Plant-based Proteins are Powerful

I was recently reading an article about Proteins in Costco magazine. I came across the sentence, "Start your day with Plants" in that enlightening article. Many decades ago, Americans assumed that protein is available only if they eat meat. Nowadays, everyone from doctors to smart moms are saying that plant-based proteins are good for health. Even United Nations is urging people to ditch meat and consume lentils, beans and legumes for healthy community and healthy Earth...

Peas, brown rice and hemp are excellent source of proteins. I love to start my day by drinking Banana smoothie - blending banana, chopped walnuts, vegan protein powder, and chia seeds. I often make Adai (thick rice and lentil pancakes) using brown rice, channa dal and tuvar dal.

I read an interesting article , Protein Power for Vegetarians in an Indian newspaper. Here is the link
http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/DMQF96cPafNx0dIN8JoO7H/Protein-power-for-vegetarians.html

Here is the nutritious recipe for Vegan protein balls, http://www.thedailymeal.com/recipes/vegan-protein-balls-recipe

Here is another interesting article about Proteins, http://www.manchesterjournal.com/health/ci_29685192/tips-getting-protein-vegan-vegetarian-diet

With some planning, it is really easy to get plant-based protein in your diet...
https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.php

Leo Tolstoy and Vegetarianism

Today, I read a thought-provoking article regarding  meat-eaters and Leo Tolstoy.  Leo Tolstoy, a great writer and Philosopher was a vegetarian.  Nearly a century ago,  Leo Tolstoy influenced thousands of people to stop eating meat. Leo Tolstoy led a simple life, but millions of people were influenced by him...

I'm sure Leo Tolstoy would thrive on plant-based diet (Vegan Diet), if he were alive today...

Read that interesting article here.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/talk/tolstoys-chicken-and-the-expanding-circle/article8077778.ece

4 Reasons To Go Vegan in 2016

1.  Vegan Diet (Plant-based diet) is good for health:  According to American Heart Association, Vegan diet can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they’re carefully planned to include essential nutrients. Many studies have shown that vegetarians and vegans  to have a lower risk of obesity, diabetes and cancer.

2.  Vegan Diet is best for the Environment  : Meat and dairy industries causes lot of air and water pollution. According to the Livestock Long Shadow report from United Nations, the Livestock sector - meat and dairy industries, is the major cause for global warming.

United Nations is urging people to eat less meat and dairy products. In United States, Meatless Monday has become so popular.

3. World Hunger Can Be Eradicated : According to Peta,  Every 12 seconds, a kid dies due to hunger. 925 million people don't have enough to eat. 

According to many scientists, Meat production is a wasteful use of the planet's limited resources .  40% of grain crops are going to feed livestock and fish. It is most inefficient with intensive beef farming, where it has been shown that just 2.5% of the feed given to cattle emerges as calories for our consumption.

http://aplus.com/a/un-end-world-hunger-cut-down-meat

http://thehill.com/regulation/237767-vegan-diet-best-for-planet-federal-report-says

4. Suffering of Animals : Every day millions of cows, pigs and chickens endure lot of pain and suffering in crowded sheds. In short, the condition of animals is heart wrenching across the world. You will stop consuming meat and milk products if you see Earthlings and other eye-opening documentaries. Going vegan is a great way to stop the suffering of innocent animals.

You can  see Earthlings, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlNXG1_gheI

http://freefromharm.org/farm-animal-welfare/the-new-documentary-short-from-farm-to-fridge-presents-the-problem-and-solution-to-factory-farming/

http://www.peta.org/living/entertainment/animal-rights-movies-watch-online/

Plant-based Food For Live Earth 2015

Live Earth is an amazing event to create environmental awareness. This year Live Earth is taking place on June 18 across seven continents and broadcast to billions of global audience. To know more this event, visit http://www.liveearth.org/

Al Gore, Kevin Wall and United Nations play a major role in conducting this event. Morrissey, a Singer and supporter of PETA is urging Al Gore to provide plant-based food(vegan food) for the Live Earth event on June 18.

Morrissey says, "Serving meat and dairy products at an event to combat climate change is like selling pistols at a gun-control rally. Your responsibility is to alert people to a crisis, not sell out to the vendors responsible for it." You can read, Morrissey's open-letter to Al Gore,
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-morrisseys-scathing-open-letter-to-al-gore-and-live-earth-20150429

People concerned about environment should eat plant-based fare. I hope only plant-based food is available in Live Earth 2015 event !

Vegan Diet is Healthy

Vegan Diet is healthy if you eat whole grains, beans ,vegetables and fruits every day. I'm a vegan, and if I regularly eat white rice, chips ,vegan  sweets and oreo cookies, my health will not be in good condition.

I try to eat healthy vegan food every day. I try to eat quinoa or brown rice with sambar or curries. I eat banana or cucumber slices for snacks. Of course, I do eat vegan carrot halwa and oreo cookies once in a while!

I found few interesting articles related to healthy vegan diet (plant-based diet)
http://www.medicaldaily.com/vegan-vs-vegetarian-diets-how-each-will-impact-your-health-329300
http://host.madison.com/print_only/columnist/dr-carleen-hanson-a-vegetarian-diet-can-be-healthy-for/article_abb81262-6347-5ec1-8fc4-3347602eb046.html
http://time.com/9463/7-reasons-vegetarians-live-longer/
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2015/03/09/meatless-monday-campaign-enjoys-widespread-student-support/

Meatless Monday

Many people concerned about the environment are eating less meat. United Nations is urging people to eat less Meat. Numerous towns and cities across the world are encouraging "Meatless Monday".
Los Angeles Times publishes meatless recipes every Monday. Meatless Monday is a global movement, encouraging people to try plant-based food.

Thanks to Meatless Monday, thousands of people are getting used to tasty and nutritious plant-based dishes. Fortunately,  meatless entrees is available in most of the restaurants.

Going meatless is great for our environment and health.

Here are some interesting links
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MeatlessMonday
https://www.pinterest.com/meatlessmonday/

Aamir Khan Goes Vegan

Aamir Khan , a popular Indian movie star has recently become vegan. Aamir khan said he was inspired to go vegan, when he saw a youtube video - A doctor explaining the positive points of a vegan diet (Plant-based diet)


I'm sure thousands of Indians will be inspired to go Vegan. Actually, it is pretty easy to thrive on vegan diet in India.


I hope Aamir Khan visits Vegan India (http://vegan-india.blogspot.com) , Tongue Ticklers (http://tongueticklers.com) and Holy Cow (http://holycowvegan.net/) for vegan resources and vegan recipes.

5 Tips for Vegans Visiting Australia

During December my family and I visited Melbourne. Melbourne is a gorgeous city and it's really easy to thrive on Vegan diet.  We stayed at my brother-in-law's home and my gracious co-sister cooked delicious Indian dishes every day. My co-sister told me that many Australians are exploring many vegetarian and vegan dishes, as the health providers often talk about the great benefits of vegetables, fruits, beans and lentils.

1. Airplane Food :We flew to Melbourne from Los Angeles in Quantas.  Quantas airlines is vegetarian and vegan friendly. We ate delicious vegan food for breakfast , lunch and dinner. These days most of the airlines offer vegan meals. Make sure to confirm your vegan meal atleast 48 hours prior to your departure. Visit http://www.happycow.net to get an idea what airlines are offering vegetarian and vegan fare. Always carry nuts, dates and instant oats if you are unhappy with your airplane food.

2. In Melbourne, I went to three grocery stores - Aldis , Woolworths and Coles. All these stores carry rice milk , almond milk and soy milk. I also found many vegan wraps and breads. You can find Tofu in all the grocery stores.  In Aldis I saw many cookie packets, chocolates, wafers labelled as, "Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans". In bigger cities such as Sydney, and Melbourne go to Indian Grocery stores, and stock on spicy and sweet snacks. Most of the snacks are suitable for Vegans.

3. Food Delivery : If you are staying in an apartment for few months, you can use Eat Now, http://www.eatnow.com. to order vegan food from restaurants near your apartment. For vegan cosmetics and yummy chocolates, you can order online at Vegan Online http://www.veganonline.com

4.Always carry granola, dry fruits and Vegan Bars : When we visited Philips Island and Geelong,  we went to some bakeries and coffee shops. I just saw  everything from cookies to biscuits and muffins to cupcakes loaded with dairy . It is really hard to find vegan food stuff in rural areas in Australia.

5.Great blogs and Facebook : Every day, the Vegan community is growing in cities across the world.
Vegetarian Victoria http://vegetarianvictoria.org.au  , Veganopoulous http://www.veganopoulous.com and Half Pint Vegan Dairy http://halfpintvegandairy.com.au  is filled with lots of information for Vegans visiting Australia.

Vegan Applesauce Cake

Few days ago, I baked Applesauce Cake by following the recipe in Vaishali's blog, Holy Cow. The cake was awesome, it tasted so much like fruit cake or plum cake found in Bangalore bakeries.

The cake was light brown in color, and bursting with cinnamon and cardamom flavors. The walnuts tasted so good in this cake...

I'm sure I will bake this cake many times. Next time, I'm planning to add raisins, plums, and cashews.

Here is the link to the Applesauce cake (http://holycowvegan.net/2009/06/applesauce-cake.html )

Senso Vegetarian Shoes (Cruel-free Shoes)

 Many people in India, no longer like to buy leather shoes and sandals, as leather is the result of pain, suffering and death of innocent animals.

Thanks to the company - Senso Vegetarian Shoes, where shoes, sandals, and slippers are made from non-leather material. You can also buy beautiful cruel-free bags from Senso Vegetarian Shoes.

If you have friends and family in India, please let them know of this cruel-free store. They do free delivery all over India. http://sensoveg.com

Vegan Parathas (Indian Bread)

I love Parathas . These days I make Aloo parathas (Potato Parathas), Methi Parathas(Fenugreek Parathas), or Pudina Parathas(Mint Parathas), for my son's lunch- box .

The first time I made Aloo parathas, it was a mess. The potato filling came out while I was rolling the parathas. Last week, I made good  Aloo parathas , after following the recipe in the blog, CookingandMe.  Cooking and me
is an awesome blog for Indian cuisine. Nags, who works for Google, and is based in Sydney , makes yummy food. I 'm so glad she blogs. You can find many vegan recipes in the blog - Cooking and Me .

Aloo Parathas are so tasty. I like to eat  hot Aloo Parathas with a dollop of Earth Balance (vegan butter) and maple syrup. Sometimes I like to relish Aloo Parathas with lime pickle or tomato chutney. My son likes to eat plain Aloo Parathas .

Plant-Based Diet for a Healthy Heart

Whenever I tell anyone that I eat vegan food, they assume that my diet is healthy. I love to eat healthy food, every day. Even though my diet is vegan, I tend to consume white rice and sweets such as burfis , cookies , kheers and payasams every day! In short, I may eat vegan food every day, but I'm not eating healthy food.

February is American Heart Month , and millions of Americans are trying to eat more plant-based food . According to American Heart Association, "Vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they’re carefully planned to include essential nutrients. " American Heart Association's website is brimming with loads of useful information.  www.heart.org

Proteins :According to American Heart Association(AHA), whole grains, legumes, grains, vegetables, and nuts contain proteins. Soy products such as tofu and tempeh are also rich in protein.

Iron : According to AHA, dried beans, spinach, enriched products , and dried fruits are rich in Iron.

Calcium :Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than nonvegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants.  I roll my eyes when moms across the world force their kids to drink "dairy milk" for calcium. For my son, I mix 1 tsp of sesame seeds to vegetables or rice once or twice in a week. Sometimes, I also put ground almonds, as it is an excellent source of calcium.

Vitamin B12 : Some studies have shown that Vitamin B12 is very important for a healthy heart .Vitamin B12 is present only in animals products. If you are a vegan or planning to consume more plant-based food every day, I suggest you take Vitamin B12 supplement. I take Vitamin B12 supplement made by Jarrow Formulas. www.Jarrow.com
AHA also urges people to consume foods rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A

Zinc : Zinc plays an important role in protecting the heart . I take Zinc supplement whenever I sense the onset of cold . A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling tired and had a runny nose. I just ate my dinner and took a Zinc supplement, and slept in the night. In the morning, I was fresh and did not
suffer from nasty cold!

Dark chocolates are good for Heart. Dark chocolates are rich in antioxidants. Today is Valentine's Day, I ate a bar of yummy dark chocolate. You get great dark chocolates at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Target.

Vegan Recipes , Cruel-free Recipes for Diwali

In a couple of days, millions of Hindus across the world will celebrate, Diwali - Festival of Lights.
Milk and milk based products such as ghee , butter, paneer(Indian cottage cheese) , are used to make sweets. It's time to share sweets with family and friends.

According to Ayurveda(India's traditional medical science), milk and milk product such as ghee,
belongs to Sattvic (Goodness), group. According to Ayurveda, Sattvic food, such as fruits, vegetables, freshly cookes beans and lentils ,and milk promotes spiritual growth and guides people to follow the right path. Sattvic food is also known as ahimsa food(non-violence).

Unfotunately , the condition of milk producing cows in India and across the world is filled with pain
and suffering . In India, cows are induced with oxytocin harmone to produce more milk. In western countries, cows are repeatedly impregnated so that cows keep producing milk for a long time.
In short, cows are treated as "milking machines" .

In this day and age, milk and ghee no longer belong to Sattvic food. Milk and milk products such
as ghee and yogurt belong to "Tamasic foods", which is the result of non-violence. Meat , fish and eggs belong to Tamasic food group.

In this day and age, milk and ghee, no longer promotes spiritual growth.

I'm a vegan and I enjoy Diwali by making vegan sweets. I feel so happy to see my family and friends
relish my vegan burfis, kheers and halwas.

You too can make delicious sweets without using milk , ghee and butter. Visit Vaishali's blog
holy cow to find vegan recipes
for carrot halwa, burfis , firni , adhirasam , and many more mouth-watering recipes.