As you may be able to tell, I am rather obsessed with avocado. Avocados are so delicious and nutritious, and great in sandwiches, salads and dips. Today I found a fantastic website devoted entirely to avocados!! The site is http://www.avocado.org and is full of recipes and info on this marvellous food! I’m certainly going to try some recipes, but first here’s some info on the avocado from this site:

Avo Facts

• Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable, belonging to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family.
• Avocados are sodium- and cholesterol-free and have only five grams of fat per serving, most of it the monounsaturated kind.
• Avocados were once a luxury food reserved for the tables of royalty, but now avocados are enjoyed around the world by people from all walks of life.
• Brazilians add avocados to ice cream
• Filipinos puree avocados with sugar and milk for a dessert drink.
• Latin Americans wrap avocados up and give them as wedding gifts.
• The avocado is also called an Alligator Pear because of its pear-like shape and green skin.
• Avocado is a corruption of the Spanish word aguacate, which is in turn a corruption of the Aztec word ahuacatl.
• About 43% of all U.S. households buy avocados.

nutrition details of avocado

• One-fifth of a medium avocado or about one ounce is 55 calories, but contributes beneficial nutrients such as fiber, potassium, Vitamin E and lutein to the diet.
• Avocados act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
• Avocados provide more than 25 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid.
• One-fifth of a medium avocado has 55 calories and provides beneficial phytochemicals such as glutathione, beta-sitosterol, and lutein. Phytonutrients are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases.
• Avocados are a good source of fiber and fiber may help maintain heart health.
• When used instead of other fats, avocados contain over 25 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and can be part of a calorie-reduced diet.
• Avocados are a good way to get more lutein in the diet. An ounce of avocado contains 77 micrograms of lutein.

This recipe looks fabulous I must try it!

Avocado Gourmet Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 11/16 Cups very warm water
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 ½ Tbsp vegetable oil or avocado oil
• 1 1/3 Cups unbleached white flour
• Toppings
• ½ Cup diced tomato
• 1 ¼ Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 California Avocados, seeded, peeled and sliced

I’ve found a few yummy vegan recipes to try, and I had some good chocolate soy milk the other day when i was craving nippys chocolate milk so I think going vegan is possible. I might try slowly replacing dairy with soy/other alternatives at every opportunity possible, and avoiding it if possible as well as a start to becoming vegan. I think this will work out better than cutting everything out and going ‘cold turkey’ because it will be a gradual lifestyle change/habit-making process which I’ll be more likely to stick to and won’t feel so guilty if I slip up and ‘accidentally’ eat some pizza or something in the first few weeks. Then next I might tackle eggs. Wish me luck!

xoxo

miss V

One thing that is not on the menu at McD’s (where I live at least) is their salad burger. Burger King do one too which has onion rings in it and is quite tasty but more on that later.

It’s quite cheap, same price as mcchicken I think, and has lettuce tomato, cheese and mayo generally. I am a bit worried about the cheese containing animal rennet but have not found any evidence yet that they contain this and would probably cease to eat them if they did. I think they’re delicious and while obviously not vegan, if you are going somewhere with a non-veggie at least there is something you can order. You could order it without mayo and cheese to make it more vegan (though i have no idea what the bread contains in terms of dairy/egg) though it probably would make it kind of boring!The other night though they put red onion and carrots in there too which I’ve never had before so maybe you could ask them to do that

xoxo

Freeganism is a lifestyle based around the belief that almost all work and monetary exchanges within a capitalist economy contribute to myriad forms of exploitation – worker abuse, animal exploitation, hunger, ecological destruction, mass incarceration, war, inequitable distribution of resources, commodification of women – almost all issues addressed by social, ecological, and animal rights advocacy groups.

Freegan”, a portmanteau of “free” and “vegan”, is derived from the observation that even a vegan lifestyle is not free of exploitation.

Many freegans get free food by pulling it out of the trash, a practice commonly nicknamed dumpster diving in North America or skipping in the UK. Freegans find food in the garbage of restaurants, grocery stores, and other food-related industries, and this allows them to avoid spending money on products that exploit the world’s resources, contribute to urban sprawl, treat workers unfairly, or disregard animal rights. By foraging, they prevent edible food from adding to landfills and sometimes feed people and animals who might otherwise go hungry. Many freegans claim that they are able to eat very well, and even avoid paying for food altogether, due to this practice. Many vegan dumpster divers come to embrace freeganism in order to utilize more of the thrown-out food they find, which would otherwise be wasted.

hmm that is just a little excerpt from wikipedia’s definition. I was thinking about freeganism the other day when it for some reason came up in conversation, and I wish I still knew that guy so I could ask him a bunch of questions! I would really like to learn more about freeganism and think I will do a bit of research. So if there are any freegans out there…feel free to comment because I’d like to know how it all works and why you do it!

xoxo miss v

Avo, tomato, and onions on toast

What you will need:

1 avocado – soft rather than hard but not too soft

1-2 tomatoes

1 onion

Salt

Pepper

Soy sauce

Mixed herbs

Cooking spray/oil/butter/margarine etc

A few slices of wholegrain bread (I love ploughmans)

Put 2 slices of bread in the toaster, repeating as necessary (I would generally say 2-3 slices for each person). While that is toasting, slice the onion up into rings or dice into small pieces. Fry them up in a pan with the cooking spray or oil etc. Add a little soy sauce and mixed herbs or any herbs you enjoy. When cooked through remove from heat and set aside.

Slice the tomatoes thinly. Take the avocado and cut in half, using a butter knife spread the avocado over each piece of toast as if it were butter. Place 2-3 slices of tomato on top of each piece of toast. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pile the set aside onions on top et voila you’re done! Many variations can be made to this recipe, including substituting mushrooms for onions. It’s quick, cheap and easy and makes a tasty little snack any vegan, veggie or carnivore alike can enjoy

I’ll try post a photo of this for you soon

xo xo

Miss V

They were made from:

• wholemeal Ploughman’s brand bread
• tomato
• avocado
• red onion
• lettuce

A delicious and nutritious sandwich I recommend trying for lunch. I’m going to tag this as a recipe even though it’s not really oops naughty I promise to be better in future!

Anyway after this we went and had banana and berry smoothies. It was perfect.

He is doing very well for a carnivore! I don’t try to make him eat vegetarian, I tell him he can eat whatever he wants to and that he can eat meat in front of me, because whilst I don’t advocate eating meat etc he has the right to choose to eat it and I’d rather lead by example than try to force vegetarianism upon him. It seems to be working well!

xoxo

Miss V

My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!!

take care,

love your veggies!!

Miss V

xoxoxo

• weakness
• fatigue
• general malaise
• pale skin colour/pallour
• Shortness of breath on exertion (in severe anemia)

Iron rich foods include: green, leafy vegetables; beans; dried apricots, prunes, raisins, and other dried fruits; almonds; seaweeds; parsley; whole grains; and yams

Vitamin supplements can also be helpful.

A deficiency of vitamin B12 is called pernicious anemia, the symptoms are slightly different from iron deficiency anemia and include the following:

• weakness,
• an abnormally rapid heartbeat (tachycardia),
• shortness of breath,
• chest pains,
• an upset stomach including diarrhea,
• difficulty walking,
• numbness and tingling in the extremities,
• lack of color (pallor) in the lips, gum, and tongue,
• depression.
• Pernicious anemia may cause inflammation of the tongue (glossitis). It is also associated with premature greying, blue eyes, vitiligo, and blood group A.It is also associated with unpredictable periods of fatigue and an inability to concentrate. Irreversible Central Nervous System (CNS) damage may have occurred prior to treatment. Scissors gait can appear as a late sign of unchecked anemia.
• Some sufferers also report mouth ulcers, joint pain and tinnitus as associated with the onset of pernicious anemia.

I’ve been diagnosed with aneamia before and it’s not fun! However taking some vitamin pills with vitamin C combined (vitamin C helps your body to absorb iron) and eating some yummy fresh broccoli and spinach and some cereal fortified with iron and B12 pepped me right up!! These days though whenever get a test my iron and B12 levels are fine. I think it’s because I eat a much healthier and more varied diet nowadays as well as popping the occassional multi vitamin.

More on this subject soon!

with love

Miss V

xoxoxoxoxox

Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary – Cite This Source Main Entry: ²vegetarian
Function: adjective
1 : of or relating to vegetarians
2 : consisting wholly of vegetables, fruits, and sometimes eggs or dairy products <a vegetarian diet>

Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Vegetarianism:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Vegetarian)

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For plant-eating, non-human animals, see Herbivore.

Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat, with or without the use of other animal derivatives, such as dairy products or eggs. Some vegetarians choose to also refrain from wearing clothing involving the death of animals, such as leather, silk and fur. Veganism, sometimes called “strict vegetarianism”, excludes all animal products from diet and attire, whether or not this involves the actual death of an animal (dairy, eggs, honey, wool and down feathers). Vegetarians have varied motivations including religious, financial, ethical, environmental, and health concerns.

Hello and welcome,

Vegetarianism is a tricky thing to tackle both in terms of the actual practice of setting about becoming a vegetarian and all things associated with living as a vegetarian, but it can also be tricky sometimes when trying to define or decide on exactly what a vegetarian is. The above definitions shed some light on this matter, however what many people do not know is that there are several different types of vegetarianism such as the following:

• Pescetarianism (sometimes called “Pesco-vegetarianism”) — A diet in which the only animals consumed are fish or other seafood.
• Pollotarianism — A diet in which the only animals consumed are fowl.
• Flexitarianism — A diet that consists primarily of vegetarian food, but that allows occasional exceptions.

There is also of course veganism where no animal products of any type are to be consumed, however even then there are varying levels of this – many vegans will not wear animal products whilst others do. There are so many varying degrees of vegetarianism and veganism and as wikipedia says: “Terminology related to vegetarianism is not universally accepted. All definitions agree that vegetarians do not eat “meat”, but some people who are not true vegetarians interpret “meat” to include only mammals or to exclude fish and/or shellfish.”

Now I am a real foodie, I love food so much – cooking it, eating it, talking about it, smelling it, watching other people cook it, going out to restaurants etc etc etc, but I am also a vegetarian, of the lacto-ovo type. So this blog is devoted to food – all of it vegetarian, or vegan, as well as issues and fun things around vegetarianism/veganism. I hope to include exciting and informative entries on topics such as becoming a vegetarian, eating out at restaurants, animal rights, and vegetarianism and health, as well as recipes, food photos and a journal of the delicious or not so delicious foods I eat, so if this sounds interesting to you stay tuned folks! and please comment and ask questions and give me your feedback or links to anything you think I might find interesting  
With love,

Miss V

xoxo