Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 177

farm sanctuarys marathon for animals

Last year several runners approached Farm Sanctuary to ask if they could raise money for animals in need by running in marathons across the country! Two runners who recently completed marathons share why they ran for animals:

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Adrianne Prettyman – ING New York City Marathon

Adrianne Prettyman ran in one of the most iconic races in the world — the ING New York City Marathon. Prettyman who was "blown away" by the overwhelming support she has received from friends family and the community nearly quadrupled her initial fundraising goal of 300. "Running my first marathon is certainly a 'bucket list' experience and the process has become even more incredible through supporting a worthy cause that's so close to my heart" says Prettyman. "Raising money to protect farm animals turned those long hours on the treadmill into a labor of love."

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Cory Kalanick – Las Vegas Marathon

Firefighter Cory Kalanick a Hanford California resident trained for his first marathon in the heart of California dairy country. He ran in the Las Vegas Marathon on December 5 to support the lifesaving work of Farm Sanctuary and to raise awareness for healthy vegan living. For Kalanick it has been a journey that began when he visited the Orland California Shelter of Farm Sanctuary last year. The experience affected him profoundly. "I left there feeling a renewed commitment to veganism and a new commitment to help stop the suffering of farm animals" says Kalanick. "I chose a marathon as my vessel for spreading the message about Farm Sanctuary because I knew it would garner the attention needed to reach many people in a positive way."
 
These are just two kind individuals who have raised money for farm animals through running marathons. There are many more who are currently raising money to do the same for example vegan triathlete Richard Adams who is planning to compete in the 2011 Ironman Lake Placid race in New York on July 24 2011.

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Richard Adams – Ironman Lake Placid
 
Inspired by vegan endurance athletes like Scott Jurek and professional Ironman Brendan Brazier Adams credits his vegan diet with giving him the competitive edge of increased energy fewer missed training days due to injury/illness and quicker recovery times after races. You can read his inspiring story about switching to a vegan diet after visiting Farm Sanctuary and overcoming gastrointestinal problems once he made the switch here.
 
Donations to athletes running for animals can be made here.

baby ivans amazing recovery

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Kind Lifer Wendy recently shared her moving success story with me: by adopting a kind diet she was able to restore her baby son's health. Now her whole family is on board! Check it out:
 
"It sounds a bit corny but The Kind Diet literally saved my son's life. My two-year-old Ivan has a rare condition which causes severe allergic reactions to most foods. He is highly allergic to all animal products; he was not gaining weight and I was running out of options and my sanity as to what to feed him. I was desperate to try anything as I did not want to treat him with drugs for the rest of his life. I saw you on Oprah and went out and bought your book. I read it from cover to cover that night and committed my household to becoming vegan I have a husband and a five-year-old as well."

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"The first night I made Ivan the Fried Udon Noodles from your book and he gobbled it up. I cried for a long time that night. Ever since then he eats everything I make from your book. It's like his body is thanking him for feeding him something he can process and eat without pain. I have followed your superhero plan and have found that I too have an increase in energy; my mood is better and I just feel better. My other family members have joined in as well."
 
"Ivan is starting to gain weight and is finally eating and thriving. We will have to do some repeat upper GIs to see if his stomach and digestive system have calmed down but I can already tell a difference. The Kind Diet has hugely impacted my family's life by saving my son from having to get a feeding tube."
 
This makes me so happy I can't even stand it! Your son is so cute. I'm sorry you went through the allergies and troubles. Good for you for following your intuition! What you've done is so amazing. My girlfriend's son eats at my house all the time and it's so funny because he is picky with food but when he comes over to our house since he was like one or two he has been gobbling up everything I feed him. Little ones are smart; they know what they need!
 
If any of you Kind Lifers have a great success story to share please send me a private message or post your story to your profile and "like" it!

update on the kind shop

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We wanted to give you all a heads up that we've closed the Kind Shop temporarily for renovation! We are switching to a new format that will allow us to feature even more kind items for you to choose from. Please bear with us as we make the necessary changes – you'll be the first to know when the new store is up and running!

In the meantime tell us what you'd like to see in the new and improved Kind Shop!

Win An Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat From Jade Yoga! Sponsored Post

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Jade is everything you want in a yoga mat – cool colors incredible grip great comfort and eco-friendly. In fact we're confident that Jade mats grip better are more comfortable and are better for you and the earth than any other yoga mat on the market. Take a look at Jadeyoga.com to see many of the world's top yoga teachers who use this mat.

Made with natural rubber tapped from rubber trees a rapidly renewable resource Jade mats are high quality sustainably made and humane. And unlike other mats Jade mats contain no PVC EVA or other synthetic rubber. We also make each mat in the United States in compliance with all US environmental worker safety and consumer protection laws. We like to give back too! Through our partnership with Trees for the Future Jade plants a tree for every mat sold. So far we've planted over a half million trees!

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Best of all we're giving away three free Jade yoga mats to three lucky Kind Lifers! Here are the three ways you can enter to win:

Post a comment below telling us why you need a new mat!
"Like" JadeYoga at Facebook.com/jadeyoga 
Sign up for JadeYoga's newsletter at Jadeyoga.com/contest 

Bonus: If you want get a Jade mat now go to Jadeyoga.com and get 10 off your order placed by April 13 2011 by using coupon code thekindlife3711.

You'll love your Jade yoga mat!

super hot vegan shoe alert!

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I just got these satin pumps by Steve Madden as a gift. I'm in love! They're 100 vegan and super sexy.
 
Do you have a great pair of vegan evening shoes? I want to see! Upload a photo to your profile and "like" it.  Just tell me where they're from in the caption and I may feature your favorite shoes on The Kind Life homepage!

whole wheat lasagna with italian "sausage" and peppers

 

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This recipe comes from Morgan chef mom and creator of the blog Little House of Veggies. It looks good! Let me know if you try it out.

Whole Wheat Lasagna with Italian "Sausage" and Peppers
 
Ingredients

1 box of whole wheat or brown rice lasagna noodles
1 16-ounce box of frozen spinach thawed squeeze excess water out
2 26-ounce jars of vegan marinara Morgan used a basil marinara
4 vegan Italian "sausages" cut into cubes
2 green bell peppers chopped
2 T olive oil
Vegan shredded cheese enough to sprinkle on top only
1 lb. extra firm tofu
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic minced
2 heaping T nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste
4 T chopped sundried tomatoes
1 cup a few huge handfuls chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Steps

Press water out of tofu by wrapping in a clean towel and placing a pot or pan on top for about 10-20 minutes
Crumble the tofu in a bowl and add lemon juice garlic nutritional yeast sea salt black pepper sundried tomatoes fresh basil and dried oregano
Using a potato masher smash up the tofu really well until it resembles ricotta cheese in texture
Set aside until ready to use
Meanwhile bring a large pot of water with 2 T olive oil to a boil and cook noodles according to package the oil will prevent the noodles from sticking together
Cook them for a few minutes less than suggested so that they can finish cooking in the oven
When noodles are done cooking drain and rinse in cold water
While the noodles are cooking heat 2 T olive oil in a saute pan and saute sausage a few minutes
Use a potato masher to help crumble the sausage into slightly smaller pieces
Add 2 jars of marinara sauce and 2 chopped green peppers to the pan and let simmer about 10 minutes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
In a rectangular pyrex glass dish start layering your lasagna
Start by adding a little sauce on the bottom then 4 noodles then sauce spinach tofu ricotta 4 noodles sauce spinach ricotta4 noodles and then end with sauce and cover the top with shredded vegan cheese you should have 3 layers of noodles Cover top of dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes
Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes until cheese melts a little on top
Let cool 5 minutes

Serve and enjoy! What's your favorite vegan comfort food?

my ecoTOOLS collection is nominated on the daily green!

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I'm so honored that The Daily Green has recognized my ecoTOOLS collection as one of the best natural beauty products of 2011!

EcoTOOLS by Alicia Silverstone is one of six brands that The Daily Green selected for their 2011 contest. All of the lines that are nominated are really good so I'm just happy to be in their company! But I wouldn't be bummed at all if you wanted to vote for my sweet bags & brushes!

the deal with soy...and five soymilk alternatives

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Soy has gotten a lot of unwarranted bad press so I want to try to parse all the conflicting info out there for you Kind Lifers so you can make the best choices for you. As Dr. Neal Barnard says "Like most other plant foods the most healthful choices in soy foods are those that are minimally processed so they retain all of their original nutrients." So let's explore what that means in detail!
 
First off a lot of the misinformation out there has been propagated by the Weston A. Price Foundation an organization that claims on their website that perfect health can be achieved only by consuming "vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats".
 
A less biased interpretation of the studies about the effect of soy on human health indicates that traditional soy products organic non-GMO soybeans  tempeh tofu soy sauce miso are health-promoting.The phytoestrogens in soy are not the same as the actual estrogen you would find in dairy products. In fact phytoestrogens actually help us to stay hormonally balanced.
 
According to PCRM's Dr. Susan Levin "Some have suggested that phytoestrogens may keep estrogen levels under control as they can act both like a weak estrogen when body estrogen levels are low and can inhibit estrogen's effects when body estrogen levels are high 1."
 
The soy that you should watch out for is the soy found in processed soy products soy sausage soy cheese soy ice cream etc.... The soy protein in these products is denatured a process similar to hydrogenation so the occasional treat is okay but making these foods a regular part of your diet could compromise your health.
 
Dr. Levin says "Soy products are typically high in protein. Some manufacturers have exploited this fact packing isolated soy protein into shakes and turning it into meat substitutes. However it may be prudent to avoid highly concentrated proteins from any source including soy. It has long been known that cow's milk increases the amount of insulin-like growth factor in the bloodstream 2 and this compound is linked to higher cancer risk. Some evidence suggests that highly concentrated soy proteins indicated as "soy protein isolate" on food labels can do the same 3. Simple soy products such as tempeh edamame or soynuts are probably the best choices."
 
Like any junk food moderation is key. Personally I am not at all freaked out by soy in the miso tempeh black soybeans or shoyu forms. In fact I think they are incredibly healthy and important for the diet. I'm not worried about the occasional soy treat like ice cream because it's a treat not a food I am trying to eat on a regular basis. And it's way better to go for a little soy dream than a tub of Haagen Dazs. The only way you need to worry about soy is if you are eating non-superhero foods that contain highly processed soy products often and not just as treats.
 
If you're still freaked out by soymilk there are many alternatives. I use rice milk a lot and I go for chocolate almond milk sometimes too. The milk substitute I use most often is the Eden soy-rice blend. It's yummy but I don't use it everyday. When I do it feels balanced and healthy to me.
 
There are many additional soymilk alternatives you can try. Here is a list from Care2 that I found on Girlie Girl Army.
 
Nut Milks - Almond is the most common nut milk that you'll find in the grocery store but there are others out there. Often you can find hazelnut and cashew milks on the shelf too. If you're feeling ambitious it's not too hard to make nut milks at home. This recipe for raw almond milk from Happy Foody is simple and delicious. Almond milk is packed with protein low in fat and calories and rich in fiber which makes it a great choice for vegans.
 
Rice Milk - Rice milk is a bit sweet so it's probably best for cereal or baking. It's normally made by processing brown rice and the sweetness comes from the grain and usually not from added sugar.
 
Oat Milk - Like rice milk oat milk is slightly sweet. It's on the thin side so it's not great for coffee unless you like your coffee a bit dark. For cereal and for cooking though this is a great alternative. You can even make your own oat milk at home if you like!
 
Hemp Milk - Thick and creamy hemp milk holds up really well in coffee and cooking. It can have a mild hemp aftertaste but it's something you get used to much like soymilk's aftertaste. Hemp milk can vary quite a bit from brand to brand. I've had friends tell me they can't stand the stuff while others swear by it. If your first taste of hemp milk doesn't do it for you you might look into trying a different brand before giving up.
 
Coconut Milk - For cooking and baking plain old canned coconut milk is a delicious soy-free dairy alternative. A great use for coconut milk is in the ice cream maker. If you're looking to lighten your coffee or pour something onto cereal brands like So Delicious make boxed coconut milk that you can use just like regular milk.
 
If you still have questions about soy I strongly recommend reading p. 61 of my book as well as Dr. Neal Barnard's articles about the latest research on soy here and here. If you'd like to get into the nitty gritty science on soy and health I've also included citations below so you can do your own research and figure out what works best for you.
 
How do you feel about soymilk? What's your favorite milk alternative?

1 Wiseman H O'Reilly JD Adlercreutz H et al. Isoflavone phytoestrogens consumed in soy decrease F2-isoprostane concentrations and increase resistance of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;722:395-400.

2 Heaney RP McCarron DA Dawson-Hughes B et al. Dietary changes favorably affect bone remodeling in older adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;9910:1228-1233.

3 Dewell A Weidner G Sumner MD et al. Relationship of dietary protein and soy isoflavones to serum IGF-1 and IGF binding proteins in the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial. Nutr Cancer. 2007;581:35-42.

Thank you Christina Pirello and PCRM for helping me to put this information together!

Vegan Essentials: Your Cruelty-Free Store Since 1998 Sponsored Post

What a wonderful company - I'm proud to have them here!

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The largest all-vegan online retailer in the world VeganEssentials.com has nearly 2000 unique items that are all  free from animal ingredients as well as animal testing. We offer a wide range  of goods for your daily life including food and sweets non-leather shoes  belts and accessories vitamins and supplements bath and body care  cosmetics home goods books clothing and much much more.  Whether  you're looking for a unique pair of leather-free shoes or need to host your  first vegan dinner party we've got you covered!

We opened in 1998 as a  small mail order catalog company and since that time we've evolved to suit  the needs of vegans vegetarians and the veg-curious from all over the world  with our online store. You'll find many of the big names in the cruelty-free  products world that you have come to know and love but we also seek out many  unique and hard-to-find products. Dairy-free white chocolate? We've got  numerous options. Gelatin-free marshmallows? We've got those too! Fish-free  DHA supplements? You'll find a wide range in our store. Steel-toe leather-free  workboots? We've got you covered. Our mission is to make your life easier by  offering the hard-to-find as well as the old favorites and with 20-30 new  items coming in each month there's always something new to see.

We're vegan owned and operated so you can be sure that whatever we offer will meet  our own high standards before we even consider bringing it into our store. No  more needing to ask "Is this vegan?"

At VeganEssentials.com you can be sure  of what you're getting and know with confidence that it's always vegan all  the time.

Best yet we are giving away a 50 gift certificate to one Kind Lifer! All you have to do to enter is comment below and tell us what  you'd want to get if you win.
 
Bonus: You can save on your  next order with us through March 31st 2011 - use coupon code VE111 and  you'll get 10 off of your product total excluding shipping helping you  save on your next cruelty-free purchase. We offer worldwide shipping  fantastic prices and unparalleled service. VeganEssentials.com where  compassion meets convenience!"

my interview with veg businessman joel!

Disclaimer! I did this video really quickly so the production value isn't amazing but I wanted to share because I think Joel is great and his story is great.
 
Joel is an extremely successful businessman; his story really shows that veg diets are not just for hippies but we all knew that! This one is great for all of your dads to watch. So pass along to papas!
 
Joel mentions in the video that he occasionally misses certain non-veg foods so I wanted to share the suggestions I gave him. For days when you're feeling naughty these might be the perfect foods to satisfy your non-veg cravings:
 
Chicken Wings – Morning Star makes good chik'n products. And Gardein makes a great chicken scallopini that you can buy in the frozen section at the grocery store.
 
Hot Dogs at a Baseball Game – Citi Field Ball Park in New York offers vegetarian hotdogs! Dodger stadium in LA also offers a veg hotdog. Woohoo! PETA has a handly list of stadiums that offer veg hotdogs too.
 
Brownies – Allison's Gourmet brownies are great and I bought an amazing one from Whole Foods once that I blogged about here.

What are your favorite "naughty" foods?