Things We Can All Learn From Animals

A good read from MindBodyGreen.com :)

Vegetarians in the UK offered cheaper life insurance

An insurance agency in the UK now offers cheaper life insurance to vegetarians, according to an article in the Daily Mail. Makes it a pretty good incentive to be vegetarian, when there are physicians who actually discourage you from sticking to a vegetarian diet. Hmm, I wonder how long it will take for this to catch on in Asia (if ever)?

My First North-Indian Lunch

It's rare when I post twice a week on this blog, but I couldn't resist bragging about my first home-cooked North Indian lunch :) It took me just under an hour, but I did it! I haven't been cooking for awhile now and I'd forgotten how peaceful the process makes me feel. Links to recipes are below, if you want to give these dishes a go:

Kothu Paratha Recipe 
Palak Paneer Recipe
Coriander and Mint Raita Recipe 

Happy cooking (and of course, eating!)

Clockwise (from left): Palak paneer, kothu paratha and coriander and mint raita

Six Foods To Help You Focus

Although I'm an advocate of single-tasking, there are instances when even I am forced to multi-task. In such cases, I know that I have to focus on two things at one time. (At the time of writing, I'm listening to my favourite radio station while writing this post). Multi-tasking requires intense focus, which sometimes escapes me for reasons only the universe can explain. Which is why this article by MindBodyGreen.com gave me a jolt of reality: food is the answer! The reason I can't focus very well sometimes is because I'm missing out on foods that help me focus. For you lazies who don't want to read the whole article, I've listed the six foods cited in the article: 

1) Berries

2) Whole grains- such as oatmeal, quinoa and barley

3) Omega 3-rich foods such as walnuts, flax seed and chia seeds

Note: Here's a quick recipe for getting enough Omega-3 from Patrick Holford's "Optimum Nutrition": Grind 100g respectively of flax seed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds and sunflower seeds and mix. Store in the fridge to prevent mixture going rancid. Consume 1 tablespoon of this mixture every day (I like mine in smoothies and with my meals).

4) Leafy greens

5) Caffeine

6) Foods rich in nitric oxide, such as cayenne pepper, jalapenos, dark chocolate and beets

What Not To Say To Someone Who Doesn't Eat Meat

This is cute; the Huffington Post came out with an article of sorts yesterday, featuring the pet peeves of vegetarians and vegans. I have to admit that my top two are: "Don't you miss meat?" and "Are you sure you're getting enough protein?".

What are yours?

Indians turning vegan

India has long been known as one of the best destinations to go for vegetarians, due to its large vegetarian population. Unfortunately, Indians are also large consumers of cow's milk, making this practice a no-no among vegans, who are against the exploitation of cows for milk and meat. 

Being a vegetarian and a Hindu, I can understand why vegans (especially those who are Hindu) are against the exploitation of cows for their milk. Factory farming is cruel and an animal as gentle as a cow shouldn't have to suffer so humans can eat. Although I'm not yet ready for veganism, I can appreciate and respect it and that's why I was happy to read a recent article about Indian-born Indians who are turning vegan. 

How Three Generations Of One Family Gave Up Meat

Here's an interesting read about not one, but THREE generations of one family going vegetarian :)

Should You Make Your Pet Go Vegetarian?

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but my dog is a full-blown omnivore, who is fed a diet of rice, vegetables and fish daily. He seems to thrive on it, but the question I often get from other vegetarians is: "Why don't you make your dog go vegetarian?"

According to Pet MD, getting your dog to go vegetarian is not as harmful as doing the same to your cat. The same is said by veterinarians in this article as well, yet I do know people who continue to feed their cats vegetarian diets.

I'm all for vegetarian diets in humans, but animals are a different matter entirely, even dogs, who are omnivores. According to an article on Mother Nature Network, a vegetarian diet can be prescribed to dogs, provided it is nutritionally sound. However a vet quoted in the same article also says:

“Vegetarian proteins tend not to have all the amino acids, so you have to do multiple combinations of varying types of sources of protein to get the right amino acids, which can get a little tricky to manage,” says Dr. Jessica Waldman, a veterinarian who operates a full-time pet rehabilitation clinic in Santa Monica, Calif. Waldman says she steers her clients away from vegetarian diets because she believes they are unnatural.

“Although I think it would be possible to put a dog on a vegetarian diet, it is truly unnatural for them,” says Waldman. “There are still dogs in the wild and they eat a vast majority of animal protein, so I think that keeping your pet’s diet as close to natural is best for limiting disease and promoting health.”

I'm inclined to believe Dr. Waldman, as I believe in feeding my dog as natural a diet as possible. My dog doesn't eat commercial pet food (only home-cooked meals), hence I believe his diet is "safe" for him. Other vegetarians may hate me for saying this, but I believe that being the peace-loving people we are, vegetarians should allow our pet cats and dogs to eat the diets that come naturally to them. By the same virtue, you could say that humans should be omnivore as being omnivore "comes naturally" to us as well. There is some truth to that, but it is not the only truth. Vegetarianism arose from the truth that humans are advanced enough now to pursue diets that are nutritionally sound as well as compassionate.   It's a matter of perspective, really, and I stand by the truth that vegetarian diets are suitable for human beings, who possess the intelligence and ability to fend for themselves and therefore, eat more compassionately. The same can't be done for our pets, who are entirely dependent on us for food and shelter.   So do right by them, stand by your beliefs but allow your pets the right to lead normal, nutrionally-balanced lives. Let them eat what they need, not what you want.

15-minute Vegetarian Meals

Lately, I haven't been paying much attention to nutrition as I spend around 3 hours a day commuting to and fro for work, which doesn't give me time to prepare my own meals. Since I work in an area of Cyberjaya that is devoid of vegetarian options, it leaves me with only one choice: bringing lunch to work. 

Unfortunately, most Indian meals take ages to prepare. Desperate for more convenient meal recipes, I trawled the Web to locate healthy vegetarian recipes. These are ten of my favourite 15-minute meals (in no particular order):

1. One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

Since kale is not available where I live, I decided to use mustard greens instead, which turned out quite well as it is also crunchy. I also replaced the pine nuts with sunflower seeds to lock in the protein. Check out the original recipe here.


2. Wild Rice Salad

 Haven't tried this one out yet, but I can imagine it will go well with any type of leftover vegetarian curry. Yummy! 

3. Spicy Falafels

The base ingredients for falafels are chickpeas. Tip: Boil and drain the chickpeas the night before so you're not in a rush the next morning. I like my falafels stuffed into pitas with a salad on the side. 

4.Egyptian Edamame Stew

This stew goes best with couscous, or toasted pita bread.

5. Indian Spiced Tomato Soup

This too tastes fantastic with toasted pitas!


6. Keralan veggie curry with poppadoms, rice and minty yoghurt 

I've gotta hand it to Jamie Oliver, he does know the way to a vegetarian's heart! Check out the recipe here.


7. Sweet and Sour Tofu With Rice Noodles

This one comes from Shape.com, it's actually not bad.


8. Macaroni and Cheese With Broccoli

Another healthy recipe from Shape.com.


9. Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

Not bad, not bad at all, this.


10. Vegetarian Paella

Ok so I cheated, this recipe takes more than 15 minutes to prepare, but it is so worth it! Just keep it in the fridge overnight and reheat the next day for lunch.

Health or Ideals?

The recent European Union ban on cosmetics manufacturers that test on animals was lauded by vegetarians and vegans the world over. That, and the fact that more cosmetics companies are moving away from animal testing and using animal ingredients in their products is certainly something worth celebrating about.

However, while it's easy to shun manufacturers of topical products who persist on testing on animals and using animal derivatives in their products, vegetarian and vegan consumers are often stonewalled when it comes to pharmaceuticals. How do you say no to medicine that could potentially save your or a loved one's life just because it contains animal ingredients?

It's a tough decision and one that sometimes requires sacrifices, as this article describes.

If you were in his position, what would you do? Would you risk your health for your ideals?

Perilous Pork

A friend sent me this article today, which I found terribly disturbing. It's bad enough that pigs are treated badly on pig farms. Now we know that the pig farms rank amongst the worst polluters in the farming industry.

For a more moving account of what it is like to witness the atrocities that happen in a pig farm, read this article from Global Looking Glass magazine.

Tales of Vegetarian Woe

BBC News published an article today about vegetarians having to suffer all kinds of difficulties while traveling abroad. One "complainer" was kind enough to mention Malaysia as a place where vegetarian food is hard to come by. I guess there's a reason tourists are tourists: they don't know the good places to eat. And hasn't the bloke ever heard of Happy Cow's vegetarian restaurant directory? Malaysian veggie restaurants feature prominently in it. Travel tip: do your homework before getting on that plane!