Vegging out

Last post I mentioned how we've been eating vegan lately. What does that mean, it means no meat, no fish, and no dairy. Basically no animal products. Why are we doing it? A couple of reasons.

First, we were eating way too much meat. Looking back on our diets now, I am astounded. Typically I would have meat for lunch and dinner. And if it was the weekend, chances are I was having some meat for breakfast too. Pretty much 70-80% of my diet was centered around consuming animal products (eggs, meat, yogurt). Basically on a lark, Karen and I had both been reading a lot about the negative effects of an animal-centric diet, not just on your health but also on the environment. I'm not trying to get all preachy here, but a cursory Google search of industrial farming will shed some light on all of the horrors contained within our animal food supply. I wholeheartedly recommend everyone see "Food Inc."

(This is where I get slightly preachy-- skip to next paragraph if you don't care. )
I don't think you shouldn't eat animals, but I don't think animals should live a life of pure pain and suffering so I can have chicken breast for $1/lb. There are just so many problems with the way animals are produced. Chickens are bred not only for meat, but also for their egg laying ability. Which means that most male chicks are discarded at birth. And by discarded I mean that the common method of disposing of unwanted male chicks is grinding them up alive. This can result in unspeakable horrors, as described by one research scientist who observed that "even after twenty seconds, there were only partly damaged animals with whole skulls". In other words, fully conscious chicks were partially ground up and left to slowly and agonizingly die. Think milk is great? Female cows produce the most milk after and when they are pregnant, so female cows are kept constantly impregnated. Male calfs again are of little use, so they are frequently chained to a crate where they cannot stand up for a few months and then killed for veal. Ultimately I just think we can find a better, more humane way to raise and treat the animals in our food supply.

And we're back. From a health standpoint, most of the research we've read is summarized by this: Plant foods improve human health, while animal 'foods' degrade it. The most comprehensive study to date regarding the relationship between diet and human health found that the consumption of animal-derived ‘food’ products was linked with "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer. T. Colin Campbell's landmark research in The China Project found a pure vegetarian (i.e. vegan) diet to be healthiest. Dr. Campbell estimates that "80 to 90% of all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other degenerative illness can be prevented, at least until very old age - simply by adopting a plant-based diet."

Ok, so if you're still reading and not thinking that I'm a complete crackpot... Let me just say, this is a work in progress. I started doing this because I was just eating way too much meat, period. The health benefits and ethical considerations came later, and have just helped to reaffirm my decision. Am I some militant vegan who waits for people in fur to douse them with animal blood, no. Am I just trying to slowly move to a more plant-centric diet, yes. Have I eaten meat and dairy over the past three weeks, yes. Do I still put cream in my coffee, yes. But, I would estimate that in the past three weeks I've changed my diet to 90% plant-centric, which I'm really proud of. I have also been feeling so good. And last weekend, I came up with my own recipe for vegan pancakes (sharing this was the real reason for this whole post!).

Vegan pancakes (makes enough for 4 people):
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey (most vegans wouldn't use this, but I don't think the bees mind)
1 cup soy milk
1 cup almond milk (feel free to use only soy or almond if that's what you have)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Mix your dry ingredients first, add wet ingredients and mix just until the batter is smooth. You don't want to over-mix or the pancakes will be tough.

Turn your pan on medium heat, wait a few minutes for that to heat up and so your batter can also rest. You can use a butter substitute or non-stick cooking spray so your pancakes won't stick. Once your pan is heated up, spoon some batter on the pan, wait for some bubbles to appear in your pancake, flip, remove, repeat.