It's wonderful that the heat wave means less runoff to the Chesapeake, but it's sad that we're not doing more for the Bay, like reducing the farm waste and other pollution that could flow in in the first place. Oh, yeah, certain "interest groups" oppose that. You can partly go around them by avoiding animal products.
Meet the man who sings while making Metro pocket guides. In other Metro news, it sucked to be you if you tried to use the system this weekend.
Some generic language tips for tourists.
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Forgive me for starting this ramble by (re)stating the obvious, but I have a context to set: there are a lot of misconceptions out there about veganism, ranging from the extreme but not uncommon belief that it's a cult, to the incorrect but not uncommon view that it's unhealthy. Many people who ascribe to the latter misconception focus on protein (lack thereof, inefficient sources, etc.), and I've addressed that in the past. Another--albeit one that concerns people less--is that a vegan diet is low-fat. But it needn't, and in my view, shouldn't be; fats are satiating and nutrient-rich. I consume more fat now than I did when I ate dairy products.
The third misconception is about micronutrients. At a gathering last night, someone said that she'd read that some vegans were found to have certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. To which I responded, there are certain omnivores that have vitamin and mineral deficiencies. There are probably more such omnivores, proportionately. Absolutely you can follow an unhealthy vegan diet. You can also follow an unhealthy non-vegan diet.
By the way, if you think I'm going around inviting these conversations, you've fallen prey to another misconception: that vegans go around aggressively lecturing people about the evils of animal products and benefits of a plant-based diet. Come to a party with me sometime. I don't even tell people I'm vegan, until they ask me why I'm not eating a certain thing (often, the host or someone else will say it). And then, people ask questions, and the topic will keep returning; I do not seek it out. People who aren't necessarily interested in trying it for themselves are still curious about how it might be done. People tell me I look great, point out that I've lost a ton of weight, tell me my skin looks great (even my mother!)--tough life, I know--and ask what my secret might be. Who am I to hold back?
Another thing that came up last night--and at Whole Foods the other day--was the imagined nexus between vegan and gluten free. There were lots of samples at WF and one woman was serving samples of GF muffins. They were labeled as such, and every time someone came up to her table, she said they were gluten-free. She'd already said that once to me before I asked if they happened to be vegan. No, she said, but they are gluten free. Well, that's nice, if you have Celiac's or another gluten sensitivity, but it's irrelevant if you're vegan. It neither makes your food healthier, nor vegan. Similarly, last night people were saying, oh, how do you make a cake without flour. I pointed out, not once, that flour was vegan. The issue was eggs (and sometimes butter). This question kept popping up in variations.
The other misconception was that I was somehow depriving myself by not partaking in the pizza and cake. I'm sure they were very good, as everyone said. But no, you're not making me hungry. There was plenty for me to eat, with the guacamole and hummus and fruit. No, I'm not craving the other food. It's no effort or restraint to not have any; they're just there. They're not calling to me.
And even as my hostess apologetically suggested that they were making me hungry or envious by having this apparently delicious cake in front of me, she talked about how when she doesn't eat dairy, she experiences less swelling, inflammation, and pain in her legs. But she finds dairy addictive, finds that she has to have it. Yes--see Mark Bittman's article, which I posted earlier--dairy is addictive, but you can break free (if you want; if you find that it makes you feel better). One key is to get enough fat (this friend mentioned that she craved dairy less when she ate avocado). Here are some other sources:
Soy (beans, milk, tempeh, tofu)
Nuts, peanuts, and seeds (including nut/seed butters and pastes, like tahini)
Grains (brown rice, wheat, quinoa)
Oils (olive, canola, rice bran) –controversial, some say you should stay away from expressed oil. If you have a heart condition or other condition, perhaps, but if you’re healthy, it’s all about moderation
Cacao (powder, dark chocolate)
Fruit/vegetables (coconut, avocado)
If you're cutting back on dairy, add some avocado and tahini to your food. I'll be surprised if you go back.
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