Please check out this very interesting article in Time magazine about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

One great fact from Time’s Bryan Walsh:

“A meal at McDonald’s produces more carbon than your trip to the drive-through.” 

An interesting point: “The most efficient way to shrink the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent amount of grains, fruits or vegetables: most produce requires about 2 calories of fossil-fuel energy to cultivate per 1 calorie of food energy; with beef, the ratio can be as high as 80 to 1. What’s more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are reared on grain and loads of it–670 million tons in 2002–and the fertilizer used to grow that feed creates separate environmental problems.”

After reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, my eyes were opened to the sorry diet that most cattle are receiving. But I wonder if a vegetarian world is the answer?  After all, if none of our land animals were eating, would this not produce problems?  What would happen to our wonderful Canadian beef farmers?  Our dairy farmers?  I think that people should eat less meat–it should be a side dish, perhaps, rather than a main–but I’m not convinced that meat should be removed from our diets altogether.

Please check out this article from CTV.

There is going to be a lot of publicity surrounding ‘healthy’ foods as Heart and Stroke week approaches.  According to CTV,  Canadians are paying between double and nearly six times the average price for healthy foods, depending on where they live.

The report finds price discrepancies across Canada and within provinces. It also found many Canadians have difficulty accessing healthy foods at their local grocery store. 

One of the most startling differences is the prices of apples: six apples cost $0.90 in Peterborough, Ont., but $7.64 in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Obviously, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet decreases your chances of heart and stroke dramatically–but, for some Canadians, healthy eating truly is not an option.

Big thanks to Breanna for passing along this article from The Toronto Star. 

Writer Vanessa Lu reports on the idea of growing organic food in public spaces like on the side of the Gardiner or on grassy medians like those on University Avenue. 

It’s a great idea, but I’m not sure I would be so enthusiastic about eating a salad that had been washed in commuter traffic pollution.  The idea of growing locally is great, but it has to be practical and I just don’t see how this would work.  

In addition to the problem with pollution, who would do the weeding and other necessary care for the plants? How would the food be sold? How would theft be prevented? Would it cause yet more rodent infestations in our city?  

Details aside, I love the idea of garden sharing. I do not have any green space and it’s something I dearly miss once summer hits the city.  Does anyone in the Annex need help in their garden?  I would be interested in an exchange of labour for food!

I saw a great video that Meghan did and I wanted to share it with you guys:  

Did you guys ever do science experiments in grade school? You know, the kind where you have to enlist your parents to help you out? Well it seems I’ll be doing another one this year. In an effort to get some great local food, I’m going to make like Meghan and try to grow some of my own veggies in my apartment…and I’ll be asking my dad to help. 

Wish me luck!

I know a lot of people hate Starbucks, but I have to commend them for providing some healthy food.  Fortunately, there are a lot of healthy alternatives to the donut.  Not only do they have raw, unsalted nuts, but they also let their customers customize their drinks.  This means that you can elminate fat and calorie-laden extras like cream, flavour shots and syrups.  2%, skim and non-fat milk are always available and can make a difference of up to 300 calories.  

In addition to the usual breakfast foods like the healthy cookie, yoghurt and fresh fruit salad, Starbucks is now offering oatmeal!  

I have yet to find nutritional information online for this new treat, but I can tell you for sure that it should be low in fat and full of fiber.

I’ll try to find out how they make it–hopefully it’s just with hot water and not milk.  If it is made with milk, try  nixing the dried fruit that they put on top, don’t add any sweeteners save for honey or raw sugar.  And, if you must top it with something, try cinnamon.

If you have info, pass it on!

It’s hard to cut out caffeine, but if you’re looking for a quality, tasty alternative, head to Blue Banana in Kensington Market.  Tea 4 You has a stall in this market and they sell a variety of loose-leaf teas in convenient 100 g bags. Prices range anywhere from about $5 to $21 (I tried Madagascar Almond tea, $12/ 100 g).

I’m a big fan of black tea (usually taken with milk), but on Jen’s advice, I also tried the red, caffeine-free Rooibus Cappuccino.  It has a strong, rich flavour and if you’re in the first few days of a caffeine-strike this is definitely the way to go.  You will probably still suffer from some physical withdrawal, but at least you’ll  get some authentic coffee-ish taste without having to resort to decaf, which tastes no better  than dish water.

I’m quite picky about herbal teas; I despise ones that taste like hot juice.  I was really impressed by this brand, though, and highly recommend it to you.

Big thanks to Jen who mentioned “Food Politics: Personal Responsibility vs. Social Responsibility – A Lecture by Marion Nestle”

is taking place at U of T’s Hart House today.  It begins at 7 pm and tickets are only $10 (students are free). I wish I could be there but I have class.  If you go, please let me know your thoughts and I will post them on Thursday. 

For some interesting reading on Sugar, click  here and look for the heading “ The Threatened Lawsuit from the Sugar Association of America.  In 2002, Ms. Nestle received a letter from the Sugar Association, Inc., (SAI), accusing her of making false and defamatory comments about sugar. She responds with a stellar letter of her own and makes short work of the SAI’s claims and the threatened lawsuit.   

For more info on Marion Nestle, click here.

I was reading Best Health Magazine online today and their web editor, Kat Tancock, made a great point about portion control.  She refers readers to an article in the Globe and Mail that compares portion sizes from cookbooks from the 1930s to their counterparts today.  Interestingly, dinners that used to serve eight now only serve four or six. 

I apologize for the short post, but this article is worth the read.  Post-cleanse, even I’m eating healthy, whole foods, I will still have to work on portion control. Of course, the better the food is in terms of quality or wholeness, fat content, etc, the more liberal I could be with portions. 

Dressing aside, can anyone really over indulge on salad?

Thanks to Breanna, my friend Nicki and I went to Cafe 668 to beat the cold weather.

While the location of this restaurant is a bit odd (885 Dundas St., West), it’s worth visiting. The atmosphere is relaxed and while the waiter wore jeans, a dress would not be out of place (for me, not the waiter).

Let me tell you how great it is to go to a restaurant where I can eat almost anything off the menu. Everything looked so good, but we finally settled on soup, some black bean eggplant and taro wrapped yam.  Things were a little bit pricey (we paid $50), but for the sake of this post, we did order more than we usually would. Normally, the soup alone would suffice as the portions are very generous.

I have only two criticisms:

First, the bathrooms–while clean–have very low ceilings and I bumped by head. I’m tall-ish for a girl, but I was wearing flats.

Second, there were a lot of foods in quotes on the menu. You know, brown rice and assorted vegetables with your choice of  ”beef”, “chicken”, or “salmon”.  I hate it when vegetarian food is made into “meat.” I may be wrong, but for the most part, I’m assuming that since vegetarians have chosen to give up meat, they would not want to eat things that look and feel like meat, but don’t taste like meat.

While I normally prefer to head out to restaurants that serve meat, fish and vegetarian entrees, Cafe 668 is an excellent vegetarian/vegan alternative. The food is well-flavoured, fresh and they offer a lot of choice–including vegetable sides that can be steamed or stir-fried (Meghan would be so proud!)

Normally, vegetarian restaurants get a bit of a thumbs-down from me, especially when they serve “meat”, but the final verdict for Cafe 668 is Four Thumbs Up–two from me and two more from Nicki.

Not into restaurants and prefer to cook at home? No problem! Check out these courses from Meghan Telpner:

Cooking Party Program

February 17th (Tuesday) marks the start of my 4-week cooking program. If you can’t commit to four Tuesday, you are free and welcome to choose just one that fits with your schedule or split it with a friend where you can each come to two. How awesome is that?  $210.00 for four classes, $60.00 for a single. Book it! or  Click here for more info.

March 1st or April 5th, (Sunday) 2:00-4:00m. A splendid afternoon full of yummy food and lifestyle altering information. Get easy, simple and quick ways to healthyify your life every day of the week with minimal time and effort. Learn the secrets to my ridiculously healthy way of life and how you can apply them to your own.  $55.00 Book it! or  Click here for more info.

Kensington Market is a great place to source some spices and specialty teas. Since the weather in Toronto is especially cold right now (about -18), I was happy to take a break for lunch.  Fortunately, it’s not too hard to find vegetarian–even vegan–food in the Market. 

I was pleased to note that my friends are sensitive to my current diet and have stopped suggesting places like The Keg or Swiss Chalet for meals.   I knew of a place I wanted to go, but I was worried it might be too vegan for him; he tends to eat things like frozen, processed beef patties for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

I took him to The Herbivore (64 Oxford Street, Toronto On, 416-927-1231),where they serve some great soups, salads and sandwiches.  We both ate the vegan curry (see above), which was tasty, hearty and filling.  Plus, it is affordable–for two curries and rice we paid $15.00.  

My lunch mate enjoyed the curry very much–even the black rice (please see evidence below). While at first he thought that white would have been better, he agreed with me that the texture of black rice is pleasing–some would say superior. 

If you’re looking for a good veggie lunch, head to Kensington Market, Toronto.

If you’re looking for a good veggie dinner, I don’t know where to send you. So far, all of the vegan/vegetarian restaurants I have found in downtown Toronto are overpriced–which is weird since these restaurants are also super casual.  It’s not that I always want to be in heels and a dress (well, secretly I do), but neither do I want to be in a restaurant filled with guitar cases, backpacks and canvas shoes. If you know of a great/upscale-ish veggie restaurant in Toronto where a dress and heels would not be out of place, please let me know!