Making the change together : Helpful web sources

I have been a vegan/vegetarian for almost 3 years, and I say veg/vegetarian because I started out as a vegetarian. I knew what kinds of things happened behind the meat industry and then started learning about the egg, milk (Dairy), and other animal products. This is why I made the transition to become a vegan. I was lucky to take a class at SDSU called environmental ethics, where there was a ch
apter that talked about animal rights (not animal welfare). The difference between these two terms, is that animal rights doesn't believe in using animals as means for humans, whether food, clothing, experimentation
on or entertainment. Animal welfare looks for a more humane to continue practices where animals are still being used for food, clothing, experimentation or entertainment. So, I definitely do not support animal welfare. Going back to the subject of animal rights, aside from the health aspects, I agree animals have an intrinsic value, which means that they are valuable beings and their lives should be respected in the same way we respect human life and rights. This intrinsic value helps create that connection from the way we are used to seeing animals and the way we should start seeing them.

The transition from eating meat to a vegetarian diet is not hard at all. If you have a well balanced diet, which is consuming a reasonable amount of veggies,whole grains, legumes, fruits, water, you are definitely within the range of protein, vitamins, calcium, potassium and fiber.

You can obtain the omega3 from flaxseed, chia seeds. I would recommend to stay away from fish. There is no benefit whatsoever if you decide to leave poultry and red meat but still eat fish. It is known that mercury content in fish is becoming a significant health threat. So leaving out red meat to avoid the risk of hypertension of heart disease but still eat fish, you would just get intoxicated wish could be even worse for the offspring. So please consider leaving fish out of your diet.

I will leave some good websites to get your vegetarian/vegan recipes. Remember the transition will be just as hard as you want to make it. I have not gone back to eating meat because I have informed myself and I am convinced that a plant-based diet is beneficial in so many ways.




I will be sharing vegan dishes and show you step by step how to prepare them. You will learn that being a vegan is the simplest, healthiest, and most compassionate way of living.

WEB RESOURCES

for recipes visit:  http://www.chooseveg.com/
                         https://www.facebook.com/Vegan.Recipes.are.Yummly?fref=ts

making a smooth transition: http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=06making
Info on how to live a healthy vegan lifestyle: http://veganhealth.org/
ultimate restaurant and shopping guide for vegetarians ( includes every region around the world!) http://www.vegguide.org

Love fruits and runs

I love Sprouts because they have such great deals on fruit, veggies and other stuff. I got all these amazing fruit and I made myself a refreshing smoothie. This is what I added:

 Banana, half Cantaloupe, mango, kiwi, chard, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseed and some superfood (alfalfa, wheat grass, chlorella, spirulina mix)  it was the most delicious smoothie! 

I had not eaten anything after lunch (noon) so I got home, made this smoothie and went on a run with moffin. I just love taking her on a walk or go running with her. I once heard this from someone: "taking your dog on a walk is as essential to them as it is for you to check your email". I check my email at least 20 times a day so I kinda get the idea. However, (my boyfriend was telling me about this) make sure to stop when you see your dog slowing down. . Also, make sure it is a nice day or night and that the sidewalk is safe for you and your dog.

I also try to eat good meals. I don't like to leave home without eating breakfast. An advice I would give to everyone is to prepare your lunch a night before, that way it is ready to pick up the next day. It really helps on time and money! eating out can be a little expensive. I spent 20 dlls at the market and it could last more than a week vs spending 10 dlls a day for lunch and dinner. This kind of things force you in a way to start cooking your own food at home. Because I am a student I understand perfectly that sometimes we wont have all the time in the world to cook but putting a little bit of extra effort and learning to prep simple things such as bean and rice burritos, diced fruit with soy yogurt and granola, quinoa with veggies, tofu-potato-soy mix to make a bunch of yummy burritos..etc (

What a Day!

I feel like I have so many things to say! This summer has definitely been an adventure. I am usually so busy during the year that all I do is study, study, study! It doesnt really bother me much because I love my career. I noticed I didnt mention a bunch of stuff on the first post in regards to myself. Anyway, its a blog and it can pretty much have any order (i guess). I am happy to say that I will be graduating next year with a BS in Environmental Engineering from SDSU!

 Every since I started a vegan diet I became very interested in learning more and more about a healthy lifestyle. From nutrition facts, to learning new recipes, having an organized schedule to be able to prep food for the next day etc. My life changed as soon as I changed my eating habits. I started to exercise more, when I go to the store I look for the ingredients in the wrapper or box and make sure they are all natural ingredients. If I dont know about one ingredient, me and my boyfriend tend to look it up on our smartphones (thats another reason why I love smartphones!). I try buying organic. From recent medical studies, I learned I have high toxic(n) levels in my system from consuming a lot of veggies, so the Dr.recommended eating organic veggies.

I must say I dont always have the time to cook, but lately, I've made time to learn different recipes and just be creative! Cooking can be a fun thing to do especially if you do it with someone. Its like chemistry, adding the right ingredient in the right amount and Vuala!
I love going to sprouts (or whatever is open)  go check out veggies, prices and good deals, then I think what would go well with what, and go on to a new adventure. Adventurous is a key word, to be adventurous. I learned this at Olivewood Gardens (not the restaurant!) which is a learning center in National City here in San Diego, CA (in case you are reading this from somewhere else around the world) and we teach children from harvesting their food to learn how to cook simple recipes and we have to follow a pledge in order to be in the kitchen and start cooking.

The focus of the program is to encourage children to eat more veggies (which is what they dislike the most) and be adventurous and try before saying "no". I just love watching the kiddos faces when they take a fist bite. ahh, its getting kind of late but I hope to hear from you. Please share your story, any comment, some advice, anything. Ill be happy to know that you, your friends and family are interested in reading this blog. Please know that this blog is a learning experience for you and for me. I share my stories so people catch at least one thing that may be useful in their daily lives (not to say that I have a perfect life or anything), but I would like to hear your thoughts and even advice! Changing your lifestyle for good, means to be open and willing to learn from others, share your positive vibe and learn how to counteract the negative vibes.

a-MUST-share: Professor Gary's Lectures about Animal Rights

I found this amazing presentation from a website called Animal Rights: The abolitionist approach from Gary L. Francione.

Professor Francione has other lectures (presentations) such as:
Theory of Animal Rights
Animals as Property
animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare
Animal Law

and other very interesting videos of discussions such as :
Do animals have rights?
The use of animals in biomedical reserach


They have a spanish version of all the videos!

Derechos de los animales: El enfoque abolicionista http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/media/slides/theory1es.html

Here is the video of animal welfare vs. animal rights:
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/media/slides/theory3.html

Dr.Will talk about his book "The World Peace Diet"

Dr.Will PhD, is giving a talk in Vista, CA right now. I didnt attend, but here is a video that I am so happy to share with you from one of his talks about his book "The World Peace Diet". Please take a moment to watch it. Invite your friends, family, share it with anyone you love.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PkQrJZYZN4

Watermelon-Tofu Protein Shake

One last one before I leave. WATERMELON TOFU SMOOTHIE. try it! so refreshing and tasty! Best source of protein all in a morning/afternoon or night shake, Just add watermelon, tofu, almonds. I also like to add a little bit of honey

 Before and After :)

Fruit it Up!

Papaya, strawberries, oranges, banana mix with a little bit of soy yogurt and some granola. This is something you can have pretty much anytime.Whether as a study break snack, addition to your breakfast, or even blend it as a smoothie! Perfect health and  digestive source as well as antioxidants, vitamin C, flavonoids, folic acid, potassium..Im glad to lay it out for you..look:

strawberries: good source of vitamin C. vitamin E, K, B6.
papaya: higher content of vitamin C than oranges and lemons! excellent source of Vitamin A, flavonoids (b-carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin), B-complex vitamins like folic acid, B-6, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium and calcium.

banana: excellent source of riboflavin, B6, vitamin C, A, folate, thiamin. 

oranges: vitamin C, B-complex, potassium and calcium. 

Ill talk more about how each nutrient is beneficial for our health. On the meantime, enjoy a nice cup of fresh fruit ! Oh! I got the best deals at Sprouts! check out the Wednesday's specials! they are great!
tell me about your favorite fruit mix!