UK Hospitals Drop Meat From Menus

Of course nobody wants to get sick or injured when traveling, but if you’re a vegetarian and an accident happens, make sure it’s in the UK.  That’s because all public hospitals in the UK are proposing to start offering meat-free menus as part of a National Health Service plan to curb the carbon emissions that cause climate change.  Although meat options will still be available, staff members will encourage patients to choose healthy meat-free meal choices. 

Patients could see similar options in the United States and around the globe as well.  Hospitals associated with UK’s National Health Service (NHS) account for 3 percent of all emissions in England, with one-fifth of the emissions coming from drugs, medical equipment, and food. The new NHS campaign, called “Saving Carbon, Improving Health” is expected to lower emissions by 80 percent by 2050.  

These hospitals should be seriously applauded for taking action in the fight against global warming (not to mention cruelty to animals).  Raising animals for food is the world’s leading cause of carbon dioxide emissions, so cutting out meat from their menus will definitely make a huge difference.

Other changes hospitals will be making as part of the overall plan will also help slash emissions- as well as hospital costs. The NHS plans to encourage staff to drink less bottled water, have more phone-in surgeries, participate in one-use item recycling programs, and promote walking, carpooling, and public transportation for visitors and patients. Staff members may also be able to work from home more often and participate in incentive programs for departments that cut costs on energy.

Reasons to Go Vegan- From the Author of Skinny Bitch

Author of Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman gives five reasons to why you should go vegan.

How To Stock a Vegetarian Pantry

A vegetarian pantry is very different from a meat eater’s pantry.  It is important to keep vegetarian foods on hand that provide a basis for common recipes and meals, as well as substitutes for other non-vegetarian food products.  This article will help you achieve a well-stocked, healthy, and meat-free pantry.

Steps

1. Clean out your pantry.  If you are switching to a vegetarian diet, or even just updating an existing vegetarian pantry, it is time for a good clean out.  Remove all expired food and any food with unsuitable animal-derived products.  Wipe down all the shelves and allow to dry.

2. Go shopping.  It is always a good idea to stock a new pantry with as many fresh items as possible at the same time, so that all the items date fairly close together.  If you are simply restocking, keep items that are well within their best-by date, but note them.  Be sure to make a list of the items that you need.

3. Select your items in food groups.  A vegetarian pantry that is stocked with the basics should contain:

• Grain products: rice (especially brown, arborio, jasmine, basmati, and sweet), millet, couscous, quinoa, kasha, wild rice, buckwheat, barley, polenta, and whole grain flours.
• Pasta and noodles: pasta made from grain products (e.g., wheat pasta, rice pasta), noodles (e.g., udon, buckwheat, etc.). Try to avoid quick-cook noodles as they tend to have a lot of the healthy nutrients removed and are often high in trans-fats.
• Legumes: dried legumes (peas, split peas, lentils, puy lentils, chickpeas/garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc.), tins/cans of legumes, shelf-stored tofu.
• Instant mixes for veggie burgers, falafels, etc.  Organic is better.
• Vegetables and fruits. There are various ways of storing these in the pantry:

             - Tins/cans of fruit in natural syrup, tins/cans of vegetables. Try to avoid sourcing a lot of your fruit and veggies in this way because canned varieties lose nutrients, have high sodium, and can leach chemicals from the can soldering/composition into the food over time.  Always choose cans that are free from dents, and be sure to check use-by dates.      

            - Preserved fruit and vegetables.

            - Dehydrated fruits and veggies.

            - Dried fruit. A must for both eating and cooking with. Apricots, peaches, pears, apples, nectarines, are some great options.  Beware of added sugar- dried pineapple, strawberries, paw-paw, and kiwifruit, are some examples that often have considerable amounts of added sugar.

• Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds should be eaten quickly to ensure that they remain fresh.  Purchase only small amounts at a time.  You should always have walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, pecans, and sesame seeds on hand. Nut and seed butters are also very useful to have on hand, such as tahini, peanut butter, cashew nut butter, and almond butter. Some require refrigeration upon opening.
• Flavorings: There are a number of key flavorings that no vegetarian pantry should be without.  They include:

             - Nutritional yeast

             - Soy sauce, shoyu, tamari (look for low sodium options)

             - Vegetable broth/ stock cubes, liquid or powder (check ingredients carefully)

             - Cheese sauce or cheese substitute sauces in packets, packet soups

             - Seasoned vegetable salt 

             - Seasoned

             - Concentrated liquid stock or flavouring derived from vegetable, herb and spice sources (a few drops will do each use)

             - Curry powder

            - Seasonings such as herbs, spices, salt, pepper etc. Dry your fresh herbs for seeing the winter through

            - Seaweed products for seasoning, including dulse

            - Flavored vinegars, dressings

• Sweeteners: raw and organic sugar, stevia, rice syrup, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc.

4. Have a variety of sweets available. It is useful to have some treats available for guests, children, and the occasional craving. Dark chocolate, soy chocolate, chickpea crisps, wasabi peas, sugar-free cookies (sweetened with alternatives), and popcorn are all great options of treats.

5. Keep a few quick packet mixes for cakes, muffins and pancakes. Choose organic and low-sugar versions whenever possible. Although it isn’t homemade from scratch, mixes are far better than store-bought.

6. Have milk on hand. It is always handy to have some shelf milk on hand for times when you run out. Depending on your needs, you can purchase dairy, soy, nut, grain, and other milks that can be shelf-stored. 

7. Keep an eye on use-by dates and discard products that have passed the date.  Once stale, items never taste quite as fresh. They also do not provide the same nutrients as fresher items. Circulate goods at the back of the pantry and bring them to the front at least monthly, if not more often. It’s easy to forget about items you can’t see, and the less you waste the more money you will save.

Tips

• Stock up on vegetarian food items at places like health food stores, health food co-ops, large health-food oriented super-stores or supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stores, bulk/wholesale stores, local markets (farmer’s markets), and boutique stores on farms.
• Don’t over look your local supermarket. Many “regular” grocery stores are now catering to the veg*n crowd by offering organic items, vegetarian alternatives to meat products, tofu, etc.
• Some specialty grocery stores are also great to visit and discover new flavors and textures. For some new ideas, try Chinese, Lebanese, South African, Italian, West Indian, and Samoan.

Vegan “Egg Nog” Recipe

The holidays are here which means time for the delicious seasonal drink, egg nog.  For a much healthier, vegan alternative, you can make it without eggs using a bit of tofu and some soy milk.  This refreshing drink can be made anytime of year; it’s so good and easy you’ll probably want to make it all the time anyway!

Ingredients (vegan) :

• 2 10-oz packages silken regular or low-fat tofu
• 16 oz. vanilla soymilk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 tablespoon ground tumeric
• 1/2 to 1 cup rum or brandy (for a non-alcoholic version you can use fruit juice)
• nutmeg to taste

Preparation:

In a blender, combine all ingredients except nutmeg; blend thoroughly, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides.  Serve well-chilled and dusted with nutmeg. 

Serves 8

Top 5 Vegetarian-Friendly NFL Stadiums

Calling all football fans!  The results are in for the five most vegetarian-friendly NFL stadiums. They are as follows:

5. Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers) The stadium offers options such as vegetarian bratwurst and PB&J. 

4. Metrodome (Minnesota Vikings) Vendors offer Gardenburgers and Blimpie’s vegetarian sandwiches and salads.

3. Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles) Philly might have taken home top prize for having the number one vegetarian-friendly baseball stadium this year, but on the football side of things, the city ranks third for its delicious veggie dogs and veggie burgers.

2. McAfee Coliseum (Oakland Raiders) A variety of meat-free foods such as veggie dogs, veggie burgers, baked potatoes, and fruit cups.

1. Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego Chargers) With bean burritos, veggie sushi rolls, vegetable wraps, veggie hot dogs, and Gardenburgers, sports fans can pile his or her lap high with mouth-watering goodies. 

Honorable mentions go to the Fed-Ex Field (Washington Redskins) for its black-bean veggie burgers and vegetarian wraps and Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals) for its Gardenburger, hummus with pita bread, and various salads.

Whether you’re a soda and veggie dog kinda sports fan or lean more toward a fruity wine and grilled bratwurst, these stadiums will have something to satisfy even your strongest fourth-quarter hunger pangs, something to look forward to on Monday Night Football.

Next Page »