Penny Pinching Vegan

by Kay Hansen

Yes, I’m a penny-pinching vegan. I don’t like to spend my hard-earned money at the grocery store. Not that I don’t like to eat, mind you. I just do not think that food should be the largest part of our monthly budget. Similarly, I don’t want to buy “cheap food”. Food that is low in cost, high in calories but not of good nutritional value. I think we should use our limited resources to give our family the best nutrition for the best value.

Often, I have gone to the store and seen young mothers loading up their carts with “cheap food.” I’ve thought to myself, “I could teach people to eat a really nutritious diet for half the money they are spending on ‘cheap’ food.” White bread, soda, cheap lunch meats, chips and canned and processed foods fill the tummies of today’s children, but give little nutritional value. Highly processed foods tend to be high in fat, sugar and salt and low in fiber, vitamins and minerals - food that is really the main cause of so much of the disease we see in modern society.

Whole foods predominate in a healthy vegan diet, and it is natural foods - fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables - that truly feed the body. What most people find is that plant foods are more filling. They contain lots of fiber and nutrients that satisfy the appetite, so people eat less while they feel like they are eating more. Selections from the produce section are always a great value, even with rising food prices. Whole grains such as oats and brown rice are a bargain, being inexpensive to start with and they double when you cook them. Beans are the same, a healthy protein alternative to meat, and they actually help to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

In consideration of the recent finding released at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans in November of 2008, a vegan diet would vastly improve the health of our children. This study of 70 young people ages 6 to 19 showed that more than 50% of them had a “vascular age” of a 45-year-old with significant atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and triglycerides, leading to a risk of heart attack or stroke. This accelerated disease process is a sign that our children are consuming too much “cheap food.” With more than 10% of our children now considered obese, a change to a vegan, plant-based diet would reap huge savings in food budgets, medical care and length of life for our families.

Simple dishes like bean enchiladas, minestrone soup or potatoes and greens are hearty, healthy, satisfying and really beneficial to the budget, not to mention the waistline. A little planning and a crock pot can make vegan cooking quite thrifty in expense and time. A good vegan cookbook like Vegan Homestyle can help take those whole food bargains and turn them into fabulous family feasts that are inexpensive and nutritious - now, you can’t beat that with a stick!

Yes, I’m a penny-pinching vegan. I’ll take all the nutrition and health benefits of a plant-food diet - and keep my pennies in my pocket, thank you very much.

[Kay Hansen is the author of Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living. She and her husband operate the Emerald Valley Wellness Clinic, in Creswell, Oregon. They conduct the Live-for-Health Wellness Seminars which teach chronic disease reversal using a vegan diet and healthy lifestyle changes.]

3) Check out some websites and other reading with helpful information on feeding children a vegetarian diet, i.e., The Journal of Health & Healing, www.wildwoodlsc.org/journal.htm ; The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Andrews University, www.andrews.edu/NUFS/nutrifax.html; Emerald Valley Wellness Center, www.emeraldwellness.com; Vegetarian Resource Group, www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm, healthymomshealthyfamiles.blogspot.com/

4) Don’t be afraid that your child won’t thrive on a plant food diet. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet is nutritionally sound, so don’t get caught in the “high protein” craze. Most Americans get too much protein, especially animal protein, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.^4,5,6 Plant foods have more fiber and less fat. The Lord’s admonition to eat “neither the fat nor the blood” (Lev. 3:17) was to prevent the disease risks that we are generally experiencing. The healthy fats that come from plant foods will give your vegetarian child a strong immune system, greater endurance, better memory, improved grades and a gentler disposition. ^7,8,9,10

5) Get a really good vegetarian cookbook and let your children pick new recipes, and then go with them into the kitchen to cook - boys and girls. This is a great learning experience for children, sort of like chemistry only better because you get to eat it. Better yet, is garden to kitchen fresh. You can prepare great home style foods from wholesome plant foods. Children will love learning to eat new foods when they have a hand in the preparation.

6) Don’t let you vegetarian child, or any of the family, fill in their diet with sugary snack foods that will spoil their appetite for mealtime. All children can learn to eat only at meal time and to drink water until the next meal. Then with hearty appetites they will enjoy the fruits and vegetables and other wholesome foods of the Lord’s bounty. “The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7)

7) Remember God’s ultimate goal is for our children (and us) is to reign with Him in His coming kingdom. What is the spirit of that kingdom? Blessed are the meek, and blessed are the merciful; they shall obtain mercy and inherit the earth. (Matt. 5:5,7). They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain . . .the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb . . . the cow and the bear shall graze . . . and the lion shall eat straw like the ox . . . and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

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Kay Hansen is the program director and nutrition educator for the Emerald Valley Wellness Center in Creswell, Oregon. She is the author of a new cookbook, Vegan Homestyle; Simple Recipes for Healthy Living. As a vegetarian cook and cooking instructor she has taught hundreds of people to cook and enjoy a natural plant food diet. Both Kay and her husband, Richard Hansen, M.D., teach healthful living for the glory of God through their Live-for-Health Wellness Program and in many churches, retreats and conferences across the country and overseas as well. They are available for interviews via www.emeraldwellness.com.

Footnotes

1 Genesis 1:29.

2 Lifespan of antedeluvians: Genesis 5:5,8,11,14,17,20,23,27,31.

3 Nutri-Fax On-Line, “Plant Based Diets Validated” Fall 1996 Issue, Winston Craig, Ph.D., editor.

4 American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets: June 2003 (Vol. 103, Issue 6, Pages 748_765).

5 The China Study; T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.; copyright 2004, page 204.

6 World Cancer Research Fund Internationa; American Cancer Society: Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, Nov. 2007

7 Brain Food: Student vegans see boost in grades, energy; Miami Herald, June 4, 2001.

8 Essential Fatty Acids; Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine, 01/08/04.

9 Monounsaturated Fatty Acid Diets Improve Glycemic Tolerance, Endrocinology, Mar 2001;142:1148.

10 High-monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations, Am.J.Clinical Nutrition, Dec. 1999;70:1009.

Tonight we are demonstrating veggies.  But, more than that, how to make veggies interesting, tasty and a major part of your meal.  We’ll be demonstrating haystacks (like taco salad) with a tofu sour cream, the tastiest cooked greens you’ve ever tasted, veggie wraps with marinated tofu squares.  All served with yummy carob brownies.  With summer coming, lets get lots of veggies on our plates.  By the way, it’s time to plant greens, if you haven’t already.

blessings,

Kay Hansen

2008-05-08.

The Live-for-Health Nutrition & Healthy Living seminar was well attended on Thursday night.  About 25 people came to hear Dr. Richard Hansen talk about preventing a heart attack.  In the coming economic crisis (or is it here?) we need to think about how to protect our health and avoid the need for costly medical intervention.

A healthy plant-based diet and lots of outdoor exercise will help tremendously to prevent the kind of chronic diseases that take such a toll on American lives.  We talked about the importance of eating a good breakfast, not only for weight control, but blood sugar control as well.  Kay also demonstrated a hearty multigrain crockpot cereal, soy millet waffles with blueberry sauce and stove-top scrambled tofu, which we made into breakfast burritos.  Yummmm.!

The food and info was enjoyed by all.  Next Thursday we will discuss Reversing Diabetes & Obesity, also how to get proper protein on a plant-based diet.  Is it really a problem?  Want to talk about great protein dishes?  Sign on.

Celiac sprue is a condition of the intestinal tract where the structure of a person’s jejunal portion of the small intestine actually becomes damaged due to an immune response to the protein from wheat - gluten or gliadin. Thus malabsorption of nutrients can occur, particularly iron and folic acid. There are tests for this sensitivity. The symptoms can be intestinal distress, bloating, pain, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea and anemia.

These people need a gluten free diet. The challenge is of course bread. Since gluten is found primarily in wheat, rye, barley and some in oats, it makes the producing of an acceptable bread difficult since it is the gluten (protein) in the wheat that lets is rise and make a nice soft bread that holds together. There are rice breads and other gluten free breads available. Some are more acceptable than others. In addition, celiac suffers want to read labels and look for grain fragments such as gluten, barley malt, etc.

The other option is to go to flat breads. Since these can be made from other grains that don’t contain gluten. Such as corn tortillas - my favorite. I think I could live on corn. A corn bread make with corn meal and spelt flour would be another suggestion.
But also recipes like Soy Millet Waffles from the cookbook Vegan Homestyle, can be made gluten free, replacing the oats with an equal part of millet. Waffles can be made sweet or savory and served with creamed vegetables, etc. Also the Potato Waffle Hashbrowns are gluten free, hearty and tasty. Actually, Vegan Homestyle contains 160 gluten free recipes. So check it out.

Do you have other ideas for flat breads that are gluten free? This would be a great help to others.

Selenium is an important trace mineral that helps our bodies produce antioxidant enzymes which protect us from cellular changes and damage, including cancer. Selenium can often be deficient in agricultural soils and so we have to look for good sources to be sure and get the recommended 70 - 85 mcg per day.

A recent study published in the American Clinical Journal of Nutrition showed that two Brazil nuts a day would provide the needed amount of selenium. Not only this, compared to the group that received supplements, the group that received their selenium from a food source (Brazil nuts) had significantly more antioxidant activity. It is always best to get our nutrients from food if possible. The combination of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals found in plant foods react together to give a greater benefit than when taking isolated supplements. In other words, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

A great way to get your dose of Brazil nuts is from the Holiday Nut Loaf found in Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living. This recipe is a very tasty loaf made with Brazil nuts that makes not only a nice holiday entree but great sandwiches as well. I take some of the loaf and mash it up with soy mayonnaise, chopped green onion, pickles and celery; a very tasty spread for lunch.

Metabolic Syndrome - what is it? It is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Sometimes called Syndrome X. It affects a large segment of our population, especially in the middle to later years of life. The symptoms used to diagnosis this condition are:elevated fasting blood sugars or insulin resistance high blood pressure central obesity: fat deposits around the middle decreased HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) elevated triglycerides (fat in the blood) A recent study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study) reported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute showed that there were several dietary factors that increased the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. 1) diet soda (1 serving per day) increased the risk 34% 2) meat consumption increased the risk 35% (particularly processed meat and red meat) 3) fried foods increased the risk 25% These diet choices along with inactivity (a lack of exercise) are responsible for the increasing numbers of people diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Good health takes a balance of a many lifestyle factors; natural diet, ideally from whole plant foods, exercise, fresh air and sunshine, water, rest from stress and peace of mind.. Learning to prepare some simple, tasty home cooked vegetarian dishes and sharing them with others may help someone avoid a life threatening and debilitating disease. Try this simple recipe from Vegan Homestyle: CHINESE CABBAGE SALAD 1 med. Napa cabbage, sliced fine 1 bunch green onions, chopped fine 1 c. sliced almonds, toasted ½ c. sesame seeds, toasted Dressing: 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice 1/4 c. olive oil 2 T. honey ½ t. salt 1 t. Live-for-Health curry powder (curry powder: 1 ½ T. garlic powder, 2T. turmeric, 2 T. coriander, 2 T. cumin) or Vegesal Mix together cabbage and green onions. Toast almonds and sesame seeds in a dry pan, separately, until lightly toasted. Add to cabbage. Mix dressing and dress salad just before serving. For more recipes and ideas try the cookbook, Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living by Kay Hansen. Experience better health – one recipe at a time!

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The recent information from the 5th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition regarding Vitamin D was very interesting.  Most people know that vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but a hormone.  Ultra violet light from the sun reacts with cholesterol in our skin to make vitamin D.  10 - 15 minutes per day with exposure of the hands and face is sufficient to produce the amount of vitamin D required.

But, because we now live such a sedentary and largely indoor life many people are showing signs of vitamin D deficiency.  Extreme deficiency would manifest symptoms in children with weak bones that tend to bow out and don’t grow properly.  But even in adults vitamin D is needed for the maintenance of healthy bone structure as well as the immune system and it plays a role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis and other autoimmune diseases.

The vitamin D that is formed in the skin is the storage form.  In order to be active this vitamin D is converted by the kidneys into 25-hydroxyvitamin D.  So to maximize our availability of this super powered vitamin D we need to protect kidney function.  This is best done by some simple natural lifestyle choices, i.e., drinking plenty of water, avoiding a high animal protein diet which produces by-products that must be filtered by the kidneys and can cause loss of kidney function, and avoiding the onset of diabetes by choosing a low-fat vegetarian diet with moderate intake of vegetable protein.

In order to supply sufficient vitamin D, get out in the sunshine every day that it is possible.  The more northern latitudes may not receive sufficient ultra violet in the darkest winter months.  But the body will store vitamin D for many months, provided it’s acquired in the summer and fall.

Look for a new product coming to markets soon.  Mushrooms high in Vitamin D, b not fortified, like dairy milk.  Mushrooms produce, naturally, a small amount of vitamin D.  These new mushrooms will be exposed to an extra dose of sunlight in order to maximize the vitamin D content.  Look for them in your stores starting this year - 2008.

So, enjoy the sun, even a little tan, don’t get burned, drink plenty of water and the reward will be strong bones, cancer prevention and a strong immune system.  How blessed we are that a loving creator made all this so easy.  Best of Health - Kay H.

Recent finding from the EPIC study in England were recently released by the World Cancer Research in connection with the American Cancer Society.

This subject was presented at the recent vegetarian congress with interest as everyone is interested in preventing cancer. The findings showed a definite correlation between alcohol usage and cancer, particularly cancer of the mouth, throat, esophegus, colorectal cancer and breast.

A wise man once shared this admonition against the use of alcohol, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1). This same wise man even showed the effect on alcohol on the mental capacities and judgement, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” (Proverbs 31:4-5).

To avoid alcohol and prevent cancer is important. But, since most cases of auto accidents and domestic violence involve alcohol it just may be that avoiding alcohol can save more lives than your own. Be wise.

My husband and I just returned from the 5th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition at Loma Linda, Calif. Researchers from all over the world presented their findings on vegetarian nutrition and I have several topics to share which I think are important in this and subsequent blogs.

First, the B12 status of vegetarians needs to be considered. Researchers are finding B12 deficiency in lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans. This ‘vitamin’ which is actually produced by bacteria, is essential for proper nervous system function. Deficiency symptoms can be lethary, memory loss, dementia, poor coordination, numbness (particularly of the tongue and lips, but also the hands and feet, similar to diabetic neuropathy) macroanemia ( where the red blood cells get big and sloppy). In addition, low B12 can indicate high homocysteine which is a marker for heart disease.

So it is important to meet the 1 -2 mcg. per day recommended by the USDA. B12 is also metabolised with folic acid which you get from legumes, green leafy vegetables and whole grains. Milk is not the best source. B12 can be obtained from fortified soy milks, cereals or other fortified foods such as meat analogs, and Red Star Nutritional Yeast contains B12, or a B12 supplement can be purchased from the health food store. One presenter from Australia stated that B12 is best absorbed from soy, dairy or eggs, but not from meat. Note that you really only need 1-2 mcg. (micrograms) per day and you really don’t absorb more than this.

Since B12 is very stable and is stored in the liver there is not reason to become deficient if you have a somewhat regular intake. It is most often seen in children who have not yet built up a store and are getting no B12 in the diet or in the elderly who have lost the intrinsic factor in the stomach that allows B12 absorbtion.

Do take time to read some labels and make sure you and your family are getting some intake of B12 on a regular basis. Best of health — Kay H.