Vegan on Japan Airlines
So many airlines have seriously disappointed with the quality of their long-haul meal offerings for “strict” vegetarians but I had high hopes for JAL. After all, dairy isn’t even a real player in Japanese cuisine – so we are just dealing with meat/fish/egg-free. Considering the possible options – veg sushi, soy anything, especially edamame, rice, seaweed, amazing vegetables plus the whole range of Buddhist vegetarianism,this was going to be a slam dunk. Wrong! On two long legs (12 hours originating in Honolulu and 8 hours Tokyo to Singapore ), the food was sub-standard JFK catering quality. When I looked at the food my seat mate (husband) was served, I was even more disappointed. (Even though he, too, eats a whole-foods, plant-based diet, he long ago gave up airline “special meals” and just picks and chooses from whatever they are serving – sometimes he is very hungry.)
The Hawaii to Japan leg, offered the better of the two. JAL served a main VGML and a breakfast snack. A beautiful hunk of papaya on a small bed of lettuces with two cucumber slices and two tomato slices was accompanied by a barely edible “entree” – white rice, overcooked broccoli, and frozen mixed carrots, peas and corn – no sauces. “Breakfast” was a fresh salad – three asparagus spears, two tomato slices, two cucumber slices and a few pieces of fresh fruit.
Main VGML HNL to HND
Entree VGML HNL to HND
Breakfast Snack HNL to HND
On the Tokyo-Singapore leg JAL served a snack that was ridiculous (a tiny roll with two very thin cucumber slices and two very thin tomato pieces- no sauce or condiment) and a main meal just before landing at 6am that was a slightly better dinner. White rice sprinkled with almonds flanked by decent cauliflower overcooked broccoli and button mushrooms accompanied by a salad of a few lettuce leaves and two baby corn ears. Considering that these were sourced in Tokyo, the quality was even sadder. The primary meal for the rest of the plane was a delicious “bento box” with a layer of sticky rice topped by a layer of toasted nori with a smoky roasted salmon filet. It would have been so easy to “veganize” this…..
Snack HND to SIN
- Main Meal HND to SIN
Tokyo Airport was a bit more interesting with some good veg options.
Artichoke – Vegan options at this casual eatery near the NYC HighLine
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza West (212-792-9200) at 114 Tenth Avenue at 17th Street in the Meatpacking District is ideally located just steps from an entrance to NYC’s HighLine park. The casual, tavern atmosphere of dark wood, marble tables, a comfortable booths with a long zinc bar.
For those of us on a vegan/plant-based diet, there are a couple superb choices. The super large signature Artichoke is stuffed with breadcrumbs, parsley & pignoli nuts ($15) swimming in a yummy broth and the family-sized Boxed Salad features a spring mix with artichoke hearts, red onion, olives, tomatoes, mozzarella & house dressing ($15 ) – just ask for the cheese on the side. And if you want more, Basille’s home made Garlic Bread Sticks with dipping sauce ($11) also works for dipping into the artichoke broth.
For your cheese-eating friends, the enormous 18-inch pizza is pretty amazing- packed with an array of unique mixes of ingredients – crab, artichoke, burnt anchovy, white pie ($28-30). Try the “wedge” ($15) that’s a third of that huge pizza (hoping that maybe they’ll consider a soy cheese pizza?).
And – good news – there’s an Artichoke Light in the Delta Airlines terminal at LaGuradia. Great for those of us who are Delta regulars.
Zitoune Moroccan Cuisine, Mamaroneck, NY – A host of Vegan Choices plus a Belly Dancer
Along a busy stretch of Boston Post Road – 1127 W. Boston Post Rd., Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914-835-8350) – this charming, inviting small eatery belies its surroundings. The extensive menu of classic Moroccan dishes nets a very good selection of plant-based/vegan dishes.
On the App menu, we particularly enjoyed the Vegetable Cigars – Rolled, crisp Filo surrounds marinated Vegetables (Carrot, Zucchini, Red and Green Pepper) $6, a Lentil Tagine –
Lentils cooked in a traditional Tagine Pot with Onions and Tomatoes $7.50
Three soups – Chourba $6, Lentil, $7 and Harira $7.50 are all vegan. As were three of the salads – Zitoune $6, Mediterranean $7 (with no feta) and Mediterranean Orzo $7. Always ask about cheese – they sometime leave it off the menu description.
Among the Dinner entrees we found several enticing choices –
Berber Couscous $15.50 – Traditional Moroccan Couscous as it’s enjoyed in Marrakech, served with Seven Vegetables and an Aromatic Broth
Vegetable Tagine $9 – Saffron Vegetable broth, with Carrot, Potato, Pepper and String Beans served in a traditional Moroccan Tagine
Moroccan Stewed White Beans $9.50 – with Tomato, Olive Oil, and Moroccan Seasoning, garnished with Butternut Squash
Couscous el Fassi $16.50- Fez style with Caramelized Onions, Raisins and Chick Peas
There’s also a can’t be beat Early Bird Special 5-7pm for $15.95. An appetizer, entree with a glass of wine and coffee or tea. it’s likely that one of the choices will be plant-based – but no guarantee.
Lunch is served Monday to Saturday and brunch on Sunday. The all-vegan soups are only $4, the salad choices are more extensive ($5-8) and the entrees range from a Veggie Lovers Sandwich ($6) to a Vegetable Melange ($8), the Lentil Tangine ($7.50), and the Vegetable Berber Couscous ($9).
There’s also a Prix Fixe special at lunch (11:30-1:30) $11. A soup or salad plus an entree and coffee or tea.
Why a Plant-Based (aka Vegan) Diet? The films that tell the story
Sometimes it’s hard to tell someone about eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet without sounding like you are proselytizing – a big no, no IMO. So offering a film that says it all in a non-threatening way is a gret way to go. It worked for us. A friend gave us Mike Andersen’s Eating DVD – right on the heels of having read T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study – and that changed the food habits of five or six people.
There are some superb films and DVDs that have been produced recently that make a clear case for a WFPBD. This my list of personal favorites:
Forks Over Knives (2011) created by Brian Wendel, featuring T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Neal Barnard
Got the Facts on Milk? (The Milk Documentary) (2011, 2007) by Shira Lane. Effectively questions the health benefits of milk and dairy products. Features T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Neal Barnard
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (2010) by Joe Cross. A personal documentary of a person with an autoimmune disease taking back his health care and trading in his pills for a juicer.
Fresh (2009) by Ana Jones. Features Joe Salatin, Will Allen, David Ball. Takes a hard look at our food production system and the negative impact of agribusiness. Takes up where Food, Inc. leaves off adding possible solutions.
Eating, 3rd Ed. (2008) a DVD on the RAVE Diet by Mike Andersen (also a book). An earlier version of this film convinced us to change from a whole-foods, sugar & meat-free diet to a total Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet (a bigger change than one might think).
Food Inc. (2008) directed by Robert Kenner. Features Michael Pollack. Champions more compassionate treatment of meat animals, but does not support a plant-based-only diet
Food Matters (2008) by James Colquhoun & Laurentine ten Bosch. Features Charlotte Gerson, Andrew Saul, Dan Rogers, David Wolfe,
Fast Food Nation (2006). Looks at the destructive impact of eating meat on health, animals and the environment
Super Size Me (2004). Morgan Spurlock’s 30-days on a McDonald’s-only diet
Foodmatters
Hello Weight Watchers – where’s the Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet Track?
In my pre-WFPBD days, I successfully used the Weight Watchers (dub-dub) program with considerably success. When the weight did not slide off after switching to a vegan diet (aka WFPBD), I again turned to Weight Watchers to trim those stubborn seven pounds. And I was so disappointed to see that this impressive organization had completely overlooked the revolution under its very nose. Yes, there are a significant number of vegan and vegetarian dishes on their website, but there is no support system (and the meetings really are key) for people choosing a vegan or WFPBD.
I contacted Weight Watchers about WFPBD- focused group meetings, and they said that there just wasn’t enough ground-swell for that yet but that it was quite possible to maintain a WFPBD while using the WW on-line program. I don’t think that that is really true – there’s no program just a collection of recipes that happen to be animal-free, and, of course, there aren’t any meetings. A friend is studying WW as part of her MBA program, and believes that they are really quite open to variations on their theme. So what will it take to get them to take notice?
Weight Watchers is, IMO, the best of the national weight-loss brands. So if it were possible to convince them that the ground-swell is happening as we speak, and that it would be advantageous for them to be supportive of a WFPBD, then that influence could begin to manifest across the country in dramatic ways. This is a very powerful group with a strong, committed and loyal fan base – and great reach. What a difference they could make!!
Reference List for Plant-Based (aka Vegan) Gurus
While I don’t agree completely with any of these sources, they are, IMO, all very good and each makes a solid case for his/her slightly different perspective.
T. Colin Campbell, PhD
The China Study (2004)
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure (2008)
Joel Fuhrman, MD
Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition (2011)
Annemarie Colbin, PhD
The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones: A Holistic Approach (2009)
Neal Barnard, MD
Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs (2008)
Andrew Weill, MD
Spontaneous Happiness (2011)
Mark Hyman, MD
The Blood Sugar Solution: The UltraHealthy Program for Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Feeling Great Now! (2012)
John McDougall, MD
The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good! (2012)
Dean Ornish, MD
The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, and Gain Health (2008)
Joan Dye Gussow, PhD
Growing, Older – A Chronicle of Death, Life and Vegetables (2010)
For how we got into this mess and what we need to do to get out of it:
David Kessler’s The End of Overeating
Doug Lisle’s The Pleasure Principle
Stewart Brand’s The Whole Earth Discipline
And for the best overall, easy to understand take on WFPBD, I love Julieanna Hever’s Complete Idiots Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
Reverse Type 2 Diabetes with a Plant-Based Diet?
One in 10 Americans suffer from Diabetes Meillitus Type Two — one in four over the age of 60. 285 billion people world-wide represent a 10-fold increase in 25 years, and one in two will have the disease or a precursor by 2020. Today the annual cost to the US Health care system alone is almost $180 billion – and it will continue to grow to $3.5 trillion in just a decade.
Billions of dollars are spent on hundreds of drugs designed to manage the disease – Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors,Biguanides, Meglitinides, Sulfonylureas, Thiazolidinediones plus injectibles like exenatide, mitiglinide, pramlintide, sitagliptin, saxagliptin….
But still serious complications persist – glaucoma, cataracts, kidney disease, heart attacks, hypertension, hearing loss, gum disease, gastroparesis, ketoacidosis, depression, neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, stress, stroke, damaged nerves, skin disorders, Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome……
WHAT IF THERE WAS A CURE? A magic bullet that could make all of this go away? Change lives, save billions of dollars, and deep six one of the world’s most prevalent, damaging diseases.
There is! According to a ground-breaking study published in Diabetologia, Type 2 Diabetes can be reversed in one to eight weeks! The secret? A low glycemic load, high-fiber, whole-foods, plant-based diet!
REFERENCES:
Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalization of beta cell function in association with decrease pancreas and liver triglycerides Diabetologia; DOI 10.1007/s00125-011-2204-7 E. L. Lim & K. G. Hollingsworth & B. S. Aribisala & M. J. Chen & J. C. Mathers & R. Taylor
Plant-based Food That Travels II – Condo or Galley
Here are some more thoughts on packing light-weight, useful foods that give you a head-start on provisioning a condo kitchen or boat galley:
A ready-to-pack plastic bag – keep one at the ready and drop stuff in as you find it – because it’s so easy to forget what you bought in the craziness of packing.
Small Condiment Packets: We collect little plastic packages of wasabi, hot mustard, soy sauce, sweet & sour,
that come with take-out or are available on salad bars. Sometimes just one packet is all you need to kick up a dish.
Assorted spices packed into either in a multi-compartment spice containter or in little 4 oz plastic bags or vials – an italian
mix, herbes de provence, cumin, salt substitute, and a curry mix would be a good start. We try to keep on hand most of the spice mixes that Mark Bittman details in his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian book so it’s easy to pack up a vial or small package. BTW – more than half the book is vegan or describes vegan substitutes – it’s great!!
Tempeh – frozen – if the trip isn’t too far, the packages will still have a chill on them when you arrive and yo may not find it so easy to track that down in a resort community.
More ideas later….
Plant-based Food That Travels – Condo Kitchen or Boat Galley
With new weight limits these days, trying to pack a base supply of food for a Charter Boat or Condo Vacation can be problematic. We’ve all learned that we need at least some starter foods while we check out the local purveyors – food we can trust and count on.
I started researching easy-to prepare meals that work when there is a kitchen or a galley (and that don’t weigh too much) – and even ones that could work in a hotel room with a coffee maker that delivers hot water.
Here’s the first installment:
Thai Kitchen products that are Vegan, lightweight and pretty tasty:
Rice Noodle Meal Kits: Thai Peanut, Lemongrass & Chili, Toasted Sesame
Noodle Carts: Pad Thai, Thai Peanut, Roasted Garlic, Toasted Sesame
Take Out Boxes: Thai Peanut and Tangy Sweet & Sour
Jasmine rice Mixes: Roasted Garlic & Chili and Jasmine Rice
Oatmeal Packets
Salt & Pepper grinders – either the disposable ones or a single unit
that grinds both. Chances are it will be humid and a salt grinder will be
welcome.
Vegetable broth cubes or tubes.
Soy milk – Small aspetic packages
Tofu – Aseptic packages of Extra firm, firm and silken
Wild Rice – all cooked – from Trader Joe’s – instant side dish, entree base
or wonderful with oranges, scallions and a citrus dressing!
St. Petersburg, FL Farmers Market – A Weekly Destination
St. Petersburg’s Saturday Morning Market – the largest weekly fresh market in the southeast US – is worth a detour. In season (early October to late May, 9am-2pm), a core group of food vendors and a rotating set of artisans fill 130 spaces that attract 8-10,000 visitors. If you want to get a handle on this energetic, revitalized city, this the the place to start. The market, with live music, dozens of ready-to eat vendors, organic farm stands, and craft vendors, is really the heart of St. Pete. Families, strollers and dogs crowd the aisles and the local musicians encourage dancing and hanging out. It’s a fun, joyous experience. From June through August, there’s a smaller market in Williams Park. See a whole flock of images on my pinterest board.