Vegetarian Star

Chris Walla is a vegetarian, but things haven’t always been that way. As a teenager, he made the decision after realizing he was on the verge of eating anywhere from 2-6 hamburgers a day if he didn’t change his diet quick.

These days, it’s more like 2-6 servings of veggies every day and a whole lotta Amy’s Kitchen Frozen Meals, which accompany him while on tour with Death Cab For Cutie.

“They are so wonderful and so easy!  Pretty much everything that company (Amy’s Kitchen) does is pretty great,” said Walla.

He also gives good advice for those who are not quite old enough to make their own food choices.

“It was a bit tricky as a 15-year-old living at home in a household where, you know … my mom and dad were “meat and potatoes” Americans. Their diets consisted of a meat main dish, potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable side–that sort of thing. It’s a little difficult to get through that when you’re so dependent on somebody else for your food. Just know that if it’s something that’s important to you, there will be a point in your life when you’re in control of what you eat and why you eat it.”

Read the rest of his interview with PETA.

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peta

Pamela Anderson stopped by one of Canada’s Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants to sample their new faux chicken vegetarian sandwich. The veggie chicken, which some say technically isn’t vegan because it’s fried in the same oil with the real chicks, was created in response to much pressure by celebrities and other folk for KFC to clean up its act and provide better environments for their chickens.

If you’re going to be visiting Canada before the end of September, you should take advantage of this buy 1 get one free coupon. We’re still waiting for a fake chicken in the U.S., though. Pam had this to say about her home country’s actions:

“It’s very Canadian of them. Very forward thinking. I’m very proud Canada KFC was the first to do it. Hopefully everyone else follows suit.”

For more pics of Pam’s KFC experience, go here.

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Photo: Edans on Flickr

Peter Rojas became a millionaire blogger reviewing electronic equipment at Engadget. Some of his latest entrepreneurial adventures include RCRD LBL, which works with record labels and artists to provide free music downloads. His considers his veganism a “very personal thing,” but for someone so personal, he sure exposed a lot of details of what he ate during the week of July 24th-30th to NYMag.

He and fellow vegan Moby also seem to be stalking each other.

“I always see Moby out at vegan restaurants,” Rojas said. “Half the time I go out to eat he’s there.”

Mere coincidence? Rojas stalking Moby? Moby stalking Rojas? Rather than solve the riddle of the (faux) chicken and (mock) egg, we’d rather be stalkers ourselves and bring you voyeuristic pleasure of learning what Rojas had to eat.

Thursday, July 24
“I was out in California for a couple of days on business, and since the guys I was meeting with knew I’m vegan (twelve years!), they took me to Cafe Gratitude, a raw-food place in San Rafael.”

Friday, July 25
“I got the vegetarian bento box.”

Saturday, July 26
“I got the tofu scramble and home fries.”

Sunday, July 27
“I had some granola cereal from Whole Foods…then cooked a massaman curry with tofu and vegetables. I kind of screwed it up by adding too much lime juice to it — not sure what I was thinking.”

Monday, July 28
“I had more cereal for breakfast. Then I made a smoothie for lunch.”

Tuesday, July 29
“I ordered some Moroccan chickpea thing, which was good (but not great), but the real highlights were the stuffed-avocado salad and the totally vegan brownie sundae.”

Wednesday, July 30
“I had the vegetarian meatballs with Thai black rice.”

And what does he think of what the city that never sleeps has to offer its vegan food patrons?

“There’s a pretty good selection of vegan restaurants in New York — it’s really easy. I kind of wish there were a Manhattan equivalent of Foodswings in Brooklyn — it’s a vegan fast-food kind of place with fake chicken, all kinds of fake stuff.”

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Chrissie Hynde is looking to expand her restaurant business and open a second VegiTerranean in Columbus, OH. In 2007, she opened the first in her hometown of Akron.

Although nothing is definite yet, calls to the restaurant confirm a working plan to expand.

Earlier this month, The VegiTerranean put 2 of its vegan burgers on display at the National Hamburger Festival.

The original plan was to open the Columbus restaurant by this summer, but we all know good things take time.

Hynde’s partner Dan Duplain told the Columbus Dispatch they eventually want to have restaurants in every major city in Ohio. The current vegan menu features vegan Italian food and items named for famous Ohio residents such alcohol-free cocktails named after the Alcoholics Anonymous founder Dr. Bob Smith.

The Pretender’s singer grew up in Ohio and attended Kent State University for awhile. She now resides in the U.K.

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At Vegetarian Star, we like to bring you both oldies and goodies-meaning if an article is still relevant, we’ll tell you about it.

Dr. John Briffa examines  celebrities’ food choices and gives the health yah or nay. We found him examing Benjamin Zephaniah-poet, writer of many books including Talking Turkeys and Rasta Time in Palestine, vegan, and animal rights activist.

Zephaniah:
I ‘ve been vegan since I was 13, when I realised I could live happily without taking from the animal world. I don’t like to preach about it but I see myself as an example. I’ve got some Nigerian friends who claim that eating meat enables them to make love to a woman better, and one friend who’s so fat he can hardly move from the chair, and still thinks he’s being African by eating meat.

“I believe in having something raw with each meal, and because Caribbean men are prone to prostate cancer, I usually have tomatoes as they are meant to contain properties that help to prevent it.”

Dr. Briffa:
Garlic
Garlic has various beneficial effects on the body that are believed to afford relative protection from several conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, deep vein thrombosis and infections such as colds and flu. It seems garlic has the capacity to keep not just potential suitors, but also a range of unwanted ills, at arm’s length.

Soya milk
Soya milk is free from the sugar found in dairy-derived milk known as lactose. This has particular relevance for Benjamin because individuals of Afro-Caribbean stock tend not to digest lactose at all well, and this can give rise to various symptoms of digestive disorder including bloating, diarrhoea and gas. The fact the soya milk contains hormone-like substances known as phytoestrogens that are believed to help protect against heart disease and prostate cancer is another boon for Benjamin.

Plantain
Plantains are believed to help thicken the lining of the stomach and protect from ulcers. They are also rich in selenium – a trace mineral that is believed to help protect against a variety of cancers including prostate cancer.

Read what else Zephaniah puts in his temple, here.

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Gothamist

If you haven’t picked up the latest (July/August 2008) issue of Vegetarian Times yet, you’re missing out. (Or if you still have the mag in your “inbox” pile of mail you haven’t read yet.)

Moby’s got an interview featured in the Q & A Section where he talks about his mommy helping him go veg (How sweet.)

Moby is the former co-owner of Teany, a vegetarian restaurant and tea shop in New York and talked about his love of the eatery.

“What I was most proud of about Teany was that on any given Saturday we would be filled with people and a very small percentage of them were vegetarian. So if you went to Teany and you were a vegetarian or vegan, you would be perfectly happy. But if you went to Teany and you were a meat eater, you would also be happy.  Regardless of what some people’s feelings might be about fake meat, it is a really good way of getting meat eaters into vegetarianism. It’s a gateway drug.”

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We at Vegetarian Star know how much you like snooping in celebrities’ grocery bags, so we thought we’d bring you more voyeuristic fun, this time with Bryan Adams.

Adams, longtime vegetarian and supporter of Peta, allowed Dr. John Briffa to examine the contents of his grocery bags. Dr. Briffa is known at The Guardian, for putting celebrity favorite foods under scrutiny. Here’s what Adams had to say:

Adams: I became a vegan for my health 20 years ago. I abide by the rule that if it looks like it’s going to clog your system, it probably will. People don’t understand about me being vegan, but I’m not a preacher, I simply have my view on what works for me.

I start my day with fruit juice and a mixed fruit salad. Dinner is salads or, if I’m not on a raw-food diet, then pasta or something veggie that’s cooked. If I’m in the studio then the food tends to be garbage for the most part, unless you’re lucky enough to have it catered in. I have been known to bring avocados to the set with lemons.

Here’s what Dr. Briffa had to say:

Avocado

Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat, which has a variety of heart-healthy properties. They also offer up a decent portion of protein, especially for a fruit, which helps sate the appetite.

Dried fruit and nuts

Nuts will provide protein which can be deficient in the vegan diet. They are also rich in monounsaturated fat and other nutrients beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Dried fruit is also relatively healthy – not just for vegan rock stars, but other mortals too.

Read the rest of what Dr. Briffa thinks here.

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Stars can get picky with their demands during concerts, but at least some are demanding the healthy stuff.

According to the San Diego Reader blog, The Steve Miller Band likes to sip on a gallon of homemade vegetarian soup in their hotels, for example.

Everclear is slightly more demanding as their hotel room bill might include a veggie tray with hummus and a liter of Soya Milk.

To read about other snacks, healthy or non-healthy, veg or non-veg, the stars prefer, go here.

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