Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 137

a recipe for brain health: join lumosity

For all you Kind Lifers eating well and exercising is part of your daily lifestyle but an important part of staying healthy is keeping your brains healthy. Think of your brain as a muscle - the more you exercise it the better it performs.

A great way to give your brain a workout is with Lumosity a really fun and engaging brain training program that helps you stay sharp and remember more. Lumosity is like a gym for your brain and it offers lots of perks like 35 games that train cognitive abilities such as memory attention and problem solving. The games are fun and challenging with increasing levels of difficulty that push you to continually improve. Lumosity also offers personalized brain training providing a customized plan based on your needs and goals and tracks your performance over time.


What's more Lumosity is based in neuroscience and has solid scientific research backing the program. To read about how Lumosity has helped people from all walks of life check out the entries from a recent Facebook contest where over 6000 people wrote in to share their personal success stories.

So be kind to your brain and start training! It takes just 15-20 minutes a day to fit in your brain exercise. Lumosity offers an absolutely free trial and if you like it you can subscribe for a month a year or more.

Kind Life readers can get 25 off a Lumosity subscription with the coupon code KINDLIFE25 valid until March 31 2012 on annual and lifetime subscriptions. Even better subscriptions also get you free full access to the Lumosity Brain Trainer iPhone app. Playing on the go is a great way to get your brain workout!

Today's post is proudly sponsored by

kind chocolate cake!

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About a year ago I sat down at Flore Vegan in Silver Lake with my girlfriend Marina and shared a slice of their chocolate cake.  It was so pretty and yum – just a decadent moment.
 
When it comes to vegan chocolate cake in LA there are lots of options. Some people love M Café's version others love the one at Real Food Daily...but if you live near Silver Lake and need a chocolate cake fix run to Flore Vegan.
 
Who makes your favorite chocolate cake?

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kind classics: natural hair styling products

Good hair products are always hard to come by... and once you find ones that you love it's very comforting. Scott a hairdresser that has worked with me a lot in the past has recommended some great products.  He was also kind enough to answer some other questions for me which are at the end of this blog.


I just love Scott! He is such a great hair artist and I feel so safe with him knowing that he only uses the best kind products.  He also has amazing hair… and he's vegan! Take a look at what Scott recommends:

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Giovanni was started by Arthur Giovanni a Beverly Hills salon owner.  Giovanni makes a full line of cruelty-free organic and vegan products and you can find them at Whole Foods.  Everything from shampoos and conditioners to styling and finisher products you can find HERE. I've been using a couple Giovanni products since I started my play and they are great.  One of the products Vitapro Fusion protects my ends from hairdryer heat and the other is Shine of the Times Finishing Mist for calming down frizz and smoothing funny fly-aways.


MOP Modern Organic Products makes Scott's favorites the C-System.  All organic and food-based ingredients these products can be found in tons of salons and beauty supply stores.  Use their locator to find a store near you.


Aveda makes tons and tons of products for every type of hair and hair need it just depends on what you need.  Their products aren't always vegan but Aveda avoids chemicals when they can and most of their products are derived from natural ingredients.  My favorite Aveda product for my hair is the Volumizing Tonic.  After I shower at night I sleep on my damp washed hair that I wrap into a loose bun.  Then in the morning I spray a little of this on my hair if I'm going somewhere spunky and my hair gets that tosselled and textured look.

Scott recommends some other products in this little interview that I did with him and also talks about why he decided to go vegan:

What products do you use and why?  What are your considerations when choosing products?

I use a variety of products depending upon my clients' needs however I always try to use the conscientious choice as there is really no reason not to. Many of the larger companies have come a long way and adhere to cruelty-free practices and in many cases vegan or vegetarian ingredients. It just takes a little diligence to read the packaging and make the smart decision.

Bumble & Bumble makes a full line of cruelty-free products which are fantastic and with a few exceptions mostly beeswax they are vegan as well. The same goes for Aveda but I have to admit that the fragrances are a little overwhelming sometimes. Giovanni and Jason both carried at Whole Foods are also terrific but as with Aveda and other "natural" products these have a more limited shelf life and last longer if refrigerated.

I also tend toward a natural alternative whenever possible. Pure shea butter makes a spectacular pomade. I use it for piece-y looks and to smooth frizziness. A little goes a long way. Pure aloe vera gel makes a great hair gel and when mixed with rosewater makes a great spray-on blow dry product. Adds thickness and shine with no alcohol! Also glycerine and rosewater can take the place of serums to calm naturally curly hair and reduce frizz.

Why did you decide to go vegan?

I was raised in a very meat-friendly household with more than one choice of meat for every meal. As soon as I left home as a teenager I became vegetarian and have just naturally evolved into a vegan lifestyle from there. I was never a fan of my many meat options and have always been a lover of all animals so it just seemed like the right trajectory for me. It certainly was a philosophical decision first and a health benefit by coincidence. I have now been vegetarian/vegan for over 40 years and have certainly reaped the long-term benefits in my health weight control skin etc...I try not to be preach-y about it and always felt that did more harm than good. I try only to live by example and work to educate my friends co-workers and clients gently and with love.

Hope this was helpful to you guys! I'd love to know what hair products you use. And if you try any of the products that Scott recommended let me know how you like them in the comments below!

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chimps are people too

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For the past few months I've been drawing attention to the senseless experimentation/torture of captive chimpanzees in the name of research. This is a cause that is very close to my heart. Chimpanzees are thinking feeling beings. Many are still senselessly tortured in the name of science on a daily basis in this country and around the world. Progress is being made however and there are many ways you can help protect these vulnerable creatures.
 
In December The National Institutes of Health suspended all new grants for biomedical and behavioral research on chimpanzees following the recommendation of an expert committee of the Institute of Medicine which revealed that most chimpanzee research and experimentation was unnecessary. Dr Francis S. Collins who is the director of the N.I.H. told reporters that as our closest living relatives chimps deserve "special consideration and respect."
 
The fight is far from over and there are still things you can do to help.
 
It's not too late to show your support for The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act H.R. 1513/S. 810 and write a letter to your representatives in government to ask for legislation that will completely phase out the use of chimpanzees in invasive research release the more than 500 federally owned chimpanzees to sanctuaries and prohibit breeding of chimpanzees for the purpose of conducting research.
 
Another way to help is encourage the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to list all chimps including captive chimps as endangered. You can fill out this petition HERE to help make that happen.
 
Educate yourself on what life is really like for chimps living in laboratories.
 
Donate to sanctuaries like Save The Chimps.
 
Most important is to just do something. Share links on your Facebook and Twitter and help get the word out that these animals need to be set free so that they can have some kind of meaningful and happy existence while they are still on this planet.
 
When I breastfeed I feel like my Bear is a little monkey…they are the same.

Please let me know how you feel about this issue in the comments below and share any other information or ideas you have. Let's save these beautiful animals.

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mark bridges wins BAFTA for the artist!

Just wanted to share this with all of you! Mark Bridges and I have been friends since we worked together on Blast From The Past 14 years ago…

Watch his acceptance speech here

Look at his sweet cute face! I just love him! I'm soooo happy for him. He works so hard and is so talented so completely deserved!

He's also worked on projects like There Will Be Blood costumes amazing Magnolia The Fighter amazing amazing costumes so real so subtle so perfect Boogie Nights 8 Mile Punch Drunk Love and Blow.

You may also remember him from The Kind Diet. The Warm Spicy Wine recipe on page 210 is all about my friend Mark Bridges…so check it out if you haven't. So yum! 

When I watched this I got all emotional. It's such a special feeling to watch someone you care about so much have such a special moment in their life. I'm just sharing cause I think it's so rad. Do you know what I mean?

Have you ever felt so proud of someone and so happy for them? I'm sure you have…tell me about it in the comments below!

PS – our friend the hilarious Missi Pyle is in The Artist as well!

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guest blog: how a plant-based diet turned donnas MS around

If you're not familiar with MS multiple sclerosis it's a disease of the central nervous system that affects around 350000 Americans mostly Caucasians and more often women than men. Its numbers are higher in populations where typical diets are composed of lots of beef butter cheese and other saturated fats. 

MS is often treated with expensive and toxic drugs but Dr. John McDougall you may recognize him from the film Forks Over Knives has successfully treated many MS patients with a plant-based diet based upon the low-fat whole foods diet pioneered by his mentor Dr. Roy Swank. 

Today Dr. McDougall's patient Donna shares how she went from feeling devastated by her MS diagnosis to hopeful happy and healthy first by following a low-fat/whole foods diet then by adopting a 100 plant-based diet. Here's an excerpt from her story you can read the whole story here:

How Food Became My Medicine
By Donna McFarland

"I woke up on April 17 1989 to one of the darkest most life-altering days of my life. As I got out of bed I was shocked to find that my left leg collapsed under me. It felt heavy and would not support my weight. I erroneously passed it off as a pinched nerve. My doctor couldn't find any cause for it so it became a 'watch and wait' situation. I dragged that leg around for more than six weeks. 

Finally my family doctor scheduled an appointment with a neurologist in Phoenix Arizona at a well-known neurological institute. My doctor warned me ahead of time that the physician he was referring me to did not have a pleasant bedside manner but that he was very proficient in his field. 

An MRI was performed and the follow-up meeting with the neurologist went something like this: 'The MRI shows that you have multiple sclerosis. You are among the top third of the worst cases we've ever seen here. You have a few good years left.' The neurologist delivered the news with as much compassion and sensitivity as a weatherman might deliver the day's highs and lows. Talk about devastating! 

Fortunately within a short amount of time I discovered Dr. Roy Swank Dr. McDougall's mentor. I learned that he had studied multiple sclerosis MS since 1946 and based on his scientific findings had successfully treated MS patients through a healthful diet. I studied his program intensely adopted a very low saturated fat diet 15 grams max a day and ate lots of clean whole foods. I didn't look at it as a diet but as a lifestyle one that I enthusiastically embraced.

It's been eighteen years now since I first met with Dr. Swank and today I do not use any kind of aids or devices such as a walker cane or braces but I do eat Dr. McDougall's low-fat plant-based diet and I take the daily rest breaks that Dr. Swank strongly advised. I am grateful for each day of health that I enjoy and only occasionally do I feel some extremity tingling when I've allowed myself to overdo it without rest. 

To quote Hippocrates the Father of Medicine 'Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.' This is certainly the message in the work of Dr. Swank and Dr. McDougall."

Congratulations Donna! If you would like to read more inspiring success stories about managing MS through a kind diet read Kind Lifer Tevia's guest blog here. 

If you know anyone who suffers from MS Dr. McDougall has a wonderful website with lots of information and programs for getting started on a kind low-fat plant-based diet. You can also donate to Dr. McDougall's ongoing research efforts here. 

Thank you for sharing your story Donna and thank you for all the kind work you do Dr. McDougall! Do any of you kind lifers struggle with MS or know someone who does?

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happy mardi gras

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I hope you have a happy Mardi Gras! Its name "Fat Tuesday" refers to the feasting that would take place on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesdsay when fasting for Lent would traditionally start. Whether you're Catholic or not it's always fun to celebrate with yummy food. Here's the recipe I posted recently for Vegan Jambalaya so you can get in the spirit – bon appetit!

How are you celebrating Mardi Gras?

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vegan bodybuilders in the ny times!

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Last time I posted about vegan bodybuilders lots of you kind lifers asked for more! Now the New York Times has picked up on the veg bodybuilding trend profiling a few names that will probably be familiar to you including Robert Cheeke and Giacomo Marchese sorry ladies he's engaged now!.

The article includes perspectives from both the bodybuilders and nutritionists who support a veg lifestyle…as well as those who question it. Read the full article here then email the article's author Mary Pilon to let her know how much you enjoyed the article and why you are committed to a veg lifestyle.

Who are your favorite vegan athletes?

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missi's veg adventure goes beyond food

My friend Missi Pyle is journeying on! In her latest guest blog update she gives the scoop on her favorite vegan breakfast and is even inspired to live a little kinder outside of her diet. And even though she still has occasional moments of weakness she should be proud of how far she's come. Check out the latest in her vegan voyage:

Vegan Blog 7! aka Sorry it took so long! aka I'm really kind of a fake Vegan aka Vegan Breakfast Goulash aka the paper towel conundrum aka Why so many Aka's?

Dear Best Friend!

First of all I just want to say OMG. Some of you have been so agitated that I have not blogged in so long. To that I say. AWWWWW. Finally someone who cares! Yessssss! Well Suckas I am back. With so much incredible knowledge and wisdom to impart! Let's do this!

So where to begin. Meredith and I left Alicia Silverstone's house shortly after the gorgeous GIGANTIC family of rats left her house.  PS. We were mind boggled as to how on earth they were getting in.  Here's a tip. If you live in the canyons of Los Angeles and you DON'T want rats to come into your house. Don't leave the door open after say 4pm. Yep that's how they came in. Through the front door. I am a genius.

But I digress.

Where are we now? You might ask? Well. We had kind of special needs in that we have 2 giant kind of scary looking dogs a rottie mix Ellie and a pit bull mix Sunny two very nice girls. So we needed a back yard. Because there is no way I am living with 2 giant dogs in an apartment. Mostly because I have no desire to get up and put on pants to let them out.

Special need 2- we don't have a lot of dough since Meredith is but a new college graduate and I am broke bad with money and paying for half a geodome in Montana. Sooo we looked on craigslist and found this tiny house with a gorgeous backyard with lots of tropical plants an illegal bonfire and the worlds most disgusting outdoor futon. It is HEAVEN. Really. It also comes with an extremely green pagan landlord who lets us babysit his alpha pit bull Tony all day! Party!


When they are not lazing in the sunshine the dogs and meredith are usually lazing on my bed. tho my bedroom is the size of most of your closets it has a door to the garden which is incredible. So at any given time every living being in the house is IN it.

And the kitchen. OMG. the counter tops are concrete. So manly. So cool and since we are broke all we do is cook. Meredith is not quite vegan. Lets be honest neither am I I have been eating fish. But its a process. And Alicia says its ok. Be nice to yourself. I adore her. And I try to only eat the wild caught stuff and only once in a while. Don't judge me.

Anyway. In the morning the backyard is stupidly sunny and beautiful. So we like to cook and eat outside when we can.

So I wanted to share one of our favorite breakfast dishes with you that we make probably 2 to 3 times a week. it's our vegan breakfast goulash/hash/breakfast tacos. Or Yum tacos for short. We came up with it by just looking in the fridge and seeing what we could use to make breakfast with. Here's what we came up with:

1/2 yellow onion diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 zucchini sliced with the large slicer on the side of the cheese grater which i have NEVER used. but omg it slices zucchini like fine slices of a baby's ass. Sorry.
4 or 5 1/4 inch thick slices of polenta
about 4 oz soy chorizo
1 tomato diced
olive oil
salt
pepper
daiya cheese
corn tortillas
avocado
hot sauce

What we do is saute the onions and peppers in olive oil till the onions are clear. then throw in the zucchini then the polenta and tomato then the chorizo and finally the cheese till it looks melty.

in the meantime we heat up the tortillas one at a time on the burners. i usually get distracted and burn them. this makes meredith angry. but actually the really burned ones taste super yummy so then I like to rub this in her beautiful much younger face.
then we scoop them into the tortillas and finish off with hot sauce and slices of avocado. Then we go and sit in the sunshine and eat them on the picnic table in the back yard and drink lots of coffee and talk about how cool we think the other is.

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Which brings us to part 2 of our Not so Vegan Vegan Blog. The Great Paper Towel Conundrum of 2012almost.
Dum Dum Dum!

Apparently paper towels which have so lovingly cleaned the shit off our counters cabinets and dirty kitchen floors are controversial! Who knew? I knew Alicia didn't use them. She has a drawer of old rags she uses instead but she's Alicia Silverstone. Kind of the Jesus of the conservation movement. I thought everybody else still used them!


So when we were at her house we snuck some in that we got from trader Joes the 100 percent recycled kind mind you. But we did try to hide them from her assistant. On top of the fridge roll lying discreetly on its side.

But now that we have moved in with our Pagan Green Landlord. Who we call Pagan Frank because he is bossy and reminds us of our Dad. But if Frank were a pagan.
Anyway. He told me he ALSO doesn't use paper towels.

Wtf?? He too uses old rags and shirts.
Holy Guacamole! He suggested we do the same. I told him I didn't HAVE any old t-shirts to rip up.
He then gave me a baseball cap for my birthday wrapped in a blue piece of t-shirt. He said. "why don't u use that? I said. why don't you go f yourself. just kidding. he IS the landlord after all.
Here is Ben. Meredith's new "special friend" holding up the old shirt scrap and the crispy white disposable paper towel.


What to do...? Well. since we Pyle's never shy from a challenge...
the new challenge for Meredith and I is to use rags and old shirt scraps for the entire month of January. We will see how it goes. And let you know. Ps. Meredith is furious about this. But we are doing this for you and for the planet and for our eminent fake vegan fame.

pss. i thought since we are always looking a little rough in these blogs kind of like we just woke up which we usually did and one of us did NOT take off her makeup the night before.
I thought I would leave you with a picture of us having had our hair and makeup professionally done for the LA premiere of The Artist which I am in.


psss. Please go see it. It's a beautiful silent film. Ironically the biggest movie I have ever been a part of. One in which I am only in for like 10 minutes and where I don't make a sound.
Alas. Life can be weird.
But not as weird as you.

Until the next time. think about cutting up some old shirts and using them as paper towels. or making our sexy morning hash.
WE LOVE YOU
xox
Missi and Meredith

They are mostly nice except when Ellie tries to kill Sunny because she is younger and has real legs.
I am wearing pants right now. Don't worry.
Tony is actually an incredible dog. He likes to howl along when there are sirens which is almost every day because we live deep in the hood in echo park.  And we LOVE having him around. But not as much as Sunny. They hump all day. Actually it's pretty gross.
he's actually cool. for a pagan and inspiring and gets shit done. so woo hoo. i guess right?
well i haven't told her yet. but she WILL be furious when she reads this. hehe.
i'll give you a hint. it's usually the one of us who is laying in bed with 3 dogs and a nice glass of pinot noir.
it's actually more like 10 seconds. but who cares! go see it. pretty please!
i'm lying.

Thanks Missi! Side note about the fish – I think Missi's doing great with all of the huge changes she is making. i think she knows I don't mean "hey eat fish it's ok" I just mean celebrate the success. This girl is from Texas for God's sake…and she will let go of fish when she is ready. Until then she should be proud of how far she has come. Missi recently shared with me that she's still vegan and has lost the eight pounds she's been trying to shed for the last three years. She's also converted a few friends…yahoo Missi!

What was the hardest thing for you to let go of when you were starting out?

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mardi gras jambalaya

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Mardi Gras is just around the corner so I thought I'd share a little Cajun-inspired fare. Aine Carlin's veg jambalaya looks festive. Check it out and let me know how it is if you make it!

Vegan Jambalaya

Prep time: 15 minutes    Cook time: 35 minutes        Total time: 50 minutes        Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 onion
1 red pepper
4 slices vegan bacon or vegan chorizo
1 cup vegan chicken style pieces
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup sweet corn canned fresh or frozen
11/2 cups chopped tomatoes fresh or canned
1 tsp tomato/vegetable puree
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 red chili
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
Tabasco sauce as much or as little as you like
Large handful of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat a little olive oil in a pan. Finely dice the onion and add to the pan along with some seasoning. Allow to soften for a few minutes. Mince the garlic and finely chop the chili and add to pan along with the chili flakes.
Cut the 'bacon' into chunks or if using vegan chorizo pieces add to pan along with the paprika and cook until it starts to color.
Cut the pepper into large pieces add to pan season and allow to soften with the other ingredients.
Pour in the brown rice give it a stir and then add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes. Season add the molasses and one cup of water. Shake in a good amount of Tabasco sauce. Fill the cup with water and set aside – you will use this water throughout.
Allow to gently simmer for 30mins before adding the frozen chicken style pieces – if using refrigerated pieces they will take less time to cook. If it becomes too dry add more water – like you would do a risotto. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
A few minutes before serving add the peas sweet corn and allow them to gently cook before sprinkling in the parsley ensuring to reserve some for when you plate up. Season and/or add more Tabasco if necessary.
Serve in bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Are you making anything special for Mardi Gras?

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Photo Source:  Aine Carlin