|
by William Harris,
M.D., VSH Board Member
Welcome to the
Vegetarian Society of Hawaii. Documented benefits of a strict
vegetarian (vegan) lifestyle include permanent reduction in weight,
blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as risk
reduction for cardiovascular disease and half a dozen common forms of
cancer. Allergies, arthritis, and asthma also respond to vegan
nutrition, which means no meat, fish, chicken, dairy, eggs, or even
honey.
We also
suggest that you discontinue smoking and alcohol consumption, and that
you begin, if you're not already on, a graded exercise program,
possibly under the supervision of your physician or other health care
provider.
Why be a
vegan? Because all the essential amino acids, essential fatty acids,
and vitamins are made by plants and micro-organisms, not by animals.
Animal foods contain those items too, but most animals have
roughly the same nutrient requirements as humans, so we get those
essential nutrients second-hand, along with the unique ingredients of
animal foods: the unwanted cholesterol and saturated fat.
How to be a
vegan? The food change is easy since it's really quicker to fix vegan
foods than the old recipes you're used to. VSH also sells most of the
books that I recommend for a more complete explanation of veganism
including:
Diet for a New America. John
Robbins.....................................................................
$13.95
Healthy Heart Handbook. Neal Pinckney,
Ph.D......................................................... $15.95
Pregnancy, Children and the
Vegan Diet. Michael Klaper,
M.D.................................... $9.95
The McDougall Program for
Maximum Weight Loss John McDougall, M.D....................
$23.95
The Race for Life Cookbook. Ruth Heidrich,
Ph.D.................................................... $9.95
The Scientific Basis of
Vegetarianism. William Harris,
M.D......................................... $15.95
These books can also be found at
the libraries and the health food stores. VSH has monthly meetings and
food demonstrations, open to the public at the
Ala Wai Golf Course Clubhouse or McCoy Pavilion, where you'll meet
others contemplating the change.
VSH also presents "Vegetarian", a
weekly Public Access TV program. Set your VCR to Olelo's Oahu (Cable
Channel 52) on Thursdays 6:00 PM-7:00 PM where you'll eventually see
all the VSH lectures of the past 4-5 years. There is also a talk radio
show on Sundays 7:00 PM-9:00 PM on K108 (AM 1080) called "Nutrition and
You" featuring Ruth Heidrich, Ph.D. and Terry Shintani, M.D. Call in to
524-1080. Upcoming VSH events are always announced on the show.
Vegan eating is very simple. One could
consume only raw vegetables and fruit, and still meet all one's
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for essential nutrients, except
for vitamin B12. But for those who like to cook there are
many, many recipes in the books carried by VSH. In addition, here are
some recipes gleaned from the VSH newsletter.
Chop Suey Vegan (604 Calories)
***************************
2 tbsp
cornstarch
2 cloves
garlic, grated
1 tsp raw
ginger, grated
1 tbsp
tamari sauce
1 tsp Red
Star 6635+yeast (has vitamin B12)
¸ tsp
Colman's mustard powder (optional)
5 fresh
mushrooms
1 cup mung
bean sprouts
1 cup
Chinese pea pods
¸ cup
broccoli flowerets
¸ cup
diced onion
2 stalks
celery, sliced obliquely
2 oz Mori-Nu
1% fat tofu (or Mrs. Cheng's tofu)
1 raw
carrot, coarsely grated
1 cup long
grain brown rice
Begin by boiling the rice. Gravy:
in a second pot add a cup of cold water to the cornstarch, mix and
slowly heat while stirring. When the gravy begins to thicken add the
grated garlic, ginger, tamari, yeast flakes, and mustard powder.
Continue to stir until a thick gravy results. Meanwhile place the
remaining vegetable ingredients in a steam basket and cook 10-15
minutes until crispy but done. Transfer the steamed vegetables to a
bowl, then pour on the gravy, mix with tongs, and serve over the rice.
Serves three or four.
The Perfect Snack
(568 Calories)
****************************
8 oz (¸ jar) Pace Picante Sauce
(Mild or Medium)
16 oz (1
can) Townhouse Refried Beans (Safeway)
1 tbsp Red
Star 6635+ yeast
1 whole
cucumber
Add the first three ingredients in the above order to
the blender of your choice and mix thoroughly, then pour into any
closed container. Cut the cucumber into thin 3"-4" strips and place in
a ziplock bag. You can take this easy strip-dip snack to work and load
up on healthy and delicious food (see Nutrient Analysis below) while
your co-workers are inhaling Twinkies. Broccoli, carrots, and
cauliflower are also great for dipping.
Pink Palace Special
(Georgie Yap, R.N.) 85 Calories
****************************
3 slices raw tomato
2 slices raw onion
3 leaves Romaine lettuce
¸ slice whole wheat pita bread
1 tsp fresh parsley
¸ tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Red Star 6635+ yeast
Mix the Dijon mustard and Red Star 6635+ yeast and
spread on one side of the pita pocket. Finely chop the tomato, onion,
and parsley ( a Cuisinart Mini-Prep helps) and place in the pocket.
Carefully remove the stems and ribs from the Romaine lettuce, then
stuff the leaves into the pita pocket.
Sassy
Salsa Sandwich
(Georgie Yap, R.N.) 217 Calories
********************************
2 slices Pumpernickel bread
3 Tbsp Rosarita Vegetarian Refried Beans
1 Tbsp Mild Pace Picante Salsa (to taste)
1 tsp raw grated carrot
1 handful alfalfa sprouts
1 tsp Red Star 6635+ yeast
Grate a 1 inch segment of
carrot and add to the refried beans. Add the
salsa and the Red Star yeast, and stir with a spoon (or put in a
blender). Spread on bread, cover with sprouts and place second piece of
bread on top.
Lentil Tacos
(Dick Allgire) 997 Calories
*********************************
1 cup diced onion
¸ cup diced celery
1 clove garlic
1 cup lentils
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 cups veggie broth
2 tbsp raisins
1 cup salsa (see below)*
8 corn tortillas
lettuce, tomato garnish
Saute onions, garlic and celery in water (or broth or
white wine) for five minutes, adding liquid as needed so it doesn't
burn. Stir in the lentils, chili, cumin, oregano. Add a dash more
liquid. Stir fry 1 minute. Add broth and raisins, cover, cook 20
minutes. Remove lid, add salsa, and cook 10 minutes. Heat tortillas and
serve with lentils and garnish.
*For salsa:
2 cups tomato, chopped
¸ cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
¸ tsp hot sauce
salt to taste
V-4 Juice
(Bill Harris, M.D.) 202 Calories
*********************************
2 raw tomatoes
4 large raw carrots
3 stalks raw celery
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Red Star 6635+ yeast
Run the above ingredients through the juicer of your
choice. Drink. Having drunk, see Nutrient Analysis below. Fresh
vegetable juice is helpful in losing weight, since RDAs are always
reached before Calorie requirements are met. For those too lazy to make
their own juice, commercial low sodium V-8 juice is almost as
nutritious and is one of the few truly healthful products widely
available in a bottle.
And now for something NOT to eat (compare in Nutrient
Analysis below)
A Typical
Fast Food Meal
(853 Calories)
**********************************
1 Cheeseburger
1 milkshake
1 order of French fries
A Few Words on Vegan Nutrition
Most patients were referred to the Kaiser Vegetarian
Lifestyle Clinic (VLC), from which this guide was taken, for weight
loss or serum cholesterol reduction since a vegan diet contains very
little saturated fat and no measurable amount of cholesterol.
Whole food vegan nutrition includes no refined sugar and
no oil. The food recommendations are centered on fresh vegetables,
particularly leafy greens, preferably raw, in whatever arrangement your
tastebuds appreciate the most, with Calorie requirements filled in by
starchy foods (potatoes, yams, etc.), grains (brown rice, pasta, etc.),
and fresh fruit.
You can eat as much as you want as long as it's whole
food (unrefined) and vegan. It is not necessary to measure or count out
servings or amounts consumed. Your body has three sensing mechanisms
that take care of that automatically. First, your stomach (capacity ~
one quart) has stretch receptors that send signals to the brain when
the stomach is full. Second, your body will instruct you to eat until
enough food energy is on board to run your metabolism, since that is
the main reason for eating in the first place. Third, a complicated
system of biochemical feedback systems detect the presence or absence
of minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids and essential amino acids
(protein).
Nutrient Analysis
Of recipes on Pages 2-3. Done with
Nutritionist IV software (based on an RDA of 2200 Calories/day).
|
|
|
RDA
|
Chop Suey
|
P-Snack
|
Pink Palace
|
Sassy Salsa
|
Tacos
|
V-4 Juice
|
|
Fast Food
|
|
Total Calories in recipe:
|
604
|
568
|
85
|
217
|
979
|
202
|
|
853
|
|
% of
Calories from:
|
|
Carbohydrate
|
60%-80%
|
69%
|
67%
|
76%
|
69%
|
73%
|
80%
|
|
57%
|
|
Fat
|
10%-20%
|
12%
|
7%
|
7%
|
11%
|
11%
|
8%
|
|
29%
|
|
Protein
|
10%-20%
|
19%
|
26%
|
18%
|
20%
|
16%
|
13%
|
|
14%
|
|
|
|
|
SatietyIndex (Wt./Cal)
>1
|
1.2
|
1.8
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
3.2
|
|
0.56
|
|
|
|
Nutrient
- Percent of (Recommended Daily Allowance [RDA] per Calorie ):
|
|
Calcium (Mg)
|
800
|
158%
|
151%
|
110%
|
100%
|
160%
|
365%
|
|
230%
|
|
Cholesterol
(mg)
|
<300
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
|
| 245 mg |
|
|
Fiber (gm)
|
22
|
286%
|
466%
|
231%
|
297%
|
341%
|
825%
|
|
30%
|
|
Folate (ug)
|
400
|
655%
|
1657%
|
903%
|
802%
|
682%
|
1791%
|
|
68%
|
|
Iron (mg)
|
|
18
|
346%
|
279%
|
186%
|
204%
|
274%
|
630%
|
|
96%
|
|
Magnesium (mg)
|
350
|
348%
|
404%
|
161%
|
279%
|
259%
|
465%
|
|
42%
|
|
Potassium (mg)
|
2000
|
336%
|
547%
|
370%
|
309%
|
258%
|
1209%
|
|
120%
|
|
Phosphorus (mg)
|
1200
|
303%
|
444%
|
227%
|
343%
|
288%
|
320%
|
|
114%
|
|
Riboflavin (mg)
|
1.6
|
1051%
|
2818%
|
1730%
|
2648%
|
101%
|
560%
|
|
42%
|
|
Thiamin (mg)
|
1.4
|
1259%
|
3620%
|
2186%
|
3094%
|
209%
|
754%
|
|
97%
|
|
Vitamin A (RE)
|
1000
|
704%
|
147%
|
280%
|
184%
|
229%
|
9213%
|
|
40%
|
|
Vitamin B12 (ug)
|
3
|
456%
|
1372%
|
784%
|
1274%
|
0%
|
114%
|
|
174%
|
|
Vitamin B6 (mg)
|
2.2
|
979%
|
2491%
|
1449%
|
2040%
|
236%
|
691%
|
|
50%
|
|
Vitamin E (mg)
|
10
|
125%
|
461%
|
128%
|
100%
|
212%
|
536%
|
|
18%
|
|
Vitamin C (mg)
|
60
|
1071%
|
756%
|
780%
|
156%
|
426%
|
3209%
|
|
58%
|
|
Zinc (mg)
|
15
|
164%
|
252%
|
113%
|
192%
|
139%
|
147%
|
|
55%
|
Above, each recipe is given a satiety index, which is
the weight (roughly proportional to volume) of any given amount of the
food, divided by its Calorie content. The higher the satiety index, the
less likely is that food to cause weight gain.
Each recipe is also given a "Percent of (Recommended
Daily Allowance [RDA] per Calorie)," which is the same as saying "If
you ate nothing but multiples of this recipe until your entire day's
Calorie needs (about 2200 Calories) were met, this is the percent of
the RDA for each of these nutrients that you would get." For instance,
the table shows that the RDA for calcium is 800 mg per day. The Chop
Suey has a "Percent of (Recommended Daily Allowance [RDA] per
Calorie)," (%RDA/Cal) of 158% for calcium, so if you were to eat
nothing but Chop Suey (~ 2200 Calories in a day), you'd get 158% of 800
mg or 1.58 x 800 = 1264 mg calcium. No one will eat 2200 calories of
any single recipe, but they will eat ~ 2200 Calories of something,
and if everything eaten in a day meets or exceeds 100% of the RDA/Cal
for each of the nutrients, then all RDAs are met automatically and
without counting "servings" or measuring out food weights.
You can see that 2200 Calories of the fast food meal,
(cheeseburger, french fries, and a shake), are short in fiber, folate,
iron, magnesium, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin B6,
vitamin E, vitamin C, and zinc. This nutritional disaster will be
countered when your body discovers that although Calorie requirements
are already met, the satiety index is only .56 so there's plenty of
room left in the stomach for more food, in an attempt to make up the
nutrient shortfalls. But this means the excess Calories will be stored
as fat.
You can also see that eating 2200 Calories of any
combination of the 6 vegan recipes would automatically meet or exceed
all RDAs except vitamin B12 (in the tacos). These vegan
recipes are not unique and, in fact, are rather typical. They have high
satiety indexes so your stomach is filled and all nutrient requirements
are met before Calorie requirements are achieved. Your body then burns
your fat stores to meet its energy needs.
That is why, by eating whole vegan food, at about
10%-20% of Calories from fat, and with adequate exercise, you can
expect to lose about one pound a week indefinitely, without any
nutrient deficiency (save B12 in those recipes not
containing Red Star 6635+ yeast), without depriving yourself of food,
and without any effort other than selecting your food carefully. Once
you have demonstrated weight loss on this regimen you may be able to
cautiously add back some fatty plant foods in their natural form (whole
avocados, raw almonds, raw walnuts, raw sunflower and unhulled sesame
seeds) that are nutritious, help satisfy fat cravings, and are
documented to help lower cholesterol levels.
Amputating
the Food Guide Pyramid
Refined sugar (empty Calories), Vegetable oil (100%
fat), Meat, fish, poultry, eggs (cholesterol, saturated fat), Dairy (
cholesterol, fat, allergenic protein).
The Food Guide Trapezoid
Grains and starches are OK foods
but when refined they release sugar rapidly, and raise insulin and
triglyceride levels.
Base your diet on fresh
vegetables, then fill in Calorie needs with fresh
fruit, starches, and grains.
"Then God said, 'I give you every
seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that
has seed in it. They will be yours for food...I give every green plant
for food.' And it was so."
-Genesis
1:29
This biblical quote says nothing about dairy, eggs,
fish, grain,meat, oil, poultry, or sugar. From the evolutionary
standpoint the dietary advice comes out the same. Our remote primate
ancestors evolved over 56 million years living in trees where the food
supply was mostly fruit, leaves, and nuts. Most of our anatomy and
physiology developed on these foods. Three million years ago our
hominid ancestors descended to the ground and began adding meat to the
diet as a survival strategy, but all the essential amino acids, fatty
acids, and vitamins in the human diet are still synthesized by plants,
not animals.
Milk was never a large part of the adult human diet
until the agricultural revolution 12,000 years ago. Oils were never
part of the diet until 5500 years ago and that culinary disaster known
as "frying" first appeared in the English language 1100 AD . Refined
sugar did not enter the diet until 400 years ago. From an evolutionary
standpoint, these are short time periods and humans are poorly adapted
to animal source food, vegetable oil, and refined sugar. When food is
scarce, any food is better than no food at all, but when there is a
plentiful and diverse supply of healthy plant foods, animal foods and
refined foods are a disaster! Most of the degenerative diseases of our
time are at least partly due to our departure from the diet on which we
evolved, and the main thrust of the VSH is to put you back on that diet.
Reading the Labels
Perhaps the simplest food advice is, "If man made it,
don't eat it." The food industry is unavoidably profit-driven, so if
junk food sells that's what will be sold. Since many people don't care
what they eat it, is essential that you learn to read food labels .
The really low fat foods, vegetables and fruits, carry
no labels. Shoppers should assume that commercial "Low-Fat and "No-Fat"
labels are lies until proven otherwise. As an example there is a brand
of margarine, still on the market, which claims to be "No-Fat
Margarine." However the "Nutrition Facts" on the reverse side show that
there are 5 Calories in a serving and that all 5 Calories come from
fat. Hence this "no-fat margarine" is actually 100% of Calories from
fat. The serving size has been artfully adjusted so that slightly less
than .5 gm of fat is present in a "serving". FDA rules require that the
grams of fat be rounded off to the lowest half gram, in this case zero,
whereupon the unscrupulous company claims that its product is "no fat."
Foods which list hydrogenated fats or oil, lard, vegetable oil,
diglycerides, or monoglycerides on the label should also be avoided;
these substances are also 100% fat.
Other ingredients to avoid include casein and whey (both
dairy proteins with a high potential for allergic reactions), alum
(contains aluminum), artificial coloring, EDTA, calcium propionate, and
honey (a simple carbohydrate having only marginal advantage over
refined sugar).
Dried pasta usually contains only durum semolina wheat
and is a reasonably healthy food. Bread, another
wheat product that has about the same nutrient
value as pasta, is moist and will spoil rapidly before it can be sold.
For this reason, commercial bakers add preservatives to lengthen the
shelf life, plus a truly heroic list of salts, sweeteners, fats, dairy
proteins such as whey and casein, honey, and other taste enhancers to
lure customers to buy it before it spoils anyway in spite of the
preservatives. However, some Pita bread and other commercial whole
wheat breads occasionally pass the additives test.
How about Pesticides?
Pesticides, herbicides, and additives are omnipresent in
the food supply, the result of an agri-chemical industry run amuck in
the halls of congress. Most of these substances never before existed in
nature so no biological system is adapted to them. The best way to
reduce your intake is to follow the wholefood vegan lifestyle. Plant
foods may contain some chemical residues, but the fatty tissues of
animals have absorbed and concentrated them roughly ten-fold. Buying
organically grown vegetables is a good way to further reduce exposure
to chemical residue, but it's senseless to rely only on this strategy
while still eating the high-fat, high-pesticide animal foods. For a
more detailed account of this problem read: Steinman, David. Diet
for a Poisoned Planet: How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family.
Ballantine Books. New York 1990. ISBN 0-345-37465-7.
How about Exercise?
Diet and exercise are the prime determinants of health,
all other interventions are secondary. To be effective, exercise should
make you sweat, raise your pulse rate, raise your respiratory rate, and
transiently raise your blood pressure. While there are fancy devices
and formulas to insure that all these things happen, the most important
items are your feet, a well-padded pair of running shoes, and your own
determination to set aside 15-60 minutes of your day to "suit-up" and
go out and do it. The real objective is to develop an "exercise
addiction" that will last for the rest of your life and become a part
of your daily schedule.
One of the most vicious cycles in nature begins with the
words, "I can't exercise because...." If the excuse is, for instance,
"because I weigh too much, and it hurts," then one simply stores more
fat, gets heavier, and the pain gets worse. All the cells in your body
are dependent on the circulation of blood and lymph for the exchange of
gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide), the supply of nutrients (amino acids,
fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals), and the removal of metabolic
waste. Without exercise your circulatory system steadily deteriorates.
Without circulation no tissue is properly nourished and no tissue can
heal.
It's probably best to get up early enough to start the
day with exercise. If you put it off until the end of the day, you may
find a dozen excuses not to do it at all. If you have not exercised for
many years, get back into it gradually.
Overuse injuries and accidental injuries will interfere
from time to time. Therefore, one should have at least three exercise
modes which can be used interchangeably. If your knees complain about
too much running, switch to swimming or a stationary bicycle. If a sore
develops and is painful in the water, go back to running. If the
weather goes bad, you can walk or run up the stairwell in your building.
Walking, alternating with short jogs, is a good way to
build your exercise reserve. If there is any question of your
cardiovascular safety, better resume exercise under the instructions of
your physician. If you compete, watch out for the play-to-win
mentality, since high-acceleration sports injuries heal slowly at any
age and the older you get, the slower they heal.
Exercise should include stretching, warmup, aerobics
(e.g. running, biking, swimming), and resisted movement (e.g. weight
lifting). How much and how intense is up to you and any coach or
councillor you may pick as an advanced guide.
While weight lifting equipment can cost a bundle, there
are two kinds of muscle training exercises that cost nothing:
Gravity-resisted exercise (e.g. pushups, chinups,
situps, abdominal crunches.) Place a free hand on your belly when you
do this one and see how it contracts your abdominal muscles without
stressing your back).
Muscle-resisted exercise. This is
just a matter of using the muscles and bones of one part of your body
to push against the muscles and bones of another. Muscle training is
essential to increase muscle strength. Increasing muscle strength is
the best way to maintain or increase bone strength and bone density. 
How About
Supplements ?
A properly designed vegan diet meets the RDAs for all
essential nutrients, save vitamin B12. A poorly designed
diet of any kind should always be fixed by changing the food, not by
taking pills. Nevertheless, in a dietary transition period, supplements
act as a sort of insurance against nutritional error. These
preparations, or similar ones found in health food stores, are worth
your consideration:
A multi-vitamin-mineral which contains vitamin B12
(cobalamin).
Example: "Nature's Life Mega-Vita-Min." (or equivalent)
A calcium supplement (particularly for post-menopausal
women)
Example: "Country Life Maxi-Cal Chelated Calcium" (or
equivalent)
How About Miracle Foods?
There are no miracle foods. But the wholefood vegan
lifestyle removes the entire category of foods that miraculously make
you sick: refined foods and animal foods.
"Eat as wide a variety
of plant foods in as unprocessed a form as possible."
-Susan
Havala, R.D.
How About Salt?
Crystalline table salt (sodium chloride) is not required
in a whole food vegan diet centered on vegetables. Although the RDA for
sodium is set at 1100-3300 mg/day (1-2 tsp salt/day), the actual
physiological requirement is less than 300 mg/day. If one were on a
Macrobiotic diet of grains only, one could encounter a sodium
deficiency, which is probably why salt is regarded as a necessity in
that diet plan. However, some individuals are salt sensitive and will
experience blood pressure elevation from added dietary salt. Almost all
of us appreciate the taste of salt, but it should not be applied to the
food until it arrives on the table. That way each of us can "salt to
taste" without subjecting other salt-sensitive diners to an unwanted
salt load.
While some authors have argued that crystalline salt is
a dietary essential for all animals and humans, there are geographical
areas in the world virtually devoid of salt deposits, but abundantly
inhabited by animals who are getting their sodium from grasses and
other green plants.
In short, table salt tastes good
but don't overdo it, don't feed it to the salt-sensitive, and never
regard it as a dietary essential, since if it were, it would be unique
among minerals. All the others are obtained in adequate amount in foods.
How About Water?
"What is man but a way water has of getting about
beyond the reach of rivers?"
While vegan food naturally contains a large amount of
water, it's not a bad idea to drink an additional 4-8 glasses a day, between
meals and long before bedtime. This perks up cellular hydration,
nutrition, and waste management and compensates for Hawaii's warm
climate (which predisposes to kidney stones). It also increases blood
flow through the kidneys, which may then reduce their output of some
hormones which elevate blood pressure.
Hawaii has a cleaner water supply than the mainland but
steam-distilled or filtered water is still the best. You needn't worry
about losing out on minerals; even special spring waters have an
insignificant mineral content compared with the recommended plant foods.
How About Ethics?
Some people seem to think that discussions of animal
rights and ethics are hitting below the belt, somewhat like talking
politics in a mess hall. However, if you're already a vegetarian or are
thinking of becoming one, there's no longer a defensive rationalization
standing in the way of your seeing the violence and cruelty involved in
animal food production. So you might as well go the "whole hog" and
read something like John Robbins' Diet for a New America. If
you can become convinced that killing animals is fundamentally wrong,
you'll be doing a favor not only to the animals but to yourself as
well. Health vegetarians cheat like crazy, and every cheat is a step
backward. However, those who see, as did George Bernard Shaw, that meat
eating is "cannibalism with the heroic dish omitted" would no sooner
have an occasional steak than occasionally bite into their next door
neighbor.Dining Out
A simple way to
experience vegan cooking is to dine out. Ethnic
restaurants are a particularly good bet since many are almost vegan to
begin with. However, it's best if you call ahead and ask if they can
guarantee vegan food. Then specify in your order: "No chicken, dairy,
eggs, fish, meat, beef broth, chicken broth, fish sauce, honey, or
oyster sauce." Ask that your vegetables be steamed or stir-fried in
water, not oil. Make it clear to your waiter that you are a strict
vegetarian - a vegan.
Most Thai and Vietnamese restaurants have vegan
selections on their menus, and many offer brown rice. Most Chinese
restaurants will offer up whatever you request. You may also ask for
reduced soy sauce, no monosodium glutamate (MSG), and no oil in the
cooking. Your request can be honored because Chinese dishes are
generally cooked to order.
Most Italian and many continental restaurants can fix
pasta primavera. Vegans need to be wary of eggs in the noodles and
dairy products in the salad dressing. You can also request no oil.
Many restaurants have baked potatoes and good salad
bars. If you're asked what they can use to flavor the food, just smile
and say, "garlic, ginger, herbs, lemon juice, mustard, tomato sauce,
soy sauce, starch-based gravy, and vinegar."
Fast Food Fever
Here are some fast food options that appear to be almost
OK. Bear in mind that the bread and buns are often contaminated by
dairy products, hydrogenated fat, and preservatives. For the most part,
these are the last dining spots for a vegan, but if social
circumstances push you into these places, here are some things to try:
Burger King
Vegetarian Whopper: lettuce, tomato, pickle, sesame bun.
Hold the mayonnaise.
Jack in the Box
Chicken fajita, hold the chicken, hold the cheese, use
mustard instead of mayonnaise.
Subway
Veggie Delight sandwich. Hold the mayonnaise.
Taco Bell
Bean burrito, hold the meat, hold the cheese, add lots
of lettuce and tomato.
Zippy's
Zippy's vegetarian chili (served over rice, or use it as
a dip for vegetable strips. Zippy's nutritional data shows that there's
actually good nutrition here)
Zippy's also has Boca Burgers but ask for lots of
lettuce and tomato, hold the mayo, use mustard and ketchup instead, and
remember: not even Zippy's know's what's in the bun.
How About Raw?
As of this writing there are dozens of websites hawking
raw vegan diets with perhaps more enthusiasm than logic, but in my
opinion they're substantially correct for two very important reasons.
First of all the foods that can be eaten raw have enormously higher
nutrient values than the foods that are usually cooked. You can see
from this graph that

Calorie for Calorie, potatoes, pasta,
rice, and wheat are no match for leafy greens and vegetables in
general.
Secondly, and perhaps even more
importantly, hidden in the depths of those uninteresting looking raw
veggies you'll discover flavors that will finally make it possible for
you to kick the salt habit.
A few processed
( but vegan and more or less healthy ) foods:
Here are a few foods whose labels
indicate that they are free of the most disastrous ingredients. Some
are fairly healthy but none of them are as nutritious as plain fruits,
grains and vegetables. Some are high in plant fat. However, these foods
offer familiar tastes and convenience and may give you ideas about more
healthy things to eat. Most are available in health food stores (H),
some in supermarkets (S), some in both (B). The truly fat ones are also
marked (F).
Casbah brand Pilaf, Couscous,
Tabouli, Tahini sauce (B)
Cascadian Farm pickles ( aluminum
free) (H)
Cedarlane Unbleached Wheat Pita
Bread (H)
De Boles rice pasta (for those
intolerant of wheat) (H)
Down to Earth Vegetarian Soy
Protein Powder (H)
Fantastic Foods Falafel
(Vegetarian Mix) (B)
Garden Vegan burger (B)
Good Seasons Fat Free Dressing (
General Foods) (S)
Guiltless Gourmet baked corn
tortilla chips (H)
Hain Chicken Flavored Gravy Mix
("Fat Free") (H)
Hain Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix
("Fat Free") (H)
Loma Linda Big Franks (H)
Laura Scudder's Natural Peanut
Butter (S+F),
Pace Picante Sauce (Salsa) (S)
Pasta Perfect Radian with
Vegetables (H)
Puritan's Pride Pure Soy Protein
Powder (H)
R.W. Knudson Very Veggie Vegetable
Cocktail (H)
Rice Dream Organic Original Rice
Milk (B)
Rosarita No Fat Zesty Salsa
Refried Beans (B)
Rosarita Vegetarian Refried Beans
(B)
San-J Tamari Soy Sauce ( high salt
but no benzoate) (H)
Smart Deli Roast Turkey Style
(Pareve) (H)
Soy Singles dairy-free soy cheese
(H+F)
Spectrum Natural Spread (H+F)
Star Sour Dough Bread (S)
Tomato or V-8 juice (B)
Townhouse Vegetarian Refried Beans
(S)
Vegan Original Boca Burgers (B)
Vegenaise soy mayonnaise (H+F)
VitaSoy Natural Soy Drink (H)
White Wave Turkey Style Sandwich
Slices (H)
White Wave Dairyless Yoghurt (H)
Odds and Ends
Barlean's flaxseed oil (high in
linolenic acid, the first of the omega-3 fatty acids (H+F)
Cafix instant hot drink (coffee
substitute)
Emes Kosher-Jel (vegan gelatin)
Ener-G Egg Replacer (H)
Gayelord Hauser Vege-Sal (
vegetized seasoning salt) (H)
Travel Tips
Taking your own food supply will
solve the dilemma of what to eat when there isn't anything to eat. You
can carry pre-selected whole vegan food in a six-pack Rubbermaid Cooler
(~ 8-1/2" x 6") with a Super-Ice Cold Pack (blue ice packet). Then a
small plastic container with these items makes lunch at a roadside
picnic stop a snap:
Small cutting board
Small serrated knifeSmall can
opener
Tupperware keep-kapAssorted
plastic forks and spoons
2-3 small tupperware containers
with lids
ziplock bags
You can fend off the
food fits by carrying simple things like the Perfect Snack (page 2), a
bottle of V-8 juice, a few raw nuts, and a piece of fruit. On a trip
you can refill most of the items from a super market or a health food
store, and avoid the temptation to "cheat" that raw hunger brings.
A self-calculating vegan diet/exercise spreadsheet
"Dietque5.wb1" (Quattro Pro) or "Dietque5.xls" (Excel) is available as
a free download from http://www.vegsource.com/harris/download.htm
While this spreadsheet is not as accurate as a
dietician's questionnaire, it is a lot quicker to fill out and can be
used over and over again by just saving it to a new name (e.g
"Mary.xls", "Pete.xls") each time it's used. Body Mass Index (BMI) is
computed automatically from your weight in lbs. and height in inches. A
running score is displayed as food and exercise data is input.
Here's to your health!
-William
Harris, M.D.
|