Fooding Q and A

Hello again!  Haven't seen you in a while.  I gave myself a week off during Spring Break, and then had a long, difficult few days coming back.   I think posting this will make me feel a little better, even if it's not quite the length of my normal articles.  Still informative, none the less.

I managed to pull this little bug together in my post-Spring Break I-can't-remember-how-to-function state.  I compiled a list of questions from readers (people I begged to come up with questions), and answered them! Hooray.  There were lots of questions, all of which I hope to answer in the near future, but for now I picked my four favorites.

What kind of diet did you have for most of your life?

Before becoming vegan, I ate whatever I wanted, but I have always been at least a little careful about what I was eating.  I exercised really frequently and had an active lifestyle.  I paid attention to what I ate, and I very rarely ate fast food, drank soda, or prepared meals (like Hot Pockets and Ramen).  I was never that impressed by meat, and when I was in charge of what I ate, I rarely ate it.  With that said, I was a big fan of dairy.  Ice cream, cheese, big glasses of milk, baked goods - I indulged in all of them fairly frequently.  I have always been one of those "I could be vegetarian but I don't think I could ever be vegan" people.  It wasn't until my health slapped me in the face and told me to change that I even considered being vegan.  Now that I am, though, I keep finding more and more incentives to do so.

Is anyone in your family vegan, and do they support your decision?

I love this question.  First of all, no.  No one else in my family is vegan.  But everyone in my immediate family (we don't have time for my extended family) is conscious of what they eat and informed about their nutritional needs.  They also have very strong opinions about the optimal diet; some of which are similar to mine, and some of which are quite contrasting.

Each one of my four brothers has given me their uncensored opinion about what they think of my diet as only an older brother can.  I mean, there were very few significant decisions I made growing up that from which I didn't receive their uncensored opinions.  Needless to say, I have become quite good at defending my positions on things.  While it can be pretty tiring to have four geniuses giving input on the entirety of your childhood, it has made me very confident and motivated to be informed about what I do.  They agree with me on varying levels, but make sure to give me a hard time anyways.  :)

It was more important to me to make sure that my parents supported my decision, and I think they do.  They didn't jump on board immediately, and they still have hesitations, but I've done what I can to make sure they don't think I'm crazy or dying.  When the whole family is home for dinner, my mother accommodates both me and my Paleo brother, which is quite a feat!  She's very nice and also very good at cooking.  And both of my parents have began incorporating more plant based meals into their diet (which makes me so happy).  They're really supportive of what I do, as long as I assure them I'm thinking carefully and that it's making me happy.

I think I'm going to write another blog going into more detail about what I did to make sure they were on board, because I think it is a problem many people face.

Is it hard going to restaurants?

Is it hard going to the mall if you don't wear jeans?

Of course, it's not quite as simple as that; some restaurants are more accommodating than others.  I went to Chili's once, for example, and had one option: a salad ("with no chicken, please").  I had to eat again when I got home, and it wasn't that good.  (Off the record, why are you going to Chili's anyways?)  I have gone to sooooo many other restaurants and had a lot of options that were really good.  It all depends on the type of restaurant.  Really nice restaurants usually have plant based options because plants are delicious, and a lot of unspecialized places will have vegan and vegetarian options because they try to appeal to a large audience.  I have basically no problem in Florence, because every authentic restaurant has Ribolita (vegetable soup) and other vegan recipes that are always awesome.  It's the really specialized restaurants that are hardest; obviously there are not many options for me at a steak house.  However, there are many new restaurants that specialize in vegetarian and vegan food, so it can even out if you have an open mind.

The only times I feel limited in my options at restaurant are when I am traveling (and can't read the menu because I don't speak the language), or when I am with friends.  People get really touchy on this subject, but let's use the mall metaphor again.  If you don't wear jeans, you never have to go into a jeans store (let's pretend that jeans stores are a thing).  But if you're at the mall with your friends and they want to go to the jeans store, you don't protest.  You follow along, maybe check out the keychains, and you buy your things elsewhere.  If you are with your friends and they all want to go to a steak house, you can follow along, eat the free bread, get a drink, and eat somewhere else.  It doesn't sound convenient or fun, but it works.  Hopefully your friends won't make you go to the jeans store too often.

I love going to restaurants more now as a vegan than I did before.  If you have food that I want to eat, you are impressing me.  Though being more selective may seem like extra work, it also raises your standards.

Do you also not eat gluten?  Did you ever try going gluten-free to cure your migraines?

I still eat gluten.  I mean, sheesh, the craziness has to end somewhere, right?  It really wouldn't be that difficult to go without gluten, but it wouldn't be particularly fun.  And I feel really good about where I'm at with my diet/health without eliminating it completely.

I do, however, try to keep the amounts of gluten in check; it's really easy to overdo it when you don't eat animal products, and I definitely feel better after eating other cereals/starches/grains than I do after eating wheat.  It's also easy to overdo it in Italy.  It's so good here.  I have a lot of self control: I don't eat meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products.  But when the grocery store smells like fresh bread and a baguette is eighty cents, I have no choice.

If you are experiencing health issues, I would encourage you to try giving up gluten as an experiment.  It's easier than you think.  But I never did that for my migraines, because my first test worked so well! :)


Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for some interviews, recipes, and healthy habits, and as always, share your thoughts in the comments!

What to Do When You Know a Migraine is Coming

Hi everyone.

This post may not be up to par.  My brain is protesting my bad choices and giving me a lot of trouble.

Yeah, after three months of being totally migraine-free, those lovely little angels have decided to grace me with their presence once again.  It seems that I accidentally slipped some dairy into my system a few days ago.  During midterms week.  IT'S FINE.

:)

Not to worry, though, because it has inspired a very useful blog that I've actually wanted to write for a long time.

What to do in the early stages of a migraine:

You know what's coming.  Maybe the little silver lights have shown up, maybe you feel a mild headache and stiffness in your neck.  Whatever it is, you know that you're in for it now, and you're hoping to figure out any possible way to make your next few days a little less awful.  I'm very sorry and I empathize.  You'll be okay, I promise!  Here, I got you some puppies that look uncomfortable.

1. Prioritize.  You're not always going to be able to turn off the world when you have a migraine.  But it is important to recognize your migraine as your physical self telling your mental/emotional self that it needs a little attention.  So if you have to keep going with other responsibilities, it's okay.  You will be able to do it.  But make sure you put yourself higher up on your priority list, and at least address the problem minimally.  You deserve it.
2. Eat so much food.  This is my favorite part.  When you feel a migraine coming, eat all the food in your house.  During a migraine, your brain is burning calories just by being in so much pain (isn't that disgusting? I know).  So give your body the calories it needs to heal.  That's more important than your diet.  Simple carbs and sugars are especially effective quick-fixes, for me: fruit juice, starchy veggies, and grains.  Overestimate the amount of food you'll want to eat and then prepare it while you still feel okay.  There's always the possibility of nausea, so don't overeat or eat things that are too rich, but your body needs energy.  
3. Numb your brain.  Of the food you're eating without regret, give yourself something cold to reduce the inflammation in your head.  Ironically, I discovered this method very early on in my migraines, before I had discovered the cause: dairy.  I would eat giant bowls of ice cream when I felt a migraine coming.  So don't do that, but maybe try a popsicle or frozen berries, just to be sure.  It sounds weird, but i'm telling you it really does help.
4. Make yourself at home.  Whatever environment you're in, try to make it as comfortable as possible.  Lower the lights, get under blankets, eliminate the unnecessary noises.  Also, wearing sunglasses at night is completely acceptable during a migraine.  People might think you're on drugs, but that's not the worst thing.  Your body is probably sensitive to light, sound, temperature, and basically everything, so don't feel bad laying in bed as long as you need to. 
5. Get moving.  Though you may be cozy in bed, it's important to avoid getting stiff.  I do some simple yoga when I feel up to it, which keeps me limber and also helps me to relax more.
6. Stop googling.  I know you want to figure out why you have migraines, but trust me, do it later.  The internet is a dangerous place.  One time, I asked WebMD why my feet were cold and they told me to go the hospital, so just do something else.  I know that bright lights are not good, but I often watch movies at the beginning of a migraine because it keeps me from thinking about scary medical problems I don't even have.  The most important thing to do is keep yourself away from the things that stress you out, so just worry about that another time. 

So, I'm sorry this blog isn't as shiny and perfect as my others, but I promise I'll revise it when I'm feeling better.  I'll be in Paris and London next week, and definitely feeling better, so I'll have a lot to write about when I come back.  Happy Spring Break!  

London is the Best Place

I don't even know where to begin.  I just loved London.  So soon after my trip to Zurich, I felt like I barely had time to prepare for the trip.  So I hit the ground running on Thursday night and didn't stop until about two AM Monday morning.  Needless to say, Monday was a pretty pointless day when it comes to being productive.  It's hard for me to care, though, when I had such an amazing time all weekend.

It was really nice to be in a place that was so modern and urban - Florence is neither of those things, and it can get tiring if you're not used to it.  London seems like a really efficient place.  And I hate to say it, but it was really nice to be able to speak English again.  I think that the language barrier her is really good for me, but it was nice to be able to communicate easily.  

Hagrid is a fake robot. No seriously.

I had to write out a list of all the things we did to start working on this blog, because we were so busy the whole time that I might forget something.  On Friday, we went to the Warner Brother's Studio and did the Harry Potter tour (amazing), then went to see Once, the Musical (more amazing).  On Saturday, we visited Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park (beautiful), went to Portobello and Borough Market (delicious!), did the London Eye (spectacular), and saw Big Ben, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and Parliament (overwhelming).  Then on Sunday, we visited the Tate Modern (crazy) and Shakespeare's Old Globe (fascinating) before doing some last minute shopping on our way out.    

At the Stage Door with The Guy.

The best part of the weekend was seeing Once.  As I mentioned on Facebook, I cried three times during the production, then came home wanting to learn to play piano and the violin, then learn to speak Czech.  Friday morning, we went to Leicester square and scored tickets for twenty pounds.  It was so nice to have everything be a surprise that I really don't want to tell you that much about the show, but I will say that there is a certain quality you can only get when everyone involved in a production really loves what they are doing.  I am always the most inspired by people who love what they do, and when what you "do" is Once, I guess you're bound to love it.  It was an amazing work of theatre and I encourage anyone within a forty mile radius of any production of it to stop what they are doing and go see it right now.  Right now.  I'll be back to see it in New York, I'm sure.

But let's talk about what really made this weekend awesome.  Look at all the food!

I know that a few weeks ago, I called the Avocado Sandwich my favorite meal ever.  That was careless wording, I think.  Avocado sandwiches are my favorite thing to eat, but my favorite meal is the kind that lasts hours, spans neighborhoods, and includes food from numerous cultures.  That was the kind of meal I had on Saturday afternoon, and it made me so happy.  As I mentioned before, we hit both Borough and Portobello Market on the same day.  So I started eating lunch at the beginning of Portobello and didn't stop until the last of the stands at Borough Market.  It was amazing.

I ate Falafel, a Waffle, Fresh Orange Juice, a Vegan Burger, Thai Coconut Pancakes, and countless samples of fresh fruit, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, you name it.  So happy.  It was all right there and they were happy to give it to you!  I budgeted myself fifteen pounds for the meal, which is excessive, but I was indulging... I just wanted to.  That night, I was able to get a tiny dinner, so it worked out - I felt like I wouldn't be able to eat for a few weeks, but unfortunately to my wallet, it doesn't work like that.

Now, the British are not known for fine dining.  In fact, quite the opposite.  My impression of British food has always been unhealthy and, in the words of my mother, also "just not good."  In addition, not particularly vegan friendly.  But judging by the feast I just described to you, it's easy to see I had no trouble.

The truth of the matter is this: excluding the cider, I ate very little authentic British food.  Though I usually aim for an authentic experience, I am no Anthony Bourdain (yet).  Boy, was I happy to see a Chipotle.  I didn't only eat American food though: I ate Thai, Korean, Mexican, Irish, Japanese (is that what Mochi is?), and Italian food.  All coming from people who really knew the food they were preparing.  Along with that, I had an amazing amount of access to really healthy options: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, all readily available.

I think big cities are great places to eat if you know what you're doing.  They have so many options, and some of them are not healthy at all, but some of them are quite healthy.  I guess the large population demands variety, which can open up opportunities.  They also have access to knowledge and resources from around the world, which can be both good and bad.  So I took two things away from my trip to London that I think are important to share here:

1. Taking advantage of the largest variety of food available will help you stay healthy.  From the ingredients you use to the cultures from which your recipes originate, eating a variety will help you get a variety of nutrients and avoid excesses of particular additives or unhealthy ingredients.  Chances are, other cultures practice healthier food habits than your own.  Find out what they are and adopt them when you see fit.  With that said, in some ways, it is important to stay close to home:
2. Becoming a "locavore" will help you in many facets.  I know it seems difficult at times, but with the right knowledge, you can do it from wherever you live.  Moving to New York from California really opened my eyes to the difficulty, but I do it anyways, whenever I can (I know, Long Island isn't Siberia... but to this California kid it sure seems like it).  Now, from Florence, I really have no trouble at all.  Quite often, local food is the only food available.  Find out ways you can eat locally by searching for the Farmer's market, or even creating relationships with local farmers.  It helps the environment by eliminating some of the fossil fuels necessary for transporting food.  It will help the financial environment in which you live, by contributing to the flow of currency within your own community.  And the food you'll eat will be richer in vitamins and nutrients because there will be less time involved between picking and eating.  

This weekend I'll be taking it easy, maybe visiting some places around Italy.  Maybe studying for midterms, but if we're all being honest here, probably not.  Hopefully I'll be able to get some good writing in, though, because I will be spending the following in Paris, other cities in France, and maybe London again because I didn't see enough of it yet.  As always, I hope you let me know what you think of this article, and leave any questions, comments, and suggestions in the comments below.  My goals are to do more talking to and less talking at, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Vegan Challenge #2: No more Dairy! + My Weekend in Zurich

The inspiration to write this blog came from my visit to Zurich, where dairy is really a big deal.  It was an interesting opportunity to observe how even something that is considered a staple can be avoided completely if you have the drive and the knowledge necessary.

Now, I am no expert on travel in Zurich.  The language is insanely difficult for me to grasp, the economic inflation hard for me to accept, and I had little knowledge about the culture before arriving.  This made it a little difficult to me to be as carefree in my eating as I would have liked to be, but I had an amazing time, and also got to eat some delicious food.

Unlike in Zurich, though, I have very little trouble living without dairy in America.  There are so many resources out there, and I was reminded of this when they were taken away from me.  So I thought I would give you a few guidelines on how to live without dairy.  If you have already decided to eliminate dairy from your diet and would just like to know how, keep reading.  If you'd like to know why I think experimenting with your dairy intake is important, click here.

Vegan Challenge #2: 14 Days Without Dairy
How much dairy do you consume in fourteen days?  From your morning coffee to your midnight snack, it might be a staple to your standard diet.  Fortunately for us, it is so easy to replace and eliminate!  Here are the rules:

1. Eliminate the dairy products that aren't necessary.  For the next two weeks, avoid pizza, ice cream, and other foods that are inherently high in dairy.  Try some healthier options based on whole foods wherever you can.  Remember that getting rid of dairy means including something else; often people fail to achieve their health goals because they get rid of one thing and don't find something else to eat instead.  Your body needs food, and I will never suggest calorie restriction as a way to go.  I only suggest the things that I can do, and there's just no way to get me to stop eating. 
2. Break down your cravings.  But Katherine, I just can't live without cheese.  Wrong.  You can and you will.  :)  Dairy products are among the foods we often crave, for many reasons.  Firstly, they are convenient, nicely packaged, well-advertised and flavorful products that we are accustomed to.  They are also often calorie dense and high in simple carbs, so they make us feel satisfied quickly.  As with any food group, I think it's important to break down your dairy cravings and decide whether they are legitimate instinctual desires for fuel, or if they are motivated by other things.  Try to be more specific about what you are craving: instead of craving cheese, you may be craving something salty, creamy, and warm.  The good news is you can have things that are salty, creamy, and warm without consuming dairy products. 
3. Where you can't remove, replace.  I ask you to do this only where the first two steps were insufficient, because often the things we use to replace dairy and meat are just as unhealthy as the original.  However, there are so many options out there that as long as you continue to focus on whole foods and variation, I don't think they will do a huge amount of harm to your body.  Read up and decide what your nutritional needs are, and make your choices accordingly.

This chart can be used as a basic guideline in how to replace dairy in your diet, based on your culinary, craving, and nutritional needs.  The main time to implement the rules of the challenge are at the grocery store, so consider the following before you hit the aisles. 

You want:	You actually want:	You can have:
Milk	Something creamy and refreshing.   Something to add liquid to a recipe.   Calcium and Vitamin D.	Rice Milk, Nut Milk, Coconut Milk, and Soy Milk are found in many normal grocery stores and your local health food store, and will blend seamlessly with many recipes.  They’re also good on their own.  I will be writing about the different options in more detail soon. Get your calcium and Vitamin D right from the sources, and eat your leafy greens and get out in the sun.
Cheese	Something salty, creamy, and warm.   Another layer of flavor in a recipe.   Protein and Calcium.	There are many brands of vegan cheese that taste very similar.  They are often nut-based or soy-based, and will melt, grate, and spread just like the cow stuff.  And again, go to the sources for Calcium and Vitamin D.
Butter	Something salty. A means of cooking another food. Fat.	Earth Balance makes a very convincing vegan butter and can be found at Trader Joe’s and other health food stores.  Wherever you can, though, try to use fats that are plant-based for cooking, or avoid using fats altogether by steaming, boiling, and baking.
Cream	Something really creamy. Liquid and fat to bring form to a recipe. Fat.	Coconut milk and soy milk seem to be the thickest of the milk replacements, in my opinion, so try those if you need to.  Also, refrigerated coconut milk will whip up just like cream does, and you’ll need less added sugar.*

*Trader Joe's also sells this amazing coconut-based ice cream that will really help you out.  Give it to your friends and don't tell them it's dairy free - they'll never notice.

And that's it!  Take advantage of the resources available to you and add some variety to your diet.  Even eliminating the smallest things can have an impact on the health of your body, some cute little farm animals, and the planet.  Remember that planning ahead and keeping the calorie count up will keep you from caving in, whenever you're dealing with dietary restrictions, and that the best diet is one based on whole foods.

Let me know your thoughts on this idea.  How difficult would it be for you to get rid of dairy?  Do you think this would be the hardest part of going vegan, or would it be something else?  What kind of meals do you make without dairy?

* * * * * 

For those of you interested in my travels, my weekend in Zurich was amazing!  I had very few expectations and few plans, but I had a really good time there.  It was a very interesting change of pace, and contrasted the culture of Florence pretty drastically.

Being in that city felt like visiting an amusement park for three days: everything was clean, every person fit, happy, and beautiful, and every location easily accessible.  I felt extremely safe there, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a place to travel to alone.

With that said, I can barely afford to breathe there.  There was no spontaneous spending, but I managed to have a nice time in an affordable manner.  I had packed many of my meals ahead and then visited the grocery store for food so that I could splurge on a really good meal once or twice.  I paid for a Zurich Card, which gave me unlimited access to public transportation and many museums and attractions in the city.  At twenty four francs for twenty four hours, it was definitely a good investment.

I hiked on Mount Uetliberg, did a boat tour of the lake, visited many of the parks, saw the university, and went into a lot of posh clothing and furniture stores.  It was such a beautiful place and had so much to offer to travelers; I'm quite happy with my first out-of-Italy destination.  Check back next week for what happens to me in London.

Dairy Facts

If you've read my blog or been updated on my current life in any other form, you know that dairy is not my friend.  I used to consume it daily without any immediate negative side effects, but my tolerance for it has plummeted to a point where even small quantities have me feeling sick.  No matter how much I wanted it to be, dairy is not good for me.  But I have a secret: dairy isn't really that good for you either.

I always try to make it clear that while I believe that a vegan diet is the healthiest for my body, other choices are acceptable too.  I didn't create this blog to publicize why I have made my choices or rope other people into a vegan diet.  With that said, I feel pretty strongly that the amount of dairy consumed in the standard American diet is not good for us.  If you're interested in the nutrition facts about dairy, I encourage you to do your own research and to click here for my opinions on it.  But for now, I'll just give you my two cents.

1. Consuming dairy is weird.  When you get to the end of The Grapes of Wrath, nobody is sitting there thinking, "yeah that would really hit the spot right now."  So we agree that drinking human breast milk after infancy is strange, right? But it's okay, because we get it not from our mothers, but from other people's mothers.  Nope, still weird.  Well, the mothers we get it from are animal mothers.  Yeah, that's cool, right? That's definitely not weird.
   
   I think that many people are very detached from the primary sources of their food, so that argument may not really get you on board.  Even though you know where dairy comes from, when you see it packaged up all nicely in a bottle of low fat milk or a block of cheese, it doesn't really bother you.  But what really got me thinking was when I learned that the human body naturally stops producing lactate, the enzyme that digests lactose, after infancy (because that's when we're supposed to be done with it).  When someone develops lactose intolerance, their body is just functioning naturally.  The abnormality is actually the lactate persistence that many people develop by continuing to consume dairy through adulthood (Patrick-Goudreau).  Fascinating.  So it's weird to consume dairy, but people do a lot of other weird things.  There's a lot more going against dairy, though.
2. Diary consumption is linked to a variety of health issues, like mine.
   Migraines, acne, and asthma are three health issues that I did not have to research to link to dairy consumption; in my own body, these three things nearly disappeared after I stopped consuming dairy.  However, in eliminating dairy from my diet, according to the Physician's Committee of Responsible Medicine, I have also lowered my risk of Osteoporosis, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and types of cancer, and eliminated sources of contaminants (Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products).  Other side effects people have claimed to be related to dairy include constipation, arthritis, and insomnia, but I have no sources that provide scientific proof.
   
   So unless you sleep like a baby, have beautiful clear skin, poop twice a day, and don't get any of the other health issues I've mentioned, it might be fun to try out a dairy-free diet.  I am a firm believer that the best way to find out if something works is to try it yourself.
3. The benefits do not outweigh the risks.  What are the benefits of dairy products?  The one that they are most known for is Calcium.  Let's break that down: Calcium is a mineral that comes from the ground.  When cows eat grass that is grown on calcium-rich soil, the calcium is processed and excreted in their milk, along with whatever else they have consumed.  Some argue that our bodies cannot process the calcium once it has been processed by the cow.  But when cows don't eat grass, their feed must be artificially supplemented with calcium (Patrick-Goudreau).  Therefore, most of the calcium consumed in dairy products is hard to digest and unnatural.
    
4. It's really easy to stop consuming dairy.  Nutritionally, there are many other sources from which to get the benefits of dairy products.  Beyond that, there are so many substitutes and resources out there for you.  Just try it, and you will surprise yourself.  

Works Cited

Patrick-Goudreau, Colleen. "From Excuse-itarian to Vegan." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Oct. 2011. Web.        1 Mar. 2014. 
"Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products." NutritionMD.org ::. Physician's Committee for              Responsible Medicine, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.                                     

Avocado Sandwich: My Favorite Vegan Meal Ever

Sorry for the late post this week: I was in Zurich this weekend and had really limited internet connection. I'll tell you more about it my next blog, but first, enjoy this!

Avocado Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 Avocados, preferably Hass (because who even eats the other kinds?)
• 2-3 Sun-dried Tomatoes
• 1 Handful Arugula 
• 1 Splash (because I like to be scientific) Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Round Ciabatta Loaf

Directions:

1. Slice the ciabatta loaf in half separating the top from the bottom, then in half again, separating the loaf into two sandwiches.  If the bread is really thick, you can hollow out the top piece.  This makes it easier to eat, and also creates a secure little flavor cave for the ingredients.
2. Drizzle the balsamic over the bottom halves of both sides of the loaf.  If you can, try to use authentic balsamic vinegar.  It really makes a difference. 
3. Slice the sun dried tomatoes into small strips: they're very flavorful so you'll want to spread them out.
4. Spread the avocado over each sandwich, being as generous as you want.  I usually use about 3/4 of the avocado for one sandwich and finish the rest on it's own.
5. Top with arugula and top half of bread.

Additional Comments:

I'm not really sure what encourages me to post one recipe over another.  As long as it fits the criteria of being delicious, filling, and healthy, I don't really have a reason not to.  But all of the sudden I realized that I hadn't posted my favorite vegan meal of all time: the Avocado Sandwich.

Sandwiches are my favorite thing.  There's so much variety and they're so convenient.  In the past life in which I ate cheese all the time, I was a master of the grilled cheese (omitting the time my grilled cheese landed someone in the hospital... honest mistake).  There's nothing inherent about sandwiches that make them not vegan, but I found myself having a hard time finding that same variety when I eliminated the cold cuts and cheese that we so enthusiastically incorporate in our lunches.  I was not going to eat peanut butter and jelly for the rest of my life.  Avocados solved that problem.

Now, an Avocado Sandwich does not have the 80/10/10 proportions that I strive for in my home cooked meals, most of the time.  In an avocado, about 76% of the calories come from lipids, about 19% from carbs and the rest from protein.  This makes the avocado far from high carb like other fruits and vegetables.  But where I come from, avocados are a really big deal, and also I love them.  They also have what many call "healthy fats," so if that's what you're into, then you'll like this a lot.

It's simple and you probably thought of this on your own already, but I thought it was worth posting.  Let me know what you think!

Before you go: In the next few weeks my blog will be turning four months old.  I'd like to start a monthly or bimonthly Q and A blog, so please please please submit your comments, questions, and recommendations to me either in the comments below, on facebook, through email, or however.  Please!

Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa Slaw

Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Slaw

It's a quinoa salad, but I thought the term "Slaw" made it much less pretentious.

I've adapted this recipe from Ina Garten's Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. Though I would never deny the wonder that is Ina Garten nor her expertise in making delicious food, this alternative is vegan and gluten free and contains less fat. I've made a lot of her recipes, and I've found that there usually is too much oil. That's not just me being healthy, either! Sometimes I just think it's a little too oily for my taste.  This is a recipe that you can make for your family or save in your fridge for a quick lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Onion, roughly chopped

1 Eggplant, peeled and  ¾ inch cubes

1 Red Pepper,

2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

3 Cups White Button Mushrooms, halved

1 Cup Quinoa

2 Cups Vegetable Broth

3 or 4 Tbs Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Dry White Wine

Salt and Pepper

1 Lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Toss onion, eggplant, red pepper, tomatoes, and garlic in olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan.  Bake on middle rack until browned, about 25 minutes.

Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium sized pot.  Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer.  Cook, lidded, until the liquids are absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the halved mushrooms in the wine on medium heat until they have exuded their liquid and browned, about ten minutes.

Serve vegetables and mushrooms over quinoa, and squeeze lemon to taste.

Additional Comments:

• The salt in this recipe is recommended but not required - try adding less than you would normally (stay with me) because the lemon will bring out the flavors in the same way that the salt does. Also, aim for a low sodium vegetable broth.
• Because we've reduced the oil, use a non-stick pan or parchment paper. If you're stuck with a difficult dirty dish at the end of the recipe, put baking soda on it, let it sit for a few minutes, then pour boiling water over the pan. The cooked-on grease will come right off; no need to do extra work because you're using less fat. Then take a second to think about how weird it is that baking soda does that to dishes but we eat it anyways... I dunno.
• The vegetables listed in the recipe make delicious food, but you can try with whatever vegetables you want - local, in season, in your pantry already, whatever.
• In order to lower the fat, it's important to cook the mushrooms separately: they are like little sponges for liquids and won't share with the other vegetables. If you're not a fan of the flavor of wine, see these substitutions.
• If you don't eat quinoa regularly now, take it easy. It is a powerful grain that your body will need to make adjustments to. If you want to know more, see the nutrition facts and make some inferences.

Thanks for reading and let me know how your fooding goes. Like always, I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for Reading + One Day Vegan Challenge

Hello everyone!  I have a lot of pieces on the way: vegan gelato in Florence, where to find the health food stores here, healthy travel food, etc.  But I have been pretty busy lately and I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for either beginning to read or continuing to read my blog.

Google Blogger gives me pretty limited information about who reads my blogs; there is no subscription necessary, which makes it more easily-accessible but more difficult to keep track of audiences.  One thing it does show me, though, is the location (by country) of people who access my blog.  On the left, you'll see that people have been reading (or at least opening the link and then becoming immediately disinterested) from all over the world, and that's awesome!

I know that there are people from all walks of life who at least occasionally read, but I would like to know more so that I can continue to be helpful to my audience.  If there is anything you would like to see more of, or if you have any questions to ask me, please let me know.  You can comment below (you do not need a Google+ account to comment), or contact me elsewhere.  I would love to know what you think!

In order to avoid making a blog that is totally pointless, I have one health proposition for you: use one of your weekends or even your vacation days to be really healthy.  Whatever that means to you is fine.  Take one day to give yourself no excuses, and live in a way that will give you optimal health.

Easier said than done, I know.  But I thought I would just plant the seed in your heads so that you can eventually try it out.  You'll find that many of the excuses you gave yourself are not as valid as you thought.  I initially committed to a short-term experiment with veganism and I realized that it was much easier than I thought it would be, and I think the same will be true for you.

So if my compelling charm was enough to get you to agree to this, you can try my very own Vegan for a Day Challenge.  Does that sound catchy enough? It'll have to do for now.

Vegan for a Day Challenge:

1. Pick your favorite breakfast with no meat, dairy, or eggs.  Lacking inspiration?  Try one of these.  When you eat the right things, you can and should eat until you're full.  
2. If the weather's good, head outside for at least 45 minutes in the morning.  Our body makes vitamin D from the sun.  Don't you think that is so cool?  No, just me? okay well I think it's cool and this is my challenge so just do it.  Exercising would be great at this time, but we can go simpler than that.  Eat your breakfast on the porch, take your dog for a walk, do something.  Even if you're literally laying on the ground for 45 minutes.  I don't care if you drag your flat screen to you living room window to watch whatever awful thing is on TV from outside, just do it. 
3. Eat a wonderful and delicious plant-based lunch.  If you're looking for a real challenge, go low-fat, too!  Whoever decided that deli meats were a requirement for sandwiches did not have enough appreciation for the avocado sandwich.  Whole grain bread, vegan spread of whatever kind, avocado, tomato: amazing.  If that doesn't just get you going, you can also try one of these.  And again, eat as much as you want.
4. Use all that extra plant-based energy to get a project done or do something really, really fun.  If you want to be healthy, you have to be happy.  If it's going to please you to be productive, you should do that.  But I'm not forgetting that it's your vacation day, so you don't have to.  As long as you're consciously choosing to do something because it is fun, I'd say that's still productive. 
5. For a snack, eat some raw fruits and veggies.  You can even put them on whole grain (or gluten-free if you're really going crazy) bread.  This can be repeated as many times as you want.  You shouldn't be hungry for a minute of this day.
6. Go back outside, but this time, you really should exercise.  Not in a "wow... you really could use a jog" kind of way.  But in a "I'm telling you what to do to be healthy so just listen to me and stop looking for reasons to be offended," kind of way.  You know? Swim, jog, walk, run, whatever.  Just do something. 
7. For dinner, try something new.  Keep it plant based, of course.  Like one of these.  There may be some weirdo ingredients that you don't have, but try it anyways.  You'll see that vegan diets don't have to be bland or boring.  Eat until you are full.
8. Treat yourself to an awesome vegan dessert.  There are so many that are amazing.  These are just some examples of the choices that are out there, so pick your favorite.  Share it with some family and friends, but don't tell them it's vegan until after they eat it... it's more fun that way. 
9. When you feel like you're done with food for the day, head over to cronometer.com and input all the food you ate.  Set some health goals for the day, and see if you've met your expectations. 
10. Spend an hour before bed away from your phone and your computer.  The next step up would be away from the TV, too, but I still like to watch a good movie before bed sometimes. 

Weeeeoooooeeeeooooo you've completed the one day vegan challenge.  Imagine flashing lights and confetti.  Was that so bad? No.

So, half of you are reading this and saying, "This is cute, Katherine, but I don't have time or energy or motivation for this."  I know the feeling.  But it's just one day, so you can handle it.  I mean, I can't motivate you to do something, but I can tell you that it's easier and more fun than you think.  To make it easier, get a friend or family member to do it with you.  Also, the more research you do ahead of time, the easier it will be.  Take ten minutes out of each weekday to pick out recipes and track down ingredients.  Then, the healthy things will be at your disposal.  You really can do this, and you should!  Even if you feel good about your health now, it's good to be challenged every once in a while. 

The other half of you are saying, "Are you even a real vegan?  You should be suggesting low fat and non GMO and organic and way more exercise and less fun"  (Okay, I may be exaggerating with the less fun thing).  I agree.  Simply being vegan is not the point of optimal health - there are a lot of unhealthy vegans, and I wouldn't want to suggest otherwise.  But this challenge is for people who think being vegan alone is too difficult or too extreme to handle.  I'm just trying to show everyone that it's not. 

Let me know what you think of the challenge!  I'm thinking of making this the first in a series of challenges that will include longer durations and stricter, more specific diets, etc.  But not if this is a really lame idea and I just don't realize it because I'm from Generation Y and I assume I'm destined for great things.  I'd also love to hear about your results.  Keep me updated. 

Careful Fooding: Parma and Modena

I've been very busy fooding for the past week.

First, I started my semester, which includes a Vegetarian Italian Cooking class.  We'll be studying the nutrition of a vegetarian diet, learning to cook vegetarian meals, and observing how the traditional Tuscan diet conflicts and coincides with vegetarianism.  I look forward to using the information I get in class here in my blogs, as well as in my day-to-day Florentine life.

I've also spent a lot of time exploring the vegan and vegetarian options here in Florence.  From pizza to gelato, there really isn't anything I'm going to miss out on by sticking to a mostly vegan diet while I'm here.  I say "mostly vegan" because I am not being as careful about ingredients as I could be, but I am fully confident that one could remain 100% vegan without missing out on the Tuscan experience.  All it takes is a little research.  In a future blog, I will tell you exactly how to do that: where to find vegan food, how to tell people you don't eat dairy, how to avoid the looks of disgust after you tell someone you don't eat dairy, etc.

But more information about all of that will come later.  Today, I want to talk about my amazing and food-filled weekend.  On Saturday, I took a day trip out to Parma and Modena, on which I toured a cheese and a prosciutto factory, then toured and sampled from a traditional Modena acetaia.

If you've been in Florence for a few weeks, the trip out to these locations will be well worth the two hour drive for the scenery alone.  This area has an abundance of the rolling hills that are so characteristic of Italian countrysides.  I have neither a fancy camera nor the patience to really capture the landscapes, but hopefully you get the idea.  The persistent rain seems like a burden here in Florence, where puddles in the cobblestone seem to last forever; but coming out here made it clear that the rain is what makes Tuscany such a big deal.  The land was well-watered and I didn't feel that twinge of guilt I sometimes feel when I see a huge lawn in California.

That's the thing about Italy, though.  I mean, there are thousands of cultural differences, but the big one that I've noticed is that things are done with a sense of permanence, and nothing seems to be manipulated too severely.  They make one awesome looking church and it stays there for hundreds of years.  They get some good grapes off of the hills in their natural state, and they make a bunch of wine and balsamic vinegar.  They get one successful business idea, and their family continues the practice for generations.  Extra care is given to delicate but simplistic processes: a lot of finesse but little fuss.  The result, of course, is some pretty delicious food.

We started the tour early in the morning at “Azienda Agricola Saliceto,” where the family of employees showed us the production process of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  It was a building the size of a large home surrounded by acres of grass for their cows to graze.  Part of the "secret recipe" of each cheese maker's Parmigiano-Reggiano is the diet and lifestyle of their cows, and a similar level of finesse and control is placed on every element of the production process.

While the milk is boiled in large copper vats, they use what looks like a bird cage on a stick to whisk the milk into curds and whey.  It's a really personal process: they put their hands right in it to make sure it is the right temperature, and they separate the curds from the whey with just their strength and a large cheese cloth, etc.  I couldn't help but think about American health codes and wonder if they were as arbitrary as I think they are.  The cheese goes into a mold to harden, which includes the label of the farm and the date it was created.  From there, it soaks in salt water for 12 to 36 months.

Parmigiano-Reggiano includes three ingredients: milk, salt, and time.  The quality of the milk is extremely specific and the process of adding the salt is controlled to a T, but it is the duration and specificity of the aging process that really makes this famous cheese what it is.  The flavor of the cheese is attributed to not only the careful process, but the way the wind enters the soaking room, the difference in temperatures in Parma, etc.

 A similar story was told at the "Salumificio La Perla."  It was a large building perched high on the hills of Parma, equipped with immaculate views and a black lab to greet you when you arrived.  Inside, there were three HUGE rooms full of hundreds and hundreds of the thighs of little piggies (well, large piggies, but still piggies) being cured.  To the piggie-meat, they added only salt and, once again, time.  The family of workers spread a  layer of salt on the imported pork thighs, which are then hung on racks for a number of days (I was too distracted by all the meat to take specific notes).  This layer is washed off and the pork gets massaged, and a new layer of salt goes on for the remainder of the curating process.  As my tour guide said, "the pigs are treated very nicely, but only after they cannot feel it anymore."

Towards the end of the curing process, each individual thigh must be tested  to make sure it has dried out completely.  How do they do this?  Carlo, the owner of the factory, personally pokes a needle made of horse bones (I know) in five specific places on the thigh and sniffs it.  He told us that he had an amazing sense of smell, and that his nose is ensured for three million euro!  If he is satisfied by the scent of the thighs, the meat gets a branding stamp of approval.

Let's recap for a second.  The raw meat hangs in a cold room.  We put salt on it.  It hangs in a cold room for a few more months.  Then we eat it.  I try to have an open mind about the food of different cultures, but I just want us all to absorb that in our minds.

Regardless of how you feel about the piggies (would it be easier if I stopped calling them piggies?), I know you would fall in love with the family that owned this factory.  For generations, they have been processing their meat in this extremely specific way, and caring for it seven days a week.  I had no idea what he was saying, but I know that Carlo was really welcoming and really charismatic.  They made us a three-course lunch after the tour, and insisted we finish every bite.  Beyond taking care to create quality prosciutto again and again, the family has created a facility that exposes thousands of tourists every year to a paramount element of Tuscan culture.

We finished the day with my favorite tour: the Acetaia Malpighi.  Unassuming on the outside, the building had an ambiance that I can only describe as "a room full of tiny things I can't afford."  The tour consisted of one room only: a little attic full of open black barrels, pictured here.  The small opening allows for the water to evaporate from the grape juice, and is covered by a cloth napkin for sanitary purposes.  To earn the title of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, the grape juice must age for a minimum of twelve years.  Though they sell younger varieties in their facility, only the twelve year old and up vinegars can bear the prestigious label and be housed in the specifically shaped bottle.

After the tour we went into the tasting room and tried about fifteen varieties of Balsamic Vinegar: from young, white vinegar, made from only uncooked white grapes, to the 25 year old Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, to their progressive combination vinegars.  I was fascinated by the variety of flavors that came from the same one ingredient.  The younger varieties were extremely bright, and the older were thicker and more warm.  My inner foodie was perfectly content with the experience, even before they brought out the balsamic vinegar-filled chocolates.  Yeah, that is a real thing and it is amazing.  I left with a young vinegar, meant to be paired with fruit and salads.

If you've read any of my other blogs or been a part of my recent life in any way, you know how I feel about cheese and meat.  But even in the prosciutto factory, they do something that many people have completely lost sight of: they take care of what they eat.  In previous blogs, I discuss a person's relationship with food.  The relationship that Carlo has to his food is much better than that of a person eating the standard American diet.  Though pork and salt are by no means healthy ingredients in my mind, the way you feel about food once you are aware that this kind of process was necessary for production will deflect many unhealthy habits.  When you know your cheese has been aged for twenty five years, your portion might be smaller.  When you know that millions of grapes were necessary for your bottle of balsamic, you might choose to pair it with higher quality ingredients.

Though this is mostly a travel blog, I can't help but include a healthy call to action.  For the next week, eat whatever you want.  Anything you've already planned to eat, whatever diet you practice.  But every time you eat something, pay attention to it.  Consider what work went into getting it on your plate.  Was the process harmful or helpful to the ingredients? Am I happy to be contributing to the process? Whatever comes to mind, take note of it.  I think it will make you lean towards healthy choices.

Eating Florence - My International Fooding Adventure

Here's the thing about my time in Florence: if I had known that I wouldn't be able to eat gelato or cheese when I got here, I probably would have gone somewhere else.

So when one small cup of gelato made me feel horrible, I was pretty disappointed.  I had hypothesized that it was not dairy that made me sick, but the way dairy is processed.  In America, we do a lot to our milk.  Perhaps the closer-to-source dairy found in Florentine gelato would be better for me.  Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I had to test it out.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  No matter how you spin it, dairy and I will never be friends.

Back in November, when I started this blog, I planned to experiment with different diets and tell you how they went.  I started with a vegan diet and planned to move on to a "Mediterranean" diet when I came to Italy.  The vegan thing worked really really well for me.  There is no doubt in my mind that eating vegan is the solution to many of society's mild to severe health issues.  It helped me so much that I don't think I will ever go back to the way I was eating before this; but while I am traveling, I must have an open mind about the way people eat around the world.  One solution is good, but many solutions is better.  The milk processing theory, for example, was important for me to try out.

For the next three months, I hope to explore two things: first, how the standard Italian diet affects life, and how standard Italian life affects diet.  Then, how to experience a culture completely while dealing with dietary restrictions.  I will eat, write, and be healthy, finding a balance between adopting the characteristics of a culture and maintaining optimum health.

***

For those of you looking for an update that goes beyond my dietary health, I am all settled in and doing very well!  My apartment is spacious and in a lively neighborhood - the Piazza Santo Spirito.  I wake up to the sounds of an Open Air Market and go to sleep to the sounds of locals socializing in restaurants and bars.  I wasn't prepared for the jet lag or the extent at which the language barrier has affected me, but I am quickly adjusting.

I've been exploring both on my own and with friends, and I can't avoid the beauty of the city.  That sounds cliche and awful, but no matter where you turn there is something ancient and amazing. I still stumble ungracefully through Italian, but I can see myself progressing already.  I'll be taking Italian this semester and getting extra help from friendly locals; the woman who sells vegetables outside my door, for example, has been helping me along quite a bit.

There is no such thing as personal space here - not between people, not between cars, not between people and cars.  Because of this, everyone constantly clutches their belongings in every public place. Whenever I make the slightest bit of eye contact with anyone, they greet me with buongiorno, buonasera or ciao, especially in the morning.  Though nothing (and I mean NOTHING) happens before 8:30AM here, after that time my neighborhood is a lively place.

So far, it seems like the customs are much more widely accepted here.  No one is working before eight thirty, everyone is out shortly after.  No business is open in the afternoon, and if you're out on Sunday morning in any place that isn't a church, you're definitely just visiting.

It was hard for me to say goodbye to everything I have in America, but I can already tell that this is going to be a really rad experience, and I'm really grateful.


If you have questions, comments, an Italian-English Dictionary, or advise for traveling through Europe, comment or email me.