Anyhow, I finally made the Tofurky, and my family wasn’t sure what to think! I added far more veggies than the box recommended, I ALWAYS add extra veggies to recipes.  Once the Tofurky was done and we sat down to eat…I did get a few snickers from the kids.  My oldest daughter (21) thought it was quite tasty as did my 12 yr old daughter.  I knew my 13 yr old wouldn’t even give it a chance, as well as my 8 yr old.  Anyhow, Brian (my hubby) tried it and he also liked it!!  I thought it was pretty good as well.  It was NOT chewy as people mock about tofu.  I thought it had a great balance of spices and it melded well with the tofu.  In my opinion, it was a great alternative to the usual Turkey on Thanksgiving Day.  Well, in my house, 4 out of 6 isn’t bad!!

Personally, I think it was unanimous that the gravy was delicious!!  That will definitely be purchased again since I have had a difficult time making gravy that is vegan and yummy.  Even my pickiest liked the gravy!!

So, that is my experience with the Tofurky.  Don’t knock it ’til you try it!!  You just might be pleasantly surprised!

I am sure you know someone who has type 2 diabetes.  Whether it is you, or a family member or friend, we all know someone this terrible disease has affected.  Personally, I know many who have type 2 diabetes and others who are borderline diabetic.  Do people really think food does NOT affect whether or not you have diabetes?  Most of those I know don’t exactly have a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.  Many times I have heard people say that they need to be careful of fruit…because of the sugar in it, but they go and eat a bag of potato chips or cakes and such.  Something just doesn’t make sense with that scenario, not sure what it is though!

These people can save their lives and those around them, if they adopt a vegan diet…one low in fat but high in fruit and vegetables.  It is hard to grasp but there are more than 20 million Americans with diabetes…a number that is on the rise.  A vegan diet  is a healing tool that diabetics AND their doctors can use to fight such a terrible disease.  This diet will help with weight loss and with lowering cholesterol..as well as getting you off your medications.  Do not take yourself off your medications, talk to your doctor about it.  You should see within a month of adopting a vegan diet that you will soon be off your medications!!

Check you Dr. Neal Barnard, lead researcher for PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) for some great resources for diabetes and cooking…as well as adopting a wonderful plant strong diet.  Here, you can find some great information on incorporating a vegetarian diet…check it out, it will not be as hard as you think!!!

Don’t take my word for it….take the word of many people who have reversed their diabetes when they adopted a vegan diet, high in plant strong foods~not processed foods that say they are healthy!!

We have a family consisting of dad, daughter and grandfather living nearby.  When the mom came to visit one day this past summer, she told me that the daughter (who is 6, mind you) grabs whatever she wants off the shelf at the grocery store and that is what she is fed.  Are you kidding me?!  I have a picky eater but no way would I let her or any of my 4 kids decide what is going in the cart!!

My oldest daughter babysits for a few children.  Today, she took a pic of what the children eat on a daily basis.  Their lunch consists of Chef Boyardee ravioli and a fruit cup (probably filled with syrup)!!  She said that they do eat bananas and apples but that there are no vegetables in the house.  They eat all processed foods…either from the cupboard or the freezer.  Sure, for busy families convenience foods are great…right?  No way, not great on the wallet but even worse for your health!!  These processed foods are loaded with sugar and salt and additives and preservatives…there is really no nutrition at all!!  I didn’t tell my daughter but I think a great idea for her is to buy a few ingredients and make something different for the kids…at least give them an opportunity to try something.

One last story that I am almost saddened to tell is from my mom.  A while back she was at her local grocery store and she had in her cart a bundle of carrots…the “real” ones with the greens still on them.  A grown lady approached her and asked her what they were (being serious!).  My mom told her they were carrots, then the lady asked my mom how does she prepare them…this lady didn’t know what a carrot really looks like.  All she buys are the baby carrots that are already peeled (and really pretty yucky, if you ask me!)!!  I am sure you have some of your own stories…either personal or someone you know.  There are no dumb questions…I am certainly not saying anything bad about the lady who didn’t know her carrots, but it is sad that she has not had any teachings in nutrition.

Please if you have any questions about nutrition….anything, please ask away.  If I don’t know the answer, I will definitely find it for you!!  It is our responsibility as adults to teach those we are responsible for about nutrition…and not only teach them, but be a model to them!!  Our children are going to do as we do…if we eat junk on a regular basis, they will grow up to do the same.  Look back at how you were raised, do you see any similarities?  Let’s get educated in nutrition together!!!

Americans are eating cheese, sweets, potatoes and grains…and LOTS of them!  Lets start with our calorie count…the USDA says we eat an estimate of over 2,000 calories a day, but realistically it is much closer to 2,500-3,000.   That alone is an alarming number but…With this number, it is equivalent to almost a TON of food we consume in a year (this is per person…estimated)!  Let’s see what all  those calories consist of (per the US Department of Agriculture):

Dairy~probably the largest industry in America!!!  We Americans have consumed approximately 630 pounds of Milk, Cheese, Ice Cream and Yogurt (again, this is per person in the year 2011).  Does that disturb you?  Well, it sure does disturb me knowing how very much fat and cholesterol is in milk and especially cheese!!  Cheese is probably the worst food for us…my opinion but do your own research!!  This number alone makes me think that it is no wonder why Americans have gotten so large.  Please take the time to watch this very informative video by Dr. Neal Barnard on how certain foods are addictive…

Americans have consumed about 200 pounds of wheat and grains in 2011 and just under 200 pounds of meat (chicken, turkey, beef, and pork).

Yes, we did consume about 400 pounds of vegetables and just under 300 pounds of fruit, but the fruit is usually water based and the vegetables that are most consumed are potatoes and corn!!  Where are your green leafy vegetables??  I work for a party center and we serve our weddings and such dinner, it amazes me how many people say no to the vegetable.  My mom was buying carrots in the store (with the greens on them) and a lady actually approached her and asked her what they were and how do you prepare them!!!  This is our society.  Kids these days will not know what a vegetable is…they are all in tune with opening a can or popping a meal in the microwave….very sad.

Americans consumed about 140 pounds of sweeteners including 40 pounds of those were corn syrup.  This is disturbing….more and more people I know are consuming artificial sweeteners even though they know they are the worst thing for them!

We also have consumed almost 100 lbs of fat!!  Wow…although it is really no shocking, with the amounts of peanuts we eat…but also the way we use olive oils and other oils.

Red meat is on the downward spiral in consumption but people are eating more and more chicken, turkey and fish.  I think these are just as bad as that red meat….why don’t you do a comparison.

Did you know that that beer your drinking may contain Isinglass…which is extracted from fish (it is part of the filter process to clarify the brew).  To be honest, I never really was much of a beer drinker, but this really kind of intrigued me.  I searched what exactly isinglass is and here’s the definition:  a semitransparent whitish very pure gelatin prepared from the air bladders of fishes (as sturgeons) and used especially as a clarifying agent and in jellies and glue.  Personally, this sounds disgusting to me.!!  Not all brews are alike though.  Some (the vegan ones) are filtered or clarified using a seaweed extract, which to me still doesn’t sound appealing, but I guess it is a better way to go.  I wonder if an avid beer drinker could taste a difference between the two??  Any thoughts are welcome!!

I must admit, my daughter who is 12 told us about 2 months ago or so that beer is made of fish bladder…how and where in the world did she learn this?  I have no idea.  Since I have changed much of what we eat, she is quite interested in the ingredients of food.  We weren’t real sure if what she was saying was true, but kind of played along…until I read an article in Vegetarian Times (March 2009).  All I can say is WOW, we learn something new every day!!  I am more of a wine drinker…rarely, but a glass here and there is great!  Not sure about the filter/clarifying process for wine…I guess I ought to look into it!!  Well, have a very Happy New Year…stay safe!!

Here are some websites that offer information on animal-derived ingredients used to make beer, how different beers are made and if they are vegan or vegetarian:  beeradvocate.com; barnivore.com; veganconnection.com/veganbeer.htm

Anyhow, a friend of mine I met on Twitter told me I should make a pot of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau‘s Garlic and Greens soup.  Sounded great, and garlic is so healthy so I made a small pot of it.  I have not had it yet because my stomach is really not settled yet, but it sure smells delicious!  I am determined to have some…as a bowl of it is sitting right next to me! Watch as Colleen makes this very easy…and super nutritious soup:

Well, my main reason for sending this message today is because I wanted to wish every a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Kwanzaa.  I am hoping I will not be in bed tomorrow because I have lots to do to get ready…we are supposed to have 30 visitors for Christmas dinner, so I am doing lots of my work tomorrow!  Enjoy your holiday weekend and stay safe!!

Many people think that because they have high cholesterol or heart disease, they will live the rest of their lives taking medications.  Would you rather pay for seriously great foods that can reverse your health problems or just pay for medication the rest of your life, some of those medications are outrageously expensive!!

Eating a plant based diet…which means getting rid of all the animal products, can and will turn your disease around if you give it a try.  Not just for a day, or a week…but long term.  What do you have to lose…besides your medications which you will be taking the rest of your life if you choose NOT to change your diet?

Check out this fantastic video from Dr. Greger….this short video will tell you the facts!!

When I was a child, there were things in my life that I kept to myself that had happened to me.  And because of my not wanting to or being afraid to tell others things that were happening, I realized that I could feel better when I ate.  I didn’t really have a problem with food that I knew of until I was older.

I believe there are things we all go through in our lives that shape us into who we become as an adult.  These things include good things AND bad things.  I have always believed we go through things for a reason and I believe that those reasons are possibly so we can help someone else who has been though or is going through something that we also had to go through.

I went through things as a child that my mind didn’t even let me remember until I was an adult.  I also lost my best friend at the age of 17 and then years later lost my brother in the same manner (almost exactly) as my best friend.  Although difficult, we are able to get through.  Wherever you put your faith, you must hang onto that to get through.  In my case, I totally believe that God would not allow me to go through something that He knew I could not get through alone…without Him.

So, going through some things actually caused me to cope in my way….turning to binge eating.  I was never anorexic or bulimic….but my problem was binge eating.  Binge eating turned into becoming a closet eater.  I actually became that person that I always thought disgusting…I actually discovered I had a food addiction.  Many people, my husband included didn’t believe there was even such a thing.  I always said to him, just because you don’t have this problem doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.  As an adult, I would put my kids to bed, husband in bed and that was my time to raid the cupboards.   While my kids were in school, I would buy myself lunch…sometimes I would buy 2 sandwiches with the intention of only eating half of each of them and i would devour both whole sandwiches…this was my life.  This is who I am…who I will always be, but it does not have to define who I am!!  Eating is STILL difficult for me, I will always struggle as a former drug addict does, just as a former smoker, alcoholic does!  I want to help those who have been there…with a food addiction but also those who are plagued with disease and let them know that they CAN do something other than take medication to help their current problems.

I look back and I see myself turning to food as a comfort.  I am a stay at home mom and my husband really doesn’t want me to work, we really don’t need me to.  I felt lonely, and I really have not had many true friendships for many years so the food was my friend.  This is still a struggle for me at times, I must admit.

My turn around point came when I looked at a picture of myself from 6 yrs ago.  I had lost a few pounds since then but the picture made me cringe.  Wow, I looked terrible. I also looked pregnant when I certainly was NOT.  I keep this picture in my purse at all times so I can just look at it and remind myself that I do NOT want to get back to that!   I had read some books, in years past but never really thought getting rid of animal products would really matter. It was not exactly an easy transition, but, I must tell you…my experience has been fantastic!  Anytime I get off and splurge…boy can I feel a difference.  Even if I just have a few cookies (made with butter), it amazes me how tired I feel, bellyache, headache.

I have to encourage you to give this a chance.  Go plant strong for 3 weeks…see how you feel.  Yes, on the 3rd day or so, you may go through some withdrawal, but you will be amazed at how clear your mind will be and how light on your feet you will feel…you also will not have that feeling of bloat.  Just give it a try!!  You will NOT regret it!!

Have you ever been tempted by that nice big bowl of raw cookie dough you were baking?  I can honestly say I definitely have been.  Raw cookie dough is yummy!  But at the same time raw cookie dough can be very dangerous to your health. Isn’t that true with most everything that we eat that tastes great…it being so bad for our health.

In 2009, 77 people were sickened in about 30 states.  These people were hospitalized after consuming raw cookie dough that had been infected with E. coli bacteria.  This outbreak resulted in recalling more than 3.5 million packages of cookie dough.  They don’t know how cookie dough had been contaminated, but they do know for a fact that the cookie dough was the common denominator in all the people being infected with E. coli.  This was the first time cookie dough had been infected with E. coli, unlike the usual culprit of ground beef, raw chicken meat and leafy greens.

Researchers concluded that flour (they suspect flour, but never actually implicated it) is what caused this outbreak.  They came to this conclusion because flour does not go through a process to get rid of possible pathogens.  They are now asking all cookie dough manufacturers to consider using a pasteurized or heat-treated flour so it can be ingested right out of the package.  There are several companies, including nestle that have already made the switch.

Have no fear about cookie dough ice cream!!  Cookie dough used in ice cream is a ready to eat product and is specifically made to be eaten raw.

Please read the package before eating anything…if it says to heat it to a specific temperature, those guidelines are there for your health….not to waste space on the package!!

While you are sitting there watching your favorite show on television tonight, watch and count how many of those commercials are for pharmaceutical drugs.  Today, we see as many ads for drugs as we do for junk food.  Why have we become a pill popping nation?

When I was a child, you didn’t see these type of commercials.  I remember when they started advertising for drugs, it was quite odd to see them.  Today, they are more common than not.  So common that my I mentioned the name of one drug advertised and 3 of my kids knew exactly what it is for and repeated the “tag line”.   The advertisements are just as “catchy” as the drug itself.  Many of these drugs that are advertised are very addictive.  Many of our children will grow up thinking it is OK, and if there is something wrong, all they need to do is pop a pill!!

Many health problems people face today can be helped with just changing their diet.  High blood pressure or cholesterol??  Eat more fruits and vegetables (especially those green ones!).  It is amazing how certain foods can change your mood, even your personality!!  if you get out all that processed garbage and increase fresh fruits and vegetables, your body and mind will heal itself.  Our society is eating less and less fresh whole foods and more and more processed and packaged foods.  Even some restaurants are getting out of fresh foods….not only are processed foods quicker, but they are also a bunch cheaper!  Do you really need that free refill of soda?  How about that $5 pizza that many people will eat the whole thing themselves!!  If you cheap out your foods, you will ultimately end up spending much more money on medications and doctor/hospital bills.  I certainly don’t want that….not for me, nor my family!!  Get more whole foods into your diet…if you cannot afford organic (which is best), make sure you wash it well.  Organic or not, increase your plant based foods!!  Make yourself PLANT STRONG!  You will be surprised at the energy you will have, clarity of mind and just feeling good!!  Give it a try, you will NOT regret it!!