Author Archives: Meghan

About Meghan

My current field of interest is computer programming, however I have many more things I am eager to master in my life. I enjoy the outdoors, live music, animals, piano playing, and makeup. Some things I am not so good at but still enjoy include singing, painting, and playing guitar!

Meal Prep

Posted on by
Reply

Once someone has made the decision to go vegan, they may feel the task is a little daunting.  One of the first steps is replacing foods you typically eat with vegan alternatives.  Keep in mind that basically any dish can be made without animal products!

A great first step is to stock up your pantry.  Some may need to replace their entire cupboard; some are already just about there.  It can be extra difficult to cut out certain foods if you do not already have a replacement for it, so be sure to stock up on your favorites!  A few vegan staples you should consider include beans, nuts, tofu, and loads of fruits and vegetables.  Condiments are essential – stock up on olive oil, mustard, tahini, hot sauce, and anything else to add some flavor to your meals.

To make the transition even easier, plan your meals ahead of time.  Meal preparation might be the key to your success; check out the following meals to create a plan!

Breakfast:

  • Oatmeal with maple syrup, bananas, almond milk, and flax / hemp seeds
    Fruit juice or smoothie
  • Toast with jam or nut butter
  • Vegan tofu scramble with vegetables – try mushroom & spinach!
  • Avocado & bean toast
  • Potato pancakes
  • Vegan sausage and bacon

Lunch:

  • Chickpea salad with pita or naan
  • Grilled tofu over greens or rice
  • Vegan tacos – try Beyond Meat beefy crumbles!
  • Pumpkin and mushroom pasta
  • Lentil soup
  • Tempeh pita

Dinner:

  • Bean chili – try adding quinoa!
  • Roasted zucchini and tomato pasta
  • Vegetable soup
  • Grilled tofu “steaks”
  • Falafel and veggie wrap

 

 

The key to a vegan diet is planning.  It is easy to get all the required nutrients on a vegan diet, though just as easy to miss some as well.  By planning ahead, one can make well-rounded meals which cover the essential food groups.

Fresh fruits and vegetables can be tricky to plan for.  You can never be absolutely sure when your avocado will be ripe, or when your bananas will be perfectly freckled.  Be sure to buy frozen and dried produce, so that your dinner plate is never lacking.  Frozen produce is flash frozen at peak ripeness and dried produce is great for snacking between meals.

If you currently partake in meal prep, you are already underway to an easy transition.  A simple search on the internet will return tons of recipes you already love – just add the word “vegan” in there and you are all set.  Have you found any surprising alternatives?  I know I never thought a vegan would have bacon and eggs for breakfast! All it takes is a little creativity and passion.

A Lot to Digest

Posted on by
Reply

A common stereotype about vegans and vegetarians is the “lack of protein.”  This could not be farther from the truth! In all actuality, many meat eaters consume 4-6x the recommended amount of protein a day.  Most people are recommended to consume around 40-50 grams of protein each day.  A single cheeseburger has 15 grams of protein alone.  Plant based foods tend to have healthier amounts of protein, and even greater amounts of other minerals and vitamins which animal products may frequently lack.  Vitamins such as B12, which animal products tend to be known for, are actually an additive, and not naturally occurring.  Iron is another common deficiency among vegans.  However, iron can be found in many whole grains and raw foods.  Sometimes it just takes a little extra effort to get all the necessary nutrients.

A vegan diet has been found to have some positive effects on our digestive track.  For example, vegan diets tend to consist of more fiber than an omnivorous diet.  Fiber helps us feel full longer and helps with regular bowel movements.  Vegetarians are about 31% less likely to develop problems with the colon, specifically diverticular disease.  When switching to a meat free diet, some bloating may occur due to the increase of fiber.  Some ways to combat this include staying hydrated, avoiding gassy foods, include healthy fats, and try new recipes.

A human’s digestive system is not designed to tolerate a diet high in meat.  Compared to a pure carnivore such as a cat, the human digestive system is very short and produces little hydrochloric acid – an enzyme necessary for digesting meat.  Humans also do not possess the sharp teeth necessary for shredding meat.  The so-called “canines” many people point out when arguing against veganism are actually the same teeth commonly found in herbivores.

So how does this actually affect us?  It has a bigger impact than one might think.  Osteoperosis is highest in societies who consume high amounts of animal products, whereas it is nonexistent in many vegetarian cultures.  Studies done by Michigan State found that overall in both male and females, vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than their meat eating counterparts.  Why might there be such an emphasis on drinking milk for strong bones, if that is not quite the case?  Should we always trust the recommended daily nutrition we commonly hear about?

Land

Posted on by
Reply

The world only has so much land to be used for growing food.  As of right now, 1/3 or earth’s livable land is dedicated to livestock or livestock feed.  As much as 70% of crops that are grown are fed to livestock.  We could be using these crops to feed hungry people all around the world, but many people would rather have meat on their plate.

Animal agriculture is also considered the greatest cause of ocean dead zones, species extinction, water pollution, and habitat destruction.  Rain-forests are destroyed in order to create more land to raise animals and their crops.  This destroys not only the homes of animals in these areas, but also homes of people.  Many tribes still survive in these forests, and the industry has come in and taken over their home.

Waterways are contaminated through all the pesticides and herbicides that are used to aid in the clearing of land.  These waters often lead to the oceans, and are creating ocean dead zones.  It has been said that we will see dead oceans by the year 2050 if we do not change our ways.  There are currently over 500 nitrogen flooded dead zones in the oceans, and this number is steadily climbing.

Even if people decide to cut animals from their diet, there is still much work to be done.  We much actually make an effort to reverse the damage we have caused.  What other reasons might be causing ocean dead zones or extensive land usage?

 

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars

Posted on by
Reply

Here in Western PA, the sun is shining and the temperatures are climbing.  What a great opportunity to try out a new ice cream recipe! Because who doesn’t like ice cream?

 

For the ice cream layer, you will need:

  • Full-fat coconut milk
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Vanilla extract
  • Salt

For the yummy crumbly topping, you will need:

  • Vegan vanilla cookies
  • Freeze dried strawberries
  • Vegan butter

A couple popsicle sticks will also come in handy for these strawberry bars.

To make the ice cream, blend 14oz of coconut milk, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt together until smooth.  Taste and adjust if needed.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 4-6 hours.

Begin making your crumbly outer coating by blending 3/4 cup vanilla cookies into small crumbs.  Pour 1 tablespoon of melted butter on top of dish of crumbs, and use your hands to blend it all together.  Next, add 1/2 cup of strawberries to the blender and shred away.  Set these crumbs aside.

Once the ice cream is frozen, bring the popsicles out and use warm water to help remove them from the molds.  Allow the ice cream to melt just a little, to help the crumbs stick.  Next, place the bars into the cookie crumble, and cover using a spoon or your hands.  Then, add the strawberry crumbs, letting the bars thaw if you are having trouble getting the crumbs to stick.

Place these bars back into the freezer for 15 minutes, and wha-la! You have made those yummy strawberry bars the ice cream man used to deliver to your neighborhood.  Even better, these ones didn’t involve any animals!

Tip: Add some strawberries to the ice cream mix for a strawberry overload.

These bars are both vegan and gluten free.  What a great complement to this sunny day!

Good for the Heart

Posted on by
Reply

While going vegan may seem like it is good for the heart in terms of being kind to animals, it is also a healthier option than eating a diet consisting of meat.  When people discover they are at risk or diagnosed with heart disease, one of many doctors’ recommendations is reducing meat intake in the diet.  Why is this so?

According to WebMD, Harvard’s Health Blog, Cleveland Health Clinic, and many others, eating meat has a direct correlation to the development of heart disease.  A diet consisting of meat typically includes higher amounts of cholesterol than a plant-based diet, which is a direct cause of heart disease.  Cholesterol exists in the arteries, and gradually builds up over time.  This eventually narrows the arteries, making blood flow more difficult.  However, this cholesterol can be eliminated over time – if the consumption of such products is eliminated.  The body will work to reduce the amount of cholesterol, and ones’ risk of heart disease can decrease.

Red meat specifically, including lamb, beef, and venison, contain carnitine.  Carnitine is a protein building block converted by bacteria in the large intestine, which thickens the walls of arteries.  Typically, the redder the meat, the more carnitine it contains.  Carnitine triggers a certain reaction which can be dangerous for our health, if it occurs excessively.  Research shows that carnitine may also be found in energy drinks, egg yolks, and fatty meats.  Many doctors agree that deciding the eliminate meat from ones’ diet is a personal choice, however it is a choice that may assist in reducing problems of the heart.  It is also important to consider that ones’ family history plays a very important part in how heart disease may affect a person.  Additionally, vegans tend to be more health-conscientious than the typical meat eater, so the overall lifestyle may also have an impact on health.

Check out the following site for more information regarding vegans and diseases:

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/dxrates

 

 

 

That’s vegan?!

Posted on by
Reply

Eating vegan is not just carrots and celery.  Just about any dish can be made without animal products, and there are loads of snacks people already eat everyday without even knowing they are actually vegan!  Check out some snacks you may not have guessed were animal-free:

 

Oreos
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Ritz Crackers
Unfrosted Poptarts
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
Goya Flan
Nutter Butters
Nabisco Grahams
SuperPretzel Soft Pretzels
Chocolate Chip Teddy Grahams
Super Sweet Chili Doritos
Cracker Jacks
Airhead Taffy
belVita Bites – Chocolate, Cinnamon Brown Sugar, Mixed Berry
Big League Chew Bubble Gum
Clif Bars
Dum Dums
Fruit by the Foot
Herr’s Onion Flavored Rings
Hubba Bubba gum
Jolly Rancher hard candy
Lay’s Potato Chips
Lay’s Kettle Cookied potato chips
Nabisco Ginger Snaps, Oreo Chocolate Cones, Saltine Crackers, Original Grahams
Smarties (U.S. only)
Sour Patch Kids
SunChips Original
Tic Tacs
Zotz
Velamints
Wheat Thins
Wise Onion Rings
Smucker’s Uncrustables
Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch
Aunt Jemima Pancake/Waffle Mix
Thomas’s New York Style Bagels
Unforsted Poptarts

Red Bull
Monster
Kool-Aid Drink Mix
Minute-Maid Frozen Juice Bars, Lemonades, Individual Cups

Luigi’s Real Italian Ice
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Fudge Pops
Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Icing
Duncan Hines Cake Mix
Jello-O Instant Pudding Mix
Smucker’s Marshmellow Ice Cream Topping
Sara Lee’s Frozen Pie
Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownie Mix
Krispy Kreme Fruit Pies
Life Original Cereal
Kellogg’s Mini-Wheats Unfrosted Bite-size
Baker’s Baking Chocolate Bar (Unsweetened and Semi-Sweet)
Tropical Source Dark Chocolate Chips

Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray
Campbell’s Mushroom Gravy
Classico Bruschetta
McCormick French Onion Dip Mix
Old El Paso Seasoning Mix
Smucker’s Ice Cream Topping

 

 

Next time you go to the grocery store, you may realize cutting out animal products is not as difficult as one may think.  A simple search on the internet will provide loads of snacks to try while living a vegan lifestyle!

Thirsty, huh?

Posted on by
Reply

As a whole, people generally care about the environment.  We recycle, take short showers, and carpool.  If people are taking these steps, why is our planet still going through an environmental disaster?  Unfortunately, these steps alone are only a small solution to a very big problem.  Specifically, our water use is an enormous problem.

We consume a lot more water than simply what is in our homes.  Showers, toilets, and drinking water is but a fraction of the water consumed each day.  When we sit down to dinner full of vegetables and maybe even a steak, do we consider how this food was made?  Most of us get our food from either a grocery store or a local farmer’s market.  Very few people actually grow their own food year round.  Consider how much water is needed for a full day’s recommended amount of fruits and vegetables:

A garden that is 8ft x 4ft, or 32 sq. ft. could provide a small family’s daily recommended fruits and vegetables for several days.  Each week, the garden requires 20 gallons of water in order for the plants to grow (a typical shower is approximately 17 gallons).  Now, what if we are raising animals, so that we can get our protein and enjoy a tasty steak?  We have to provide grains for the animal to become fully grown!  Cows will consume approximately 27 pounds of quality hay each day.  If it takes 20 gallons of water to grow 32 sq. ft. of plants, imagine how much it takes to grow 27 lbs worth of plants.

Mammals are pretty thirsty beings, whether it is drinking water directly or watering the plants we eat everyday.  When the majority of America chooses to have meat almost every day, if not every meal, there is no doubt we will have some sort of water crisis.  Check out the following infographic to visually understand the amount of water we consume:

(click to enlarge)

Now, taking shorter showers is always a good thing; however, in the grand scheme of things, there are other important steps we can take to limit our use of water!  Next time you sit down for dinner, opt for a veggie burger (using half the amount of water) instead of the usual beefy burger.

Sources:

http://beef.unl.edu/cattleproduction/

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/

http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/files/185639.pdf

Hello world!

Posted on by
1

Welcome to the blog of Meghan Cowan!

I have decided to dedicate this blog to anything about veganism.  When I was in middle school, I learned about how animals are farmed for our consumption.  Since that day, I realized I must do everything I can to spread awareness about the horrible activities that occur – specifically on factory farms.  I begun researching more about vegetarian and veganism, and learned the benefits are practically endless.  From well being of the earth to one’s health, going vegan will drastically change the lives of both the people and the animals of the planet.