caramelbaloney

To all the "who cares what other people do?" attitudes: personal actions do not exist in a vacuum. The things you do have an effect. If one woman puts on makeup because she thinks it makes her look and feel better, then another woman may see her, think the same, and also put on makeup, and so on. A feedback gets created…

I mix in a spoonful of low sugar jam, which I think gives it the taste and consistency of the fruit flavors. If sugar is a concern, Smucker's low sugar jam has 5 g sugar and 25 calories per tablespoon (with no fake sugars), which is even less than its purely fruit-sweetened varieties (8 g sugar, 40 calories). A big tub of…

I do this all the time, and they seem fine for a couple of days. I sometimes make them the night before so I don't have to wake up any earlier. As for recipes, I learned just to mix together what I like. I'm more in favor of savory smoothies; I like the mix of spinach or collards, tomatoes, avocado, parsley or cilantro,…

A great healthy vegan cookbook is "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. All of her cookbooks are fantastic, really, but most are not as healthy. She doesn't use any strange ingredients or fake meats and cheeses. You can get an idea on the Post Punk Kitchen site.

Yeah, I spent a few hours watching different youtube videos. For squats, I recommend the "So You Think You Can Squat" series, which is at least 30 minutes over several videos! Just on the squat! Interestingly, they advise doing it without a mirror. Not sure about that, but to keep your knees from going over your toes, you…

Don't listen to misinformed ideas about protein and fiber. Vegetable juices can be full of protein (especially broccoli) and soluble fiber. Think 5-10 g protein and 5-20 g fiber per cup if you choose wisely. The only thing left in the pulp is insoluble fiber. If you are really concerned about this, you can blend instead of…

Sadly, this is true. There are some vegetarian EPA/DHA supplements for those who do not want fish oil, but flax seeds only contain ALA. Still, there are apparent health benefits to consuming ALA, but flax seeds must be ground or soaked before consumption.

Regarding health, they don't seem inherently better, or worse, than omnivorous diets. For human and environmental health, it's best to eat low on the food chain. For some this means vegetarianism, for others this means grass-fed, free range animals. Also perhaps the way to go if you're concerned about inhumane treatment.…

I really like RunDouble, which has specific C25K and 5 to 10K options. You can choose either distance or time intervals, but the first three weeks of C25K will still be time based. It runs in the background; a voice chimes in to your music to tell you when to run or walk, along with pace and distance for the interval,…

GMOs are not recognized by the body?? Lol, that doesn't even make sense. Food crop genetics have been modified since the beginning of agriculture; ever see the wild precursor to corn? And the more modern form of bio-engineered crops, more of what we refer to as "GMOs", have been in the food supply for the last 30 or more…

And who do you think eats all that subsidized grain? Hint: not people. Some omnivores are so misguided.

Others have mentioned vegweb.com, but I also highly recommend the cookbook "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (also of post punk kitchen fame). While her other vegan cookbooks are fantastic, they are also a bit more caloric and complicated (though great for special occasions). Appetite for Reduction is…

I agree that while it may be impossible to eliminate your negative impacts, it should certainly be a goal to minimize those impacts. It's a shame that some people find that to be a pointless exercise or choose to ignore the problems they help create. Other than the elimination of animal products, best things I can think of…

I started incorporating more vegetables and switched to whole grains about 5 years ago (became vegetarian), and I started going about twice a day. The food diary shows that my regular fiber intake is sometimes double the recommended intake. When I first started reducing my calories, I went less often, but now I seem back…

I thought it was good, but I would have liked a little more of the science: what actually makes plant protein so much better than lean animal protein? I'm already a veg, but would just like to know more of the scientific reasoning for the health claims. Much of their data is observational, not experimental, but it is…

I think this oversimplifies ONE of the arguments for vegetarianism. True, we must kill to survive; some consider that an existential dilemma to face. But as human beings capable of rational thought and empathy, shouldn't one of our goals be to reduce that suffering and not be wasteful with it? Killing a carrot plant or a…

All of my juices include some dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, collards). I also usually have a cucumber, because they have a lot of water and make a lot of juice. Then I add whatever veggies I have around, usually some parsley, green pepper, celery, ginger. I don't usually add any carrots, because while they don't taste…

Do you ever get hay fever? Many adults are allergic to pollen from grass, trees, ragweed, etc. Some of them also get "oral allergy syndrome" or "pollen food allergy". The pollen gets into crops in the field, and those allergic to the pollen become allergic to certain raw fruits, vegetables, or nuts. Luckily, cooking…

I just started going and have been to maybe four classes so far. They are all the same routine with the same music; Les Mills puts out a new release every three months. I don't think it will get old, though, because I find the energy of the instructors and the different people in the classes to be motivating. Plus, it…

Agreed. There are some raw juices in the database, but not all. And if you're making juice mixes, then it's tough to tell how much of each juice you have (e.g. was that 1 or 3 oz. of kale juice?). Of all my books, only "The Everything Juicing Book" has nutrition info for each recipe by cup. The numbers there can also be a…

I've been a vegetarian for five or so years, and I wouldn't go back. Be aware, though, that there are plenty of processed foods that are vegetarian (chips, cookies, most of your sweet and salty snacks). I can't say much about the paleo diet, though it might be a better way to avoid easy junk food for some people. Then…

Great news! You'll also greatly reduce your carbon footprint during that time. There's plenty of great advice here, but for cookbooks, I strongly recommend Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She's a vegan punk cookbook guru (so yes, it is a vegan cookbook), and everything I've made from her books has been…