January, 2016
Marin Vegetarian Education Group
Because there is enough bad news in the world and in our thinking, and because it's unusual to be in a conversation without complaining about something, and because a new year calls for new ways of looking at the world, this month's newsletter will include only good news.
Wishing you a year of gratitude in good times and grace during challenges. May we all know sufficiency and develop the habit of focusing on what's right instead of what's wrong.
The first good news item: It's been raining, and the hills are turning green again! Be sure to read to the end of this newsletter for a link to a short film about a year of good news for veganism and animals.
Home Delivery of Vegan Meals
How many times, especially when you were a new vegan, did you wish that someone else would cook for you? Wish granted, three times over!
Three new companies offer home delivery of vegan meals. So even though preparing our own meals is still a time tested and satisfying way to ensure that we eat healthy food, we now can get healthy, vegan, home made meals delivered to our door. Check out The Vegan Garden, (https://thevegangarden.com/), The Purple Carrot (https://thepurplecarrot.com/pages/how), and Forks Over Knives (http://www.forksoverknives.com/forksfreshmeals/). Whatever your culinary preferences, these companies aim to please. What else might we wish for now?
Dr. Greger's Book Now Available
What if every time you talked about eating, you had scientific evidence to back up your vegan choices - right in the palm of your hand? Wish granted!
Dr. Michael Greger's new book, How Not to Die, is now available everywhere books are sold. (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-not-to-die-michael-greger/1122186990?ean=9781250066114) You know that I'm a big fan of Dr. Greger's daily emails from NutritionFacts.org. Now for the first time, he has compiled his research on the fifteen leading causes of premature death. Along with meticulous footnotes so you can find the sources, Dr. Greger tells us exactly what published, peer reviewed studies say about what we eat and how we thrive or decline. And he shares his daily dozen of must-have foods, and how he incorporates them into his diet. I love this book for the same reasons I love NutritionFacts.org. It's well written, specific, honest (when studies don't show what we'd expect them to, for example), and features Dr. Greger's singular sense of humor. His heartwarming preface about his grandmother and why he chose his career path is worth the price of the whole book. Happy reading!
Vegan Eggs Are Here (sort of)
Follow Your Heart has introduced their 100% plant based egg replacer, VeganEgg, and it works even for scrambled eggs! I have not tried them yet, but a trusted friend reports that they are excellent. VeganEgg is on back order from Amazon, and the only Bay Area source so far is Animal Place's Vegan Republic in Berkeley. If we continue to pester Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, they might hurry up and carry them there, too. Learn more at FollowYourHeart.com (The store locator does not seem to be working, and at press time I was waiting for a return call from the company to see if they know when it will be available locally.)
Just Mayo Can Keep It's Name
Hampton Creek Foods will be allowed to keep Just Mayo's name, despite the product not having eggs in it. They will have to change the label to make the "without egg" message more obvious, but it is clearly a win for Just Mayo and Hampton Creek. And of course, it's great news for chickens, too! Read about it here: www.yahoo.com/health/despite-lack-of-eggs-this-vegan-spread-is-keeping-154448249.html
Citizen Fox Expanded Hours
Citizen Fox has been offering pop-up meals and catering for a few years. Now, at last, the elegant, creative, and delicious vegan restaurant/bar/brewery Citizen Fox is serving dinners Wednesday through Saturdays from 6 until 10 PM and Sunday brunch from 10:30 to 3 PM. They are still in their temporary quarters (2293 Mission Street, San Francisco) but you would never know it. Check out the menu at http://www.citizenfoxsf.com/ And make a reservation at that website, or by calling 415-688-4288 or by email info@citizenfoxsf.com. Walk ins are also welcome.
VeganBurg Opens in San Francisco
Next time you're in the Haight, check out the new VeganBurg at 1466 Haight between Masonic and Ashbury. Their tag line is Think fast food is junk food? Think again!, and their web site is interesting: veganburg.com There are so many vegan restaurants in San Francisco now, it's a challenge to try them all.
New Book About Weight Loss and Plant Based Eating
Benji Kurtz is the publisher of Glen Merzer's bestselling satire about a vegan politician, Off the Reservation. Now he has teamed up with Glen to tell his own story of overcoming obesity through plant based eating. His new book is called The Plant Advantage and T. Colin Campbell gave it a rave review: "A delightful read for anyone who may be confused by the gibberish infusing the public discussion on food and health-In this very special book, Benji Kurtz speaks with a voice and personal conviction that is original and refreshingly honest. Kurtz honestly relates his uncertainties and confusion as he searched for an answer why he could not shed a large amount of excess body weight. Although not a scientist, he presents the scientific evidence with a reliability that is rare for a layperson. Even though I have been a researcher in this field for more than a half century, I found myself being his student as he sought answers to his unusually intuitive questions about the scientific evidence. The Plant Advantage is a really good read for anyone caught in the squeeze between what is real and what is not on matters of food and health."
The Plant Advantage is available on Kindle or in paperback at http://www.amazon.com/Plant-Advantage-Lost-Weight-Fortification/dp/0692537007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451536495&sr=8-1&keywords=the+plant+advantage
23 Minutes of Good News
In case you think that animal rights and the shift to veganism are not making progress, this 23 minute video will cheer you up. Of course, there is always much more to do. Still, it is helpful to recognize how far we have come. 2015 was a good year for vegans. See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYzlfPdpAeY
Events: To find events throughout the month check www.bayareaveg.org/ and www.meetup.com/marin-vegan
Correction: Last month I misspelled the name of one of the writers of the article about turkeys sold at Whole Foods. His name is Wayne Hsiung.
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