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1. What is the truth about carbs?

We love carbs, and we’re so sad they’ve gotten such a bad rap! Here’s the deal: There are good carbs and bad carbs. Good carbs are fruits, whole grains, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. They are gifts from the heavens and should be eaten daily. They give us energy and help us feel full and satisfied. Bad carbs are refined sugar, white flour, white rice, and other stripped grains (like white pasta) and should be avoided. They release quickly into our bodies making us feel tired, cranky, low-energy, and hungry.

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1. What do you recommend to people who may not be able to fully commit to veganism, but want to get started?

Some people are totally gung-ho after reading Skinny Bitch and go vegan in one fell swoop. But taking baby steps is totally fine, too. Making gradual changes works well for a lot of people. For example, you can stop eating cows and pigs and start experimenting with soy substitutes. Then after a month, you’ll know you’ve got that change under your belt and you’ll feel ready to stop eating chicken and fish. When you do things gradually, you give your brain and body time to adjust to the changes. It’s amazing how after a few weeks, you don’t even want to eat the same foods you were previously obsessed with.

2. Do you need to be vegetarian first before going vegan?

You can go vegan overnight if you want. Lots of people do. They read about factory farming, see pictures of animals being mistreated and exploited, and learn how bad animal products are for their bodies. They’re totally grossed out and want nothing to do with meat or dairy ever again.

But for some people, it helps to get used to vegetarianism first. Giving up dairy can be really challenging for some people. Especially cheese! Cheese is loaded with casein, a milk protein, which breaks down into opiates in the body. (All mammals’ milk has casein. It’s Mother Nature’s way of ensuring that babies nurse.) So when you say, “I’m so addicted to cheese,” you’re not kidding!

3. What can people expect when adopting a vegan lifestyle?

At the beginning, it can be tough. There’s sort of a learning curve where your taste buds get re-trained and you figure out which new foods you like or dislike. And some people may even experience detox-like symptoms while their bodies clean out all the old, stored junk. But after the transition period, you can expect to feel healthier, happier, lighter, and more energized than you’ve ever felt in your entire life. All the aches, pains, misery, and lethargy will be gone. Really! And you’ll actually crave healthier foods and exercise!
When you eat the same junk day in and day out, it’s hard to see how it makes you feel. But when you give up something for two weeks or so, and then reintroduce it into your diet, it’s alarming how bad it makes you feel. This is especially the case with dairy. See for yourself. Don’t eat any dairy for two weeks and then have some. You’ll be blown away by how lousy you feel.

4. How do vegans get protein?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that vegetarians and vegans have trouble getting adequate protein. And nothing could be further from the truth. If you eat a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, you’ll get more than enough protein. You don’t need to be neurotic about it all.

5. So many vegans seem to be animal rights activists, is it a moral issue?

There are so many reasons to go vegan. Some people simply don’t have the palette for the flesh of dead animals.

Other people go vegan because of the health benefits: Vegans have reduced risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, asthma, obesity, and multiple cancers.

Still, others choose veganism because they’re true environmentalists: The 400-page report recently published by the United Nations states that animal agriculture is the primary cause of global warming. (Factory farming emissions beat out transportation and industry emissions!) Every year in the United States alone, we raise and kill ten billion animals for food. As strange as it may sound, the pee, poop, burps, and farts of these animals are contributing to global warming. In addition, the amount of land, water, energy, and fossil fuels required to raise “meat” is exponentially higher than what’s needed to raise crops. It’s been said that if we all went vegan, we could use all our resources to end world hunger.

And finally, many people do choose veganism to spare the lives of animals. My whole life, I called myself an animal lover. But I never thought about farm animals, and how they went from living, feeling beings to “meat.” One day, I got a magazine in the mail that showed pictures of the “how” and described it in detail:

Cows and pigs are kept in pens so small they can’t even turn around. Chickens have their beaks seared off their faces with a hot blade (so they won’t peck each other or workers). Egg-laying hens are packed into cages so tightly they can’t open their wings. Male baby chicks—useless to the egg industry—are thrown (alive) into garbage bags and piled into dumpsters. That, or they’re fed through a grinding machine (alive) and used for feed, fertilizer, or rendering.

Even free-range animals are subject to the most alarming and barbaric acts of cruelty. There are very few laws governing the transport of farm animals, and of the few in existence, almost none are enforced. Animals spend hours overcrowded into trucks without food, water, temperature regulation, or protection from the elements. It’s common for many animals to die before they even reach the slaughterhouse. And if the weather is extreme, it’s even more common. In the cold months, animals will literally freeze to the floor or sides of the truck (alive). Workers will simply rip the animals (alive) off the truck, often leaving behind a limb.

From a health standpoint, there is no reason we need to eat animal products. There are countless atrocities in farming practices. To turn a blind eye to them simply because we like the taste of meat or dairy... Yes, the decision to be a vegan or an omnivore is definitely a moral issue.

Find Your Favorite Healthy Snack Recipes

Most people want to replace those unhealthy but oh-so-good junk foods with healthy snack recipes, but we also all know that it's easier said than done. Somehow we always seem to want "just one more" of those greasy, salty potato chips or [insert favorite junk food here].

Healthnotes Newswire (May 24, 2007)—Chronic digestive problems are often a sign of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but sometimes other undiagnosed conditions are the real cause. New research suggests that people with an accurate diagnosis of IBS could benefit from taking peppermint oil.

IBS is a common digestive disorder marked by abdominal bloating and discomfort, gas, and loose stools or constipation, or episodes of each. Its cause remains unknown, but stress appears to be an important contributing factor.

We've gathered your pressing questions and gathered them in our "Question of the Week" column. Make comments and share your insights!

In a recent petition to Starbucks, our friends at Care2 point out the growing concern around recombinant bovine growth hormone, also known as rBGH or rBST. According to the petition:

"The problem is, this hormone is known to cause harm to cows and may pose harm to humans. Use of rBGH can contribute to the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria. rBGH increases the rate of udder infections in cows, which are then treated with antibiotics. Use of rBGH could also pose a cancer risk to people. Injections of rBGH increase another hormone, called IGF-1, in the cow and the cow's milk. Too much IGF-1 in humans is linked with increase rates of colon, breast, and prostate cancer."

I just read an alarming blurb in VegNews (June 2007, Page 20) that Unilver, the largest supplier of frozen desserts to the US (and parent company to Ben & Jerry's, Breyer's, Klondike, and Popsicle brands), has started using "ice structuring antifreeze" proteins from genetically modified FISH in some of their products. They synthesize the GMO compound from yeast that comes from the blood of ocean pout to prevent "the crystallization of ice cream when it melts and is refrozen."

Healthnotes Newswire (May 3, 2007)—Asthma rates in the northeastern part of the United States are the highest in the nation—and vitamin D deficiency may be one reason, new research shows.

The body can make vitamin D, but only when skin is exposed to sunlight. Pregnant women who live in areas where sunlight is scarce are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, and their children may suffer for this lack later on.

Regarding the effect of maternal diet in pregnancy on the risk of childhood asthma, Carlos A. Camargo, MD, DrPH, associate professor of Medicine & Epidemiology at the Harvard Medical School, and lead author of the new study said, “A few years ago we noted similarities between risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and risk factors for asthma. Vitamin D has many effects on the immune system, so we hypothesized that higher maternal vitamin D intakes might be protective against the development of childhood asthma.”

Healthnotes Newswire (April 12, 2007)—An award-winning project of the Organic Trade Association, Earth Day Network, and MusicMatters, Go Organic! for Earth Day increases awareness of organic products by providing consumers with valuable savings on organic products in the grocery store and information on the benefits of choosing organic.

Dr. Greene’s Organic Prescription

According to Go Organic! for Earth Day spokesperson Dr. Alan Greene, organic foods offer considerable benefits, particularly for infants and young children. Dr. Greene, a pediatric health expert and widely published columnist, has created Dr. Greene’s Organic Prescription—a list of the top 11 organic choices that he believes can make the biggest difference for ourselves, our families, and the planet, including:

Plastic is everywhere, from Tupperware to plastic wrap, to bowls and utensils -- even paper cartons and deli paper are usually sprayed with a layer of plastic. Plastic is a treacherous biohazard for two reasons:

1. It can leach carcinogenic chemicals into our food (and our bodies) from plastic food packaging; and,
2. Perhaps just as alarming, plastics are contaminating our environment.

Can plastic containers contaminate our food? They're made from a variety of toxic chemicals, including a known class of carcinogens called phthalates (which are softeners that are added to make plastic flexible) and Bisphenol A (BPA), both of which can migrate into food.

You eat aluminum every day. While it may not be on the menu, aluminum finds its way into our diet through myriad channels including food additives, as a leavening agent, in teas, in medicines, and as a byproduct of cooking with aluminum pans.

Aluminum has long been thought of as a safe, non-toxic metal; new research is beginning to question its safety. Aluminum exposure has been linked to diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's diseases. While none of these connections have been proven, it is wise to avoid any additional exposure whenever possible.