Dinner Parties - All Vegged Out

While writing about tough veggie
situations such as camping and
cookouts, I started thinking about
one of the hardest points in my
life as a vegan. Even harder than
trying to eliminate all meat, cheese
and dairy overnight was the first
night I ate dinner at my
boyfriend's house.

I had never in my entire life been
called a "picky eater" before that
night, and it bothered me
tremendously. Since then, I've
found ways to get around being
seen as a picky eater and have
started collecting easy and
unique recipes to help make
with my dinner hosts.

The best advice I have so far is to
1) Don't spring your veggie diet
on your hosts at the last minute,
and 2) Be prepared to help with
the cooking.

By not giving your dinner hosts
fair warning about what you do
and don't eat, you leave them
feeling guilty about not making
something you can eat. But by
not being involved in the cooking,
you risk your dinner hosts
accidentally including ingredients
that you don't want to eat. Don't
assume everyone knows what a
vegan or even a vegetarian diet
consists of. My boyfriend's parents
still to this day offer me fish,
turkey and dairy. It's up to you to
be responsible for what's being
cooked for you. That's not
something you want to, or even
should, put on your dinner host
to take care of.

The last thing you want to do is
offend your dinner host though,
so of course you'll decide the best
course of action depending on who
you're dining with. If you're eating
at a close friend's house, you might
both be perfectly comfortable
cooking together. If you're dining
with someone you don't know as
well, cooking with them could be a
great opportunity to get to know
them better. But if they're offended
at the idea of you having to cook
your own meal to get it right, you
might instead just want to write
up a list of the less-obvious things
you don't eat, or at least discuss
the dishes they're preparing before-
hand.

Below is a list of some great sites
where you can find recipes to get
you started:
VegWeb
The Vegan Chef
Vegan Food
Vegan Food for Meat-eaters
Everyday Vegan/Vegetarian Food
Vegan Connection
Fat-free Vegan Recipes
Vegetarian Resource Group Recipes

Photos on the right are from
VegWeb. Links to the recipes are
in order from top to bottom:
Tofu Alfredo Pasta
Super Chocolate Cake
Angel Hair w/Onion Sauce
General Tao's Tofu Chicken
Vegan Cheesecake
Jumbo Stuffed Shells
Potato Pancakes

Cookouts - Veggie Style

You can't have a great summer get-together without having a cookout. Sure, they're a lot of fun, but they can pose some obstacles for vegetarians and vegans. Afraid you'll be stuck with nothing to eat at the next cookout? Not sure what to bring instead? Don't worry! There are still plenty of great veggie options to choose from.

Some of the obvious veggie meals include fruit salads, pasta salads, potato salads and grilled vegetables. You can grill anything from corn on the cob to snap peas to zucchini. I don't know a single person who doesn't love grilled zucchini and squash. Wrap it up in some foil and season it with steak sauce, Cajun seasoning or maybe just some garlic and butter. Another option (for those of you who won't get hassled for bringing tofu to a cookout) is grilled tofu. When done just right, seared on one side and smothered in barbecue sauce, you have the simplest and best imitation barbecue ribs on the planet!

Both Boca and Morningstar Farms have made eating with non-veg*ans incredibly easy. Here are some of their "meat" options you can grill up at your next cookout:

Boca Burgers:
Flame Grilled
Original (vegan)
Grilled Vegetable
Roasted Onion (vegan)
Roasted Garlic (vegan)
Cheeseburger

Boca Chik'n:
Original (vegan)
Spicy (vegan)
Original Nuggets (vegan)

Morningstar Farms Burgers:
Cheddar Burger
Garden Veggie
Grillers Original
Grillers Prime
Grillers Vegan (vegan)
Mushroom Lover's
Philly Cheese Steak
Black Bean Veggie
Tomato & Basil Pizza Burger

Morningstar Farms Chik'n:
Buffalo Wings
Chik'n Nuggets
Original Chik'n Patties
Parmesan Ranch Chik'n Patties
Original Chik'n Tenders

Morningstar Farms Meal Starters:
Chik'n Strips (vegan)
Steak Strips (vegan)

Morningstar Farms Hot Dogs:
Original Veggie Dogs
Corn Dogs
Mini Corn Dogs

Camping Veggie-Style

The weather's getting warmer and students are getting restless. I've heard of a lot of students who are planning camping and hiking trips around this time of year, and I myself am even hoping to get out there and do some camping after these next three terrible weeks are over.

Camping is a great way to get away for a while and relieve some stress. But it can also contribute to some unnecessary stress for vegetarians and vegans who end up having to take all their own food to these trips for fear of being stuck out in the woods with beef jerky and canned chili.

Go out and enjoy this beautiful weather, sleep under the stars and nap by a lake … and don't stress over what you're going to eat. Here's a variety of things you can take on your camping trip:

For breakfast:
Dried or fresh Fruit
Toast/bagels with jam
Oatmeal
Cereal and soy milk (You can get soy milk that doesn't need to be kept cold at Wal-mart and The Herb Shop!)
Breakfast bars

For lunch:
Canned soup
Dried or fresh vegetables
Tofurky sandwiches
Veggie dogs
Peanut butter and jelly

For snacks:
Cliff bars, Luna bars, other protein and energy bars
Trail mixes, seeds, nuts
Granola, granola bars
Soy jerky
Hummus
Fruit and vegetables

For dinner:
Potatoes
Corn on the cob
Baked beans
Veggie chili
Canned soup

For dessert:
Smores
(You can even get real fancy by baking some cookies or brownies to take along with you - vegan desserts won't spoil like typical dairy and egg desserts!)

Sites to help you plan your trip:
MaryJane's Farm
Veggieboards: Camping thread

Sites to find packaged food great for camping:
Vegan Essentials
Vegan Unlimited
The Vegetarian Site

Quick Update!

I was reading through my old posts today, and I'd like to update you on a few things that have changed since writing some of those past entries.

1 - Herb Shop Vegan Cheese
(An update from the "Statesboro's Herb Shop" post, 03.09.07)
I've finally tried the vegan cheese from the Herb Shop! Despite all the awful things I've heard about some of the veggie cheeses out there, this stuff tasted surprisingly okay. If you're new to veganism, or just seeing if you can make it, I'd say definitely try it out. I tried the block mozzerella and (to those of you who've tried vegan cheese before) you'll be very happy to hear: it melted! However, be aware, I used only a small portion of the block and put the rest away for a couple days - and it molded up within only two-to-three days. If you're going to spend the money, make sure you're going to get through the entire block fairly quickly!

2 - Major Ramen Disappointment
(An update from the "Cheap Groceries: Vegetarians" post, 03.01.07)
To those of you on a tight budget, I'm sad to say that the Oriental flavored Ramen Noodles are no longer vegetarian! I'm not sure when it happened, but after randomly glancing at the back of the package just the other day, I realized the seasoning package now contains BEEF of all things. (Yea... real beef flavoring... in the *oriental* package) The noodles themselves are still alright, but definitely make sure you keep the seasonings out of your dishes from now on!

3 - Oreo... Uh-Oh?
(An update from the "Cheap Groceries: Vegans" post, 03.07.07)
I was re-reading the cheap veggie food post and realized I wasn't too clear about the kinds of Oreos that are vegan, so I thought I'd clarify it real quick. None of the "creme" flavors are vegan, as well as none of the double-stuffed, inside-outs or original flavors. The only two I've found that are vegan are the regular "mint" and the regular "peanut butter" flavors. Seeing as ingredients change much more frequently than I previously realized, I'll definitely be checking up on both of those the next time I visit the store. Check here to see what others are saying about the Oreos in their areas.

4 - How Could I Forget!
(An update from the "Cheap Groceries: Vegetarians" post, 03.01.07 & "Cheap Groceries: Vegans" post, 03.07.07)
I can't believe I forgot to mention... I wrote about some of the places you can find veggie products at Wal-mart, but I completely forgot to add that there's also a great veggie section in the last freezer row. This is a great place for those transitioning to vegetarianism who aren't ready to give up the taste of meat quite yet. There's an entire fridge here dedicated to Boca Burger meat alternatives and Morningstar Farm products. They have quite a lot of great vegetarian options surprisingly, including various flavors of burgers, 'meat'balls, chick'n nuggets, appetizers and microwave meals. There aren't too many vegan options here, but two products that I have found include the Boca Burger brand ground beef and the Boca Burger regular, "vegan" marked burgers. Both are very good. I've mixed the ground beef in with spaghetti and lasagna and haven't had a single complaint from non-veg*ans! Check out Boca's products here and Morningstar's here.

Easter Recipes

Easter is fast approaching, and if you're a seasoned veg*an, you know that the holidays can be especially stressful due to the major differences between traditional holiday foods and veggie dishes.

With more people becoming vegetarian and vegan every day and learning how to make holiday cooking as simple as possible, there are more holiday food alternatives than ever before. So don't sit and munch on dinner rolls and side salads this Easter. Try out some new recipes, test them out with your friends, and make a great veggie meal this holiday.

Below are a few recipes you should definitely try out for you (and for your family!) this Easter.

Tofu and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Vegetarian and vegan friendly -
Prep. time: 45 min.

*All of these ingredients can be found at any store in Statesboro, and the tofu can be found in the produce section of Walmart or at the Herb Shop

* 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled
* 3/4 cup vegetable broth
* 1/2 cup low-fat firm silken tofu (4 ounces)
* 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 675 grams / 1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes (4 medium), peeled and cut into 5 centimeter chunks
* 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Pinch of ground nutmeg

1. In small saucepan, combine garlic and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Transfer broth to blender or food processor. Add tofu and oil and process until mixture is smooth and creamy. Cover to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, combine potatoes with enough cold water to cover. Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of potato cooking water; drain potatoes well.

4. In large bowl, mash potatoes; gently stir in warm tofu mixture and enough reserved potato water to make smooth puree. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and nutmeg and serve.
Recipe found here.



Raspberry Cheesecake
- Vegetarian friendly - Easily made vegan by using vegan cream cheese -
Prep. time: 10 minutes - Wait time: 2 hours

*All ingredients can be found in Statesboro - find the tofu at Walmart or the Herb shop, and try the vegan Tofutti brand cream 'cheese' from the Herb Shop

1 container silk tofu
8oz cream cheese
1 cup powedered sugar
2 tablespoonns Raspberry preserves

1. Sofen cream cheese in microwave. Blend togather tofu and cream cheese, and slowly add sugar. Beat until it's creamy and has all lumps out. Add Preserves.

2. Pour into homeade or already prepared crust. Let chill for 2 hours.

3. Before serving, swirl raspberry glass in a circle in the middle, and add 2 chocolate covered strawberries in the center of the raspberry ring.

Recipe found here.


Some other good sites for finding veg*an Easter recipes:
Bryanna's Vegan Feast
The Vegan Kitchen
Veggie Boards (Thread: Easter meal ideas)
Veggie Boards (Thread: Holiday meal ideas)

Ordering Food On-line: 'Vegan Unlimited'

Vegan Unlimited is one of my favorite places to visit to check out new vegan products and food. I haven't ordered a whole lot of food products from them yet (their non-food products are wonderful!). But they do have a wide variety of food, some that you can't find on many other sites. (Check out their food section here.)

One section they have that really sets them apart from many other veg*an sites is their 'snack food' category. They have all kinds of snacks, from dried fruit and nut mixes to soy jerky to non dairy/gelatin pudding. The site also contains a better variety of 'Mac and Chreese' products than many other sites. Along with the mac and chreese are some other quick meals that other sites don't carry, such as 'Tasty Bite' bombay potatoes, Tasty Bite eggplant and 'Thai Kitchen' peanut noodles.

Vegan Unlimited doesn't focus real heavily on prepared meat-substitutes, but they do still have several meat alternatives. Most of them are "Dixie Dinner" brand, which I haven't yet tried. But all of them are quick and simple (most say they need only 5 to 10 minutes of microwaving or mixing).

While the site's 'sweets' section is quite small, the sweets they do offer I've never found at another veg*an site. They have alternatives for foods that many people don't even know aren't vegetarian/vegan, such as gummy candy, 'rice'mellow cream, licorice and creme-filled wafers. Their chocolate section, on the other hand, is huge. They have everything from simple chocolate bars and chocolate bites to hot cocoa and high-quality gift boxes of chocolate truffles.

Despite Vegan Unlimited's smaller-than-average food section, what they do have is very good, and much of it you won't find at other major sites. If you're looking to find some unique items, and do your non-food and food shopping at the same site, Vegan Unlimited is definitely for you.

Ordering Food On-line: 'Vegan Essentials'

Vegan Essentials is a wonderful site for vegan food as well as all kinds of other vegan products. For the vegetarians, there is a wide variety of soy meats and non-rennet cheese/dairy products. For the vegans, there are subsitutes for nearly any non-vegan foods you could want. (Click here to check out the site's food section.)

This is an especially great site for vegans who enjoy baking and cooking. The site contains a lot of substitute ingredients that are nearly impossible to find in Statesboro, such as honey and egg replacements, dairy sauces/spreads substitutes and prepared baking mixes.

My favorite thing about Vegan Essentials is that the site has comment sections below every product they offer. Buyers are encouraged to rate and review products they've bought from Vegan Essentials and compare them to other products. Nearly every product on the site has several comments and reviews. (For an example of the product reviews, click here.)

Below is a list of some of the things that Vegan Essentials offers:

Soy meats: The site offers similar 'meat' dinners and snacks as The Vegetarian Site, but they offer a much larger selection. Some of these products include soy hotdogs, deli 'meat' cuts, prepared quick dinners, "Bac'uns" bacon bits and 'beef' jerky.

Cheese substitutes: They have a nice variety of different kinds of cheese substitutes, including nacho 'cheese' dip, 'Mac and ChReese' quick meals, parmesan 'cheese' and non-dairy creamy dressings and sauces. This is one of the sections where the comments/reviews really help out - there are some really strange cheese substitutes out there, and the buyers on Vegan Essentials will let you know exactly what they did and didn't like about each product.

'Meals in Minutes': This is the section for college students! Although not as cheap as, say, Wal-mart, you can still find veg*an versions of quick, simple meals. Plus, if you shop smart and keep a lookout for sales, you probably won't spend much more than you would have elsewhere anyway. Some of the products in this section include many different kinds of 'chicken' noodle soup, 'Mac and ChReese' (including flavors such as alfredo and cheddar), 'chicken and cheese' enchilada soup mix, 'Rice Express sushi wraps and rice bowl,' sweet basil pesto mix and deli style 'meat' chops.

Some of the other sections on Vegan Essentials include:
- Baking mixes
- Candy
- Cookies, brownies and donuts
- Vegan jello substitutes
- Sauces, dressings and spreads

Ordering Food On-line: 'The Vegetarian Site'

Not finding the food you want in Statesboro? Unless you're really passionate about your diet, it can be difficult to stick to it when there is such little variety of veg*an options in town. Vegans hoping to find cheaper, quicker, ready-to-nuke sorts of foods can turn to the Internet for those simpler options. Vegetarians still transitioning from meat might want to check the Internet for fake meats that aren't available in the area.

Two years ago, I had never bought a single thing over the Internet. Today, I regularly check out my favorite sites for sale items and great foods I can't find here. Below I've described one of my regular sites, 'The Vegetarian Site.' I've never had a bad experience ordering from their company. In fact, the first time ever ordering from them, they e-mailed me not an hour after I sent in my order to let me know one of the products was back-ordered, asking if I preferred to have it shipped separately or a day later with the rest of the order. That's customer service!

The Vegetarian Site
Although The Vegetarian Site doesn't have an incredible amount of food products compared to some others, what I have tried from them has been very good. (Check out their food section here) Their hummus and falafel mixes are perfect for a quick snack and they have a lot of protein, nutrition and snack bars for when you're on-the-go.

They have several “Harvest Direct” fake meat products, such as “Strip Style Soy Chicken,” “Veggie Ribs Mix” and “Soy Taco Mix.” They also have many “Dixie Diner” quick meals, such as “Tuna (Not!) Salad Mix,” “Oriental Delight Choice Cuts & Sauce” and “Tenderloin Tips'n Mushroom Sauce.” I haven't tried any of their 'meat' products yet, but I've heard great things about them.

My favorite things to buy from The Vegetarian Site are chocolate bars, cookies and snack bars, but honestly, I haven't tried a single thing from them that I haven't loved. They commonly have products on sale too, which is a great bonus for the poor college student. (Check out their sale items now!)

Statesboro's Herb Shop

Health food nuts, vegetarians and vegans, organic buyers - if you haven't yet been to The Herb Shop in Statesboro, you are missing out!

Now, first off I do have to say - the place is very small. But if you're a vegan in Statesboro, you'll be able to find food there that you won't find at any other store within 50 miles of town. It seems as though they're constantly getting better options, too.

One more thing I must mention for the college students out there - it's not cheap. But if you're serious about your diet, it's well worth the price. I myself can only afford the occasional trip to the Herb Shop, but it's been more than worth it every time I've gone.

The store seems to be mostly all about, well... herbs. Remedies, herbal supplements, things like that. But considering how small the shop is, you'll also find a very wide variety of vegan foods. Here's a list of some of the things I've recently tried out from the Herb Shop:

Chocolate - They offer a huge variety! Check the ingredient labels, though. Some are vegan, some aren't.

Soy sour cream - Amazing stuff! I wasn't all that fond of sour cream before going vegan, but one of my favorite late-night meals these days is tortilla chips with salsa and soy sour cream. Also - I've only had one person out of several try it and say it didn't taste like the real stuff!

Cereal - I actually haven't tried any of their cereal yet, but just the fact that they offer it is great. I only found two kinds of cereal at Wal-mart that don't contain any milk derivatives.

Dairy-free cheese - Also something I haven't tried from the Herb Shop yet. I recently discovered that they offer vegan cheese and I'm saving up the money to try it out ASAP!

Soy meats - They have your typical veggie burgers and veggie dogs as well as a few more options that Wal-mart doesn't offer.

Quick vegan meals - This is the only place in Statesboro I've found where I can buy food that I can make in less than 10 minutes. Definitely try the microwave burritos!

Soy milk - They have about the same variety as Wal-mart, but they offer a variety of carton sizes as well, plus they also have soy milks that can be stored in the pantry.

Vegan mayonnaise - They offer the very-popular 'Nasoya' Nayonaise brand. I have to admit, I've had it on my shelves for months now and have never tried it. I've never been a fan of mayonnaise to begin with, so I'm still trying to figure out how to use it. But I have heard that it's incredibly similar to the real stuff, and that you'd never know the difference if it's used in a recipe.

Dairy-free ice cream - I just can't even express how excited I was to see vegan ice cream in a store in Statesboro - I went nearly 5 years without any deserts of any kind before realizing vegan options existed! My all-time favorite vegan ice cream (SoyDream) is unfortunately not offered at the Herb Shop yet, but I've been happy enough with the flavors they do offer.

Now, just to clarify - the Herb Shop is not a 'vegan shop' - you should still definitely read the labels before buying anything. But most of their products do seem to be clearly marked as vegan if they are. Products like the chocolate aren't so clearly marked - the "Endangered Species" brand has both vegan and non-vegan flavors of chocolate, but a quick read-through of the ingredients to scan for whey or milkfat is simple enough. (Check out more about Endangered Species Chocolate)

If you're new to veganism (or just getting sick of feeling like there's nothing to eat in Statesboro), the Herb Shop is the place for you. It's not Wal-mart cheap, but it's worth it. Check them out some time - the shop is located on Highway 67 in the plaza across from the fairgrounds, next to Smiling Buddha Tattoos. (Google map & directions)

Cheap groceries: Vegans

For the vegans living in Statesboro, I honestly can't think of a cheap place to buy groceries other than Wal-mart. Fortunately, they do have a decent selection. And luckily for the less-health conscious vegans out there, Wal-mart sells a lot of their own brand of products which are very cheaply made - meaning no dairy in many products that would normally contain plenty of non-vegan ingredients. My rule of thumb when shopping at Walmart - check the cheapest products first before scanning every product in the isle. I've actually found a lot of things this way, including cookies, cereal, bread, spaghetti sauce and pasta.

For the junkfood vegans: the peanut butter and mint Oreos
at the Statesboro Wal-mart appear to be surprisingly vegan!

Some ingredients to watch out for, if you're new to veganism, include eggs, milk, honey and butter. These may all seem very obvious, but if you're a new vegan you'll probably be very surprised to discover how many products contain these very ingredients. Some less obvious ingredients to avoid include gelatin, casein, lactic acid and whey.

Wal-mart currently offers a couple different brands of veggie dogs.
You should still check over the ingredient label before you buy, though.
Some of these products still contain eggs and/or milk derivatives.

Thankfully, Walmart does have a tiny little vegan section hidden among the fresh veggies. There you'll find many varieties of tofu, vegan "hot dogs," a few different kinds of guacamole, spring roll wraps and a couple other options. Careful though, there are a few vegetarian - not vegan - products in the area, including some veggie burgers and some "veggie cheese" (which is technically not even vegetarian, let along vegan - I really don't know what that's all about).

Tofu is a vegan staple - if you've never had it before, definitely try it.
It took me 5 years to give in and try it, and I really wish I had much sooner.
Tofu beginners: buy the "extra firm" or "firm," cube it and fry it in a
pan with other vegetables and any sauce you like.
*(The Azumaya "extra firm" pictured above is available at our Wal-mart!)

For some other vegan options, head to the very back of the store for a very nice selection of soy milk (well, nice for Statesboro). In that same isle you'll also find almost-vegan margarine. I randomly came across "Smart Balance Light" one day - it doesn't fit the "cheaper is closer to vegan" rule at all, but it is dairy free. However, it does contain a very minimal amount of lactic acid, so if you're strict vegan you'll want to stick to the veggie oil for awhile until you can find a better butter substitute.

Wal-mart carries a pretty decent variety of Soymilk flavors.
If you've never tried it before, I suggest starting off with the vanilla or chocolate.
Also - don't make the same mistake I first did - make sure to get plain or
unsweetened if you're going to be using it in a recipe that isn't supposed to be sweet!

After nearly six years of trying to come up with the perfect formula for finding vegan food in non-vegan stores, the best advice I can give to other vegans is just to read read read the labels. I'm always finding new food I thought I couldn't eat, as well as discovering ingredients in the food I'd thought was vegan-safe. Walmart is getting new vegan-friendly products all the time - you just have to find them!

Check out some of these sites for help finding cheap vegetarian/vegan alternatives:
1. "I Can't Believe It's Vegan!" : PETA's "accidental vegan" list of vegan options that can be found at regular grocery stores
*(NOTE: If you're a strict vegan, double check the ingredients on this list - there are many "close-enough" ingredients on this list meant for those new to and transitioning to veganism)
2. Veggie Boards
3. Vegan Forums

Cheap groceries: Vegetarians

Finding decent vegetarian and vegan fast food can be a major pain in Statesboro. But if you enjoy cooking even the least bit, you'll be able to find plenty to eat in town. For students on a tight budget, even Walmart has a variety of veg*an products. I honestly can't stand shopping at Walmart for several reasons, but I too am on a very tight budget, so I find myself there more often than not. I'm actually pretty surprised at the amount of products they do offer.

Vegetarians:
As a vegetarian, some ingredients you'll want to scan labels for include the obvious: anything with some kind of animal flavoring (companies seem to love to brag about the "real" chicken or whatever flavoring in their products, so you shouldn't have to look hard for those kinds of things). When I first gave up meat I was disappointed to see that the only Ramen noodles not flavored with real animal ingredients was the "Oriental." If you're not a big fan of the Oriental flavored Ramen, just save those packets for other uses (great for flavoring on a vegetable stir-fry!). I save the seasoning packets for my roommate to use and then I flavor the Ramen noodles with other sauces, like peanut sauce or butter and garlic.

If you're a strict vegetarian, you should definitely also look out for gelatin, which is in many products, including things like Jello (gelatin is made from crushed bone and skin mostly). Another ingredient to avoid is casein, which is found in most cheese and some dairy products (casein is made from cow stomach mostly). I'm finding that companies tend to put things like anchovies and other seafood flavorings in their dressings and sauces, so be sure not to miss those kinds of obvious ingredients that may be hidden in seemingly-vegetarian products. Bacon is another ingredient that's also found its way into dressings and other products. The good news is, Walmart sells cheap products - that means many of the "bacon bits" and dressings that claim to contain bacon bits may not actually be made with meat. Check the label!

If you're a veggie burger kind of person, you'll be surprised to find a pretty decent selection of Morningstar Farms and Boca brand products in the last freezer section isle in the front of the store. They even offer things like veggie quesadillas, spinach bites and other quick veggie snacks. Note: if you're a vegetarian who avoids eggs, read every label very closely. Eggs are a common ingredient in veggie burgers.

Click the photo above to visit Boca's Web site.

Also, check out some of the great recipes they offer.


Click the above image to view Morningstar Farm's site.
Search through their products online and even find recipes here.

Why vegetarian? ...3- Environment

"Those who claim to care about the well-being of human beings and the preservation of our environment should become vegetarians for that reason alone. They would thereby increase the amount of grain available to feed people elsewhere, reduce pollution, save water and energy, and cease contributing to the clearing of forests…

When nonvegetarians say that “human problems come first” I cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farm animals."

Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, 1990

Another major reason for vegetarianism and veganism is the environment. Although some people may not right away recognize the direct link between a plant-based diet and a cleaner, more sustainable environment, the two are incredibly closely connected. In fact, veganism and animal rights are also very closely tied to human rights efforts.

Environmentalists argue that factory farms are beyond wasteful, creating more food than could ever used by those its available to, food that is then discarded every day. Most human rights activists agree with this argument against factory farms – an incredible amount of food is unnecessarily created every single day, bought by those who can afford it, and then discarded.

Vegan Action expresses this same view on their Web site, stating:
“Animal agriculture takes a devastating toll on the earth. It is an inefficient way of producing food, since feed for farm animals requires land, water, fertilizer, and other resources that could otherwise have been used directly for producing human food.”

Along with over-using valuable resources, this means that instead of just deforesting a few areas for a few crops to feed everyone, much more land is being deforested to grow crops in order to feed animals in order to feed them to humans. Animals require more nutrients from grain and other vegetables to bulk up for consumption as well, so not only is more land being used, but more food is also being used – to feed animals that feed much less of the human population.

Vegan Outreach includes findings on their Web site compiled from the Executive Summary by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2006:
“With rising temperatures, rising sea levels, melting icecaps and glaciers, shifting ocean currents and weather patterns, climate change is the most serious challenge facing the human race. The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport….Livestock* are also responsible for almost two-thirds (64 percent) of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, which contribute significantly to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems.”

Millions of gallons of liquefied feces and urine seep into the environment from collapsed, leaking or overflowing storage lagoons, like the one shown in the top left photo at a pig factory farm.
Waste runoff, like that shown in the middle left photo from Vegan Outreach's site, contributes to, among many other environmental problems, the contamination of humans' and animals' drinking water and the death of millions of fish and other water life.
The book "Diet for a Small Planet" argues for a vegetarian diet not just for environmental reasons, but for human rights and world hunger reasons as well.

The Summary also discusses water use, land degredation and deforestation. About water use, it states: “The livestock sector is a key player in increasing water use, accounting for over 8 percent of global human water use, mostly for the irrigation of feedcrops... The major sources of pollution are from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feedcrops, and sediments from eroded pastures.”

The Summary goes on to talk about deforestation, stating that 70 percent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures, and feedcrops cover a large part of the remainder.

*"Livestock" includes all animals including pigs, chickens, egg-laying hens and dairy cows.

"A single dairy cow produces about 120 pounds of wet manure per day, which is equivalent to the waste produced by 20–40 people. That means California’s 1.4 million dairy cows produce as much waste as 28–56 million people."

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Notes from Underground," Fall 2001

Check out some of these sites to learn more about the environmental impact of a non-vegan lifestyle on our world:

Vegan Action
http://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/environment.html

Vegan Outreach
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/environment.html

Vegan Society
Article: “Animal Products and the Environment”
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/environment/

Another great resource is the book “A Diet for a Small Planet,” available for just a couple dollars at Amazon.

Why vegetarian? ...2- Health

Vegetarianism isn’t just about the ethics of eating animals or about animal rights. Many people reduce or even completely eliminate their meat intake for purely health-related reasons. In fact, I’ve actually met more vegetarians and vegans who follow their diet for heath reasons than for ethical reasons.

Some health issues that arise from meat and dairy consumption include high cholesterol, clogged arteries, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, Mad Cow Disease, salmonella infection, E.Coli and many more diseases, with new risks being discovered fairly frequently. Recent studies report health issues including bone disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimers disease and prostate, colon and breast cancer.

A whole other group of health vegetarians don’t necessarily have a problem with eating meat or with the main health risks with meat specifically, but worry about the drastically increasing amount of steroids and chemicals found in meat and dairy products today. Steroids injected into animals to bulk them up, and then found in the packaged meat products, are then ingested by humans, causing bacteria to become immune to those steroids (antibiotics), contributing to creating the “super bugs” we’re facing today.

A cow is injected with steroids to ward off
diseases that infest factory farms and
to create more meat for after slaughter.

Research shows that the steroids children ingest from meat are gradually causing children to go through puberty at much younger - unhealthy - ages and is being linked to childhood obesity. Some studies even link them to depression and other increasingly common childhood “disorders.”

Rather than go through every single health risk people believe is associated with meat and dairy consumption, here’s a list of some of the key issues:

1. Steroids
The issue about steroids I touched on briefly above, but visit The Food Web for some more detailed information.

2. Disease, bacteria
This I also mentioned above, but the site "Eating Meat Makes You Sick" is a great place for information about diseases and illnesses from various kinds of meat.

3. B12
B12 is a vitamin that is essential for life. Our bodies naturally produce the vitamin, but to have enough, we must consume it on a daily basis. B12 is most commonly found in the earth. The second best source used to be in meat (because animals eat the grass that grows from the earth), but with factory farming being the main source of meat today, B12 has become quite scarce. Very low B12 levels can cause anaemia and nervous system damage. Enough B12 in a person’s diet can help minimize the potential risk of heart disease and pregnancy complications. For this reason many people choose to reject meat and get their B12 and other essential vitamins and minerals from non-fatty sources instead, such as fortified soy milk.

4. Calcium
The kind of calcium found in cow’s milk is a very different form of calcium than that found in vegetables such as kale or broccoli. Dairy calcium, from a glass of milk for instance, actually requires more of the body’s calcium and other resources to digest it than a person will actually gain from drinking that glass of milk.

5. Dairy
Many people argue that it’s not healthy to drink cow’s milk because it’s not a natural food for human beings. No other species (other than humans) drinks milk past infancy. Also, no other species drinks another species’ milk. Many scientists argue that it is extremely unhealthy for humans to be drinking such a fatty substance after infancy; milk is full of fat because babies need all the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids they can for early development and growth. However, scientists argue, 40-year-olds (or even 10-year-olds) do not need this and should not be consuming such a high amount of fat. “The China Study” is a book based on a study done on Asian people and their diets. Most Asian people cannot digest dairy products. The researchers suggest that this is because human beings are actually not designed to be able to digest another species’ milk, but that we’ve evolved over time and become tolerant of it. Their argument actually makes a lot of sense, especially considering there are still many people in the U.S. that are to this day lactose intolerant. Check out NotMilk.com to read up on all the heath issues and risks scientists are discovering about milk.

There are several more main reasons that people choose to become vegetarian or vegan for health. Check out “Inner Self” more information about the advantages of vegetarianism. The article is in no way trying to persuade readers to become vegetarian, just to inform about the health risks involved with some meat products. It’s a very unbiased and really informative report.

Why vegetarian? ...1- Ethics

Seeing as there seem to be so few vegetarians in this area, I've decided to step back for a second and discuss the motives behind vegetarianism. There are countless reasons why a person may become vegetarian, vegan or even fruitarian. Some of the most popular reasons include health, ethics, the environment and religion.

There is an incredible amount of polls conducted each year to calculate how many people are vegetarian and why they choose to be so. Most people seem to choose a meatless diet because of either animal rights issues or health issues. A poll conducted by the Toronto Vegetarian Association claims that most Canadian vegetarians choose a meat-free lifestyle because of animal suffering (Click the graph for more polls on vegetarianism from the TVA). A poll conducted in the U.S. showed that those polled chose vegetarianism for health reasons over the others, but that the majority chose the diet for multiple reasons.






Common arguments for vegetarianism based on ethical reasons include beliefs such as: "animals are not for humans to use as they wish," "the reasons to eat animals don't outweigh the unjust treatment and suffering of animals" and "humans are unfairly treating different species unequally (ie: keeping dogs and cats as pets, eating cows and pigs)."

There is an incredible amount of evidence and arguments for and against these above stances, none of which I will go into. I've realized over the years that people will believe what they want, and they'll come up with any argument possible to validate those beliefs. But if you'd like to learn more about vegetarianism and veganism from an ethical standpoint, there's no shortage of Web sites and books out there packed with great information. Check out a couple sites to learn more:

1. Animal Rights and Vegetarian Ethics
This site tackles some really great issues and questions surrounding vegetarianism, some I'd never even considered before. The site's author does an amazing job of covering all the angles and trying to answer all questions relating to each ethical issue.

2. Viva!
There's great information all over Viva!'s site, but the above link goes directly to a mini-slideshow about the ethical issues of eating meat. The presentation of it is a little dramatic - but there's absolutely nothing inaccurate about it.

3. PETA
Again, there's great information all over PETA's Web site too, but this link goes directly to an article entitled "Why Animal Rights?" The type is small and it's kind of lengthy for on-line reading, but I highly recommend reading through it.

PETA's Web site also includes countless videos exposing animal injustices. Click the link to see some of their most recent videos. PETA's "Meet your meat" video is listed in the top right corner of the page as one of their top five videos. It's the single-most influential video for animal rights according to vegetarians and vegans on Veggieboards.com.

Some images from PETA's videos:

Animal experimentation







A lab rat at a Petsmart testing facility








A fur farm







A video of China's dog and cat fur trade (fur that activists' reports show is re-labeled as other species' fur and sold to U.S. merchants)