Shopping Resources and Tips
Vegan Substitutes
Meat Substitutes
There are many healthy, plant based replacements for meat. With the proliferation of Whole Foods and Trader Joes across the U.S. it's become fairly easy to find vegan alternatives. These two grocery stores both carry a wide assortment of adequate meat replacements that are healthier than meat.
Quinoa, chorella hemp seed and chia seed are all plant based protein sources. Quinoa and hemp seed are excellent meat alternatives because they are complete proteins. A complete protein is one which contains all nine essential amino acids.
Beans, tofu and spinach are excellent replacements for meat as well and can be cooked up in a variety of dishes.
Milk & Cheese Substitutes
Almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, or hemp milk. Cheese is also replaceable with vegan shreds,vegan slices, and nutritional yeast.
Whole Foods carries several versions of vegan cheese that melt as well as regular cheese.
My favorite brand is called Daiya.
Spreads
Avocados are an excellent spread for sandwiches and provide the texture and moisture of mayonnaise without the dairy ingredients.
Veganaise is also a great spread and comes in different flavors.
Are GMOS safe to eat?
By now most people have heard about GMO’s and the ongoing debate about labelling foods containing genetically modified organisms. According to a 2013 New York Times poll, 93 percent of people who responded agreed with the need to identify genetically modified ingredients in our food.
Due to the FDA’s speedy approval of GMOs based on industry-funded research, the true long-term risks to human consumption of this experimental food is unknown. David Wolfe, an authority on natural health and author of several books states that “under current laws biotech companies don’t have to inform the FDA or perform human testing before introducing a new genetically engineered food product.”
A study referred to in David Wolfe’s Longevity Now, was done to analyze the effects of consuming GMOs. It was performed by the Institute for Responsible Technology and concluded that GMOs were unsafe for humans, with risks such as toxic reactions in the digestive system, liver damage as well as an increase in allergies. Animals fed GM food showed higher death rates, reproductive failure and organ damage.
An unintended consequence of GMO food that has not been extensively covered in the media is lower nutrient density. Brendan Brazier is a former professional Ironman triathlete and created an award –winning vegan whole food product line. His belief is that although GMOs have made it possible to produce more food on less land, one of the negative outcomes is a lower nutrient density in the food.
Since there is a limited or fixed amount of minerals in a certain parcel of land, with each additional plant growing in that same parcel, there will be fewer minerals per plant, resulting in less nutrient dense food.