Jill Harris's Blog
Posted by Jill Harris
Luckily, I've located a few gems in the sprawling city of Toronto. One of these is Rancho Relaxo, specializing in Mexican cuisine.
I’ve eaten at Rancho several times, and the food is consistently on. They offer dishes I would never make at home, like mammoth guacamole burritos, enchiladas, tomatilla salsa that tastes a world away from the bitter bottled stuff, refried beans made from scratch and vegan soy cheese and soy sour cream that taste like the real thing. I don’t know how they do it.
One thing that’s great about eating there is that it’s never busy - though I’m not sure why. There’s always a steady stream of customers but it’s never so packed you have to wait. Living up to its name, the service is prompt but relaxed.
On my last visit, I noticed the zeal with which the Manager, Alecia, and the other staff members go at their jobs. They are quick to point out that anything on the menu can be made vegan, and can tell you what’s in every dish. When I listened, I heard almost every table ask about the vegetarian options. I suspect visitors are mostly vegetarian/non-vegetarian partners and friends who have finally found a place they can all eat together and be happy.
It’s pretty sad when restaurants plop one or two “vegetarian” dishes on their menu. They’re trying to avoid the “veto vote”, meaning if they don’t have any veg they might miss out on groups with one vegetarian in their midst.
Most often, these dishes (and restaurants) are disappointing and stereotypical. Sometimes, you just want a cheesy burrito, refried beans and a margarita. No sprouts, no tofu, no pasta primavera - just hearty, traditional cuisine. And you don’t want to have to worry about whether the dishes are actually vegan.
Read my full review: Eat Vegan at Toronto’s Rancho Relaxo.
Posted by Jill Harris
Has meat become enough of a health hazard that it's joined the ranks of junk food, alcohol and cigarettes?
Some are saying it should, and not only for the heavy toll it takes on our health.
Bioethicist John Singer argues for taxing meat for several reasons:
- Eating red meat is linked with health problems, like some cancers.
- Raising animals for food results in cruelty to animals.
- Industrial meat production is wasteful, and contributes to environmental concerns.
- Livestock and the fertilizers used to grow the grain to feed them is "the biggest single source of pollution of the nation's rivers and streams."
- Eating meat causes global warming.
Taxing meat seems like a good idea when you consider the cost of trying to treat disease instead of prevent it, and try to clean up the environment after polluting it. Could a meat tax be an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure?
From my Canadian perspective, it seems that - typically - people would rather try to patch up the negative results of their actions rather than be proactive about solutions. Local, "ethical", organic eating is catching hold here.
While buying free-range, naturally fed organic chicken may help some feel better about what they put in their mouths, it remains that raising and eating animals is wasteful, creates pollution, causes suffering for animals, and can be hazardous to your health.
However, if a meat tax would make meat-eaters take on a bit more of the financial burden of their choices, it may be a step in the right direction.
Related Links:
- Make meat-eaters pay: Ethicist proposes radical tax, says they're killing themselves and the planet (NYDailyNews.com)
- Meat's Effect on the Environment (Suite101.com)
Posted by Jill Harris
Researchers assumed the mighty gladiators had eaten a meat-rich diet to keep up their gruelling regimes of training and fighting.
Scientists used a new technique to measure the chemical element strontium in the bones of a gladiator skeleton. Strontium correlates to the amount of plant material in the diet.
Contrary to expectation, gladiators seemed to rely on a diet containing almost double the plant materials as other Romans of the day.
Even today, people abide by the myth that we need high amounts of protein from animal meat to build strong bones and healthy bodies. But it’s simply not the case. Read more about Protein for Vegetarians to find out:
- How much protein we need
- Good vegetarian protein sources
It may be that the gladiators ate a carbohydrate-rich diet to put on weight that would protect them from blows in the fighting ring. But let's face it - they had to be strong too.
Related Links
- Vegetarianism and Weight Loss
- History Televsion: Gladiator Graveyard
- Archaeology.org: The Gladiator Diet
Posted by Jill Harris
One Dish, Two Diets
These dishes can be started once and split into two separate entrees: one for vegetarians, and one for meat-eaters.
- Shish Kababs (vegan)
- Shepherd’s Pie (vegetarian)
- Split Pea Soup (vegan)
- Stuffed Zucchini (vegan or vegetarian)
These dishes aren’t trying to imitate meat – they highlight whole food vegetarian ingredients.
- Harvest Stuffed Squash (vegan)
- Roasted Winter Vegetables with Spicy Pepper Tofu (vegan)
- Mushroom Gravy (vegan)
- Grilled Eggplant Towers (vegetarian)
- Baked Lentils (vegan or vegetarian)
- Lentil Loaf (vegetarian)
Posted by Jill Harris
- Montreal Smoked Wheat or Roast Wheat (vegan)
- Tofu "Egg" Salad (vegan - eggs and dairy optional)
- Lentil Loaf sandwich (contains eggs and dairy)
- Top 5 Vegetarian Sandwiches: Avocado Dream, Hummus Heaven, Smoked Wheat Melt, Almond Butter and Jam, Grilled Tofu with Pesto Mayonnaise (some contain egg and/or dairy)
- Oatmeal Pancakes (vegan - eggs and dairy optional)
- Vegetarian Comfort Food Lunches - Sloppy Joes, "Meatball" sub, Tortellini Caesar Salad, Veggie Dog Delights (some are vegan)
- More vegetarian brown bag lunch ideas: mini pizzas, pasta salad, soup, and dips
- Vegetarian Peanut Noodles (vegan)
- Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets (vegan – eggs and dairy optional)
- Macaroni and Cheese with Fresh Peas (contains dairy) is also comfort food for kids (or parents) who eat at home. Try it cold, too.
- Leftover pizza (contains dairy)
Time-Consuming Recipes
For families who can set aside some time on the weekend to prepare for the week ahead, these recipes are more time-consuming, but are a tasty treat and fun to make, too.
- Jamaican Veggie Patties (vegan)
- Cold spring rolls (vegan) are fun to make with older kids, but require some patience. They keep well for a day or two in the fridge.
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Posted by Jill Harris
Today, Healthzone.ca reported that one of the best ways to trim your waistline is to adopt a fibre-rich vegan diet - one that forgoes all foods directly or indirectly derived from animals.
By necessity, vegan diets rely heavily on plant foods, including grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. Assuming you're not a junk-food vegan (one who eats mostly vegan fries and candy, for example), a vegan diet can be a good way to slim down and stay healthy. Not that it's a temporary fix, of course.
For those who aren't vegan, but who do have trouble getting int he requisite 25+ grams of fibre per day, toss those heavy psyllium fibre cereals and eat like a vegan - plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You'll find your fibre intake increasing in no time.
Read more:
- Vegetarianism and Weight Loss (Suite 101's Vegetarian Cuisine)
- Article: Ramp up the Fibre, Tighten Your Belt (HealthZone.ca, July 31, 2009)
Posted by Jill Harris
Two articles recently caught my attention.
New York Times Writer Digs Tofu
First, an article about tofu appeared in The New York Times. It talks a little bit about the benefits of tofu, health-wise, but focuses on its taste and versatility. For 2009, I think we're going to see a trend in what used to be "health foods" - people eating them as comfort foods and for taste, instead of for their (real or imagined) benefits.
Perhaps people are catching on to this Meatless Monday business, and this is their way of showing it.
Read: Tofu: Not Just for Health Nuts Anymore
JADA Reports Vegetarians at Risk for Disordered Eating
The Journal of the American Dietetic Association published a study concluding that
..."current vegetarians may be at increased risk for binge eating with loss of control, while former
vegetarians may be at increased risk for extreme unhealthful weight-control behaviors."
This statement apparently comes from research showing vegetarians and former vegetarians are more likely to engage in risky eating behaviours. Which is the cause and which is the effect here?
It's known that vegetarianism can be an excuse for those with disordered eating patterns to omit foods from their diets. But is there any evidence that suggests there is something sinister about being vegetarian that predisposes a person to disordered eating?
Without being able to assess the evidence in this article (full-text articles cost money to view) I think it's more likely that people with disordered eating patterns may be more likely to call themselves vegetarians, rather than more vegetarians developing disordered eating.
As usual, however, the media picked up on this story and were quick to report it as rationale to avoid vegetarian diets.
Read:
Adolescent and Young Adult Vegetarianism: Better Dietary Intake and Weight Outcomes but Increased Risk of Disordered Eating Behaviors
Posted by Jill Harris
Valentine's Day is a day for romantics - but also for those who want an excuse to spend some quality time with their loved one. What better time to woo your date (or husband, or friends...) with a home-cooked dinner that showcases the time and effort you put into it?
If you're an omnivore or new vegetarian just getting used to cooking meals without meat, read Dating a Vegetarian – Dinner Know-How before choosing your menu.
Just as any grandma - food is an expression of love. Show your affection with one of these great meatless Valentine's Day menus:
Vegan Valentine (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Fresh baguette spread with roasted garlic
- Roasted Winter Vegetables with Spicy Pepper Tofu
- Chocolate Tofu Mousse or Chocolate Fondue with vegan cookies and fresh fruit
Vegetarian Valentine (may contain eggs, dairy)
Other Slow-Cooking Dishes:
- French Onion Soup (vegan or vegetarian)
- Sundried Tomato Olive Oil Pasta
- Spicy Black Beans and Mango Sauce (From Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café)
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Posted by Jill Harris
More evidence this week that vegetarianism – and veganism – are picking up steam. One Toronto dietitian even goes as far as to ask “Is a vegan diet the new “non-diet”?
Toronto Dietitian Leslie Beck writes a weekly article about food and nutrition for the Globe and Mail. This week, her focus turned to the ease at which a vegan diet can you’re peoples’ health around, for the better.
A recent study compared the effects of an American Diabetes Association diet with a vegan diet emphasizing low Glycemic Index (GI) vegetables.
Some may find it remarkable that people in the group that ate the vegan diet lost weight; saw their blood sugar and LDL cholesterol drop; and ended up with a decreased need for diabetes medication. What is truly remarkable, however, is the very positive light cast on the vegan diet. And how little of an explanation was given as to its “rules”. The story makes the obligatory nods to the nutrients that may be deficient in a vegan diet – but continues without many of the caveats usually associated with stories about vegans.
Beck even notes that the diet was well-received by the participants assigned to it. This and other studies have found that while preparing a vegetarian or vegan diet is difficult at first, it does become easier over time. People seemed to be totally adjusted to preparing their new diets within 18 months to two years. Such is not the case with a low-calorie diet. In fact, vegans often report they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight.
In the comments for the article Top 10 Vegetarian Snacks, some readers have been debating whether or not it is easy to be vegan. If it truly wasn’t an adjustment from our typical dietary patterns, more people would certainly do it.
These studies suggest that while the health benefits of vegetarian diets start soon after beginning it, two years is all the toughing-out it takes to sustain it.
Read Leslie Beck’s article: Vegan diet has surprising stick-to-it-iveness. Published at the Globeandmail.com on February 4, 2009.
Posted by Jill Harris
After losing 35 pounds, Mark Bittman considers himself a “vegan until 6”, meaning that animal products are off the menu until 6:00 pm. I think this may be an idea that catches on.
Posted by Jill Harris
Effective January 5, 2011, U.S. consumers will finally be able to identify the presence of the insect-derived colouring agents cochineal and carmine in foods, beverages and cosmetics.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently allows crushed insect extracts to be labelled as “artificial colour”, meaning vegetarians cannot accurately assess whether a product is vegetarian-friendly.
The extract is used to give a pink, red or purpose hue to foods and beauty products. It is present in some brands of orange juice, for example, as well as beverages like Fruitopia.
Though the motivation behind the FDA’s changes is the potential for anaphylactic (severe allergic) reactions to those allergic to the insects, vegetarians can also breathe easier knowing the foods they choose are insect-free.
According to the FDA’s website, the legislation is partly in response to a 1998 citizen petition from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which also suggested that all animal products (including carmine/cochineal) be labelled.
Resources and Links:
- Hidden Sources of Non-Vegetarian Ingredients (Suite101)
- Listing of Color Additives Exempt From Certification; Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Labeling: Cochineal Extract and Carmine Declaration (FDA; January 5, 2009)
- New labeling rules for cochineal bug coloring (Foodnavigator-usa.com)
- Labeling of Bug-Based Food Colorings Will Help Some Consumers (CSPInet.com)