Freshly Vegetarian: Ashley See on Transitioning to A Vegetarian Diet, Including Tips, Health Benefits & Recipes

Little to nothing broke my heart like learning that the trifecta of Thai curries -- red, yellow and green -- all have animal byproducts, predominantly shrimp paste in the curry paste itself (red: shrimp paste; yellow: fish sauce or shrimp paste;  green: shrimp paste). Knowing this, I had to either make it myself so it's truly vegetarian-friendly, or ditch one of my favorite meals (genre of foods?).

This may come as a surprise because one of the questions I am asked most frequently after telling people I'm a vegetarian is whether or not I still eat fish.

Common sense

Folks. I don't mean to get snarky here, but to sample from The Vegetarian Society:

• Fish: cold-blooded, water-dwelling animal
• Vegetarian: someone who doesn't eat animals

I love nothing more than a common sense approach to most situations. So by the above logic, wouldn't you say that eating fish and/or seafood discounts one's vegetarian efforts? I would.

Do fish suffer?

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It's no secret that I love breakfast. Yet, over the last month I've ate light in the morning after reading two books: Skinny Bitch and An Autobiography: My Experiments with Truth (Gandhi).

Both books highlight the importance of eating in moderation, especially breakfast. Gandhi went through various phases of a fruitarian diet--only eating raw fruit and sometimes nuts to exercise self-restraint. Meanwhile, Skinny Bitch points out that breakfast shouldn't be eaten like clockwork because you're used to it, but eating enough because you're hungry. They advise sipping on caffeine-free herbal tea when you first wake, and when the stomach starts growling -- and you're truly hungry -- to only eat organic fruit. You wait for the hunger pangs so you don't interrupt your body's cleaning session, aka still breaking down the dinner/dessert from the night before; otherwise, your body will store the excess food as fat.

I will admit that it does make my walk to work a bit lighter in step, but sometimes you need a hearty breakfast under your belt. Which is why I made Hungry Yogini's sweet quinoa breakfast a few days back and mmm! While I still prefer my fruity sesame porridge, this was a nice gluten-free substitute.

Recipe after the jump.

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Whether you're a college kid nearing the end of term and dollars, or perhaps you need a quick snack and can't be bothered to whip up something magical, the quesadilla has been a best friend to many.

Good plain or filled with all sorts of fantasticness, quesadillas are misconceived by most Americans. I applaud Sean Lawler for pointing this out. In Cook's Illustrated: American Classics 2010, he wrote the most accurate anecdote about quesadillas I've ever read:

A truly "authentic" quesadilla is just a humble kitchen snack: a fresh handmade tortilla folded around a mild melting cheese, quickly friend or crisped on a griddle, then devoured just as quickly. As the quesadilla migrated north of the border, however, it evolved into a greasy happy-hour spectacle for beer and burger joints, becoming nothing more than bad Mexican pizza: stale and soggy supermarket tortillas filled with "buffalo chicken" or "Cajun shrimp" and sliced into big, floppy triangles.

On the hunt for the perfect quesadilla, Lawler did a nice job of offering up something far tastier than nuking some shredded cheese atop a tortilla in the microwave, yet it's still simple and easy on the wallet.

Recipe after the jump.

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One of the most often repeated reasons people tell me they could never go vegetarian is because they love the taste of meat too much.

After growing up on the Oregon coast - consuming seafood like it was growing out of style - and eating venison year round, I salute this argument, but no longer find it valid. Once you stop eating meat, you stop craving it and instead start craving vegetarian food.

There's something about red meat that raises hair on the back of our necks. It could be because every other minute the argument changes on whether or not it's good for us (pro and con); it could be the frequent E. coli outbreaks that would sooner have me craving starvation than ground beef. Some resources go as far as stating those who eat red meat are likely to have other unhealthy habits. Whether you choose to eliminate red meat entirely, or to simply scale back, it's important to recap why.

Health

In Jane Brody's New York Times article, "Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat," she discusses an extensive decade-long study by the National Cancer Institute, which reported the following health risks come into play for those who eat red meat:

• Increased mortality risk

The increase in mortality risk tied to the higher levels of meat consumption was described as “modest,” ranging from about 20 percent to nearly 40 percent. But the number of excess deaths that could be attributed to high meat consumption is quite large given the size of the American population.

...the deaths of one million men and perhaps half a million women could be prevented just by eating less red and processed meats, according to estimates prepared by Dr. Barry Popkin, who wrote an editorial accompanying the report.

• Cholesterol / High Blood Pressure / Heart Disease

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Four hundred days and thirty pounds ago, I became a vegetarian.

After a full year of not eating animal meat, I must say that I've never felt better. I recently got a full check-up, including extensive blood tests and learned that I was in top shape. My protein, iron, b-vitamins and the rest were all happily in check. Well, everything minus a vitamin-d deficiency that's only natural when you live in a place like Seattle.

Thinking back, becoming a vegetarian wasn't as hard as I originally thought it would be. I would go through phases where I would try out vegetarianism, but it never stuck longer than a week or so because I had no clue on how to sustain a healthy vegetarian diet and couldn't imagine a life without unagi sushi rolls or hot dogs at a baseball game. Then one Sunday afternoon, after lamenting to a vegetarian friend about feeling unhealthy, he suggested I consider vegetarianism. My roommate at the time had Peter Singer's The Ethics of What We Eat in his bookshelf that complimented this suggestion, so I picked it up and read it cover to cover that same afternoon. That was one of many books/videos I devoured in a few weeks time--ranging in topic from Indian cookbooks to basic nutrients that every diet needs.

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Last weekend was destined to be a doozy, as some pals and I escaped Seattle's pathetic excuse for summer weather and went whitewater rafting out in Leavenworth, WA to get our outdoor exercise on. We had a great time, and while the Class III rapids weren't as intense as I was expecting, our wetsuits proved worthwhile with our boat being the bully boat of water fights with six other boats highly determined to pay us back for our attacks.

Meanwhile, things in my kitchen have been unusual in the last month and a half. I've kept things quiet on the new recipe front after some recent experimenting with my diet to see if my new found skin sensitivity is attributed to a food allergy. I gave up all excess sugar for three weeks, and most recently dairy (I did come across some pretty amazing vegan recipes that I should blog), so I haven't been making my usual dishes. Next up: wheat.

In vegetarian news this last week:

• India's Surat is opening the doors of the first fully-vegetarian five star hotel, The Grand Bhagwati. (Saturday - FnBNews.com)
   
• There's a whole dating website dedicated to vegetarians? Yes! After reading, "Vegetarian Dating in New Jersey," I learned that vegetarian singles are flocking to veggiedate.org as the newest way to seek out to fellow vegetarians to wine and dine. (Monday - The Star-Ledger)
   
• The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy...parents withhold the truth from their kids all the time; however, Melissa Ford takes it to a whole new level as she explains why she hid being a vegetarian from her kids, as well as why she's a vegetarian, but her kids are not. (Wednesday - BlogHer)
   
• Panties around the nation went into a twist as Thinkgeek.com offered up 'Canned Unicorn Meat' recently, but the National Pork Board put their foot down and ordered a cease and desist. (Wednesday - This Dish Is Veg)
   
• Put down that Oatmeal Creme Pie, throw away those Nutty Bars and ditch the Zebra Cakes, or at least that's what a new website called Little Debbie Tortures Animals launched by East Bay Animal Advocates suggests. (Wednesday - This Dish Is Veg)
   
• Are vegetarians happier? A new study by the Nutritional Journal concludes features of a vegetarian diet profile -- such as higher intake of total polyunsaturated fat and negligible arachidonic acid intake -- may help explain the favorable mood profile they observed with vegetarian diets. (Wednesday - The Nutritional Journal) 
   
• An Arizona restaurant is "inspired" by the World Cup being hosted in South Africa, so they're serving up lion burgers for adventurous eaters, eh? (Wednesday - Ecorazzi)
   
• Joining Scarlett Johansson and Ellen Degeneres, Sarah Silverman is the newest celebrity to promote vegetarian lunches for The Healthy Schools Meal Act introduced by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), which would reward school districts with additional food aid if they offer the majority of students plant-based vegetarian food choices daily. (Thursday - Strollerderby)
  
  
  • Scarlett Johansson's  letter to Congress - PDF
  • Ellen & Portia's letter to Congress - PDF
     
• Master of plant-based soul food, Chef Bryant Terry hates the "v" word. (Thursday - Vegetarian Star & Oregon Live)

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In any given week, it seems all sorts of vegetarian-related news pops up, so I'm going to make my best attempt at documenting weekly news in a round-up like fashion each Friday.

Yes, I recognize today is Sunday, so you can expect future installments at the end of the week, but today's will come out of order.

So here's what happened last week (plus some):

• An Italian-based study finds that vegan brains react differently to images of animal cruelty than omnivores (5/31 - Vegan Soapbox)
  • For you science buffs, here's a direct link to the PloS ONE study itself
     
• The Philadelphia Phillies' Citizen Bank Ballpark was ranked the 2010 most vegetarian-friendly major-league stadium, in addition to nine other vege-friendly venues (6/1 - PETA)
   
• You gals that aren't vegetarian or vegan already should consider eating significantly less meat as a new French study proves that eating lots of animal protein appears to increase women's risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD (6/4 - Reuters)
   
• A few states are considering animal abuse registries, so that those convicted of violating animal rights laws would have to log personal information with local law enforcement, info will be publicly accessible (6/4 - Food Safety News)
   
• One of the classic arguments for why people aren't vegetarian is because they love the taste of meat too much to give it up. Well folks, if that's the case then University of Missouri has put a decade into creating something that may help move chicken lovers to vegetarians--the first soy product that shares the same flavor and consistency of chicken (6/8 - Time)
   
• After Al Gore was recently cajoled at a press conference to become vegetarian if he really wants to make a difference in the environment, critics - like Alcuin Papa documented in this article, "Inconvenient beef: Go Vegetarian, Gore" -   have been a buzz on why Gore is a poser for environmental preservation by continuing his omnivorous ways (6/9 - Philadelphia Inquirer)
  
  
• It's a little soon to be thinking about Thanksgiving, but PETA's PSA on holiday turkeys won a spot on the shortlist of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) - PDF for their commercial on Disgrace Ad (6/9 - AICP)
   
• Ozzy Osbourne, former front man of Black Sabbath, ex-slaughter house worker and bird head connoisseur is reportedly a vegetarian (6/10 - DigitalSpy)
   
• A brilliant new shirt captures any animal lovers exact feelings toward BP on the oil spill - pictured right (6/11 - PETA)

 

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Vegetarian or not, you should learn about where your animal products are coming from.

To be an animal rights activist, I don't think you need to be a vegan; however, if you choose to consume animal products then you should get to know where your animal products come from, and that those places treat their animals humanely.

Otherwise, you're putting money in the pockets of those who may not deserve it. Case in point: Conklin Dairy Farms.

In the last few days, Conklin Dairy Farms worker Billy Joe Gregg Jr. has been charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty for sadistic behavior toward the dairy cows he earned a living from.

An investigation into the cruelty reported at the Plain City, Ohio dairy farm includes nearly 20 hours of undercover camera footage (shot between April 28 and May 23) provided by Mercy for Animals, a not-for-profit group that publicizes what it calls cruel practices in the animal product industry and wide promoter of a vegan diet.

Apparently Gregg wasn't the only abusive worker in the footage. Over on The Columbus Dispatch, Holly Zachariah and Alan Johnson reported:

Although industry leaders say Conklin is a man of experience and integrity, no one came forward yesterday to defend the abuse seemingly inflicted by him and at least two employees in a graphic, nearly four-minute video released by Mercy For Animals, an animal-rights group based in Chicago.

One scene in the video showed a man identified as Conklin kicking a sick or injured "downer cow" in the head several times.

Over on Mercy for Animals' blog, they reported that Gregg and other dairy farm workers captured the following acts on a hidden camera implanted for several days:

• Violently punching young calves in the face, body slamming them to the ground, and pulling and throwing them by their ears

• Routinely using pitchforks to stab cows in the face, legs and stomach

• Kicking "downed" cows (those too injured to stand) in the face and neck - abuse carried out and encouraged by the farm's owner

• Maliciously beating restrained cows in the face with crowbars - some attacks involving over 40 blows to the head

• Twisting cows' tails until the bones snapped

• Punching cows' udders

• Bragging about stabbing, dragging, shooting, breaking bones, and beating cows and calves to death

The bottom line is while Conklin Dairy Farms has fired Gregg, and is doing their best to salvage the reputation by condemning the video, this can't be that big of a surprise. I have a hard time believing they were absolutely clueless of this behavior. After all, their livelihood is dairy, so shouldn't they be first to know how their cows are being cared for and treated?

It shouldn't take an investigative video leaked on YouTube for this dairy to learn what's going on with their cows.

And while Gregg is undeniably scum of the earth, I think Conklin Dairy Farms should also be held responsible. Whether they were aware of this sadism or not, they should have been.
 

What can we learn from this?

It's really quite simple. Know where your dairy, meat and eggs come from. There are a lot of quality farms out there that take good care of their animals. Find them, learn more about what they do and support them even if their products do cost more.

After all, the more money we put into farms that treat their animals like this, the more we promote this behavior.

Related resources:

• Lindsay Barnett of The Los Angeles Times' Unleashed - Ohio dairy farmworker charged with animal cruelty after advocacy group releases undercover video
  
  
• Daelyn Fortney of This Dish is Veg - Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest pen open letter to Conklin Dairy Farms
   
• Brian Palmer of Slate asks "Cow Whipping: How violent can a farmer get with his livestock?"

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I've been cooking spinach wrong for years.

I like to blame the lack of home economics taught today in schools for the reason why I don't know how long to cook vegetables. Yes, that's what I'll blame...

Truth be told, I'm still trying to get timing down to pull a meal together all at once, so it's not a surprise if I forget my beloved asparagus in the broiler (it's OK, I've grown to love 'em charred) or steam my broccoli for so long it's more like a wet noodle than a hearty tree o' green.

 

 

There's an art of cooking produce, which is suddenly clearer after flipping through my newest Seattle Public Library read, Vegetables: The Most Authoritative Guide to Buying, Preparing, and Cooking with more than 300 Recipes by James Peterson. 

Peterson has a nice guide on the approximate vegetable boiling/steaming times (he notes it's basically the same function but some folks usually prefer to do one or the other), which includes the proper time to cook spinach, that not even I can screw up.

Artichokes:

• Baby (trimmed): 15 min
• Medium (whole): 15-20 min
• Large (whole): 20-25 min
• Large (bottom only): 12-15 min

Asparagus

• Small: 1-2 min
• Medium: 3-5 min
• Large: 8-12 min

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