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Fruits and Veggies, Vitamin A and Vegan Diets

Vegan diets usually include some excellent sources of vitamin A–but it many take a little bit of planning to make sure you get enough on a regular basis.

While vegans don’t have any preformed vitamin A in their diet (it’s only in animal foods), it can be synthesized from compounds called carotenoids found in plant foods. The best known and most biologically active carotenoid is beta-carotene.

As recently as ten years ago, nutrition researchers believed than 6 micrograms of beta-carotene produced one microgram of active vitamin A. But newer research on absorption of carotenoids shows that it […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-04-14T11:54:00-04:00April 14th, 2009|Tags: Nutrition, Vitamin A|5 Comments

Update on Vegan Mushroom Strudel: The Whole Wheat Version

I made my yummy mushroom strudel yesterday with a few changes. As noted in the comments on that post, I found a whole wheat phyllo at the local food co-op. For this special occasion recipe, I’m perfectly happy to use the refined flour version, but I thought it would be fun to try something new. And my only dinner guest was my husband who, in addition to his other excellent qualities, will eat pretty much anything. I never really have to worry about recipe disasters.

To counteract the somewhat drier aspect of whole grain flour, I replaced […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-04-13T12:59:00-04:00April 13th, 2009|Tags: Celebrations, Recipes|0 Comments

Celebrate Easter and Spring with Vegan Mushroom Strudel

Mushroom Strudel is my favorite company dinner and I’m making it this weekend for Easter. It’s adapted from Moosewood Cookbook, an older collection of recipes that definitely puts the “lacto” in lacto-ovo vegetarian! It was super easy to veganize, though, and I’m really happy with the results.

Traditionally, strudel recipes are made with phyllo (also spelled filo) dough layered with lots of melted butter. But olive oil works very well and, in fact, the instructions on the phyllo package say that it’s fine to use oil. The filling substitutes were easy—I used Tofutti brand Better Than Cream Cheese […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-04-10T11:50:00-04:00April 10th, 2009|Tags: Celebrations, Recipes|7 Comments

For Vegans, Good Health is Good Activism

As a dietitian, I end up saying a lot of things that some vegan activists just don’t want to hear. When I write that some vegans don’t get enough calcium or that getting adequate zinc might be a challenge, it can sound kind of negative.

But a big part of promoting a positive image for veganism lies simply in being healthy. When scientific studies uncover health problems among any group of vegans, it discredits plant diets and gives people one more excuse to eat meat or drink milk. That’s why choosing to believe that you […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-04-09T16:56:00-04:00April 9th, 2009|Tags: Health, Vegan activism|2 Comments

Vegan Diets Make Sense Even For Those Who Promote “People First”

Over the weekend I read a negative piece about vegan diets that claimed, among other things, that vegans are “anti people.” The author noted that we humans are the only ones in a cerebral position to consider matters of food choice—which lends us a certain status. Part of our decision-making, he noted, has to be about where to draw the line. He believed that when we place the rights of animals on a par with the rights of humans, we diminish humanity.

His complaint wasn’t with those who choose vegan diets, but with those who want […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-04-06T11:05:00-04:00April 6th, 2009|1 Comment

Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Do Not Cause Eating Disorders

A study published in this month’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association found a higher incidence of eating disorders among young girls who follow vegetarian diets. This isn’t news, and it’s not a concern for vegetarians, either.

Over the years, a number of studies have found that a relatively high number of girls with eating disorders are vegetarian. But there is no evidence that following a vegetarian diet causes eating disorders. It’s actually pretty silly to think that giving up meat could cause someone to develop anorexia!

Rather, it is likely that girls with eating disorders often […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-04-01T13:29:00-04:00April 1st, 2009|6 Comments

Vegan For The Health Of It?

I’ve been resisting the urge to write about last week’s big news story concerning meat and mortality. The study made a case against high intakes of meat and got lots of press. It reinforced the idea that red meat is bad for us, so that’s a good thing for anyone who promotes a plant-based diet.

Like all epidemiologic studies, it had its share of weaknesses, but the large number of subjects helps to counteract some of that. Furthermore, the results are supported to some extent by other research about the dangers associated with red meat consumption. […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-03-30T14:23:00-04:00March 30th, 2009|Tags: Health, Vegan activism|9 Comments

Vegans Say “No” to Eggs and Thank You to Boca!

There is great news today for vegans and others who avoid products containing eggs. According to the latest e-newsletter from Vegan Outreach, Boca Foods has pledged to eliminate eggs from all of its foods by the end of this year.

Boca makes a variety of good-for-you meatless products including veggie burgers and entrees. Their decision to eliminate eggs is in response largely to efforts by four organizations: Vegan Outreach, Compassion Over Killing, Mercy for Animals, and the Animal Protection and Rescue League.

While many Boca products are not vegan (some contain cheese), elimination of […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-03-25T13:45:00-04:00March 25th, 2009|Tags: Products|3 Comments

Vegetarian Carrie Underwood for Entertainer of the Year

I just voted for Carrie Underwood for Entertainer of the Year and you can (and should), too. The award is given by the Academy of Country Music (ACM), and I learned about it on a beef producer’s blog that I follow.

Beef industry proponents dislike Carrie with a passion and would like to undermine her career in any way possible. Carrie is a vegetarian (since she was 13 years old), an animal lover and a supporter of the Humane Society of the U.S. Some of the proceeds from her latest song, Home Sweet Home, are being donated to […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-03-24T10:17:00-04:00March 24th, 2009|0 Comments

Convenience Foods Are Okay for Vegans!

I had a few emails from readers about my last blog post. They were surprised at the number of canned and processed foods in my list of fast meals for vegans who hate to cook! Aren’t vegans supposed to eat whole plant foods?

Well sure—whole plant foods are the best foods for everyone, vegan or not. And, for many reasons, cooking meals from scratch is the ideal approach. But making responsible food choices is a balancing act and we have to create room for some compromise. It’s not just a matter of choosing the foods that […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-03-23T11:07:00-04:00March 23rd, 2009|Tags: Vegan activism|3 Comments