Tag: health

The issue of poo Ever since I went to India, my digestion has been…shall we say, “off.”  Ummmm, for those of you who like better descriptors, shall we say…”fuzzy.”  Or ill-formed.  Or goopy.  Or how about let’s just say that my body is not producing the perfect, soft, firm poo that we all aspire to. […]

More distressing news from the Blue Front. Colbert had a guest on this show named Captain Charles Moore, who discovered (or rather, did not discover, but talked about) the giant floating patch of garbage that can be found in the Pacific Ocean between Asia and North America.  He brought in a tub of plastic bits that […]

I went with my friend Vicki to see Reginald Ray speak at the Vancouver Public Library.  Ray is in his sixties, has a doctorate in religious studies and is currently meditation instructor in the tradition of vajrayana Buddhism (tantric).  The founder of Dharma Ocean, a retreat center in Colorado, he spoke of intimacy and really […]

My first Vitamix Soup!  Should be called, “fly by the seat of your pants” soup.  Thank you Vitamix, for making my inchoate food choppings into something yummy. Ingredients for sweet potato soup Ingredients: 1.5 sweet potatoes, chopped into large chunks (skins and all) 2 cloves garlic chunk of ginger (not too big, add small pieces […]

I found Alan in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of my vegan superdrink. “You’re eating all my vegan stuff.” “I’ll buy the next one,” he said.  “I used to drink this kind of stuff all the time.  Here, I’ll make yours for you.” “That’s $89 bucks per tub,” I pointed out, watching him dole […]

My dedicated omnivore friend, Liz, had invited me over for a vegan lunch.  Now, Liz is one of the best cooks I know.  She is spectacular.  To watch her throw ingredients together in the kitchen is to watch a form of art. This was the first time I’ve seen her since the cyber-fight with Steph […]

My friend Steph came over for a vegan feast.  She offered to jump in the kitchen teach us how to make great vegan food. Alan was excited.  “Teach her everything,” he said, pointing at me.  “Just lock yourselves in there and don’t come out until she knows how to cook.” Steph’s Amazing Yam and Lentil […]

I’ve been away from my precious, precious juicer since before my Christmas vacation, but today had the opportunity to whip up something delicious thanks to my SPUD delivery.  I ordered their “Organic Detox Juicing Box”  delivered to my home and opened up a bin full of veggie goodness.  OH!  I’d forgotten how yummy these juices […]

I noticed I was feeling a little sick.  The left tonsil (still got ‘em) felt swollen. “Apparently begin vegan doesn’t mean you don’t get sick,” observes Alan cutely. “Apparently not,” I say.  “But maybe I’m detoxing.  When you eat better, an the fat starts to melt away, bad stuff that was stored in there starts […]

Ah, the Bridal Shower! I didn’t think to ask in advance if there would be vegan goodies.  As it turns out, the event was beautifully catered.  But the only thing I could eat besides the crackers were the bananas that the sex educator brought for us to practice our “hand strokes” on. When the food […]

My head hurts. As part of Total Health Month (THM), I have decided to forgo caffeine.  This is doubly hard after spending a week with my “always-have-a-pot-on” family over the holidays. Going caffeine free means that rather than ordering my tall Americano, I got a tall decaf Americano (okay, okay, I know that decaf has […]

Time for a digestive check in Still flatulent.  Not as much.  But think about it: I’m not a very creative vegan yet, so my idea of a meal is a head of broccoli and some hummus.   Hmmmm, raw veggies and beans!  What a great combination! So it’s not surprising that another Facebook trail about vegetarianism […]

Over the holidays, my family and I hold our full tummies and moan things like, “When January hits, you better believe that we’re not going to eat like this anymore.”  The guilt about eating an extra serving of pie or an additional glass of wine is tempered by the impending doom of a January that […]

Doubts “What I’d be concerned about is the long-term effects,” said my friend Ashley. Ashley is the fabulous strawberry blond of hummus and quinoa fame.  She’s also a pediatric nurse who also works in palliative care.  She is a full-on “broad,” outgoing, direct, and someone who will always have your back.  “You see these long-time […]

See what a harmless little Facebook post can spawn? Rachel Anne Scott Avocadoes, tomatoes, chickpeas….who said being vegan wasn’t fun? Carina Roter Wait until you get hooked on RAW. More fun in the summer but you will feel amazing! Tyler Wright there’s a party in your mouth and everyone’s sprouting Stephanie Belding Woo hoo!!!! Wait […]

Ah, what to feed a vegan? Alan and I headed over to the home of some friends that we know for chow and movies. Ash is a great friend of ours who is an outgoing nurse with a thick head of strawberry blond hair who is unfazed by the vegan challenge. As we were traveling […]

Previous Eating Experiments I’m one of those people that likes to have a book to latch onto for dietary inspiration.  I read all the testimonials inside about people changing their lives and I feel unstoppable:  “This is the answer!  This is the key to being healthy!” I tell myself exuberantly. This feeling generally lasts a […]

Okay, so when SPUD sent me YAMS in my pre-fab juice box, I was seriously skeptical. Yams? Yes.  Yams. Juicing a yam seemed like about as good an idea as juicing a potato, which is to say, not at all.  Would juice even come out of these tubrous little guys?  I had my doubts.  But […]

Last weekend, my teacher Gil Hedley spoke about how the models we use to describe our experience will dictate what we are actually able to see. For example, St. Francis of Assisi “was ever so unsparing towards himself that at the last he felt constrained to ask pardon of “Brother Ass”, as he called his […]

So, does juicing really taste better than drinking the packaged juices at the store? To answer this question, I decided to do a simple taste test. I haven’t gone into the store and bought “kale-cucumber-tomato” juice before, but I’ve certainly had my share of store-bought orange juice.  So it seemed to me that a great […]