Vegan Ice Cream, Cheese and Milk (Easy!)

Myth 6: Going vegan means no more ice cream, cheese and milk! (Who makes these things up?)

Note about milk and milk products:

Milk is a big part of many cuisines all over the world. The milk typically used is from animals or nonhumans. I won’t use this section to discuss the many health implications of humans consuming the milk of other species and the nutritional benefits of using plant based milk now. Certain people rely heavily on products made from animal milk, be it cow’s, goats, sheep’s or the milk of other animals. Yet , some cuisines of other cultures include plant based milk such as coconut, soy, nut and seed milks. No, it’s not so strange after all.  For instance in West African countries peanuts (groundnut) are heavily relied on for their nutritional content – especially protein and yes, peanut (or groundnut) milk. In tropical climates like Thailand, the Carribean and countless other places, coconut milk plays a major role in creating many dishes, beverages, condiments and even medicinal applications. Spain (as well as other places) uses tigernuts to make refreshing and nutritional beverages to help beat the heat and aid a sensitive stomach.  For those of us who live in societies where cow’s milk is the norm, the aforementioned plant based milks (and many others) can be a healthy and delicious alternative. Here are some recipes:

MILK:

This is my recipe for cashew milk (though, you can use any other type of nut or seed you like). I like finding the easy way to make things. I also think it’s silly to waste money on a “Nut Milk Bag” when you can use an inexpensive soup bag  (I got mine for $2) from a neighborhood grocery store for the same function. In this recipe, I choose to skip that step all together. For digestion and nutrition you should soak raw nuts first. If they have skins or shells, remove them to reduce sediment or pulp (use sediment/pulp/skins/shells for something else). Not to say that I don’t enjoy tasty hemp milk from the natural grocery; however, this recipe is a good alternative to getting Tetra boxed milks. I feel safer having the most control possible over what I eat, so I like making my own with just nuts, water and a blender. Easy.

Cashew Milk (no bag needed)

Ingredients:
*1 part Cashews (or other nuts)
Note: Soak (preferably raw unsalted) nuts in a ventilated container (preferably glass canning jar) for appropiate time for that type of nut (I like cashews- soaked for 2 hours) or you can look up appropriate soaking times for varyious nuts on the web.

*3 parts Water (Purified is best; adjust amount for desired consistency)
*Pinch of salt (optional)
*Sweetener to taste (If I add sweetener I use agave or dates but, nuts have their own sweetness if you ask me)

Directions:

I suggest sterilizing all equiptment that touches the ingredients so your milk lasts longer. Rinse your nuts well (make sure the last rinse is clear of cloudiness), then soak the nuts for the appropiate amount of time. Blend all ingredients until smooth. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. If or when it sours, use it in baking.

ICE CREAM:

Vegan Ice Cream – No ice cream maker, no problem!

(using basic ingredients: feel free to add other flavors, ingredients and toppings to spice things up)

Ingredients:

*1 cup Cashews (Preferably raw cashews, not roasted, not salted)
*4 T Water (or more)
*1 Banana (chopped and then frozen)
*Sweetener to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth while adding water and sweetener as needed. Freeze if you like it firmer (check from hour to hour and stir if you like it more creamy).

CHEESE:

This recipe is based on a tiny, dinky two cup food processor, so if you have better equipment please improvise. I like this on toast and crackers, and it would be great with apples as well.

Nut/Seed CheeseIngredients:
*Nuts/Seeds of choice – I use approx. 1 1/2 cups total of cashews soaked for 2 hours

(please find appropiate soaking times for the nuts/seeds you choose)

*1 to 5 Tablespoons of lemon juice or vegan acidophilus

*Salt (or not) to taste

*Optional: onions, garlic, chives, pepper, dates or whatever you are in the mood for.

Directions:
Because I use a dinky food processor I wind up running the ingredients though it for about 10 minutes since I like it creamy. I imagine that if I had a good one or maybe even used a blender I would not have to run it for so long. This should be kept at room temperature for a day or so until it has fermented to your liking (taste it). You can begin to eat it immediately if you like. I like to let it sit (to ferment) for one or two days (you will have to judge based on the climate conditions where you live for how long it takes to ferment). After fermenting, put it in the fridge and it should be ready to eat after four to five days. After that it can last refrigerated for about a week.

Hummus

Myth 5: Vegan food is difficult!

Hummus is a delicious Middle Eastern chickpea spread and it's vegan. It's also extremely versatile, easy and cheap! (under 2€ or $2) It has three main ingredients: chickpeas, lemon juice and garlic (it typically calls for tahini {sesame paste} but, this is easily interchangeable or left out as with the other ingredients). If you like you can add other ingredients or replace the chickpeas with things like edamame, avocado, green peas, bell peppers, etc. and you can add tofu or yogurt (soy, coconut) for richness or replace the lemon juice with apple cider vinegar. You need a blender or food processor or potato masher. Makes a large amount (but you can halve the ingredients).

Chickpeas cooked or canned 800g
3 - 5 garlic cloves (under .50 cents) or 1 -2 T minced garlic
1/2 lemon
Water (optional for smoother/lighter consistency)
Parsley, salt, olive oil, smoked paprika and cumin or other spices to taste (optional)

Squeeze lemon juice into bowl and remove seeds. Blend/process/Mix minced garlic or garlic cloves with lemon juice. Drain can of chickpeas and put in blender/food processor/bowl. Blend/process/mix all ingredients until smooth (consistency is to taste/you may add water for smoother consistency).  That's it!

Now, you can make sandwiches with other sliced vegetables (I like sliced tomatoes, onions, olives and bell peppers). Or hummus makes a great dip for pita bread, veggies, breadsticks, pretzels, etc. It also is good by itself!

The Big Deficiency Scare (Boo!)

Myth 4: Vegan/Vegetarian diets put you at risk for deficiency!

I think that most of us know that deficiency is a big problem in impoverished and famine stricken places. In the developed world we tend to develop diabetes, cancer and heart disease at a much greater rate than incidences of nutritional deficiencies. However, you still get journalists, professors, Ph.D.s, your grandparents and ultimately marketers warning you of the high risks of vegetarians and vegans developing some sort of deficiency; be it protein, iron, calcium, EFAs or the latest, B-12.  Have you ever met anyone dying or suffering from B-12 deficiency? I ask myself, how have the hundreds of generations of long ago societies survived on vegetarian and vegan diets without the nitpicking nutrient deficiency jive of modern day fear-mongers? I call them fear-mongers because they seem to thrive on fear; whether it be for financial gain, for control of a population or for an acceptance/exaltation by a certain group or entity and thus, feeding fear. If I spent as much time fretting over where my next dose of B-12, Vitamin D, Iodine, etc. was going to come from and how to absorb it with specific food combining, on and on...I'd die of a stress induced condition like hypertension before I perfected the science or before I benefited from the extra years that my veg diet is supposed to give me.

So, therefore, my uneducated, precariously eating, vegetarian ancestors must have had less disease and deficiency from some scientific strategy they extracted out of the future experts through a time capsule, right? Now, if I remember correctly, the instruction given through documented methods and statistics such as those in books like "Bragg Healthy Lifestyle" and "Back to Eden" researched, tested, proven and written before most of us were even born and from the mouths of the elderly members of my family, community or the countless other records of pre-21st century successful veg folks, the focus seems to be that healthy vegetarian diets are based on a variety of balanced, minimally processed, whole foods, as simple as that. And I believe them! Because, they have proven themselves already by doing so and being no more deficient than their meat eating peers. Not to imply that nutrition deficiency is not at all possible. Sure, you can choose to be a picky eating, processed meal enthusiast, Twinkie-tarian (well, maybe not so extreme - but I think you get my drift) like so many I see handing the kids McDonald's french fries and calling it breakfast. An overwhelming amount of people who practice the SAD (Standard American Diet) fall into the state of over-nutrition as well as malnutrition from their damaging eating habits - feel free to do a search on the subject or just take a look around you.

I'm heading off on a slight tangid here: Every time I get a glimpse at someone trying to pick apart the vegetarian/vegan diet by using the one or two incidents of vegetarian/vegan parents driving their baby into malnutrition, I want to ask about the thousands of meat eating families driving their kids not only into malnutrition or over-nutrition but, childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and the high-risk category for heart disease/ heart attacks and eventually social ineptness leading to suicidal tendencies or worse - where are the breaking headlines on that? Oh, that's right - we have been involved in this travesty to such epidemic proportions for over a decade now making it a common, everyday fact of life. Can you live with that? I know I can't!

Back on track now: I have run into quite a few iron and calcium deficient meat eaters while my husband and I can't recall any vegetarian/vegan friends that we have had or met stating that they were deficient in anything or appearing as such. I, myself, had suffered from chronic anemia as a meat eating child, up until I went vegan and have since been told by my medical doctors that they cannot detect any anemia in me. I have habitually visited my GP over the past seven years for a complete yearly checkup including a nutritional evaluation of which I have passed with flying colors each time. I have read that women are more prone to low iron levels or blood levels due to different factors including menstruation, so they usually handle it by upping their iron intake (and this information is based on the greater majority of women, i. e. non-vegetarian women). Balance is key, whether you are vegetarian or not, we can all fall into deficiency if we make choices like the aforementioned Twinkie-tarians. So why are we as vegetarians supposed to be more careful than non-vegetarians in relation to deficiency? The only answer I can figure is to sell a product, supplement, program, book or meat based diet; none of which will benefit me more than eating a variety of nutritious vegan food.

When Funds are Low...

Myth 3: Being vegan is expensive!

No, I'm not going to promote "Freegan-ism", simply because I have never been a Freegan and I probably would not be a good guide. Though I see no sin in obtaining dinner from one of Whole Foods Market's dumpsters. Everyone deserves to eat! People that I know or have known when broke, will eat as inexpensively as possible. The common mentality is that the cheapest foods are the worst foods for your health. Not so. You don't have to subject yourself to canned, processed, low nutrition, high sodium or empty calorie sustenance. And you don't have to eat just bread, coffee and pasta like I used to when money was tight. This is the most simple way that I think that I can explain it. Slow Food Guru - Michael Pollan has some of the best advice when it comes to choosing healthy food in the supermarket. He says that one should always shop the perimeter of the supermarket to access whole foods and avoid most of the unhealthy processed foods typically kept along the isles. Please keep in mind that he is referring to the typical supermarket in the US. The point he is trying to make is that fresh produce, dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt (which are considered whole foods) are kept along the outer walls of the supermarket and heavily processed, packaged and canned foods are typically stocked on the shelves of the isles running through the center area of the supermarket. I have found this to be true in many european supermarkets as well. One thing that I would like to add to this observation is that whether organic or not, produce is by far less expensive than meat or diary ounce for ounce.  You will never pay the same price for a pound of meat and a pound of produce. Just ask your mom why she chose to stretch dinner with veggies and not meat.

Now I would like to add the whole foods that you will find amongst the inner isles of the supermarket. This is also based on US supermarkets. Produce is by far the most important dynamic of a healthy diet (and just happens to be very inexpensive too) yet, you will certainly do well nutritionwise and moneywise if you stock up on whole grains. Sometimes you will find them along the supermarket perimeters and sometimes you find them elsewhere. Most typically you will find them along one of the centre isles. However, it is up to you to choose whole grains vs. stripped grains. You would have to be the judge of what grains (rice, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur, irish/scottish oats, etc.) you find there that are whole or least processed because it varies from store to store. The type of store you shop in is also a factor because you will not always find the same items in a conventional supermarket that you would find in a natural supermarket, a bodega, a Walmart, an ethnic supermarket, a gourmet supermarket or my favourite - a food co-op and so on and so on.  In any supermarket you should certainly find rice. Of course brown rice  (rice that has not been stripped of the natural outer coating or "germ") is much more nutritious however, believe it or not, there are places that don't sell brown rice. Sometimes this is due to location, demand or limited space and sometimes even culture. If you are so unlucky to be inconvenienced by one of these stores and simply have no other alternative, I would suggest just buying the white rice, it is not as terrible as many make it out to be. It's very versatile and can easily be turned into a healthy and nutritious dish by adding other whole foods, spices and/or what people now call "Super foods". For example, green soybeans, almonds, garlic, lentils, wheat germ, spirulina, raisins, fresh dates, coconut, hemp seeds, kale, turmeric, nutritional yeast, Chinese black mushrooms, etc. One method I use is I stock up on (and keep a running stock of) so-called "Super Foods" that have a long shelf life. I often take a trip to Chinatown's asian markets to cheaply stock up on things like seaweed, tofu, miso, Goji berries, dried mushrooms, tempeh, tahini (sesame paste), coconut milk, etc.

One more thing to be aware of no matter where you shop: the next best thing to fresh produce (as far as nutrition is concerned) is frozen produce (and it's usually cheaper too). It is not highly processed, it is simply frozen and freezing does not deplete nutrients by any significant amount. In fact freezing increases the longevity of the food because it will not spoil and go to waste (saving you money!). Of course some things freeze well and others do not. For instance when you freeze tomatoes or citrus fruit they will become more suitable for sauces, stews or bread and less suitable for salad. However, most vegetables freeze well and can be used as normal. One last tip: to be sure that you get the most nutrition out of the food that you eat, be sure that your digestion is strong by taking a digestive aid such as Apple Cider Vinegar,  probiotics, digestive enzymes, rejuvelac, kimchi or my favorite - raw Kombucha (an ancient Chinese fermented tea). Search the web for recipes and guides on making your own Kombucha, kimchi or rejuvelac (for just pennies).

The Journey to "Atonement"

A little history. My family tree is quite diverse. Every marriage has been a joining of opposites. I've always had the issue of identifying with the extended families of each parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle and even friends in relation to who I was more like. I have since learned that you are who you are and if you identify with someone or no one at all, it will not change who you really are (no matter what or who others think you are), so just go with and work on that - being yourself and true to yourself. One of the closest realisations that I can recount is that all members of my family, despite their backgrounds, believed in compassion for all creatures. And no one realised their compassion towards animals more than my mother. We come from a culture of various cultures, who all were accustomed to eating meat. No one knew anything about PETA, factory farming, vivisection or the enormous monster that the animal industry has evolved into today. We lived in the US and had never seen "The Animal's Film" documentary aired in 1975 on British TV. We never associated the animals on our plate with the animals we adopted, loved, fed, housed, rescued and nursed back to health. That is until one night in 1983/84. My mother, sister, grandmother and I were in Florida visiting my grandmother's family. My grandmother's sister was running a hog farm with a friend at that time. It was rainy and miserable, we were all sitting in the front drawing room. The friend of my grandmother's sister had just left the house to go work with the hogs. My mother teary-eyed, started to grumble. I can't remember her exact words but, I do remember her pleading to spare the baby piglets the pain of tooth extraction without pain killers and a quick rebuttal from my grandmother's sister on how the piglets would not be able to nurse from their mothers with their teeth in their mouths.

My mother studied philosophy and was forever reading books on health, life and spirituality. She was also trying to live the Christian life that she believed in. Nonetheless, she was always searching to find a better way. Not long after our trip to visit the Floridian kinfolk, my mother, my sister and I were all vegetarian. Unfortunately, this only lasted about three years before my mother was convinced by some hardcore Christian meat eaters that the Bible clearly states that man can and is expected to eat animals. I wondered how could it be "okay" to kill animals for food? My mother somehow got the misinformation that animals did not feel pain when they were killed for food. I trusted my mother so, I went with that. Not until I was nineteen and met a friend at school who convinced me otherwise, did I have the capacity to confirm that the exact opposite was true. And on that day I went vegan.

I was not only convinced to change what was on my plate but, what was in my heart and on my mind. How could people who love animals think that it's okay to eat animals? How could people who want to follow a righteous God-fearing path, support the suffering and murder of innocent creatures? Soon I found that The Book of Genesis 1:29 clears up the issue of what God expects and commands humans to eat. And it's quite clear what opinions people would have on the capacity of animals to suffer when they are killed for food if it was good old Fido who was "what's for dinner." I had found it hard to relate to people blinded by a McDonald's influenced mentality. It was a long, hard and quite educational journey. And eventually, I figured it out. I live according to my beliefs and don't look for approval from anyone.  I have enough evidence to know the truth and that's all I need. Again - being yourself and true to yourself is an invaluable trait.

Hair, Skin and Laundry Detergent?

Myth 2: We need animal testing!

When I first went vegan I thought that a regimen of animal free foods was all I needed to combat the animal industry and "The Man". Not long after that, a vegetarian friend of mine opened yet another door for me. He showed me that it was as important to clean my medicine cabinet, my cleaning supply closet, my beauty supply drawer as well as my pantry. This was one of life's most outstanding lessons in my book. This led me into reconsidering everything, especially where I put my dollar. I have since cleaned my clothes and shoes closet, my pet's pantry and my soul's closet (I'll explain more later).

The truth about vivisection (animal lab tests) is that it is not only heinous, inaccurate and used in everything from military arms to drain cleaner, it is not necessary. Many alternative methods such as computer and mathematical modelling,  in vitro research, epidemiology, etc. prove to be more affective and accurate than using one species to provide information about another species. For example: penicillan was not only discovered without animal research, it saves human lives but kills guinea pigs as aspirin kills cats and causes birth defects in dogs, monkeys, rats, mice, etc. Hence logic and a large effort from people who oppose vivisection, it is banned in the EU.
What could be keeping it from being banned in the U$A? Hmm.................
Just how unreliable  are animal tests? Let's take a look at the following list from vivisectioninformation.com: http://www.vivisectioninformation.com/index.php?p=1_8_All-you-need-to-know-in-33-facts

1) Less than 2% of human illnesses (1.16%) are ever seen in animals.  Over 98% never affect animals.

2)  According to the former scientific executive of Huntingdon Life Sciences, animal tests and human results agree "5%-25% of the time."

3) Among the hundreds of techniques available instead of animal experiments, cell culture toxicology methods give accuracy rates of 80-85%

4) 92% of drugs passed by animal tests immediately fail when first tried on humans because they’re useless, dangerous or both.

5) The two most common illnesses in the Western world are lung cancer from smoking and heart disease.  Neither can be reproduced in lab animals.

6) A 2004 survey of doctors in the UK showed that 83% wanted a independent scientific evaluation of whether animal experiments had relevance to human patients.  Less than 1 in 4 (21%) had more confidence in animal tests than in non-animal methods.

7) Rats are 37% effective in identifying what causes cancer to humans – less use than guessing.  The experimenters said: “we would have been better off to have tossed a coin."

8) Rodents are the animals almost always used in cancer research. They never get carcinomas, the human form of cancer, which affects membranes (eg lung cancer). Their sarcomas affect bone and connective tissue: the two are completely different.

9) The results from animal tests are routinely altered radically by diet, light, noise, temperature, lab staff and bedding. Bedding differences caused cancer rates of over 90% and almost zero in the same strain of mice at different labs.

10)Sex differences among lab animals can cause contradictory results. This does not correspond with humans.

11) 75% of side effects identified in animals never occur.

12) Over half of side effects cannot be detected in lab animals.

13) Vioxx was shown to protect the heart of mice, dogs, monkeys and other lab animals.  It was linked to heart attacks and strokes in up to 139,000 humans.

14) Genetically modified animals are not like humans. The mdx mouse is supposed to have muscular dystrophy, but the muscles regenerate with no treatment.

15) GM animal the CF- mouse never gets fluid infections in the lungs – the cause of death for 95% of human cystic fibrosis patients.

16) In America, 106,000 deaths a year are attributed to reactions to medical drugs.

17) Each year 2.1 million Americans are hospitalised by medical treatment.

18) In the UK an estimated 70,000 people are killed or severely disabled every year by unexpected reactions to drugs.  All these drugs have passed animal tests.

19) In the UKs House Of Lords questions have been asked regarding why unexpected reactions to drugs (which  passed animal tests) kill more people than cancer.

20) A German doctors' congress concluded that 6% of fatal illnesses and 25% of organic illness are caused by medicines. All have been animal tested.

21) According to a thorough study, 88% of stillbirths are caused by drugs which passed animal tests.

22) 61% of birth defects were found to have the same cause.

23) 70% of drugs which cause human birth defects are safe in pregnant monkeys.

24) 78% of foetus-damaging chemicals can be detected by one non-animal test.

25) Thousands of safe products cause birth defects in lab animals – including water, several vitamins, vegetable oils, oxygen and drinking waters.  Of more than 1000 substances dangerous in lab animals, over 97% are safe in humans.

26) One of the most common lifesaving operation (for ectopic pregnancies) was delayed 40 years by vivisection.

27) The great Dr Hadwen noted "had animal experiments been relied upon...humanity would have been robbed of this great blessing of anaesthesia."

28) Aspirin fails animal tests, as do digitalis (heart drug), cancer drugs, insulin (which causes animal birth defects), penicillin and other safe medicines. They would be banned if vivisection were believed.

29) Blood transfusions were delayed 200 years by animal studies.

30) The polio vaccine was delayed 40 years by monkey tests.

31) 30 HIV vaccines, 33 spinal cord damage drugs, and over 700 treatments for stroke have been developed in animals.  None work in humans.

32) Despite many Nobel prizes going to vivisectors, only 45% agree that animal experiments are crucial.

33) The Director of Research Defence Society, (which serves only to defend vivisection) was asked if medical progress could have been achieved without animal use. His written reply was "I am sure it could be.

Myth 2: resolved.

The Vegan Easy

When we first look at the vegan way of doing things, some of us get discouraged. It seems so difficult and complicated. The more we find out about it, the more complicated and expensive it seems. Some more seasoned vegans may become bewildered  by "new information" and burdened in finding the next step. The confusion is all based on misconceptions, misinformation and well, just plain old myths. There are actually a few myths that I'd like to go over. The first myth I will tackle is about how "difficult" veganism is. In this blog, I'm going to clear that all up. Here are a few insights to this broad misconception about the obstacles of being, becoming or remaining vegan:

Let's start by getting rid of a few myths about veganism.
Myth 1: Veganism is hard!

This blog is about how I make being vegan easy! Why: Well, maybe because I'm just lazy, maybe because I'm just busy or maybe because being vegan is really just easy. No, really! It really, really is just really easy! And if you don't believe me, keep reading....I am going to share with everyone just how easy it is. You don't need to be rich (or even middle-class), you don't need to be crafty or smart, you don't need to attend classes, all you need is a desire to make being vegan easier and you can! I, my husband and countless others do it all the time and so can you (if you aren't already). If you like the fact that an animal product free lifestyle empowers you to do things like control your health, your global footprint or the impact we have on animal suffering, it can all be done with less effort than you have been previously led to think.