Vegetarian Star

Dr. Oz and Real Age expert Dr. Michael Roizen tackle the question of raw versus cooked in a piece of advice to a reader who wants to know if there are any benefits to eating raw and drinking distilled water.

The doctors are cool with raw, but emphasize that it’s not necessary and sometimes more beneficial if you eat vegetables cooked.

For example, steaming tomatoes brings out the lycopene, an important nutrient in fighting heart disease.

And steaming carrots and broccoli make the cancer fighting carotenoids easier to be absorb by the body.

Steamed vegetables also soak up bile, so the liver has to make more, which helps you get rid of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

“But the main reason we don’t like extreme diets is that they deprive you of important nutrients,” the doctors answer. “If you’re eating only raw veggies, you’re almost certainly going to run short of protein and vitamin B-12, fast.”

And save the distilled water for ironing clothes.

“As for drinking distilled water, well, it’s usually made by boiling. While that strips out impurities, it also strips out minerals like calcium. Our opinion: Fuggedaboutit, unless you’re drinking four more glasses of non-distilled water a day. Then just do it if you like the taste better.”

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“Mike Tyson says he’s now a vegan. So he now only nibbles on ears of corn.”

–submitted by a reader of the New York Times, on Mike Tyson‘s recent announcement that he’s gone vegan and making light of when Tyson bit a competitor’s ear during a boxing competition. Evander Holyfield can rest easy.

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After learning the plans of animal rights activists to protest outside his restaurants for selling foie gras, Thomas Keller issued a statement through his representatives.

From Grubstreet:

“The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group consistently endeavors to make extremely conscientious decisions regarding all suppliers with whom we work, and our chefs have specifically selected to source from the most ethical purveyors possible. We will keep within full accordance of all legal mandates should the states of California and New York pass future legislation regarding Foie Gras.”

As long as they’re being stuffed to (literally) death and killed, it’s probably not “ethical” enough.

The protests are taking place this Saturday at Keller’s California and New York restaurants as part of a campaign organized by several groups, including Animal Protection & Rescue League, Orange County People for Animals, In Defense of Animals, and Compassion Over Killing.

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Mark Bittman is famous for his flexitarian approach to eating and in a recent column in the New York Times, Bittman shares with readers how to make sushi without the fish.

Sushi without the seafood is not only vegetarian friendly, but budget friendly and Bittman points this out in the article.

“Think about it: sushi without seafood, sushi without restaurants and sushi without spending $80 a person. It’s an appealing option,” he writes.

Vegetarians already know that nori seaweed strips make great wraps and although not every non seafood option Bittman gives is vegetarian, there is an abundance of vegetables and vegetarian protein to try like fried tofu, raw or seared tofu, avocado, mushrooms and eggplants.

Bittman says that when buying nori, look for sheets with darker colors and fewer holes.

And eat right away for a crispy sushi experience–as soon as nori touches moisture, it begins to soften.

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Update: An update to this post can be found here.

Coffee and cow lovers united when Starbucks announced their Frappuccinos could be made vegan.

Now, the coffee giant is offering a However You Want It Frappuccino, which allows the consumer to specify the strength of the coffee, type of milk and other syrups and topping.

Of particular interest to the vegans will be the Soy Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino(R) Blended Beverage, described as an “all-natural strawberry sauce, creme base, soy milk, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream.”

But don’t you need to remove the cream to make it completely non-dairy?

Or is this cream coming from the soy?

More investigation is needed, probably during the next trip to use Starbuck’s WiFi and purchase one of their special edition CDs they won’t stop playing over and over again during your four hour study sessions.

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Colleen Patrick-Goudreau "The Joy Of Vegan Baking"

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author of several vegetarian cookbooks, including “The Joy Of Vegan Baking,” is giving a series of speeches around the United States titled, “From Excuse-itarian to Vegetarian: Addressing the Blocks that Keep People from Making Changes.”

Patrick-Goudreau says making the transition to vegetarian or veganism is easier than you think and you may not even realize your diet is almost there.

Even meat eaters area already eating fruits, vegetables and nuts, for example.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of taking the same spices you’d use in a meat dish and applying those to a plant based one.

“When you’re going to get salad from the salad bar, just don’t put cheese on it,” Patrick-Goudreau said. “Try a bean burrito instead of a chicken burrito.”

Patrick-Goudreau advised vegans worried about calcium to consume lots of dark, leafy greens that contain the mineral, such as kale, collard greens, chard and broccoli.

Of course, buying her cookbooks doesn’t  hurt either.

Besides The Joy of Vegan Baking, Patrick-Goudreau has also authored The Vegan Table : 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion.

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Ross Kamens of Noodles & Company

When Ross Kamens founded Noodles & Company, he was a vegan, which is probably why by default most dishes are vegetarian.

“We allow people to customize their dishes,” Kamen told Twin Cities. “I was a vegan when we started Noodles in Denver in 1995, and the premise was to have most dishes start vegetarian and allow people to add the meat, chicken, fish and tofu — and now we have meat-balls. Customers can get exactly what they want.”

However, now he doesn’t mind the Parmesan crusted chicken breast with the penne rosa pasta and he sure wasn’t vegetarian when he ate that grasshopper taco.

“Chapulines in Oaxaca, Mexico,” Kamen replied when asked about the strangest food he’s eaten. “They’re little grasshoppers, and they were made into tacos. They were delicious. I had them with a cucumber and mint agua fresca.”

Like its founder, Noodles & Company has gotten less vegetarian, and taken the miso soup and cold spicy peanut noodles off the menu.

But there’s still plenty of vegetarian fare among the selections that are divided into Asian, Mediterranean and American cuisine like the Thai Curry Soup and Japanese Pan Noodles.

Thankfully, the grasshopper rotini hasn’t been unveiled yet.

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Gwyneth Paltrow has recently shared on her blog, Goop, the diet and fitness regime she adhered to while getting fit for her new role in Iron Man 2.

Paltrow is known for her use of ingredients that, although many vegetarians find as staples, like vegan Mayonnaise, has brought her ridicule and called an elitist.

Ahlanlive took advantage of her latest newsletter entry to mock her diet, citing what Paltrow uses in her world, versus what regular Joe’s use in theirs.

GOOP World: 7am: Wake up, have a green tea
Real World: 7am: Alarm goes off. Unpeel tongue from roof of mouth. Momentarily wish was dead as preferential to getting up and going to work. Hit snooze button.

GOOP World: Post-workout: Kale Juice (kale, lemons, agave nectar, cold water)
Real World: What the hell is agave nectar?

GOOP World: 1pm Lunch: 1 Mountain Valley Wrap, 1.5 tablespoons of Almond Butter, Chopped Dates
Real World: “Hello, is that More? Yeah, can I get a lasagne for delivery, please? Yep, that’s it, thanks. No nothing else.” Pause. “And chips.”

Is your life closer to Goop World or Real World?

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