Vegan Down in the Dumps

It seems that a co-worker of mine was feeling a little generous when he left work on Friday, and left me with this really nasty cold. It hit me on Sunday - sore throat, congestion, and the sudden feeling that I wanted to curl up in bed for the rest of the day. The sore throat was extremely mild at first, but then as the night went on it got worse.

Now, usually, when you have a diet that has no animal-based products included you typically never get sick because your immune system is fortified and healthy, meaning it's in pristine working condition. However, since my current diet doesn't consist of any animal-based products but remains a bit sketchy since I don't eat very much due to long hours and little free time, mine is vulnerable.

There are ways to combat a cold with natural, true to the earth ingredients. If you ever begin to feel like the flu bug has got you by the coat tails, there are plenty of ways to fight it without antibiotics clogging up your system or a trip to the doctors office. The one I'm most familiar with are lemons. These tart babies are ideal for restoring acid-alkali balance in the body and helps maintain its natural pH levels, which support healthy bacteria instead of viruses and harmful bacteria that thrive in acidic conditions.

I'm sure some of you have had mother's like mine that used to tell you to stay away from milk when you're sick. That's because milk produces and aids the growth of bacteria in the body. According to Gabriel Cousens, M.D. and author of Conscious Eating, the undigested lactose and acidic nature of pasturized milk encourages the growth of bacterian in our intestines. Before you go reaching for a glass of milk or a small thing of yogurt while you're sick, grab a glass of lemon water. Not only will this make you feel ten times better, it will also help detoxify your body, ridding it of all those nasty toxins that come from the crap you were eating before. A good recipe to follow (one I love, especially) is hot water, the juice of one lemon, and two tablespoons of honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. Thinking it's going to be too tart for your taste? The sweetness of whichever sweetner you use will give that sour taste a run for its money.

Some cold fighting foods that I would've never guessed are mushrooms, broccoli, blueberries, kidney and garbanzo beans, pumpkin seeds, garlic, and brazil nuts. Each of these does your immune system some real good. Mushrooms, broccoli, and blueberries help de-stress the immune system so it doesn't have to work so hard; pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, a crucial nutrient to give your immune system a power boost; garlic is simply a delicious antibiotic that fights virus'; and brazil nuts are the number one source of selenium, an antioxidant needed to rejuvenate our bodies so it can kill germs and protect cells from free radical damage.

So when those aches and pains wbegin creeping up on you, remember these wise words from the Lazy Vegan. But if you add these simple foods to your everyday life, the flu or the common cold will ever get the best of you because your immune system will be one bad-ass germ killing machine.

Yours truly,
    

A Little Advice for My Peeps

My best friend and I were talking about the natural occurence of pooping.

I know, right? The things we talk to our friends about. Since her surgery (gastric bypass), she's been having problems maintaining proper balance of nutrients while she works out and throughout the day. This gave me an idea (or two) about what she could do to get the proper amount of vitamins, minerals, omegas, etc that food is supposed to provide.

The other day, I spoke about the vast benefits of kale, bananas, and mangoes in Food Alert! My bestie just so happens to be an omnivore who seems to have an aversion to vegetables and fruits. Naturally, the reason she may not be getting enough of the things her body needs is because her diet consists of primarily animal based foods. The more animal based foods we eat, the less nutrients our body recieves.

"Most Americans eat twice as much protein as necessary, which has sent obesity, heart disease, and cancer rates soaring over the past fifty years. When you eat large amounts of animal protein and saturated fats and do not eat whole grains, vegetables, and fresh fruits, there is no fiber to bind all of the toxins and fat together to be eliminated from your body." - Skinny Bitch

What did I suggest, you ask?

I told my best friend three things: try green smoothies, add more meatless meals to your daily diet, and add more fruits and vegetables to her diet (duh!). I also added in there a little something about trying to juice at least once a month. Juicing is awesome! It provides you with raw vitamins and minerals. Even the experts agree that juicing does wonders for the body. "Whether it's fruit juice, veggie juice, or both, the enzymes are wonderful aides in the cleansing process."

Die-hard omnivores, like my friend in Colorado, have even tried juicing. It's for everybody and anybody, and it works. When I'm feeling like my body is in need a good detox, I spend every penny I have on fresh fruits and veggies. It's even better (not to mention cheaper) when your local farmers market is up and running - imagine all of the possibilities.

Periodic repeated fasts are especially useful.

The long and short of it is that in order to recieve and maintain your nutrients and vitamins is to eat a sufficient and significant amount of  fruits and vegetables and less animal proteins. Remember, this is key.

Head my advice, young ones!!!! :)

Sincerely yours,

Food Alert!

Hell yeah! It's the first Food Alert of 2012, and it is goooooood!

For the past two or three weeks I have been surpressing this crazy craving for a kale and banana smoothie, among other things. Finally, last night I made it to Whole Foods by the skin of my chinny chin chin and bought a bunch of kale ($2.49 each; thank God for tips, right), bananas ($0.69 a lb), one carton of AlmondMilk ($1.29, 365 brand), and a carton of Soy milk ($1.99, 365 brand).

Helpful tip of the day:

I was about to buy a $3 carton of the soy milk in the refrigerated section when I noticed that there was an entire section dedicated to cartons of every vegan milk you can imagine - from hemp to almond. I wanted to try the Tempt brand of hemp milk, but realized that that is a splurge for some other time. I saved myself two whole bucks buying the cartoned milk instead. It lasts so much longer, and I was able to buy two different kinds. Needless to say, I walked out a very happy woman.

So, this morning, after I forced myself out of bed I blended up the best damn green smoothie you'll ever lay your eyes on. I call it the Better than Raw Kale smoothie. It is so good, and damn good for you, too.

Now, if kale were a comic book character it would be Professor Xavier from X-Men. This vegetable is full of mad crazy super powers. It's closely related to other awesome veggies like broccoli, and brussel sprouts (which are great steamed, by the way). Kale is an awesome possum antioxidant and acts as an awesome digestive aid. It has all the vitamins you need - A, B-6, C, E and even K. Vitamin A is good for tissue growth and eye health, among other things. I got this little paragraph of info about the other vitamins kale provides from livestrong.com (def a site you should consider visiting sometime):

"Your skeletal tissues, skin and hair rely on vitamin A for renewal and repair. By maintaining the mucous membranes that line the inner surfaces of your body, vitamin A helps protect you against infection from pathogenic organisms. Vitamin B-6 helps your body to produce the antibodies that fight illness and promote healthy brain and nerve function. Vitamin C facilitates tissue repair and wound healing, boosts immunity and providing antioxidant protection against pathogens and toxins. Vitamin E also offers antioxidant protection and plays a role in the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin E enables your body to use vitamin K, which assists in blood clotting and bone formation."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/305663-kale-vitamins/#ixzz1inKhPIAW

In short this smoothie is the prime day starter. You get your omega three's from the ground flaxseed, potassium from the bananas, and more vitamin A, C, and E, plus selenium and folic acid from the mangoes.

What are you standing there for? Get blending!

Better than Raw Kale Smoothie

2 small or 1 big leaf of Kale (any kind)
1 banana
1 mango, skin peeled (any kind)
1 tbs ground or milled flaxseed
1 tsp agave
2 1/2 cups vegan milk (soy, almond, rice, or hemp, your choice; I used almond)

Toss everything into your blender, and blend on low for 5-6 seconds. Switch to high and blend for 1 minute before going back to low and blending for another 5-6 seconds. Blend one more time on high for 1 minute and end blending on low for a couple seconds.

Voila!

Enjoy your creamy, delicious goodness! From my kitchen to yours, happy blending, folks!!

Yours truly,



New Year, New Resolutions?

It's 2012 and I am feeling better than ever. I've got a brand new job, and an awesome new trainer who has helped me get a new lease on life - I'm feeling amazing, guys!

At the beginning of every year after I fell off the vegan wagon, one of my main resolutions was to go vegan and stay vegan. I tried and tried, and I failed and failed. But failing never stopped me from picking myself back up and trying all over again. Kathy Freston, the vegan self-help author of the century, strongly recommends that people lean into the vegan lifestyle because diving-in head first is not a good idea. Freston says to lean in a little more each time your ready to, and to inform yourself at a pace suited for you.

And I agree. That's what I wanted this blog to be all about (well, maybe not all about). I created The Lazy Vegan to share helpful tips to my fellow vegans, vegetarians, and curious-itarians out there about how to live the lifestyle on a budget, share delicious recipes and maybe give you all some information that would enlighten you and encourage you to make healthier decisions for the rest of your lives.

When I went vegan some three or four years ago, I didn't know anyone else who was vegan, I didn't browse vegan blogs like Vegan YumYum, or subscribe to online vegan cooking classes like sporkonline.com. I wasn't very well-informed. I believe that's why I fell off the wagon so quickly - my lack of knowledge and vegan social connections were limited and non-existent.

Not anymore! Now, via Facebook and various vegan sites, I'm more connected and definitely more determined to make this lifestyle my own. I want to share it with you; I want to plead with you all once more to come with me on this journey into the new year with a new perspective on veganism, vegetarianism, and so on. I'll be your Yoda and you'll be my Young Skywalker.

Oh! I won't abandon you like before. I spent a few months forgetting about my lovely blog while I struggled with finding another job, paying bills, and eating horribly. No more. I'm done leaving stuff in the dust and unfinished (another one of my resolutions: finishing what I've started). And for that very reason, I'm posting three additional posts today. WooHoo!!!

So, give my advice a go and see what it does for you. I, like almost every vegan on the planet, can guarantee you won't be disaapointed.

Ciao!! Yours truly,