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Kathryn

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Everything posted by Kathryn

  1. I like that idea! Or just the letter "V," made up of 'vegan' in different languages. I agree, though, that just saying 'vegan' won't cut it in most places. Better would be the 'vegan passport' type thing. You can maybe find the word for 'vegan' in some other languages by going to Wikipedia, searching 'vegan' in the English version, then looking down at the left side of the page and seeing what other languages have articles on it. Then click that language, and you'll have the word for 'vegan.'
  2. Another tip that I picked up from a kettlebell DVD with a vegan instructor (Mike somebody or other). Traditional advice is to exhale on the exertion, but he does many rowing moves inhaling on the exertion. I tried it, and it seems to stabilize the shoulder girdle because the chest is easier to hold upright (having air in the lungs) , making it easier to keep the shoulders in a safer, braced position on upright rows (my modified version) and lat rows. Probably not good if you tend to lift hugely heavy weights, and hold your breath so you get red in the face, and risk a valsava maneuver, but helpful for shoulder stabilization otherwise.
  3. Green tea has a lot less caffeine than coffee, and less than black tea, but more than white tea. You can, however, get de-caff green tea (which I would count as a water substitute, just as I would any uncaffeinated herbal tea. Newer research is even showing that coffee is not as dehydrating as was previously though). The fat-burning substance in green tea is EGCG (epigallo-something-or-other, LOL!). For best flavor, green tea should be steeped in less-than-boiling water (if water comes to a boil, let it sit for a minute or two to cool, or just don't let it hit boiling) for not more than 4 minutes (some recommend just 2-3 minutes). Longer than that, or using hot water, makes the tea somewhat bitter.
  4. Looks a little too low-calorie. If you don't eat enough calories to fuel your daily activities, it can actually have the opposite effect you want, and cause your body to hold on to whatever weight it has, because it can cause a drop in metabolism. The breakfast could be good, depending on the type of cereal you're talking about. Most boxed cereals are processed foods, made with flour. It would be better to cook a whole grain (quinoa, oats, amaranth, buckwheat, teff, millet) and use this as the base of your cereal. I agree about adding 1-2 snacks. Raw foods would be good for this. You might consider adding more veggies, and watching the grain consumption. Veggies are much more nutritious than grains.
  5. You could also get 'vegan' in different languages: French: végétalien (the masculine form)
  6. Can you set up some kind of "signed copy of book and a package of the new Smoothie Infusion" special price deal? For your pals. Huh?
  7. This is great news. Still don't know if I want to buy from a company that used to be gung-ho about animal testing, and only stopped after a lot of pressure was put on them. Maybe I'll just declare a moratorium, and if they continue with their good behavior for a year, I'll buy again (though I do prefer Naked Juice's pomegranate blend).
  8. If the "activated" version contains glucosamine, that's probably where the shellfish ingredients come from. So it sounds like the regular version is vegan. I order powdered açaí directly from Sambazon (www.sambazon.com) and toss some in a smoothie from time to time.
  9. It's supposed to interfere with the absorption of some nutrients, especially iron.
  10. Dr. Fuhrman has formulated one called "Gentle Care," which I highly recommend. More and more nutritionally-minded doctors are recommending to not take vitamin A or isolated carotenes, and GC omits them. It's also been formulated with vegan diets in mind.
  11. Yuk! Anything with high fructose corn syrup/sweetener in is definitely nasty.
  12. That doesn't mean I eat much of it now. People are at different places on their dietary journey. At one point, I did use more seitan and gluten, now I rarely do. I was just responding to someone's request for a recipe. Obviously, that person still eats it.
  13. Kathryn

    Seitan

    Not really, since you have to make a broth to simmer the other recipe in anyway. And the broth ingredients don't need any measuring: pretty much just toss them in--though the onion should be chopped. No 'recipe' really needed.
  14. Kathryn

    Seitan

    It didn't taste like 'boiled flour' at all. I suppose if you just cooked it in water it would, but it absorbs the flavor from the broth and whatever else you put it in.
  15. Kathryn

    Seitan

    You don't have to add all those ingredients to wheat flour to make seitan. A very basic recipe is just wheat flour, simmered (never boiled, as it changes the texture to to 'puffy') in a broth. For basic gluten (as per "The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook"): Mix together 8 cups flour (1/2 unbleached with and 1/2 gluten flour--some recipes use all gluten flour because it's faster, but the end result isn't as good IMO) and 2-3 cups water to form a stiff dough. Knead 10-15 minutes until you have a smooth dough ball. (It should spring back when poked). Put this in a large bowl, cover with water, and let sit for an hour. Then, knead this under water, kneading out the starch and holding the gluten together. It may not hold together well at this stage, but keep on going and don't get discouraged. Change water when it gets milky. As you rinse out the starch (the 'milkiness' in the water), the mass will hold together better and better. Let it rest, then repeat the kneading, letting it rest, changing water several times. When the water stays almost clear, you'll have about 4 cups of gluten. It should be quite stretchy: there's a photo in the Farm Veg. cookbook of someone holding up one end of a piece of ready-to-cook gluten, and it's hanging like a big rubber band. Simmer this in a broth of water or vegetable stock, soy sauce, onion, a bit of oil, about 1 hour. Again: simmer, do not boil. Keeping the temp low keeps the seitan dense and 'meaty.' It's a bit time intensive, because you have to be around for the various kneedings, but makes a much better texture seitan than just mixing up gluten flour. The secret is in the kneading and rinsing. I used this recipe to make seitan for a chili recipe to serve at a party, and one woman refused to believe it wasn't meat. She INSISTED that I MUST have used meat in the chili.
  16. This was actually only my second order from them (I usually order from Vegan Essentials), so they're batting 500 for me. I don't remember anything off in the first order, except that the vega bars (I bought a dozen) and other bars were just kind of tossed in the package---maybe I'm spoiled by Vegan Essentials and other places where they either wrap them in bubble wrap, or, especially when I buy a case quantity like this, just use a Vega bar display box to send them.
  17. From what I've read, wheat is not a grain we should be eatiing much of. It acidifies the body, often harbors molds and funguses because it is stored for a long time in silos, it is one of the most allergy-inducing foods, and is very hybridized. Better is spelt or kamut (less-hybridized forms of wheat that are lower in gluten). Or organic sprouted wheat, if it's not possible to avoid wheat altogether.
  18. I would say it's more due to lack of flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back. Not fully straightening the leg would mean the hamstrings never get fully extended (but quads would be more). I can touch my palms flat to the floor in front of my feet (on a good day, with no shoes on).
  19. Be aware if you order from Food Fight that not everyone is on the ball there. I ordered a large bag of the Vega Infusion, as well as a 12-pack of the single servings (cost $25 each). What I was sent was the large bag...and ONE SINGLE SERVING PACK (which I paid $25 for!). They did refund my overcharge when I let them know what happened, but I think better service would have been to SEND ME WHAT I ORDERED or at least ask me whether I wanted a refund or the complete order. (I'm hoping Vegan Essentials will start carrying this. )
  20. I just bought myself a Soyabella soy milk and nut milk maker as an early birthday present, and I've been experimenting a bit. So far, I've made a hemp-sesame milk (3/4 hemp, 1/4 sesame, soak seeds 2 hours before grinding) which tastes a bit 'veggie' due to the hemp, but is better with a bit of agave and vanilla and makes a good smoothie. Today, I made macademia nut milk (1/2 cup macademia nuts, soaked overnight, makes 1 quart + 12 oz 'milk'). It was rather bland to begin with (but that's better than a funky aftertaste) but is DELISH with added agave, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Both milks are very pretty: 'milky' white and smooth. I hated to throw out the macademia nut past that was separated from the liquid, so I threw it together with some raw dried coconut, agave, vanilla and a touch of salt, and 6 'cookies' are now drying in my dehydrator. I don't know how they'll turn out, but the raw 'dough' tasted really good! So from 1/2 cup macademia nuts, I have over a quart of 'milk' and a half-dozen cookies. The high fat content doesn't seem so bad when it's divvied up like that! Anybody else make non-dairy 'milks'? Have a soymilk maker? Any recommendations for types of milks I should try? I'm planning to get a tofu-making kit (they cost $17.99) so I can make fresh (and I'm talking REALLY fresh) tofu from some of the soy milk I end up making. I'm always pleased when a new food experiment goes well, and so far, Im batting 100 (experimenting with raw dehydrated foods didn't have quite as positive a score!)
  21. Some advise against carrots and other root veggies because they are highly hybridized, and much sweeter than their original wild counterpart. Ripe bananas are very high glycemic as well (and more acid than less ripe bananas).
  22. Wraps! Get some sprouted grain tortillas and use them to wrap hummus (easy to make at home), lettuce, cucumbers, shredded carrots. Or fill with cooked grains, beans, chopped veggies of your choice. Or lettuce, avocado, cucumber, olives, sprouts. Whatever floats your boat.
  23. You definitely have to go into fasting prepared. Fruit juices are too high in sugar to be used much for fasting (same can be said of carrot and beet juice, which should be used with discretion). I did a 3-day water-only fast years ago, following Victoris Kulvinskas' recommendations: enemas and all (you need a way to get the toxins out that you are disurbing). I didn't think Id want to do the enemas when I first read about them, but when it came time to fast, it seemed like the thing to do. Let's just say some 'interesting' things came out---including some popcorn hulls from popcorn I had eaten more than 2 weeks earlier. During that time, I rested a lot, read, did mild activity. It was a very positive experience. Dr. Joel Fuhrman wrote an entire book dedicated to fasting. It is not 'a joke.'
  24. Thanks for the info so far, guys. I probably won't have much time to do much, arriving Wednesday late afternoon, presenting Thursday afternoon and going to a "VIP dinner" after that, then leaving Friday morning, but it looks like Thursday morning might be my time to try something out.
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