Earth Vegan Shoes

Not exactly veg cooking topic, but I realize many people are looking for a good online source for cruelty free shoes. How do you know which ones are reliable? How do non-leather shoes hold up under wear and tear?

I have to say, durability has been a problem for me and my hubby, but we're both pretty hard on shoes. I have a pair of Vegetarian Shoes (brand) that have held up well. He pretty much lives in Bogs these days.

Kalso (Earth) shoe makes a great vegan friendly shoe, along with the other kind. They are a tad pricey but I cannot endorse them highly enough. They are wonderful even if it takes a little getting used to the negative heel.

Wal Mart and other places are carrying those plastic clog sort of shoes but so far I've only seen women's shoes in plastic at Wally World.

So Where To Find Earth Vegan Shoes?

MooShoes
They're a bit pricey, but they have lots of styles and they've been very helpful when my partner or I have called to ask questions about something we were interested in.

Cosmos Vegan Shoppe
This one can be more reasonably priced, especially with sale items and coupons, and I've only had good experiences with them.

Bogs Footwear
Some of their styles use leather, and they don't advertise that they are cruelty free, so I'm not sure about glue, etc., but they make lots of kinds of walking shoes that don't use any leather. They have great sales/discounts and their shoes hold up really well.


Vegan Essentials
I recently got some shoes at VeganEssentials.com that I like very much and which I think were reasonably priced. I find VeganEssentials.com to be a good source for a number of products. I keep trying new things from there and am usually pleased.

Payless
Believe it or not, one of the best, most convenient and cheapest stores I've found is Payless Shoes. The website is really good at giving the components of the shoes and they have online ordering.

I think they probably have the most affordable earth vegan shoes online! You wont believe how adorable some of their shoes are now, and they look great. They have a great designer Abayete working with them, as well as some more of there other designs, are really cute and really inexpensive.

Some of the things I really like about them:

Stylish, affordable shoes: good prices, especially when they have their Buy One Get One-Half off Second Pair. Lots of other sales. If you Google “Payless+coupon” many times you can find a coupon code for some extra money off total sale. I was absolutely DELIGHTED last year to be able to buy 4 pairs of very stylish boots for UNDER $100, with tax. They all held up very well under winter weather.

Shipping charges: you can have them shipped to the store at no charge, or... orders over $50 shipped to you free.

Sizes: they seem (so far for me) to run consistently. With them I'm always the same shoe size regardless of brand.

They also have a foot size finder that you can print out and use to find your correct size. I just got some great heeled gray boots, some black flat boots and several pairs of flats..so cheap! All of the ones I have looked at and ordered have been earth vegan shoes, but make sure you double check on "materials" before you order.

Vegetarian Dog Food

If you've been around vegetarian forums and discussion lists long enough, you must have heard of people who keep their pets on a vegetarian diet.

I have a friend who is vegan and feeds his greyhound vegetarian dog food only. Another friend of mine is trying to keep her 20 lb Dachshund on a all vegetarian diet. She says his performance and energy levels have dramatically improved since she started him on this diet a few months ago. According to her, Also his coat has a nice sheen and he is softer. He is 90 % vegetarian now, but he does eat non-veg from time to time.

But is vegetarian dog food really healthy for your pet? You'll get mixed reactions and arguments.

As far as I know, cats are carnivores and need taurine for their eyes and a few other things. I think most people agree that you must feed a cat meat but I'm sure I could find someone to disagree with me on that point. My cats ate not vegetarian and I won't give them a veg diet although they do enjoy some of my veggies.

As for dogs, a couple people have told me they are sure that a vegetarian diet is not good for them. Some people say it is okay. I believe dogs are omnivore but I don't think it hurts to supplement a dog's diet with some fruit and veggies.

I never really thought about it until we adopted Bailey, a 6 year-old golden retriever. He seemed to hover anytime that I fixed fruit or veggies and then I caught him stealing cucumber peelings from the top of the trash can. That is the only thing he has ever taken.

I finally figured out that he must have been owned by a vegetarian before. He will sit at attention until he gets a leaf of romaine lettuce, a carrot, etc. Now, when I pull out my apple peeler, both of my dogs come and sit at attention and wait to get the apple peel as I am pulling it off.

They like lettuce, carrots, pineapple, strawberries, green beans, peas, etc. I don't give them very much, but just supplement their Natural Choice dry dog food. I think their favorite thing is the stalks from broccoli, believe it or not. Both dogs are very healthy and they look great.

I think short term a dog can be veg but needs some dairy if they can tolerate it or eggs. Just make sure you don't use onions in the food for the dog. They are worse then chocolate for them.

All in all, I'd say omnivore means just that, not vegetarian. There has been quite a bit of discussion about vegetarian dog food and I could not help but add my opinion. But I'm not a veterinarian and I really think you should check with your pet's vet before you start your dog on a vegetarian diet.

Alternatives to Vegetarian Times Magazine

Several months ago I participated in a conversation in a forum about the Vegetarian Times Magazine. It seems that those who wrote on the topic were pretty well divided as to whether or not we liked it.

I actually like the Vegetarian Times. I stopped it a few years ago, it seemed like it was going downhill, articles weren't as interesting and many of the recipes would fail when I tried them. Now it's very much improved.

Although it's gotten more upscale over the years, and that bothers me a bit. But the recipes are often quite good. Even if I don't make them, they inspire me to try something on my own. I also use their Vegetarian Times cookbook, it has delicious recipes and not one hasn't turn out perfectly.

I especially like the vegan recipes they've added. I started out back in the good old granola days of the 70s, so I've seen the evolution from heavy dairy to more sensitivity to animal products.

For those who do not like it and would appreciate an alternative, I have found a magazine that I do like and want to share it with you. It is "Vegetarian", a British magazine.

Rather than the fussy, busy, labor intensive recipes in Vegetarian Times Magazine, this has family type dishes. Just good food. I was given the magazine by a friend and am going to check into getting a subscription. The issue I got was their summer issue with over 100 recipes that their chefs tested before using. The pictures are mouth watering. There are several that I plan to use this week.

Can you tell how excited I am about this! Several of the recipes are for take along picnic dishes that can be enjoyed hot, warm or any temperature between.

I've also at times been a member of vegetarian organizations that publish magazines. The North American Vegetarian Society publishes Vegetarian Voice, and the Vegetarian Resource Group publishes the Vegetarian Journal. I've found both to be terrific publications.

Both are strictly vegan, but even this dairy lover appreciates and enjoys a good vegan meal. The recipes are tasty and often quick and easy. Come to think of it, I don't know why I let my membership lapse!

Other Alternatives to Vegetarian Times Magazine

• VegNews Magazine
• Vegan Magazine
• Satya Magazine
• VeggieLife

Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet

Many people tend to equate vegetarianism with a healthy lifestyle, which can be very far from the truth. We all know of vegetarians who have several so called vices like candy and chocolate, live on junk food and are quite overweight.

Obviously if you are a vegetarian, eating vegetables is not a problem. The main problem with many people, however, is that if they don't eat meat, they feel hungry like 30 minutes later. That's when most people turn to candy, chocolates and other junk food. Whats up with that? Is there any vegetarian weight loss diet we can follow?

The "6 Meal" Vegetarian Weight Loss Diet

A friend went to a nutritionist who had her eat 6 small meals a day measured this way:

• meal 1 - enough food to fit in one fist
• meal 2 - food to fill half a fist
• meal 3 - whole fist
• meal 4 - half fist
• meal 5 - whole fist
• meal 6 - half fist

And keep alternating. Each meal had to include some kind of beans and vegetables. The larger meals had to include some form of protein, whether it was egg, tofu or nuts. Also allowed are whole grains, oatmeal, ezekiel bread, wheat bread, hot cereals like cream of rice. She claims she was never hungry following this vegetarian weight loss diet, and even had to force herself to eat sometimes to get the 6 meals in.

She lost about 25 pounds in less than a month. It was amazing to see.

The Low Carb Vegetarian Diet – a.k.a the “Eco Atkins Diet”

The reason the Atkins diet was success for a lot of people was because of the fat content. Fat will make you a lot less hungry. These diets are also effective because they reduce blood sugar and insulin production, and enable you to use your stored fat to produce energy.

Most vegetarians keep away form the Atkins diet because of the high animal protein consumption. Luckily, researchers have developed a vegetarian version of the diet, called “Eco-Atkins Diet”. In this healthier version the fat can come from oils, dairy as in full fat sour cream, cream, and cheese. The protein comes from vegetable protein like soy.

This is the best probably the best vegetarian weight loss diet option. If you would like to learn more about it, read the post Low Carb Vegetarian Diet. Also, make sure to read the post “Diets For Vegetarians” for more tips on how to loose weight the healthy way.

Diets For Vegetarians: The Healthiest Ways To Loose Weight

So you are a vegetarian. You don't eat red meat, chicken, fish or seafood. You eat lots of vegetables. Yet, somehow you are overweight and that stubborn belly fat doesn't go away!

If that's your case and you're interested in diets for vegetarians, it can be hard to find one that fits this criteria. Let's examine one of the most common causes of weight problems with vegetarians: we are always hungry!

Beans And Vegetable Oils: The Best Diets For Vegetarians

When I became a vegetarian I did it the slow and easy way. First I eliminated heavy meats (beef, pork, lamb etc) for 30 days then the lite meats (chicken, turkey,) for 20 days and lastly the fish went.

I found that after eliminating the heavier meats I was sometimes hungrier than I felt I should be considering the amount I ate.

One tip is to add complex carbohydrates like beans and vegetable oil to your diet so you are not hungry 2 hours after eating vegetables.

Experiments were done at a weight reducing clinic where a test group of clients ate a teaspoon of vegetable oil with breakfast, lunch & dinner. Results astonished everyone, since they ultimately ate less food overall, felt less tempted to cheat between meals, and lost weight faster than the other clients.

Vegetable oil serves as fuel. I've been vegetarian for years, and have learned to incorporate many kinds of oils into my diet, especially high quality extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, toasted sesame and regular sesame oil. There are many on the market flavored with garlic, herbs, pepper, etc. that add a lot of flavor to vegetables.

Another vegetarian friend told me to put full fat sour cream on the veggies and drink a bit of cream at lunch and use more oil/margarine in cooking etc. By a bit I mean about 1/4 of a cup. I did that for a couple of weeks and found it made a huge difference. I then eliminated the cream but still like a nice dab of sour cream on the veggies.

Eventually I quit using butter on vegetables (even mashed potatoes!) years ago since the oils taste much "cleaner" to me.

Are interested in more diets for vegetarians? Make sure to read this post about Low Carb Vegetarian Diet.

Low Carb Vegetarian Diet

It's pretty much common sense that carbs shouldn't really be a concern for vegetarians who are eating a lot of grains, fresh veggies, fruits, beans and other good sources and variety of proteins, and of course, enough water. However, if you are over-weight a low carb vegetarian diet may do some good for you.

The traditional low carb diets, such as the “Atkins Diet”, have been known to be effective in weight loss. These diets help reduce blood sugar and insulin production, enabling your body to make use of stored fat in order to create energy.

The high animal protein and fat consumption, however, causes cholesterol levels to rise, increasing risk of heart diseases. That's where the Eco-Atkins Diet comes in.

Researchers have carried out a study comparing the vegetarian version of the diet (replacing meat with vegetable protein like soy), against a conventional low fat diet.

According to Jonny Bowden (author, nutritionist and weight loss coach)

Participants on the 'Eco-Atkins' diet not only lost weight, but their LDL cholesterol (the so-called 'bad' cholesterol) dropped like a rock.

In this diet, about 31% of the total calories comes from protein sources such as soy, nuts and gluten. The majority of the fat (about 43%) consistis of vegetable oils, nuts, avocado and soy products. The rest (26%) are carbs, mostly from vegetables, fruits and some types of cereals. Items like potatoes, rice, bread and baked food need to be eliminated.

Foods recommended in the Low Carb Vegetarian Diet

High-protein vegetables and grains, including soybeans, couscous, pearled barley, white beans, and lentils. Go crazy on soy burgers, veggie bacon, breakfast links. Nuts are also recommended. You can try peanuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, pine nuts, and walnuts.

Other types of food included are soluble fiber, like barley, fresh fruit and oats. Avocado, almonds and macadamia nuts are also recommended, along with other foods that contain the so called “good-fats”. This is a vegan diet, and does not allow diary such as cheese and milk.

Some big no-nos are starch, pasta, rice, sugar, cereal, bread, potatoes, cakes, and some fruits.

More resources on low carb vegetarian diet:

• Eco-Atkins - A Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet
• Low carb vegetarian diet is a good choice for health
• 'Eco-Atkins' Diet Sheds More Than Pounds

"20-plus Fall Recipes that Can Make You Healthier" From Martha Stewart

I'm a subscriber of several of Martha Stewart's newsletters, including Whole Living. I enjoy them all as a source of inspiration and motivation. This week was no different, and I decided to share with you.

This weeks theme is Fall Power Foods.

"Just because summer is ending, it doesn't mean you can't still enjoy healthy, seasonal foods. Try any of our favorite autumn dishes -- filled with vitamin E, calcium, fiber, beta-carotene, and antioxidants -- to keep you healthy and satisfied as the weather turns brisk."

These recipes not only satisfy your taste buds but boost your health and prevent disease. They include fig, apple, pumpkin, butternut squash, walnut and much more. Each link in the list below redirects to the appropriate page on the site:

• Fig Recipes
• Apple Recipes
• Pumpkin Recipes
• Butternut Squash Recipes
• Walnut Recipes
• More Fall Power Food Recipes

I haven't checked if all these recipes are vegetarian, but browse around because some of them are. While you're at the site, take your time to register for these newsletters (if you haven't done so already). They're really worth it.