Eat up!

As I gaze out the window to the world from my cubicle, on this cloudy overcast Vancouver day, I wonder, where in the world is summer? Yesterday was the Summer Soltice 2010?

Last year, Vancouver experienced an Indian summer that lasted into August and created bumper crops across the fruit board, resulting in a plethora of tasty huge and ripe local fruits that everyone was eating into the fall. I was stuffing my face with giant, succulently sweet blue balls of goodness (blueberries) until Christmas! Loved it!

This year, I’ve heard through the grape vine that it has been so chilly and un-sunny that our fruit crops are suffering. My friend Larry owns apple and peach orchards in the Okanagan, and he drives a truckload down and gives out boxes to his students and friends on Commercial Drive at the end of summer. But this year, he’s not so sure how many box loads we'll get. I’m worried too! What’s going on?

Ever heard of contrails? I watched a YouTube video a couple months ago with my mom and aunt entitled “Global Dimming”. Very very fascinating.

Anywho, my point is that things are changing rapidly and everyone is aware of it. So let us not give up and become ostriches that stick bird brains in the sand! Let’s keep staying aware!

This month, the UN released a new report stating that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change. Big news. Check it out: UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet

On Friday, the Globe & Mail published are article entitled: Eat up – we may soon witness the decline and fall of a food empire. The article outlines how societies from the Roman empire to imperial Britain crumbled as their food supplies crashed.Thought provoking ...

The more I think about being a vegan, the more I am.

Post script: I must stress that I am not a perfect vegan*, though I endeavour to be. More blogging on that to come.
*Side note: I think that it is philosophically impossible to be a 'perfect' vegan in our society, or any society for that matter (more blogging on that too, to come).

A Meditation at the 2 Month Trailhead of my Vegan Journey

I've been vegan now for two months and running. It's been an illuminating, fascinating and challenging ride to date. And it is only the beginning.

I admit, I am not the perfect vegan goddess I would like to be able to proclaim I am in this blog (yet). I have had my slip-ups and my moments of omnivore-envy.

Last Tuesday was my birthday and I went with a bunch of friends to a restaurant/bar that was one of my favourites in my pescatarian days. It's called Wazzubee's and it's located on the Drive, the hippyest corner of Vancouver you can find, and the street I've worked on for the past five years.

After enjoying an acai berry double rum shotted mojito-style beverage and a glass of white sangria, I ordered the vegetarian antipasto platter - we had been given a sample by our waitress and it was sooo good! It had an array of vegetables and legumes that had had an array of magnificent things done to theme like marinading, pickling and smothering in saucy sauces. Midway through the hor d'oevre of delights, I realized that the carrots had a cream sauce on them, likely dairy based. I blame it on the beverages. But it was my mistake.

On a different day the week before, there was an instance when I was sharing a Green & Blacks Orange & Spice chocolate with my dad and sis in the car after dinner out, only to realize that one of the last ingredients in the chocolate was whole milk powder, used as an emulsifier.

And, of course, there was the Tofu-rella episode where the cheese I got from the vegan cheese section at Caper's contained casein, a milk protein.

Ok, I committed the crime on one other occasion. Again on my birthday. After more than enough rounds, the party had moved back to my flat. My roomie made some popcorn with margarine (which contains liquid whey), and I am pretty sure I had a couple of kernels at the end of the night.

There!! I have admitted to my sins!

Phewf! I feel much better.

It's hard to avoid animal products when everything in our society is laced with them. I know I'll get better though. That's a part of the adventure for me! The anticipation of improvement. And the journey itself, of course. What the destination at the end of this journey is, I do not know. All I know is Namaste and I love animals. 

Bring me oodles and oodles of Udo’s oil!

I want to make a special mention to a very special oil I learned about from my Hare Krishna friend.


It’s called Udo’s Oil, and the one I buy is the Omega 3-6-9 DHA blend. Let me break it down for you:

Omega 3 and her sisters Omega 6 and Omega 9 are all essential fatty acids (EFA’s). When most people think of EFAs, they think of the daily tablespoon of cod liver oil that their mothers made them slug back, or a slab of dead salmon or other fish where conventional nutritional ‘wisdom’ says it is sourced from. What many people don’t realize is that Omega 3 and her sisters are originally sourced from plants. Then, when fishies eat these plants, they get the EFAs in them too. But you don’t need to eat fish to consume your EFAs my friends!

Plant sources rich in EFAs that people love to eat include flaxseeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. The health bennies of these seeds are endless, and I could fill up an entire blog with data on it, so I’m not going to bother! But I'll give you a quick preview anyways:

- Increases your brain power with focus, and memory
- Fights the growth of cancer cells
- Promotes optimal immune function
- Prevention of depression, heart disease, arthritis
- Increase of healthy skin cells
- Calms digestive disorders
- Blocks migraine headaches
- Lowers LDL cholesterol
- Reduces all kinds of inflammation
- Helps strengthen hair for a nice glossy coat

DHA is another part of this Udo’s Oil I buy and is derived from blue algae, another magic food with a myriad of health bennies up its sleeve. Udo’s Oil Omega 3-6-9 DHA blend cleverly mixes all of the key nutrients together, into one super magical oil. I eat Udo’s Oil everyday, with everything! It tastes great on toast in place of butter (with a sprinkle of sea salt), on salads to dress them, as well as for focaccia bread dipping and in stews, soups and casseroles. You can use it to make pates or dressings or whatever else you like! I plow through about 500 mL in a month or less. It makes me feel like I’m sparkling and glistening inside and out :)

Go Green with Hemp Seed Butter!

Everyday, after my hearty lunch (which usually consists of a legume, whole grain rice and fresh organic vegetables all mixed together with some favourite sauce or yummy oil) but before my dinner (which is often some new cooking concoction or a meal eaten out), I get a yen for a snack! Usually snack time will involve a baggy of nuts or some whole wheat rye crisps or crackers with peanut butter on top. The other day, I was feeling adventurous, so I bought some organic hemp seed butter for a change. The brand is Everland Organic, and the variety is Hemp Seed Tahini. It was green, which I found intriguing and appealing all at once.

I just popped open the jar, and shared some with a friend. She’s a fellow foodie, but by no means a vegan. We both tried it on Wasa Rye Crackers and were amazed with the results! The Hemp Seed Tahini tastes rich and nutty, with a delectable aftertaste. Then, I had 3 more! Then, I continued to eat it out of the jar … and then I started writing this post as I ate it … still crunching … Mmm

Two simple ingredients go into this green butter: hemp seeds and sesame seeds. The taste reminded me of something initially, that I could not quite put my finger on. Then, after a couple of bites, I was able to identify it: Halva. Double Mmmm. I’m excited to experiment with this glamorous green butter in baked goods, pates, dips and dressings – if I don’t eat it out of the jar all at once right now!

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Hemp seed is a magic food, with many health benefits. Here is what NaturalHealthWeb.com has to say about it:

Hemp seed oil is truly unique. Approximately 80 percent is polyunsaturated fat – the highest of any vegetable oil. Specifically, it contains the essential fatty acids (EFAs) linoleic acid (omega 6) and alpha linolenic acid (omega 3) in an ideal ratio for absorption by the body. These EFAs cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained from our diets. Hemp seed oil also contains gamma linolenic acid (GLA), from which omega 6 is naturally converted. Modern day diets and sluggish enzyme activity often impair this conversion and cause GLA deficiency. Hemp seed oil solves this problem. No other single source oil has this ideal combination of EFAs.



EFA’s are well researched in the literature and are attributed to many health benefits. Some of these include: reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, attention deficit disorder, depression and many others.