Chocolate improves blood vessel function
A recent study found that dark chocolate improves the function of blood vessels. The study is the latest in a growing number that link reduced heart disease risk to flavonoids. These beneficial substances are found in dark chocolate as well as red wine, green tea and dark-colored fruits and vegetables. But don't overdo it. Chocolate has high sugar and fat content. Link >>

Eat a lot of beef? Forget grandkids
It appears that women who eat a lot of beef while pregnant give birth to sons who grow up to have low sperm counts. According to new research in the UK, Scientists now believe that steroids and sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone – used to make cows grow faster – could interfere with the development of unborn babies, affecting male sperm production later in life. Note: There is also a link between meat-eating and impotence.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has information on vegetarian nutrition during pregnancy. Also the Vegetarian Position Paper by the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada has information on pregnancy, infants and children. View as a 20-page pdf.

Today John held down the fort as the sole podcaster.  He had to prepare for guests so he cleaned the toilet, vacuumed, and even made some vegan strudel for them.  John owes them huge for coming in because God knows nobody wants to hear his voice alone for twenty plus minutes.

Marvin Nguyen was here to promote his group of veggie runners who are training for the upcoming Sporting Life 10K on May 6, 2007. Marvin has two goals in mind. 1. Send a powerful message to the public that vegetarians can be strong and fit. And 2 – encourage existing vegetarians to go further. For more information see our Veggie & Fit article. "Veg runners are great," John says without any hint of bias. He recommends a new book by Ironman triathlete, Brendan Brazier called the Thrive Diet – available in our Resource Centre. Brendan will be in Toronto June 10 to give a special talk to teens, parents and students.

Erika Sullivan was here as our vegan veterinarian to answer all of the questions related to our happy little companion animals. She and John talk about the recent tainted pet food recall, and the debate over feeding cats vegan pet food – which she says may lead to obesity and type II diabetes. See our Cats & Dogs page for more about this issue, and where to obtain veggie pet food.

Also discussed this week: Where to find simple vegan recipe books, and recipe suggestions for vegan picnics. See our cookbooks page for links.

Listen Now!

We now have pages for Hamilton and Stratford. 

With a population of a half million, Hamilton is the eighth largest city in Canada. There are two vegetarian restaurants and a vegetarian group based from McMaster University. With its proximity to farms, Hamilton has a good local food scene championed by Hamilton Eat Local Project (HELP). 

Stratford is a small city in rural southwestern Ontario famous for its theatre shows and festivals. They have a vegan cafe there called Veg Out.

In what many animal welfare advocates describe as a “historic advance,” Burger King has announced that they will begin buying 2% of their eggs and 10% of their pork from suppliers that do not confine their animals in cages and crates. The decision will apply to the US and Canada.

Food marketing experts and animal welfare advocates predict that the shift will put pressure on other restaurant and food companies to adopt similar practices.

"The fact that Burger King has made positive changes for some of the animals killed for its restaurants will send a ripple effect through the fast food industry," said PETA spokesman Matt Prescott. It will show other companies that animal welfare "cannot be ignored."

Burger King has also been a pioneer with its BK Veggie burger available since 2001. In Canada, this burger is made by Sol Cuisine and is vegan. The U.S. version contains egg whites. Their French fries are vegan. For more information see our Fast Food Report.

A few weeks ago, Health Canada launched a new version of Canada’s Food Guide. It’s been 15 years since the guide was last updated. There are several changes of interest to vegetarians.

The guide still uses a rainbow design, but fruits and vegetables now take the place of grains on the outer band. The veggie and grain bands are now wider than the milk and meat bands. The Milk group has been renamed “Milk and Alternatives“ and includes fortified soymilk. The “Meat and Alternatives“ group now emphasizes the vegetarian options instead of meats. The first recommendation is to eat “meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.”

While there have been some advances for vegetarians, the guide is far from perfect. Milk and Meat continue to be two of the four categories, and the only vegan milk alternative mentioned is soymilk. They recommend eating fish, but provide a footnote warning about limiting exposure to mercury. Presumably the fish promotion is to wean meat eaters away from land animals, and to provide a source of Omega-3. Unfortunately, there is no mention of vegetarian sources of omega-3. The guide also does little to address concerns about obesity and junk food.

Team Hiatus (John and AngelA) are back this week and bringing the funk. John has been in Mexico where the avocados are so good they are like "a religious experience." AngelA has been stressed out studying, and eating a "bad" diet of mainly cereal. We talk about: tofu haiku (5-7-5), getting our healthy diets back on track from the doldrums (eat kale), how to send a fake postcard (masking tape is your friend), and the Middle Eastern style pizzas at Akram's in Kensington Market. Frickin'!

Next week we hope to have a couple of guest podcasters. Erica is a vegan veterinarian, and Marvin is organizing a group of vegetarian/vegan runners for an upcoming race in Toronto. Send questions about companion animals or veggie fitness to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Listen Now!

Vegetarians tend to be more fit than average due to eating a healthy diet. But good health doesn’t start and stop at the dinner table. It involves getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and incorporating regular exercise into your daily life. For some of us, this means making significant changes – especially when it comes to exercise.

Here’s an event that will dispel any myths that vegetarians lack strength, and help you get on the right path – Veggie & Fit. On May 6, 2007, join a group of vegetarian/vegan runners in Toronto’s Sporting Life 10K, a celebration of fitness along Canada’s most famous street. For more details and to sign up, visit http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/veggierunners.

If you need some inspiration, read OrganicAthlete.org's interviews with elite vegan athletes including ironman triathlete, Brendan Brazier; pro cyclist, Molly Cameron; ultramarathoner, Scott Jurek;  pro bodybuilder, Kenneth Williams; and pro surfer, Katie Coryell. They also have an excellent guide to vegan sports nutrition.

Challenge yourself to become more than just “veggie” – be veggie & fit!

Magic Oven – new location in the Annex
270 Dupont St. (at Spadina), 416-928-1555
www.magicoven.com
   New full service, licensed restaurant with seating for 65. They offer the same menu as their take-out locations, and discount cardholders are eligible to receive a 10% discount. Twelve vegetarian and five vegan pizzas to choose from, or order a custom one. They also sell pizza by the slice ($4) for take-out or eat-in.  Exceptional pizza menu with innovative healthy pastas and salads. Focus on quality ingredients with offerings to please vegan, lactose intolerant, vegetarian, gluten-free and wheat-free diets. Open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun noon-10pm.

v LIVE - Organic Food Bar – open later
264 Dupont St. (at Spadina), 416-515-2002
LIVE is now open till 11pm most nights. Weekend brunch from 10am-3pm. Closed on Monday. Chic back yard patio opens as soon as the weather gets warmer. They have increased the number of raw snacks and desserts that are available for purchase, since their take-out location, Organiclicious, closed.

v M & B Yummy Classic Ethiopian food!  – vegan once again
1263 Queen St W. (at Brock) in Parkdale, 416-516-2798
They serve traditional Ethiopian cuisine made fresh to order. Recently the owner has gone back and forth between serving meat or not. But now all her menu items are entirely vegan thanks to help and encouragement from a supporter named Antoine. Antoine approaches local restaurants and encourages them to add vegan options to their menus. M&B Yummy does serve cow's milk as an option for coffee, and some non-vegan baked goods that are made elsewhere. But there are vegan desserts from Sweets From The Earth and vegan Nanaimo bars from a local pastry chef. 

Kalyvia – vegetarian options may contain chicken broth.
We received an email from Lee: “I was just at Kalyvia, a Greek restaurant at Danforth and Chester [416-463-3333, www.kalyvia.com]. They offer several "vegetarian meals", but upon inquiring I found out that both the potatoes and rice are made in chicken broth.” We sent them an email but have not heard back yet. Last summer we had success getting Spring Rolls to add a proper vegan menu free of fish sauce. Speaking up can work.

Note: Annapurna Vegetarian Restaurant will be closed from April 7 - April 17, 2007 inclusive.  Bo De Duyen has been closed for vacation for most of March, but they are reopening after Mar 27 according to a sign on the door.

Cassie Young lives with her husband in British Columbia and runs the blog, Veggie Meal Plans. "I'm a home cook who enjoys preparing uncomplicated meals that are delicious, healthy and satisfying!"

Recently they decided to take the Veggie Challenge. Not only did they successfully complete the Challenge by going vegan for a week, but Cassie posted a recipe and photo of every dinner she made along with a complete grocery list of ingredients! She says, "I've learned a lot this past week from the emails and from your great web site! We both did well, had no problem with it, and feel great about our choice. We've decided to continue on!  My participation in the Challenge has also inspired a few of my friends to give it a try, which makes me very happy."

The recipes from March are no longer available, but check out her excellent site for more recent meal plans.

Photo: Rice Bowl with Miso-Chili Tofu, Spicy Turnip Salad and Cabbage. Copyright © 2007 Cassie Young

By Stephen Leckie

On Sunday, I got to see a very uplifting and moving talk by Harold Brown, Outreach Coordinator for Farm Sanctuary.

In his talk he explored how activists can become more effective and inspired by using compassion and human psychology. The idea is to become 'farmers' of compassion. Activists are like farmers hoping to plant seeds of compassion in omnivores who are the fertile soil. We need to cultivate and water those seeds. Harold says the best way is to come from the heart and understand that (for most of us) we were in the same place before becoming vegetarian. When we become angry it is like pouring toxins on the soil, and people will often react negatively. "We need to be like mentors. Make friends with omnivores. Go outside your vegan bubbles," he said.

>> Continue reading for Harold's thoughts on a book called Pleasurable Kingdom, outdoor video education displays, the stategy of asking questions, this year's Mother's Day campaign, making inroads at the mega churches, evidence that early humans were not hunters, and the story of how he became vegetarian.

My two stepdaughters have gone vegan and my wife and I have gone vegetarian. I still eat fish on occasion, she does not. We all changed our eating lifestyle for many reasons. For myself it was a combination of health and saving animals. Since going vegetarian and following a non-pharmaceutical healing process, I have not been sick in over 2 years. No colds, no aches, cramps, indigestion has ceased to exist. While I was still eating meat, I had actually been hospitalized thinking I was having a heart attack, It turned out I had stones in my liver and gall bladder. Since then I have done some liver, gall bladder cleanses and have not had these sharp pains in over two years as well. I also switched to almond and soy beverages over milk.

Becoming a vegetarian is the only way to go if you really want to live.

– Dean, age 25-44, Cambridge

Where do vegetarians get their protein?  Are low-carb, high-protein diets OK? What kind of oils are the best to use?  And, what about omega-3's and 6's?  When it comes to going veg, these are the big topics that garner the most questions. On Saturday, a full house turned out to hear dietitian Bev Miller unravel the confusing science of nutrition and offer practical guidance on how to make healthy food choices. The occasion was part 2 of our Veg 101 series: Moving Towards a Heart Healthy Diet. In addition, participants were treated to free food samples donated by Tofurky (thanks to Neil) and plenty of information to take home and review!

For those of you in the Toronto area, there is still one more opportunity to meet Bev and event organizers, members of the Toronto Vegetarian Association’s Veggie Challenge Team. Join us 3pm Saturday, March 31 at Northern District Library for the 3rd and final installment of Veg 101: Healthy Living for a Lifetime. Admission is free, so arrive early to ensure you get a good seat.