Vegan Nutritionista Website

Yesterday, I was doing a few google searches to try and find an interesting vegan blog to spend my time with for a few minutes to wind down at the end of the day. After about ten minutes, I was a little disappointed that I just kept coming across blogs that looked promising at first glance, but then had the reoccurring theme of "being a vegan means making my plate look just like a meat-eater's, by using fake meat substitutes and lots of processed food". I saw lots of pictures of "beef" stroganoff, and "bacon" sandwiches, and basically a lot of dishes with a lot of quotation marks. Sigh. Besides not being a healthy way to live, I don't understand how people who get sick at the thought of eating an animal can look at food that *looks* like it came from an animal and not get the same feeling.


I had a brainwave (very difficult after a long day, I tell you) and realized that I should search something like "healthy vegan" instead (not all vegans are created equal), and came up with more of what I was looking for. The first site I went to was called Vegan Nutritionista. I had already wasted my time elsewhere, so I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it last night, but signed up for their monthly newsletter and went to bed. This morning I sat down at my computer to find a nice email asking me to confirm my membership and giving me the chance to download a free e-book. It was a very nice start to my day. Of course, that led me to stray off the path of things I should be doing, and explore the sometimes rather mucky path of things that I might regret later when my work is not done. No worries this time. I found a very thorough and well thought out FAQ page, maybe the best I have ever seen.

Some Vegan Superheroes!

I was so excited yesterday to read about the diets of the two trainers on the popular TV show The Biggest Loser. Bob Harper is a vegan and was the 2010 spokesperson for Farm Sanctuary. It looks like he has been vegan for about 3 years according to my rough calculations. Check out an interview with him below. I love the part where he says that every product you buy in a grocery store is a vote - a vote for the kind of food you want to see, and a vote *against* the food you are choosing not to buy.





Jillian Michaels is the other trainer on the show. She does not eat a complete plant-based diet, but beef, chicken, and dairy are all excluded from her diet. A tidbit: Jillian will be leaving the show at the end of this season (to focus on motherhood). I think it is a real testament to a plant-based diet to have these two role-models, who are seen as two of the healthiest people in America, eliminating all or most animal products from their diet.

Ready for a Challenge? Vegetarian Times

Vegetarian Times is hosting a 28-Day Boot Camp for those who want to try out being a vegetarian and need some help and guidance, for those "sometimes vegetarians" who want some motivation to go all the way, or for all the time vegetarians who just want to refresh their plan. They are already on day 11, but you can get the full meal plan here. You can also sign up for daily emailshere.

It doesn't really work that well if you are vegan however. Many of the recipes have dairy or eggs in them. Guess we are on our own. Maybe at some point I will have to make a Vegan Boot Camp for the rest of us.