Image Credit: The Last Wonton

The following blog Post comes all the way from London, England. Courtesy of Joana:

Candy, believe it or not, contain animal ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, candy doesn’t only contain a mixture of syrup and sugar. Although those two are the basic ingredients of candy, a lot of sweets also use gelatin made from cow skin, as well as carmine, which is food colouring that comes from bugs.

Candy is a popular treat across the world because it appeals to a variation of demographics. You only have to look at other industries that incorporate the appeal of candy to successfully increase sales or gain brand recognition. The much talked about Candy Crush Saga is just one of the games that used sweets as a focal point to entice gamers to download its mobile game. There are also plenty of other candy-themed titles developed for adult consumption such as Fruit VS Candy and Candy Bars, both of which are being hosted on the pay-to-play recreational site Spin Genie. Which just goes to show that whatever pursuit someone is engaging in, it’s hard to get away from the mass-market appeal of candied sweets. However, many of these are commercially made sweets are made with animal products.

So what should we look out for when buying candy, so that we aren’t buying candy with animal products included? Urban Tastebud has a list of ingredients to look out for when buying candy that should be your go-to stop list.

If you like eating sweet treats but can’t find candy in the store that suits your taste as well as being vegan friendly, you can make your own! Candy no longer has to be a guilty pleasure. Here’s a basic candy recipe that you can easily cook in your kitchen.

Vegan Honeycombs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of light corn syrup
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of vegan butter
3 teaspoons of sifted baking soda
4 tablespoons of water

Procedure:

1.) Combine all the ingredients except for the baking soda in a pan. Set the fire to medium heat. Stir continuously so that the ingredients won’t burn. If you can, use a deep saucepan (you’ll learn later on why a deep saucepan is preferred when making candy).

2.) When the sugar melts, turn the heat to high until the mixture starts boiling. Stop stirring and allow to boil for around 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes golden brown.

3.) Stir in the baking soda and whisk until it’s completely dissolved. The mixture will begin to burst from time to time because of the baking soda, which is why using a deep sauce pan is preferred when making this candy.

4.) Line parchment paper in a 10×10 pan. Pour in your mixture onto the pan and allow to cool, undisturbed, for about 30 minutes.

6.) Break the mixture using a meat tenderizer or the hilt of a knife. Finish the candy with melted chocolate coating if you want.

Hello Vegalicious Ones,

This following post on seniors and the importance of B-12 Vitamins comes to us via Jessica Walter. She asked if I would share this post with you, my readers. Jessica initially sent me the following note:

“I am writing because my recently widowered paternal grandfather has taught himself to cook after 50 years of not having to (with our help of course). He has had to learn a lot and part of this is learning which food substitutes are healthy and which are not. Now he is cooking all the time, and quite often, inviting us over for his latest experimental meal – even if some are a bit more miss than hit.

As I am also a freelance health and food writer, I have teamed up with a small senior lifestyle advice site, and worked with them to develop a complete guide how to develop 7 eating and drinking habits that will improve the life of any senior citizen.”

I thought this was really wonderful and will share Jessica’s other link at the end. Enjoy!

To B or Not to B? How to Get Adequate Vitamin B12 as Part of a Vegan Lifestyle for the Over 60s

The popularity of veganism has risen considerably over the last few years, with research indicating that 36% of US consumers are opting for milk and meat alternatives. A vegan diet is appealing for a number of ethical reasons and is a very healthy option, with 35% of Americans regarding it so.  It’s also environmentally friendly, and aids weight loss. Yet vegans must be vigilant to make sure that they consume sufficient nutrients; this is particularly relevant to the elderly. Studies have revealed that vitamin B12 specifically is lacking in those that adopt a vegan diet in later life.

Here are some ways in which you can convert to this lifestyle without compromising your vitamin B12 intake.

The Risks

Dementia, deafness and blindness can be a result of a vitamin B12 deficiency, and the best method for preventing these is an uptake of fortified foods or supplements.  Symptoms of deficiency in B12 include poor memory, loss of energy, tingling, numbness and blurred vision.

Milk

Fortified milks such as almond and soya can provide adequate vitamin B12, and are now readily available in supermarkets and health food stores. Alpro almond milk generates less CO2 than dairy milk. 100% plant based, it also contains vitamin E. Alpro soya milk is available in light, organic, and whole bean versions. Containing 15% of the nutrient reference values, it’s rich in protein, lactose-free and non-GMO, making it the perfect choice for seniors who want to improve their eating habits.

Nutritional Yeasts

Brewer’s and nutritional yeasts are an excellent source of this B vitamin, yet are not to be relied on as your only source. If you do want to try supplementing your diet with yeast, there are various support formulas that you might wish to experiment with. As an alternative to cheese, they are very versatile –  can be used on veggies, as a gravy thickener, on pasta and as vegan meat substitutes.

Meat Substitutes

Meat substitutes are becoming more widely consumed, even by meat eaters seeking a healthy change in their diet. There are many imitation types of bacon, chicken, beef and turkey which can be found in health food stores and online. In some cases, you may also find them in your local grocery store.

Breakfast Cereals

Many cereals are fortified with several vitamins, and provide a good source of vitamin B12. From muesli packed full of dried fruit and antioxidants to the more traditional and famous brands, there’s bound to be a cereal to suit your needs. Another tasty breakfast option for vegans is toast with homemade vegan butter or margarine, which has up to 72% less saturated fat than butter and is rich in Omega 3.

Overall, vegans who supplement their diet with fortified B12 products are less likely to suffer from a deficiency than meat eaters.  The Institute of Medicine states that “Because 10 to 30 percent of older people may be unable to absorb naturally occurring vitamin B12, it is advisable for those older than 50 years to meet their RDA mainly by consuming foods fortified with vitamin B12 or a vitamin B12-containing supplement.”

 Thank you again for this excellent article, Jessica! I would like to add that everyone needs to take some form of a B12 supplement whether they’re vegan or not, but especially if they are vegan!

Good morning…or Day Earthlings,

Whatever time zone you’re in, I greet you a great day from here! One word of warning. I’m a bit on fire today…it’s as if my hair has turned red and I got my Superwoman cape on! No, not really, but I did wake up all fired up! And today is Kim’s birthday…She would have turned 48, but died, as some of you know, and got me propelled into going Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan. So, may I be excused? Okay, so we vegans hear all these insane and lame excuses from people about why someone can’t or more like it, won’t, go vegan! Lots have been written about this, so I won’t take up your time with all that lameness! I will include a couple of links at the end in case you’re just stumbling across my blog (Hello and welcome!) or you’ve simply never heard of such a thing. I am only addressing ONE Excuse Today!

By the way, the reason this guy has “man boobs” is due to elevated estrogen levels from animal consumption. It ought to be a warning sign of heightened risk of Cancer, Heart Disease and Diabetes! Real Men Eat Plants!

Here are a few common excuses vegans hear, “I won’t get enough protein.” Seriously?! My protein levels have never been higher since going whole foods plant-based vegan. My nurse practitioner pointed this out after I’d been vegan for a year. But Nina, “Cavemen ate meat!” Oh for Pete’s sake, they also ate small children! The fact is that “cave people” were slim and fit because they had to walk A LOT, possibly run for their lives as a wooly mammoth was chasing them down for his supper, and they ate mostly plant-based foods with rare occasions of meat. As a reference on what a vegan diet can do, please look up Germany’s strongest man, Patrick Baboumian or any vegan athlete and check them out! They are not throwing out these lame excuses! Here’s the last one, “God made animals for us to eat!” Baloney! God or Jesus would never be this cruel to allow factory farming and all the horrors towards animals that are happening! Read, Kathy Freston’s book, Veganist. She goes into all world religions, including Christianity. Each religion speaks against eating animals and honoring ALL life on this planet! Each religion also says,

“Thou Shalt Not Kill!”

What part of this message did we not get?

Here’s the real reason for this blog post…an excuse that I keep hearing that I just can’t wrap my head around. Maybe you’ve heard it too?

“I Can’t Go Vegan Because I Don’t Want To Live That Long?”

What exactly are ‘you’ saying? You have a secret desire to get run over by a car tomorrow? To somehow be put out of your miserable existence? I have heard this excuse several times now. I sort of get it because, let’s face it, most of us were not born “vegans”! What I hear the person saying is, “I can’t give up “my meat“. I enjoy steak and all other meat. I want to enjoy eating what I want when I want. I don’t care if I get a heart attack or cancer!…And don’t try to convince me otherwise.” Yes, this has actually been said directly to my face! The person hopes to go “easily” with a heart attack some day! The person telling me this is typically clueless about what a vegan eats. Most believe we only eat boring salads with no dressing. They’ve never had a vegan burger or any kind of meat alternative. Never been to a vegan restaurant. Never seen footage of the animal cruelty that happens daily in slaughterhouses all over the world. How sad, right!? They just don’t know! If we speak and it comes out that I eat this way, they’ll look at me, with a self-righteous look on their face, and vow they’ll NEVER go vegan!

Part of me can’t help wonder that somewhere below the surface these people know that what they’re participating in is wrong. They have to know to some degree that the animals they are eating wanted to live and didn’t go to their deaths willingly. Don’t they? They also have to know, in this day and age, that animal consumption is a HUGE waste of resources (land, water, grain) that could help feed millions of starving people…prevent millions of children from dying and is the main source of global warming. If not, please tell them to watch “Cowspiracy”! NO, let’s just ignore all the facts! In most cases, it is “All About Me”. Who gives a …. what happens to “those people” over there somewhere – in an unknown place that you only see or hear about on TV on rare occasions because our media is so focused on mindless and embarrassing things such as the size of Donald Trumps hands, his narcissistic comments or his peanut sized brain! Am I wrong? (I told you I was on fire today, right!?) Here are some facts about what a vegan individual contributes:

Back to the excuse of, “I don’t want to live that long.” Okay, so what if you do? You may end up waddling around, in so much unbearable pain that you have to rely on meds to get you through your day…and perhaps you can’t afford to go get all that expensive medication. You may also one day have to rely on one of those walkers with a seat – you know, the ones that look like a small grocery cart, because you’re out of breath every 10 seconds, or worse someone else now has to come and wipe your a.. or spoon feed you! My mom, by the way, told me she’d rather die than push one of those around or end up in a retirement home.

Well, most of us never imagine that something like that could EVER happen to US, right!? Wrong! I have seen it happen to the most unsuspecting folks! They lived “the high life” and partied it up. Never thinking the “party” would ever end. Well it did…and it has! These people said the same thing once upon a time. “I could never give up eating meat and cheese. I can’t live without it.” Blah Blah Blah  Seriously, why would you do that to yourself? (Yes, I know the above photo is a more extreme example, but not an isolated one as world wide, the numbers of people who are either fat or obese keeps on rising!)

GOOD NEWS!!!

Here’s the good news! There’s SO much delicious, protein laden vegan food out there that will keep you healthy and hoppin’ till the very end…and it is also said to increase your happiness! My other wonder is, “Perhaps if the person making this comment switched to a vegan diet they’d eventually stop saying, “I don’t want to live that long!” and actually start living as if life on this beautiful planet…and that of other non-human beings, actually mattered!  Enjoy your day, everyone!

Links to other Lame Excuses Vegans Hear:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/excuses-for-not-eating-vegan-and-my-responses/

http://theminimalistvegan.com/excuses/