Healthy Sleep Patterns

Today's children, as a whole, are not getting enough sleep. They are overworked and overpressured. Sleep is often the first thing to drop out of a busy kid's schedule. Our teenagers (and younger children) shouldn't need caffeine and other stimulants just to "get by" and make it through the day (neither should adults, but that's a separate issue).

Studies have been shown that when teenagers are allowed to follow their natural rhythms, they sleep in later than when school normally starts. It's been shown that these "late morning hours" are the most important hours for teens' health. The quality of sleep during these hours is significantly higher than the hours before. Some schools are using this research to start their schools later in the morning. I read about one high school last year that found their students were healthier and scoring higher on tests by just pushing the school start time back by an hour or so.

A few interesting articles:

• New York Magazine's October 7, 2007 "Snooze or Lose" article
• The Star.com's October 27, 2007 "Toronto schools will let students sleep in" article
• Science World's March 6, 1996 "Dozing at your desk?" article
• Stanford's "Adolescent Sleep" information
• Washington Post's January 6, 2006 "Schools Waking Up to Teens' Unique Sleep Needs" article
  

Drowsiness is also dangerous! 20+% of serious car accidents are caused from a driver being drowsy. This is serious. Tired driving can be even more dangerous than drunk driving, and we all know how dangerous that is!

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My family's two-fold solution to the learning and sleep dilemma involve Radical Unschooling.

1. We Radically Unschool our children's education.
2. We Radically Unschool our children's sleeping.

What this means on a day-to-day basis is that our children have very flexible schedules. We encourage them to sleep when they are tired, do fun things when they are awake, and rest quietly (with or without us) when they are drowsy. We've seen first hand how solid learning often happens during the wee hours of the morning (all four of us are at our "most productive" from ~8PM-2AM). We purposefully schedule as few activities as possible before 1PM. The kids often sleep until 11AM or 12PM, sometimes later (especially if we've had a busy day/night, the day before). We're noticing that our older daughter is needing even more sleep lately as she's been growing about an inch a month for the past few months. We allow her to listen to her body and, in turn, she's getting plenty of sleep.

We don't have a "bedtime" for our kids. It just isn't needed, nor is it conducive to learning. It is baffling to me when parents regularly stop their children from learning, just to go to sleep.

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To give a point of view on sleep and adults, Dr. McDougall (whom I adore) suggests that adults consider using well planned sleep deprivation as a tool to cure depression and insomnia. I understand his point of view, but as an active adult with two young children, I still need to average 8 hours a night. (I also need enough quality sleep in order to induce lucid dreaming). :) Maybe I'll need less when I'm older.

Here are a few of Dr. McDougall sleep articles:
"Sleep Like a Baby -- Lessons from my Grandson on How to Cure Insomnia"
"Pharmaceutical Companies Promote Sleeping Sickness"
"A Natural Cure for Depression"

Vegan Athletes -- No Meat Necessary

To be strong, as well as healthy, a proper diet is important. Today's athletes should know this more than anyone. They want their bodies to perform at their highest potential; they want to be their ultimate best. The best diet possible for a professional athlete in any sport, professional firefighter, amateur athlete, or even us regular every day dabbling athletes, is a conscious vegan diet.

Carl Lewis, world class Olympic athlete, became a vegan in 1990. My favorite quote from him is, "I ate no dairy products. And I had my best year as an athlete ever!" Of course, there is more to his success than merely cutting out dairy. He also cut out meats and eggs (and continued his training). Mr. Lewis had met Dr. McDougall and McDougall convinced him to change his diet to a lowfat vegan diet.

Check out these sites for more information on how you can become faster, leaner, stronger, more agile, and more fit just by changing your diet:

• Dr. McDougall's "Building Your Own High-Performance Athletic Body"
• PCRM's "How Will a Vegetarian Diet Affect My Athletic Performance?"
  
• Vegan Athlete
• Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness
  
• Brendan Brazier's (vegan triathlete), "Ask the Vegan Athlete"
  
• Toronto Vegetarian Association's articles on vegetarian athletes
• Team Vegan (vegan cycling team)
  

Vegan Recipe Websites

I've been asked for my favorite sites with great vegan recipes. Here they are:

• Fatfree Vegan Site
• McDougall Recipes (you have to use their search to find specific recipes in their archives)
• Fatfree.com Site (both vegetarian and vegan recipes)
• Vegweb.com site (both vegetarian and vegan recipes)
  

However, when I really want to make a particular meal (and don't already know how), one of the first things I do is go to Google and type in "Vegan" and whatever the meal is (I also often add "lowfat" or "fat free" to my search). I've read a variety of awesome advice this way, including finding tips and suggestions on how to prepare various foods (like tofu, which I originally hated and now love since I know how to use it correctly).

Most vegans I know still use all of their regular cookbooks. They just veganize the recipes.

I also often use premade ingredients, such as jarred pasta sauce and Boca products. Here is an example of a super easy "Vegan Chicken Parmesan" I made last week (we cut out a piece so the layers could be seen):


2 packages Boca "Chicken" Patties
1 jar of your favorite fatfree vegan pasta sauce
2-3 chopped tomatoes (optional)
1/2 chopped onion (optional)
misc. chopped up veggies (optional)
1 package of WHOLE WHEAT pasta (I used spaghetti here)
1 package vegan Mozzarella cheese (shred for best results)
few sprinkles of vegan Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of your favorite spice (we used oregano)

Cook pasta as directed, heat patties in oven (not necessary, but I like them very crisp). Assemble in this order: pasta, sauce, veggies, patties, vegan Mozzarella, vegan Parmesan, spices. Bake at 400F or so for about 30 minutes. Actual preparing time is very minimal (less than 5 minutes, not counting boiling time). Makes 8 servings, tastes delicious, and is only 5 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving.

Healthy and Hearty School Lunch Choices Needed

When I was a child, I was taught the four basic food groups (the Meat Group, the Dairy Group, the Fruit and Vegetable Group, and the Cereals and Grains Group). Seems as though the Federal Health Guidelines haven't changed very much. Public and private school children are still being fed an unhealthy diet that causes diseases, although it is now officially called "The Food Pyramid". The USDA still calls what should be called the Calcium category, the "Milk" group. Even more shocking is that even their mediocre recommendations aren't being met by a huge percentage of schools. Their details on their "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" should be researched better and should be replaced with PCRM's "The New Four Food Groups" (Fruit, Legumes, Whole Grains, Vegetables); PCRM's easy to read illustrated handout can be found here. Our schools should be required to live up to PCRM's standards, with severe penalties for noncompliance. The present and future health of our nation is dependent on them.

The Hawkeye (a Burlington, Iowa, newspaper) had an article last week about a vegetarian high school senior that is not being offered proper vegan options for her daily school lunch (plain iceberg lettuce is NOT a good option). This reminded me, again, of the changes that need to be made in the quality of foods that are served to the youth of America. Dietary guidelines should be based on actual researched and proven facts, not on old wives' tales from decades ago.

Diet directly affects learning. We should be giving our children the very best foods, not the second rate foods that the schools are cooking. While as an Unschooler I don't believe in testing children as an accurate indicator of their true knowledge, I still find the results of diet on actual learning to be astounding.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has this recent news release on the school lunch program. The "report card" made for various schools regarding the actual healthiness of the foods that they offer to their students is very enlightening!

What can you do? Demand that your children are being offered healthy food choices. Stand up for their health. Write to your state representatives. Don't support the school lunch program until it is changed. Pack your children's lunches every day. Be aware of your own diet and talk to your children about your own food choices. You could even ultimately make the same decision as my family made and keep your children home.

My Food Gave Me Headaches

Dr. McDougall is famous for saying, "Sick people take medicine. Healthy people don't take medicine."

I LOVE THIS! It was an epiphany for me the first time I read it. Astounding! Did this mean that I shouldn't be taking regular over the counter headache medicines, as well as vitamins and prescription drugs? Yes. Any and all pills and liquid medicines are drugs. I didn't want to be a sick person any longer. I didn't want to be a person that needed drugs to get by any longer. I wanted to be a healthy person -- then and forever.

The biggest step for becoming a healthy person was changing my diet. I did it as a trial; I was a skeptic. I'd read that minimal results could be seen in a mere three days, and major results could be seen in two to three weeks. I didn't think it would work, but I was desperate to feel good and willing to try just about anything. (I'd already tried dozens of other lifestyle and diet changes over the years. They either minimally improved my health temporarily, or had no visible effect on my health.) After only three days of being dairy-free, I was headache free, acne free, and free from the severe stomach and intestinal woes that had previously plagued me daily since I was very young. I had never, ever before felt so healthy before in my entire life -- ever. It was a shocking surprise!

No doctor in real life (of the dozens that I had went to) had ever told me that my health was directly related to the foods that I consumed. I'd asked, too. I was told time and time again that there was no correlation whatsoever. It wasn't until I was learning how to take back my own health (by doing my own research) that I found out that medical doctors receive less than three hours of nutrition education in their entire schooling (many receive less than one hour). Three hours! I'd already studied for probably a thousand hours or more on nutrition, yet my doctor had less than three behind her? How was this possible?

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is working on changing this shocking fact. They have created an absolutely amazing book, the "Nutrition Guide for Clinicians" that they are giving out FOR FREE to all medical students in the United States. Contact PCRM for more details on how to support this huge undertaking.

Oh, and my headaches (migraines, actually): they're gone. Dairy was the cause of my migraines! Be forewarned that even the tiniest slightest bit of animal products in your diet can cause severe body reactions such as migraines. Check your foods (even the soy products and cereals); there might be hidden animal ingredients in them. Read here for specific details on how to eliminate migraines from your life. I dream of the day when all people can live the pain free, healthy life, that I believe all people are meant to live.

Cholesterol Free Diet

I keep hearing (and reading) about cholesterol lowering drugs. Random strangers at parks, checkout lines, and luncheon meetings tell me their woes about having high cholesterol. It makes me feel like climbing on a rooftop and screaming at the top of my lungs, "A VEGAN DIET IS A CHOLESTEROL FREE DIET."

As my friend Peggy from Lovin' Spoonfuls says, "Heart Disease is a Meat Disease." This is a proven fact.

If you don't eat cholesterol, you don't have high cholesterol. It just isn't physically possible.

Would you rather be burdened with drugs and constant worry over your diet and the quantity you consume, or would you rather be drug-free and eat a virtually unlimited McDougall style lowfat vegan diet that is full of all the flavor you are used to and MORE? It's a non-question to me. It doesn't surprise me that the people with the most bodily health complaints are the ones with their plates full of the most meat and dairy.

I hear it all the time: "But, I love flavor. I could never eat a bland vegan diet." This is another silly myth about vegan diets!

I love food. I love a wide variety of flavors and textures and I demand to eat only food that is high quality and tastes fantastic. No mediocre foods for me and my family, yet we always have more delicious food in our house than we could possibly eat in one sitting. We seldom have problems eating out, either. We've just learned HOW to order and HOW to prepare food. It really isn't that hard once you are used to it. We've actually found that all of our previous foods' flavors actually came from the toppings and sauces anyway. We still eat those toppings and sauces (some needed to be "veganized"), we just now put them on vegetables, grains, seitan, and tempeh instead of cholesterol laden meats.

Try it for a month. Get your cholesterol tested today, then eat according to PCRM's guidelines for a month, then get your cholesterol tested again. You just might be shocked with delight at how a simple change in diet can improve your health so drastically!

Breast Cancer Prevention -- It is possible! -- Part 2

"What if you or someone you love already has cancer? Shouldn't you be supporting the organizations that help in the research?"

Yes, definitely! My post yesterday wasn't saying you shouldn't; quite the opposite actually! Just look into what each organization is actually doing before giving them your well earned money. Do you want to support actual cures, or do you want to support a few more drugs that might kill off already existing cancer, yet do nothing for helping the person be healthy now and in the future?

Most people have no better way of showing their support for something than how they spend their money. Even people that have very little money can make a huge difference in this world just by choosing where their money goes.

I give my money to causes that I support. I know where the money is going and I approve of how it is spent. I encourage others to do similarly.

I write in order to help empower people to choose their lives for themselves! Just because your grocery store might have decided that an organization is worth supporting doesn't mean that you should (doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't, either). Choose for yourself what you believe in, then use your money to support it.

The vast majority of cancers are caused by dietary factors. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine shows the following:

Estimated Percentages of Cancer Due to Selected Factors

• Diet 35-60%
• Tobacco 30%
• Air and Water Pollution 5%
• Radiation 3%
• Medications 2%

While radiation and pollution factors aren't always easily controlled, diet, tobacco, and medications are. "Foods are important, not only in preventing cancer, but also in improving survival for those who already have cancer." If you have cancer, it is essential that you make your diet healthier immediately in order to have the highest chance of survival. If you want to make a difference in cancer research, use your money to help in the research that shows how diet affects health.

For more information on breast cancer survival, prevention, and mammography, check out the Cancer Project site.

Breast Cancer Prevention -- It is possible!

With October being "Breast Cancer Awareness" month, I've been asked at just about every check-out counter I've been to whether I'd like to donate to breast cancer research or not. I've always said no and I've been made to feel like an ogre for this. I'm not. With Do Life Right, I am promoting a true healthy diet (low fat pure vegetarian -- vegan) that prevents diseases from occurring. This is a much better use of my time, energy, and money than donating to these organizations or participating in a walk for the cure. If you check out the various awareness sites, you'll find no mention of how a vegan diet can cure diseases and little information on food at all. You'll mostly find information on drugs and other "therapies" with a little information thrown in about moderate exercise and getting more fiber. This is not enough!

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has this to say: "Breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in countries where diets are typically plant-based. When people from those countries adopt a Western, meat-based diet, their rates of breast cancer soar. "

This isn't new information, although it isn't well publicized. Doctors such as Dr. John McDougall have been telling their patients and the world about this information for over thirty years, check out his information on breast cancer (there are a bunch of wonderful articles listed on this page!). While you are reading, check out The Cancer Project's information on Cancer Prevention and Survival for Breast Cancer, too.

McDougall also dispels the myth of mammograms. Have you been lead to believe that these are a necessary part of a woman's health care? They shouldn't be! The unpopular truth is that mammography fails. (Be sure to read the mammography links on the McDougall website.)

For in-depth information on diet and how it affects our health, check out The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I strongly believe that in another thirty years this information will be well known. People will be saying, "I wish someone would have told me the benefits of a vegan diet all those years ago. It would have saved me so much suffering." I'm here, telling you now in 2007. Please do the research yourself! The information and proof exists. Take back your health today! It is never too late to become a healthier you.

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I will give credit where credit is due. The American Breast Cancer Foundation, the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research, the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, and the United Cancer Research Society have all passed PCRM's "Humane Charity Seal of Approval". None do testing on animals (which is a very good thing!). I still strongly believe that if you are wanting to donate money to a worthy organization, your best bet is PCRM. Dollar for dollar, they are doing the best to actually help and prevent diseases.

Unschooled Vegan Children? Yes, They Can Exist!

My two daughters, ages 7 and 11, are vegan. They've both been vegetarians their whole lives and vegan for the last couple of years. I'm often poo-pooed in Unschooling circles, since many Unschoolers are Radical Unschoolers and believe that children should be allowed to eat what they want when they want it (and not forced to eat anything, nor disallowed from eating other things). I find this interesting. These people make a lot of assumptions about our dietary decisions based on the fact that I am the mother in this family. They are forgetting that we, too, are Radical Unschoolers and did not take on the decision to become a vegan family lightly nor without a lot of thought, research and time.

These Radically Unschooled Vegan children of mine are healthy, strong, and brilliant. Their bodies and minds are healthy and pure. They don't get sick often and are growing at a healthy rate. While their genetics make it appear that they should have a variety of ailments and maladies by their ages, neither does. While it is still possible for them to have something physically wrong with them later in life, their chances are significantly reduced by their diets.

Do I leave this decision up to them, as Radical Unschooling dictates? Yes. My children are allowed to eat whatever they want, whenever they want it. They have, individually, decided to become vegan on separate occasions with no pressure from any other member of our family or anyone else. If anything, I pressured them not to become vegan even as their hearts and minds encouraged them to. I didn't want to make this decision for them, yet honestly told them the facts as they asked (many questions over years). My children can, at any time, eat whatever they want (I always do point out what ingredients are in various food items when we are at potlucks, etc., as many of our personal vegan foods do not look vegan and could easily be confused with their meat/dairy counterparts). While we do have a completely vegan kitchen at this point, I would drive them to a restaurant and purchase non-vegan food for them if they asked me to -- they know this. With all the incredible vegan choices available today, they've never made that choice. They know that they can though; control of their bodies and what to consume are their decisions. Their lives are theirs. They listen to their bodies' wisdom and always make the right decision for them. And, they always know that whatever their decisions are, I will never be disappointed in them. Veganism is a very big decision and I've left it up to them to make it.

From the moment my oldest daughter was born, she showed that she was not going to consume anything unless she knew EXACTLY what it was. At the time, my husband and I were omnivores, eating meat and/or dairy with every meal. Our baby refused to eat anything except breastmilk until she was nearly a year and a half old. Considering that both her father and I had had serious dietary caused ailments by that age and she had none, her baby wisdom was a lot smarter than what doctors were telling us.

It wasn't until she was three or four that she asked to possibly eat a bit of meat that was on my plate. She wondered what it was. We said chicken. She wondered if the word chicken we were using was the same word chicken that was the bird that we saw in books and in chicken coops. She first thought we were kidding when we said yes and she laughed and laughed. When she saw that we were serious, she was flabbergasted, then appauled, then very upset with us. She made us seriously consider our own personal food choices. She led us on our journey to veganism. She was our leader, our teacher, our guide. In an Unschooling family, the learning goes in all directions -- Not just from the older people down. We are on this journey together, learning every day -- together.

All four members of my family are introverts. We relish in our time alone in the solitude of our own home. However, several years ago my oldest daughter wanted to become a vegan activist. She led our way on that journey, too, and it is her that I thank every day for broadening my mind and my world so much. I wouldn't be who am I today without her wisdom. Without her, I never would have wondered if it was my diet that was causing all of my ailments. Without her, I never would have attempted an elimination diet. Cutting out all animal products from my diet has been the best health decision I have ever made. I am presently disease-free and that is something that could not be said about me my entire life before I became a vegan. Without my daughter, I never would have started this very site.

Are you interested in vegetarianism or veganism, but aren't sure it is a healthy decision for growing children? Here are a few fabulous resources for you to start your own research with:

• Keeping Kids Healthy article on "Raising Vegan Children"
• VegFamily site
• Dr. McDougall's site (do a search for "children" on this site -- there is a lot of great information there)
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's take on what children should eat
• Do Life Right's aStore on Healthy Diets
• The very best book on this topic is: Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right by Joel Fuhrman
  

As with all topics and subjects in my family's life, we are open and honest and factual with our children. They asked the questions about food and diet, and together we explored and researched to find the answers. We did not hide the truth about food from our children, just as we do not hide the truth about anything from them. We tell them what we know and we research the rest. Kids are smart and can come to decisions and conclusions on their own if they know the facts. It is up to us, as their parents, to keep our minds open as we explore the world together.

What about protein?

This is probably the most frequent question I receive when I tell people that I am vegan.

"Don't you just feel weak all the time?" the questions continue... [They are usually asked by an extremely unhealthy looking person, too. One that has just spent the previous 30 minutes talking about his/her ailments and plans to continue to talk about their ailments for the duration of our conversation.]

I'm not trying to preach to the choir here, and clearly this question is considered a real question by many, so I will answer it here:

Emphatically, NO. I really don't know how to say it more plainly. I, and countless other vegans, have never felt stronger and healthier in our lives. The idea that people need to consume animal protein in order to be strong is a sad myth. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a lot to say about the Protein Myth. I had the opportunity to meet Neal D. Barnard, M.D. last year. He, and the other PCRM people definitely practice what they preach. They glow with health.

Think you can't be a good athlete without eating meat? Think again! There are many successful and extremely healthy topnotch vegan athletes around the world that prove their strength and agility every day.

Dr. McDougall has a lot of information on his site regarding the protein myth, also.

And, of course, I can't forget to mention The China Study again. This book by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. is the book to read if you are interested in reading real studies regarding protein in diets. His conclusions are irrefutable.

Gokshuradi Guggulu Disolves Kidney Stones

Goat-sha-who-ga-lulu-huh? Say what? I don't know how to correctly pronounce it, but I do know this Ayurvedic Herb is a gift from the gods for anyone suffering from kidney stones.

If you've ever been in the middle of a bout of kidney stones or even a single kidney stone, then you know the pain and suffering that can ensue as one passes.

I had my first kidney stone attack slightly over 7 years ago while I was about 5 months pregnant. I thought I was in labor since there are many similar symptoms and I knew it was much too early, so I called my (homebirth) midwife and we met at the emergency room. As soon as it was evident that I was not in labor, I was quickly diagnosed with kidney stones (several nurses told me later that they knew just by the way I was holding my body that I had kidney stones). Since I was pregnant, conventional treatment was not possible. I am very thankful for this, since I've since been able to deal with my kidney issues without needing to see a doctor. I was forced to find the cause, rather than just putting a band-aid on the problem.

As research proves, the majority of kidney stones are caused by eating too much protein (specifically dairy). There are two kinds of kidney stones and the calcium ones make up between 80-95% of them. The proteins in dairy wreak havoc on kidneys (and other organs in the body, too). Some great information on kidney stones can be found on the PCRM site. Don't confuse the encouragement of calcium with the encouragement of dairy. The two are not related (this is a common misconception). Sufficient calcium for good health is found in a vegan diet.

The cure I was given:

• Stop eating dairy!
• Drink LOTS of water.
• Drink some more water.
• Add lemon to your drinking water.
• Drink some more of that lemon water, even if you don't like it.
  
• Take Gokshuradi Guggulu (see your own local Ayurvedic Herb specialist for your specific requirements on dosage) -- this Indian herbal compound can be found online fairly easily for around $20 + shipping. Banyan Botanicals makes a good one.
• Don't start eating dairy again once the stone passes.

Fortunately for me, the above prescription broke down my kidney stones and left me feeling wonderful quite quickly. Unfortunately for me, I'd spent my entire life previously eating dairy and accumulating many more stones. I also, at that time, continued to form new ones due to the fact that I didn't listen to that last recommendation for a couple of years. New and already formed stones continued to regularly plague my life, bringing me to a halt for a day or two every few months for the next several years. It was only when I completely stopped eating dairy that I found a long term solution.

Over four years later, I've had two bouts of kidney stones after rigorous activities and not enough hydration (I've been told that certain sitting positions can make stones break free, too). These have been old stones that were formed during my dairy eating years. I feel good knowing that I am not creating any new ones with my lowfat vegan diet. Good ol' Gokshuradi Guggulu comes to my rescue when an old one is dislodged and causing me pain. After they're gone, I'm glad to have them out of me. I look forward to the day that they are all gone from my system and I am thankful that I am helping my children never create any.

Read The China Study and Dr. McDougall's Digestive Tune-Up for more information on how people naturally eat around the world to maintain good health. It is possible to never need remedies for maladies! Our bodies remain perfect if we treat them right.

Sensible Foods for Sensible People

My family is vegan. We eat no animals and no animal products, including honey. Yet, we are modern vegans living in modern society. We don't garden (we tried for several years, but all the plants died even with hundreds of dollars of care and water); if you can garden -- WONDERFUL! I also don't enjoy cooking and only do it as necessary. This could cause a dilemma, but it doesn't. Yes, I want the absolute best nutrition for my family at all times. I am a strong believer that "You are what you eat". Our health reflects that.

You can "disease proof" yourself and your kids. Check out pcrm.org for more information on curing diseases with diet. The China Study gives an amazing account of how diet can change the health of a society. It is highly researched over many years.

Back to us, we want to eat with our friends and family, yet we never sway in our vegan ideals. So, we are always looking for snacks and foods that meet our needs, yet are so tasty that all the people around us want to steal our food. This actually happens a lot and we don't usually mind. :) Afterall, we want our friends and family to live long and healthy lives, too.

Here are some of our current "take to the park" snacks:

• Sensible Foods "Crunch Dried" Fruit and Vegetable snacks -- WOW, these are good! I usually buy them on amazon.com since their price is the best. The corn is our favorite.
• Primal Sticks These come in actual sticks (like Slim Jims) and jerky flat strips. I usually buy these from Food Fight Grocery, but Vegan Essentials has them and so do several of our local grocery stores. Check yours! You might be surprised.
  
• Organic Rice Krispies with Ricemellow “Marshmallow” Crème No need for vegan butter to make these treats. They are perfectly delicious with just the rice and fluff mixed together. I buy the fluff from Vegan Essentials. The Marshmallow tastes amazingly good in every form I've tried, including frozen, although I am partial to it in hot chocolate.
  
• Baked Tings These "vegan Cheetos" are delicious! The only place I can find the baked ones are at amazon.com and robscape.com. The regular ones can be found at many grocery stores.
• Eco-Planet's "cheese" crackers The only place I've found these are at Vegan Essentials. They are super cute and taste better than goldfish crackers. The best part is they are dairy-free and organic.
• Mary's Gone Crackers These are wonderful tasting crackers that are the healthiest I've ever seen. They taste great plain, or with toppings (such as Eggless Egg Salad). We usually buy them locally, but I've seen them on Vegan Essentials and amazon.com.
  
• And, of course, fresh fruits and vegetables (but these don't hold up well in 100+F summer heat over a few hours and you all know where to buy these).

Amazon.com has over 200 vegan foods in their grocery section with new ones added all the time!

Our other favorite online food sources are:

• veganessentials.com This shop sells many of the products that I've mentioned and thousands more!

• rightfoods.com Dr. McDougall's ready made vegan meals. Just add hot water and enjoy! These are super delicious, easy, quick, and affordable. If you don't know who Dr. McDougall is, check out his awesome site!
  

• foodfightgrocery.com Funky vegan shop that has many new items before anyone else.

• robscape.com Online source of Tings and Baked Tings (we also find these locally and on amazon.com).

I've just discovered the Go Dairy Free site. What a fantastic resource for finding out more about what to feed dairyless children.

Just say NO to added oils

I think I've read just about every vegan cookbook out there. One thing in common with most of them is that their recipes contain an abundance of oil. Should oil be a regular part of a healthy diet?

No! It should not. This is why I primarily promote only low fat vegan recipes (most raw vegan recipes have olive oil in them). All the McDougall books and other books that I recommend qualify. I'm frequently adding more recommendations to my aStore, so please check it frequently. My most recent finds are Skinny Bitch and The Vegan Diet As Chronic Disease Prevention: Evidence Supporting the New Four Food Groups and Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right.

Check out www.fatfree.com for an online listing of great lowfat vegetarian recipes (I only recommend the vegan ones).

Dr. McDougall's research and knowledge have changed my life. His information is a testament to how a healthy person should eat. If you aren't the healthiest person that you can be, try the McDougall diet for a few days (ideally for the rest of your life) and you will be shocked at the results. I certainly was; I was a completely different person after a mere three days. While I had tried a variety of other "diets" before, I'd still been plagued with migraines, ulcers, colitis, and so many other maladies that I'd bore you with the full list. I've now been pain free and symptom free of all diseases I had even been diagnosed with for four and a half years. Rather than spending money on medications and doctor bills, I use it on organic fruits, vegetables and grains. Yum!

Dr. McDougall writes an excellent monthly newsletter, complete with amazing recipes. I particularly love his most recent article on oil added to food. I highly recommend that everyone scour his website. There is even a section where you can put in your ailment and read about its cure. Yes, cure. Between the McDougall site and the PCRM site, I am excited about the future of medical care in the United States.

While my family and I eat a very strict vegan diet, I can tell a huge difference in my attitude, energy, and health when I am eating "McDougall style" instead of a typical high fat one. My personal balance comes from allowing higher fat foods into the house only for special events. When my kids crave brownies (I can't actually remember the last time this happened), we eat brownies from a mix (such as Dr. Oetker's Brownie mix) with either a can of pureed pumpkin or two cans of squished black beans with a little water instead of the eggs and oil the mixes recommend (if you want the best tasting brownie recipe, try the McDougall site or the fatfree site). We do not have any liquid oils in the house. You can't add them to your food if you don't have them in your house! It is very easy to cook without oil. Add extra water instead.

No, my children do not feel deprived. Anything they desire, we make. We just make it tastier and healthier. They haven't come up with a food desire yet that they couldn't have. For ready made snacks, check out veganessentials.com.

What do you eat?

Some of the questions I get asked most frequently, are: "What do you eat?", "What do you eat in groups of omnivores?", and "What does your family do with all that time with your children since they aren't in school?". With this blog, I am going to attempt to answer these questions over time and I'll mention our most recent great finds.

Check out Vegan Done Light's new cookbook. You can purchase it here. This cookbook is downloadable and can be purchased for only $9. You can see wonderful interviews of Dr. John McDougall and Dr. Neal Barnard, two of my ultimate favorite vegan advocates, on Vegan Done Light's website. While you are at it, be sure to check out the McDougall Program and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Both are life changing for a person that wants to live the healthiest life possible.