conscious community, understand more about daily food choices, and be inspired to get started. Watch Jamie Oliver’s video message to TEDxers, announcing Food Revolution Day.
People around the globe will connect community-wide through events at homes, schools, restaurants, local businesses, and farmers’ markets. 100+ food events and 200+ dinner parties are planned and to help get started, check-out these toolkits. Yes, we’re all busy and learning to cook from scratch is at the heart of the movement, which takes time. Nevertheless, if you call on those baby boomer abundant time management skills, like Jamie Oliver says, it’ll be “easy peasy.” Your health is worth it and your taste buds will thank you!
Some great links:
Food Revolution on TED.com
Food Revolution.org
Jamie Oliver.com
USAToday.com
USAToday.com/Kaiser Health News
CBS News.com
Samuels and Associates.com
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Eating Safe Fish Sustainably Caught is Complicated
The locavore life is made easier at this time of year for baby boomers and their families now that farmers markets and CSAs are operating once again and our kitchen gardens are beginning to produce. And, more good news is that the cost of fish is gradually becoming more comparable in price to meat and poultry products. But conscientious consumers find the waters murky when it comes to eating fish. It pays off both in the pocketbook, and health wise to do some homework about how to buy sustainably harvested fish. Gadgets like pocket-sized rating guides and apps for mobile devices are handy when out shopping, and these help explain some of the differences between good and bad fishing practices. But it’s still not so easy and, unfortunately, there’s a whole lot of confusion going on.
It has been long overdue, but retailers like Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Target and many others are now committed long-term to purchasing certain types of fish certified as more sustainable. While some retailers stock their seafood sections on the basis of how fish are caught or raised, they increasingly count on certification and rating systems to make trustworthy choices. Retailers who rely on them need to recognize that certification standards are uneven and not well understood as this report on the efficacy of seafood testing by Oceana shows. A leading voice in ocean conservation, SeaWeb, provides handy links to aquaculture and fisheries resources at one of their many initiatives, Seafood Choices Alliance. But the debate goes on over the effectiveness of seafood certification systems.
Credibility of these standards is critical to American consumers who care about the environment and what they consume. The Marine Stewardship Council is the largest certification body for sustainable seafood, but it is inconsistent about compliance according to a recent article in the Washington Post. Other watchdogs with ratings systems are: The Blue Ocean Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (check-out our review on how to get involved with activities at Monterey Bay Aquarium), and the Environmental Defense Fund. We especially like Oceana which, along with its many conservation initiatives, promotes responsible fishing. The Living Blue section is an excellent consumer resource with a green list of grocers who post warnings about mercury in fish sold at their seafood counters, and a red list of those who don’t.
Geography counts. Wild marine ecosystems include oceans and inland rivers and streams. So, where did the fish swim? Some areas are overfished while others aren’t. How they were caught counts: longline bad. pole-caught, troll-caught and nets good. Labeling counts. Is it wild or farmed? Is it fresh or was it previously frozen? The jury is still out on aquaculture and its impact on certain wild species of fish, but there are more ethical, sustainable fish farms than ever before and even urban aquaculture is growing.
Bon Appétit Bamco Foundation’s Fish to Fork and Farm to Fork programs are among ongoing sustainable initiatives we like. For consumers concerned about fish served in restaurants, fish2fork is another pioneer website that reviews restaurants according to whether their seafood is sustainable, not just how it tastes. Charles Clover, founder and editor of the website wrote The End of the Line upon which the documentary film of the same name was based. This website is an invaluable guide to finding sustainable seafood restaurants in your area.
Chefs are the gatekeepers to cuisine consciousness. On a Pacific Northwest garden tour last year, we had a chance to sample Vancouver’s local restaurants certified by the MSC and that participate in Ocean Wise, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program that educates consumers about ocean-friendly buying decisions. One standout was Pescatores Seafood + Grill. Their guide to seasonal and sustainably caught fish currently available was invaluable. Many restaurants now offer clear information about fish offered on their menu.
The internet provides access to reputable seafood websites for concerned consumers. One of our favorite websites for online shopping is Wild Planet. Like many others committed to providing seafood while supporting conservation of wild marine systems, they offer clear information on sustainability and fishing methods. For those of us who don’t want to give up our luxuries, another favorite is Tsar Nicoulai, pioneers of sustainably farmed California caviar. They are the leading artisanal producer and recognized world leader in sustainable sturgeon production.
It’s still tricky to find the balance between conservation of our oceans, waterways and livelihoods in the fisheries industry. Commercial fishing as a career is a hard way to make a living but there is improved GPS, Sonar, and Fathometers navigational advances and other equipment. The internet has had a major impact in changing how fishermen direct market their catch. They are social media savvy about Twitter and Facebook and even use YouTube videos as a marketing tool.
At last year’s annual Seafood Summit, where representatives of the global seafood industry, conservation organizations, scientists, academics, policymakers and media professionals convened to examine the many factors influencing sustainability and their role in the global seafood landscape, “accidental businessman”Yvon Chouinard, like David Brower said no business is done on a dead planet. Chouinard spoke about how he believes that “fundamentally, businesses are responsible to their resource base…and “without a healthy planet there are no shareholders, no customers, and no employees.” Chouinard also said no economic activity is truly sustainable and the “word ‘sustainable’…should be qualified…with ‘less’ or ‘more’ in front of it.” Ever the entrepreneur, now using fish to fuel his environmental causes, Chouinard has launched a new division of Patagonia called Patagonia Provisions. Wild salmon are sourced in partnership with SkeenaWild, a Canadian conservation organization that identifies non-endangered salmon from the Skeena River watershed in British Columbia. The product supports the local native populations who use nets to catch the fish.
Fortunately, there are many more resources available to baby boomers and their families than ever before to help make smart decisions about the fish we eat. We’d love to hear about those you’ve found helpful.
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In Honor of all Mothers
There is one thing we all have in common – we all have a mother. Some of us are fortunate to still have our mothers in our lives. Some of us cherish the memories of our moms. Some of us are mothers ourselves, and our efforts may be honored this weekend.
Either way, Mother’s Day is really a time to reflect on the bond the we have with our mothers. This bond is part of our psyche – part of who we are. The “Hallmark” way is only one way to honor this bond. Many moms I know agree that what they want most is TIME, time with their children or grandchildren. Time to savor that which goes so quickly, is so fleeting.
Some younger moms would prefer some time to rest, to put their feet up. Older moms, want more time to witness the accomplishments of their kids and grandkids. We can give time. Your time is better than a gift or flowers. Honor your mom with memories of your past together, plan to spend time together – if you can. Squeeze your kids and steal some of their time this weekend – if you can.
If you can’t do these things…know this – someone brought you into this world and possibly you brought another into this world. That is quite special, the effort was quite special, and is to be honored. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers – everywhere!