Soy what? The soy story.

I have yet to come across a food more controversial than soy.
As a vegan, or not as a vegan, if you live in the United States, there's a good chance you consume a good amount of soy, and may not even realize it. It's in everything from ice cream, to hotdogs, to crackers.
You've also probably heard two extremely different opinions on it as well.

Bean Loving Baby

For as long as Grace could chew, she's been eating every kind of bean (and legume). Black, kidney, cannellini, navy, butter, pinto, lima, you name it. Because of its high protein, iron, fiber and even calcium contents it's been a part of her meals every day as a meat replacement. The list of reasons why I chose to go with plant protein over animal protein is endless.

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   Only thing that I had to keep on top of wasn't her protein, iron or even B12, those levels have been consistently perfect, along with everything else. The only thing was her fat intake. Beans have practically no fat which is perfect for adults struggling with weight loss, but not for a growing child. Children need high amounts of fat during such a rapid growth period. Her fat-needs were easily met by a side of avocado, almond yogurt, coconut yogurt, nuts, etc. 

Soybean's Impressive Nutrition Facts

For some reason, I hadn't realized how much fat soybeans naturally contained for so long. I was always going right past the cans of the soybeans. To my surprise, not only do soybeans have healthy fat, they have double the protein and iron. This realization made it so much easier for Grace to get in all of her vital nutrients, including fat!

13 grams of protein, 30% of your daily value of iron plus 7 grams of fat in only 1/2 cup is amazing!

 Why all the controversy?

It seems nowadays that just about every processed food item has soy listed in the ingredients. Food manufacturers put soy in more than 60 percent of processed foods, it is the second largest crop in cash sales and the No. 1 value crop export in the United States. It has to be one of the toughest ingredients to avoid, if you have an allergy to it.

Soy opponents are saying that soy is contributing to a long list of health issues. From thyroid issues, to an early onset of puberty in girls, stimulating certain types of breast cancer cells, etc. It's a very similar list of issues as with the high consumption levels of animal products.
I found this information extremely confusing because of all the evidence in many areas of Asia that have such significantly low rates of breast cancer with high-soy diets. One source says soy causes breast cancer, another source saying it prevents breast cancer?

Processed food is processed food

"Processed foods, because of their low nutrient levels, high amount of salt, acrylamides and other toxic additives should not be considered healthy. Vegetarians and vegans who eat tofu-turkey, soy burgers, soy ice cream, soy hot dogs, soy cheese and other soy-derived processed foods on a regular basis are certainly not eating a healthy diet. Isolated soy protein is a heavily processed food with a low nutrient-per-calorie ratio. The key to good health is to eat unprocessed foods because their nutrient per calorie density is high. " -Dr. Fuhrman, M.D. 

Any food that is processed heavily, with added sodium and chemicals is not going to be good for you. Which is why there is such a substantial difference between soy's effect on people in rural areas of Asia verses America. The areas of Asia that have such low amounts of cancer are using pure, unprocessed forms of soybeans.

Benefits of unprocessed, pure soy

In a group of 5,042 women previously diagnosed with breast cancer who were participating in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study over a four-year period, those who regularly consumed soy products, such as soymilk, tofu, or edamame, had a 32 percent lower risk of recurrence and a 29 percent decreased risk of death, compared with women who consumed little or no soy.

Using previously collected information on the U.S. population and average U.S. dietary intake, these researchers determined that replacement of meat and dairy with soy would result in significantly improved intake of folate and vitamin K, larger amounts of calcium, magnesium and iron, and 4 additional grams of fiber per day. Not to mention, it would significantly lower the cholesterol levels in the U.S.

Pure forms of soy contain an antioxidant called isoflavone, is very high in tryptophan, iron, protein, manganese, vitamin K, and some omega-3 fats.

Soybeans do not contain estrogen, and do not feminize men

They contain phytochemicals that fall under the "phytoestrogen", or plant estrogen group. They do not "feminize"men or lower their testosterone levels. They do not cause men to grow female parts, because they do not contain any hormones that would cause tissue growth.  In fact, they could help benefit men because they help to prevent prostate cancer. 

The optimal forms of unprocessed soy

Again, the most natural form of any food is ALWAYS best. With that said, soybeans in their most natural form would be the first, most optimal form of soy.

Tofu, of course is another pure, unprocessed form.

Tempeh, which is fermented soybeans and nothing else. Makes for a perfect meat substitute as well.

   I hope I helped to solve a little bit of the soy story with some solid recourses. 

   

   The more natural, pure and unprocessed something is, the better. The simpler you get, the healthier you get. As simple as that.

Also, another great piece of advice on nutrition I've heard is "If it has a commercial, don't eat it."

References:

• Joel Fuhrman, M.D. 
• Neal Barnard, M.D.
• WebMD
• Huffington Post

My delicious citrus kale smoothie

I thought berries and pecans went the best with kale in a smoothie. I was deeply wrong. Tart, citrus flavors are absolutely perfect with kale. It took me a while of playing around with the blender and kale to come to this delicious result. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but it's kind of the best smoothie I've ever had, anywhere, ever. It's probably one of the healthiest smoothies too.

Kale does have a strong flavor, but when combined with citrus, the citrus flavor overpowers the kale and all you taste is citrusy-goodness. 

  Not to mention, all the vitamin C in the fruit helps your body to absorb the iron in the kale. Win-win! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green grapes
• 1 large orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 granny smith apple 
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple (it is fine without this, but it is incredible with it)
• bunch of kale (I never measure kale, I just try to stuff as much as possible in the blender)
• 1/2 cup ice cubes (especially needed if not using frozen pineapple)

I like to just slice off the orange and lemon skin with a big knife instead of pealing the orange. Lemons are excellent at bringing out the flavor of other foods and contain flavonoids that are known to stop cell division in many cancer cell lines. Studies also show that vitamin C-rich foods can protect against arthritis.

The grapes add a yummy sweet flavor to the smoothie. It wouldn't be the same without the green grapes at all. Plus grapes are chocked full of manganese and phytonutrients. The list is never ending of how many different nutrients they contain. They also have antioxidants that have anti-bacterial properties. Grapes have cardiovascular benefits, blood sugar benefits, anti-aging benefits, cognitive benefits, and anti-cancer benefits as well.

The more kale, the better. You can never have too much dark leafy green vegetables in your diet. They are full of the most important nutrients for our bodies.

I love adding the juice from the pineapple to the smoothie for extra flavor. Pineapple is also an anti-inflammatory and provides immune support. A few very good reasons to add the pineapple.

Whenever you're looking for a new blender, always go with Vitamix. It is the king of blenders. This one chops, churns, mixes, whips, juices, powders, it even makes soup. I find it to be a must-have for people following a strict vegan diet or even if you're just trying to add a lot of super-foods to your diet. My family uses it like 10 times a day. I also love that it has a self-cleaning option. :-)

Most importantly, it is Grace-approoved. 

Victorious vegan alternatives to the usuals

Thought it would be helpful to post some of my favorite vegan store-bought foods. It can be hit or miss with some of the options out there. These are a few that have made being vegan incredibly easy. Not saying that they are all extremely healthy necessarily, just that they are delicious vegan substitutes. :-)

DAIYA CHEESE kinda had to be number one. It might not be THE healthiest thing because it's a bit high in fat...but it's SO good. There is seriously no need for real cheese if you have this. It's so hard to believe it's dairy-free.

   

Boca Burgers. Perfect replacement for beef burgers. They are also incredibly high in protein and iron, so you are still getting those two nutrients with no saturated fat, cancer causing agents, and nobody had to die for your meal. 

    I always had a really hard time giving up milk, especially when I was having something chocolate. I wasn't able to eat chocolate without my milk to drink it down with. The vanilla flavor is super sweet, the original is much less sweet and I enjoy it much better. I can't drink something sweet when eating something sweet, don't know why. It also has 50% more calcium than cow's milk which is awesome.

   I actually prefer this butter over regular butter. Again, not something you want to eat in unlimited quantities, but it IS a vegan substitute. It's just one more animal product eliminated and tastes great.

   These are shockingly low in fat! 1.5 g of fat in one and high in protein. They are slightly spicy, but not intensely.  Another burger alternative that I love.

So Delicious Dairy Free makes so many incredible products. This has to be one of my favorites because coffee is just such a necessity in my life right now and it makes my coffee delicious. Their hazelnut flavor is really good too.

 It's so incredible that there is now an almond milk yogurt! It has all of the same beneficial probiotics and live cultures as dairy yogurt does. There's so many flavors too. Blueberry, strawberry, vanilla, peach, etc. One of Grace's personal favorites.

  These are SO good with pancakes in the morning. Out of all the vegan sausage-like options, this is the best in my opinion. 

                                Dairy free chocolate...enough said. This is my preferred brand.

Chocolate peanut butter swirl ice cream. 'Nuff said.

Grace and I living the vegan life

I have gotten many questions and comments on Grace and I eating the vegetarian/vegan way. There are so many reasons. Thought this might be helpful. :-)

 Why vegan?
There has been a substantial amount of research done showing that animal products aren't good for our health. On a list of the most nutrient-dense foods, meat is at the bottom with very small scores for nutrition. Unrefined plant foods on the other hand are all at the top of the list. The animals we eat get all of their fat, protein, and carbohydrates for energy from plants.
If you simply look at a chart comparing cancer with animal product consumption, the higher the animal product consumption, the higher the cancer rates are. Which is why areas of the world that eat high amounts of plant food, such as Laos and Thailand have significantly lower cancer rates than us. Root vegetables do the opposite, they prevent  cancer and disease. Unrefined plant foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans are powerful cancer protectors.
Many people think it's pointless to be concerned about cancer and heart disease when a child is only 1 year old. When in reality, childhood exposure has the largest impact on adult health. A sixty-year study of 4,999 participants found that those who consumed more fruit in their childhood were 38% less likely to develop cancer as adults.
In Dr. Fuhrman's book Disease Proof Your Child, he shows a list of nine diseases with strong links to cow's milk:
1. Allergies
2. Anal fissures
3. Chronic constipation
4. Crohn's disease
5. Childhood-onset (Type-1) diabetes
6. Ear infections
7. Heart attacks
8. Multiple sclerosis
9. Prostate cancer
Those are enough reasons for me to want to limit dairy in her diet to practically none.

Aren't you worried about you and Grace being deficient in protein and iron?
As long as you eat a plant-based diet that's full of beans, grains, nuts, seeds, and veggies there is no concern of iron or protein deficiency. Since Grace and I eat refined, high-salt foods so rarely, we both enjoy eating lots of beans. Grace's favorite is kidney beans. She stuffs a ton of them plain in her mouth for lunch everyday. Your tastebuds adjust to whatever foods you are eating on a regular basis and that's what you begin to prefer and crave. Our current favorite is Dr. Fuhrman's lemon-lentil soup, which has cashew butter in it and lentils are amongst the highest beans in iron. Grace also starts out every day with a bowl of oatmeal which contains iron as well. She also loves kale/fruit smoothies.
Grace's pediatrician initially objected to the idea of Grace getting her protein and iron from beans because she said kids don't generally like beans. Wrong. If a child isn't eating high-salt, processed foods that kill your ability to enjoy the natural flavor of plant foods, they will enjoy the healthy stuff. The pediatrician was then a bit surprised when Grace's iron test results came back and her iron levels were perfect.

                             Dr. Fuhrman's lemon-lentil soup with parsley sprinkled on top

                                         Grace enjoying a yummy citrus kale smoothie


Then why did we evolve to eat meat for all these years?
In the documentary "Vegucated", Dr. Milton Mills, M.D, explains that when there wasn't crops available year-round, we literally had to survive off meat in the winter. It then became a part of our culture and once something becomes a part of our culture, we no longer question it. In some areas of the world they still need meat to survive and they should not be deprived of it. But since we have endless amount of plant food available year-round, we don't need meat to survive. Just like we don't need animal fur to survive anymore either.
Not only because it's bad for our health, but it takes a substantially less amount of energy to produce plant food than animal products. It's better for us and the environment.

                   One of Grace's favorite ways to have beans is with some tomato sauce and avocado

Yes, I do love burgers.
But! I still have them! A lentil burger, black bean burger, or any other type of veggie burger on a bun with lettuce, tomato, ketchup and maybe some cheddar soy cheese is just as enjoyable, or even more so than a hamburger. Oh and cheddar soy cheese is delicious. Even BurgerKing has a veggie burger on their menu (pretty exciting).

Going vegan is surprisingly easy.
I very often hear "I could never give up meat", "I could never give up cheese or milk". I was one of the people saying the same thing not so long ago. Thanks to the growing population of vegans/vegetarians, there are SO many options out there. You can even buy a meatless roast with gravy and cranberries and be pretty shocked it isn't made with meat. Or if you love chicken fingers, there's delicious meatless chicken fingers. Although, it can be challenging at certain restaurants that don't cater to vegans whatsoever. It's generally the fast food and chain-food restaurants that are nearly impossible. You just have to get creative with what plant foods they do have.
The internet is my cookbook for endless vegan recipes. I prefer vegan desserts because I don't feel bloated or overwhelmingly full after having them, I feel good.  Not to mention, most of them are much healthier.

                                                       Grace loves her beans!

Being vegan is not a religion or cult.
I don't believe that meat-eaters should be looked down upon. I know that meat and dairy is a giant part of many cultures. For me, it's not about going a certain amount of time without eating a specific food group. It's about reducing, not necessarily eliminating. If you can completely eliminate, that's awesome, if not, I wouldn't kill myself over giving into something smothered in cheese once in a while. Minimizing is key.

                                         Grace enjoying her peach-strawberry sorbet

        This is probably my favorite vegan dessert so far. Talia Fuhrman's peanut butter coconut chocolate truffle recipe I made last night. Incredible!

My super-filling smoothie that melts the pounds off

   I was very enthusiastic about eating a giant salad every day until I've been as short on time as I have been lately. Toddlers aren't very patient. Oh, and the sky is blue. :) 
A lot of people probably don't have the time it takes to make a salad as big as the one Dr. Fuhrman suggests you to eat, plus taking the time to eat the whole thing. 

He says that it's good to use a beach towel for the amount of greens you have to wash...

So this has caused me to find another way to get a lot of leafy greens in. 
My solution is what Dr. Fuhrman refers to as "blended salads". 

  I understand that it may not sound very appetizing to someone who has never tried it.

  But when you add as much fruit to it as I do, you don't even know you are drinking mostly greens. Nor is there anything else as filling to me. 

This smoothie for lunch will cause you to see the pounds just melt off you.

I come home from school and fill up the blender with all my usual fruits, nuts and veggie, blend it, drink it and I am beyond full. I could have a cheese burger placed in front of me after having this smoothie and I would not be tempted by it what so ever. That full.

It's not even like I am on some crazy crash diet that is depriving me of the nutrients my body requires. In this smoothie I am getting tons of Vitamin A, C, K, calcium, iron, protein, antioxidants, fiber and so many more. It's basically all the things your body and mind need the most of.

Ingredients to my super filling, nutritional power-house, yummy smoothie:

• 1 date
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
• handful of nut of choice (I usually use almonds, walnuts or pecans)
• 1/2 cup of frozen cherries or raspberries
• 1 orange (optional)
• Half a lemon
• 5 or 6 large kale leaves (sometimes I will even use about half a head)
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/4 cup lime juice (or half lime juice/half water, just to help liquify the smoothie)

    Honestly, feel free to play around with any of these ingredients. I switch them up really often to keep it from getting monotonous. I get bored of eating (or drinking) the same thing for lunch every day very quickly. Somedays I use frozen pineapple instead of the cherries or somedays I use more kale or use spinach instead of kale. Switching it up is also good for you in general, giving your body different nutrients every day.

Orange Sesame dressing and coconut bars

   So lately I've totally been enjoying the challenge of trying out new salad dressings. I've just been going on Dr. Fuhrman's website all the time, looking over recipes to see what ones seem like they'd come out good. Great thing about my blog for all its readers is that you guys get some previously reviewed, Ariel-approved recipes. :)

I tend to get sick of eating the same thing every day so it's so important for me to keep up a wide variety of healthy dressings so I can actually look forward to a giant salad. I recently came across a salad dressing recipe that came out amazing and you can find this one in Dr. Fuhrman's book 'Eat To Live'. It's called Orange Sesame Dressing. It took me about five minutes to make. 

I also love the fact that you don't have to measure out these salad dressings, you can use as much of them as you want, without worrying about too many calories! 

 It is slightly sweet, and the sesame seeds add a nice crunch too.

            Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. unhulled sesame seeds
• 6 raw cashew nuts
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar (I used garlic rice vinegar because that's all we had and it tasted great)
• 2 oranges, peeled and diced, or 1 jar unsweetened, mandarin orange slices. 

   Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 3 minutes, shaking the pan frequently. In a blender or Vita-Mix (as I used), combine 2 tbsp. sesame seeds, the cashews, orange juice, vinegar and the 2 oranges. Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on top of your salad. SO good!

Another one of my favorite websites for healthy-ish recipes is Chocolatecoveredkatie.com. I absolutely love her and all of her recipes. I feel like I've made about 100 of them and still haven't come across one that came out badly. 

My sister had some friends over this weekend so I decided to make them the No-Bake Coconut Crack Bars that I saw on Chocolate Covered Katie's blog. They were the most delicious things I have eaten in a long, long time. Almost reminded me of an Almond Joy, except better. Not to mention, they were probably one of the easiest desserts I've ever made. Perfect for summer since there is no hot oven or stove involved.

I doubled the recipe since her portions are usually SO tiny because we were having company over.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
• 4 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp of salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor. I squished it into an 8x8 pan and put in the fridge for about 2 hours. The recipe says they will come out fine after an hour in the fridge or the freezer for 15 minutes. Can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a few weeks.

Blueberry pomegranate salad dressing and a berry smoothie

 According to Dr. Fuhrman, berries are among the best foods you can eat, they are some of the highest antioxidant foods you can eat. They have been linked to reduced risk of diabetes, cancers and high blood pressure. They are also great brain-food, they've been proven to improve motor coordination and memory. I honestly do feel since I've increased my berry consumption that it has helped me in school. The skill that I am working to perfect in Court Reporting School involves a high level of motor coordination, you wouldn't believe the things we have to do with our fingers. It reminds me of the game Twister but for your fingers. 
Every day at lunch I have my kale salad and smoothie which makes me incredibly full. After I finish the both, I don't need to eat anything else which is SO helpful because then I don't ever go after the junk food anymore. 

I rarely like to have store-bought salad dressings because they are usually loaded with sodium, chemicals and fat. I've given the low-fat, "healthy" ones a try and they just taste exactly what they are, store bought. It's also cheaper to make your own and you can load it with nutrient dense ingredients. 
I decided to give a sweet salad dressing a try this time for a change. I came across this one on Dr. Fuhrman's website. You have to join a membership in order to access all of his recipes but it is 100% worth it, and it's not expensive. 
This one is called Blueberry Pomegranate Dressing. 

      Ingredients:

•    2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries thawed 
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 4 tablespoons blueberry vinegar or any other type of fruit flavored vinegar (I used raspberry wine vinegar)

 Blend all together in a high powered blender until smooth. 

I poured mine over kale, as usual. I'm sure it would go great with any other type of leafy green, such as romaine lettuce. 

   As for my smoothie, it may sound a bit odd of a combination, but I assure you that it tastes amazing.

                                                                  

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen dark red cherries
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup pineapple
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (or any other kind of milk)
• 1 date
• handful of almonds

 Blend in high powered blender until smooth.

I know it may sound odd that it randomly has pineapple in it, but I love the tartness and flavor that it adds. I also love having smoothies because it's a great way to get a ton of fruit in quickly. The blender also breaks down the nutrients of the fruits even more so that you absorb more of them.

Enjoy! I would love any feedback if anyone decides to give them a try! :)