VegFest?

VegFest?  VegFest!  What is VegFest you wonder?  Well, you asked the right question and came to the right place for the answer.


Every year, the wonderful people at Vegetarians of Washington put together a Festival for Vegetarians and Vegans.  It's actually the largest in the country!  Definitely something to see! VegFest is a place where you can sample foods (organic dark chocolate, teas, sauces ~ YUM) over 500 different types of foods to try ~ all free!  They have chefs from throughout the country, preparing the latest vegan and vegetarian dishes.  You can hear speakers and physicians who will present the latest information on nutrition.  Not to mention the cooking classes.  They even have a book store available.  It is something to experience.  We usually spend time walking around and sampling the food, talking to vendors about their products, and listening to a few of the speakers.  There is so much to do and so little time.    

Many people recognize the health and other benefits of vegetarian food choices, but they are not sure what to eat, what to buy and how to cook it. This festival provides all the support that people need, and it's fun too. You'll find free health screenings, books and lots of food, there's something for everyone. There’s even a special kids section where kids can learn about healthy food while having fun, with clowns, face painting and more.

This year, I worked with my friend Linda.  We were in charge of dishing out (maybe flinging is more like it) the newest yogurt, Amande.  We had an abundance of people coming by to try this new almond milk 'yogurt', the only product of its kind in the country.  


This is an unbelievable product.  Not only does it serve as a vegan alternative but it's also a dairy intolerant substitute for those who have difficulty with dairy or soy.  An boy was it smooth and delicious!  Actually, according to the FDA, it can't be called a yogurt because it doesn't contain dairy.  But suffice it to say, no matter what you want to call it, it's a teaser for you tastebuds.  We couldn't fill the little cups fast enough.  It will come in 6 flavors but we were only sampling 4 of the flavors (thank goodness, we would never have kept up).  The sample flavors were strawberry, blueberry, cherry and peach.  The two additional flavors will be coconut and raspberry.  This product is made from  almond milk with all the cultures necessary and it is sweetened with fruit juice.  You'll also find real fruit pieces in each bite.  Did I mention how smooth and delicious it is?  I can't wait until this is available at all stores; which will begin in a month.  For now, I'll just have to remember the taste and count down the days until I'll be able to buy it for myself.  


VegFest is an event that I look forward to each year.  There's always something new to taste, new information to glean and a new challenging volunteer experience to remember.  Until next year, I'm going to find the nearest store and stock up on the Amande (french for almond).  


Have you ever experienced anything like VegFest?  What do you think of the event?  Send your comments ~ I look forward to hearing them.  

Oh Nuts!

After years of staying away from nuts, among other foods, now nutritionists are telling us we should eat them.  As recent as 5 years ago, nuts were bad for your health because of the high fat content.  That was back in the day when we were supposed to eat low fat foods.  Now we read and hear that nuts are good for us and help keep our arteries clear.  With all this conflicting information, do you ever wonder if "they" really know what is right or not?

It may have been about 20 years ago that we were told to eat a low fat diet for our overall health, especially our heart health.  So, being someone who wants to be healthy, hence the name of the blog, of  course I wanted to make sure that my family was fed the lowest fat diet.  We had low fat cheese, low fat sauces, cakes, cookies and on an on.  I stopped using butter because that was too high in fat.  Eggs, well you could only use the whites because the yolk was pure cholesterol!  We went for years eating this way.  I even went so far as to completely cut some foods out of our diet because they were too high in fat.  Nuts being one of them.

Except for peanuts all other nuts were off limits.  Somehow, peanuts were okay.  Although still high in fat, peanuts were from the ground so they were better for us.  With all this confusing information I finally said enough.  I took it upon myself to find out what should we really eat?

With the help of my daughter, who learned about veganism*. (no not some form of weird cult group) and my brother, who had been a vegan before the word was coined I think, I went about finding out as much as I could about food.

*According to Wikipedia a vegan is:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Vegan" redirects here. For other uses, see Vegan (disambiguation).

Simple example of possible vegan lunchor dinner option: pumpkin seed-crusted lentilpatties with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and salad.

Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle whose adherents seek to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.^[1][2]Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind.^[3] The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are human health, ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights or welfare, the environment, and spiritual or religious concerns.^[2][4][5] Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming.

Properly planned vegan diets are healthful and have been found to satisfy nutritional needs, and offer protection against heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.^[6][7] 

Once my daughter related the information she had learned about a vegan diet, I started to look into the information further.  Not only did I find out that nuts were good for you, but there was a plethora of foods that I could eat without guilt.  Oh to enjoy the taste of food again!  But will this new information soon be found to be unhealthy as well?  Does anyone really know what the "right" or "healthy" diet is for today?  Suffice it to say that any diet with pure fruits, vegetables, legumes and NUTS, can't be bad for you!  

Growing up, my mom would always have a bowl of nuts on the table.  After dinner, especially on holidays, everyone would sit at the table and talk as they cracked open the nuts.  It was a family ritual that we all knew and looked forward to after the meal.  It also kept us all at the table as we listened to family conversation, stories, and jokes.  Then, all of a sudden, the nuts were no longer at the table!  Word spread that nuts were bad for you.  Among other foods, nuts were on the outs.  No matter where you went, if nuts were included in the meal they were left on the side.  

As we moved into the 21st century, the information gathered was changed and re-evaluated.  Thank goodness someone has the sense to get the word out before we all continued on that tasteless road of bland, fat free food for life!  I, for one, am grateful to my daughter and my brother for opening my eyes to another way of enjoying my food and learning that there is more to health than fat free.

Today, it's comforting to know that nuts are back on the table and a part of the meal again!  So go enjoy those nuts and maybe a few conversations around the table while cracking some of those nuts as well!