Another Cool Etsy Site!

You may remember earlier when I told you about my fondness for Bellingham's DressGreen products? Not only can Lauren be found at the Farmers Market, but she also has an etsy site.

Well, now I have another fun one for you to check out. It is called Glassworks Northwest, and the artist, Kristi, is local, vegetarian, and a fellow cat lover. She donates a portion of all her sales to the local Humane Society and no-kill shelters to help animals in need. She has three cats of her own that frequently inspire her glass creations. Her glass pieces are fun, creative, gorgeous, and vibrant, as is Kristi herself.

And, since today is her birthday, she is offering a birthday special if you place an order before the end of the day. So check out her shop and I am sure you will find something you like. Plus, you can feel good knowing you are also contributing to a good cause.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTI!

Pneumatic Diner: 501 W 1st St, Reno NV

One of the highlights of my Summer so far was eating at this wonderful place when I was in Reno visiting my dad over Father's Day weekend. I wish Bellingham had a restaurant like the Pneumatic Diner. It's vibe is artsy and mellow, cozy and comfortable, and the aromas emanating from the kitchen are amazing. Sometimes you can tell just by walking into a place and taking a deep breath if you are in for a treat or not, and this was one of those times when I knew just by inhaling the delicious smells that we were in for a good dinner.

The restaurant itself is located at the top of a graffiti-art decorated stairwell, dimly lit, and intimate in size with only about 6 or 7 tables located around the kitchen area, which is in the middle of the restaurant. The menu is extensive and versatile, and again I was faced with the rare experience of not knowing what to choose because there were so many vegan options. From pasta, to sandwiches, to hummus or falafel, to yummy salads and other items I know I am forgetting, my mouth was watering just reading the menu and smelling the kitchen.

I finally decided on the "Vegan Bubba," which was essentially a marinated veggie sandwich, except that it was so much more. It might actually be the best sandwich I have ever had. (It actually reminded me a bit of the delicious sandwich I ate at the Place Pigalle in Seattle, only in memory now it stands out even more).

The picture does not do my meal justice, but the restaurant lighting was muted, and in such cases it can be tough to get the perfect food pic. So trust me when I tell you that it was soooo good. The bread was soft and tasty, with sunflower seeds and sun dried tomatoes baked right into it. The filling consisted of flavorfully marinated eggplant and zucchini, combined with fresh spinach, hummus, and shredded carrots. I could have added a "Slab" of grilled tofu, but instead went with the regular Vegan Bubba, and it was more than enough goodness for me. My family also enjoyed their meals tremendously, and we were all impressed with how delicious everything was. The pricing was also great, not too expensive and a wonderful value for both the quality and the portion size. They also had vegan cookies and other desserts, but I was way too full to consider those options. There's always next time!

So if you are ever in Reno, check out this awesome gem of a place. We should be so lucky to have a place like the Pneumatic Diner in this our fair "City of Subdued Excitement." I know it would do well here. Sigh. I guess I can just keep wishing. And looking forward to the the next time I am in Reno again because you had better believe this place will be one of my very first stops!

Vegans, bone density, and confusion

Where to start today? I still want to tell you about two great restaurants I dined at while in Reno, and I also want to get back into sharing recipes and cooking ideas, but I am afraid today I am a little frustrated and at the moment, that is taking precedence. I hope you will understand.

You would think I would be used to this by now, breaking "news" of the latest study that casts doubts on the health benefits of a vegan diet, but I had barely gotten over the last inaccurate yet widely-hyped article about how pregnant women who are vegan have a higher risk of having children with birth defects, and now we have more confusion surrounding a couple of studies about vegan diets and bone density. (For those of you unfamiliar with the vegan pregnancy study, Adam Kochanowicz wrote a really great response pointing out how no actual vegans were studied in this so-called study.)

The latest confusion centers around two articles based on work conducted by Professor Tuan Nguyen from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in conjunction with Dr Ho-Pham Thuc Lan from the Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. If you go to their website, you can read more about their original study in an article online entitled: "Vegan Buddhist nuns have same bone density as non-vegetarians." In April 2009, they stated the following:

"A study comparing the bone health of 105 post-menopausal vegan Buddhist nuns and 105 non-vegetarian women, matched in every other physical respect, has produced a surprising result. Their bone density was identical." They then published these finding in Osteoporosis International.

Now here is where it gets interesting... Three months later, these same two doctors published another article, this time in the Americal Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This time they state:

"We conclude that vegetarians as a group have lower BMD than meat eaters as a group, but whether the difference translates into increased fracture risk has yet to be resolved.” And suddenly, headlines about how vegan diets lead to bone density loss are everywhere.

The frustrating thing is that this particular study was based on an examination of nine journal articles that also examined this same issue, and while I appreciate the thoroughness of these two doctors in analyzing evidence that both supported and contradicted the findings of their own earlier study, and their attempts to clarify those findings,what is confusing is that the same two doctors are now widely quoted as first saying that the bone density among vegans and non-vegans is "identical," to a short time later concluding that the bone density of vegans is actually "lower" than that of non-vegans. Granted, the first findings are from an original study and the second from an examination of other studies, but when just looking at the surface online headline as so many of us do, it is confusing how something be deemed "identical" one day and "lower" three months later.

In a world where vegans have to continually combat stereotypes based on faulty yet widely accepted information, (like: "milk creates strong bones"), I become easily irritated when confronted with confusing, misleading, or inaccurate "studies." Which is not to question the work of these doctors, but rather the "news" headlines that later come from such studies. Which just goes to show that we need to be discerning when gathering information, any kind of information, whether political, global, social, or in this case, nutritional.

Since I first became vegan almost ten years ago, I have witnessed a gradual change in people's consciousness about what being vegan means. And this has been a really good thing. People in general are curious and more accepting than they used to be, which is obvious when you look at the number of restaurants and stores that not only know what "vegan" is, but that also carry vegan options. And yet there remains in the mainstream world, especially in the mainstream media, a bias against the nutritional benefits of a vegan diet and this persistent belief that vegans have to be "careful" to get enough this or that in their diet, whether it's calcium or protein or vitamin B12 or you name it.

And so I grow tired of vegans being identified as this fringe group that needs to be aware of all of the potential shortcomings of the way we eat, (often by the same people who have high cholesterol and heart problems). It has been my experience that the vast majority of vegans know more about nutrition than the average American, and yet this tendency to worry about vegan health remains.

As an example of what I am talking about, a couple of years ago, both my husband and myself went to the doctor around the same time for our general physicals. We had all the usual blood work and tests done. During my visit, I actually, for the first time, told my doctor I was vegan. I regretted my decision as soon as she made a note of this in my chart and then began asking me the usual questions about my diet, calcium intake, protein etc. Prior to this disclosure on my part, my diet had never before come up as an area of question or concern.

After our check-ups, both my husband and myself received our blood test results in the mail during the same week. Everything was normal, except for one thing on mine--they had circled "protein" and hand-written that my levels were a little low and that I should make sure I was getting enough. I looked at my number and compared it to the range of what was normal on their scale, and it was well within the normal range. Curious, I then compared my numbers to my husband's, and guess what: his protein levels were lower than mine! And yet, no hand-written note for him. Hmmm...

I guess the thing to do is not be bothered by such things. Or maybe know it's ok to be bothered and then move on to something constructive. And most importantly, to always investigate the information we come into contact with. It never hurts to dig a little deeper. And as far as vegan "news" goes, it is comforting to know I am not alone in my frustration. It is also heartening to realize that actually, things are getting better, especially as more and more educated doctors and nutritionists, like Tom Malterre or the PCRM, are able to explain and promote the numerous benefits of being vegan.

Next post will be all about yummy food, I promise. :o)

A few vegan-related updates..

A few things to share with you this fine day:

1) As you may remember, my omelet cooking adventure was really fun but lacking in one ingredient, black salt, aka kala namak, a seasoning used to give food a more "eggy" flavor. I have never cooked with it before and I have been looking everywhere for a place where I can buy it locally when it dawned on me to try my fave tea place, the Spice Hut. And indeed they do carry it, and for a rather economical price too, around 3 bucks for four ounces. I have not yet had time to try Isa's omelet recipe yet, but I will soon and I'll keep you posted!

2) I updated my entry about Boundary Bay to let you know that despite previous claims to the contrary, I have recently confirmed that their house salad dressing is NOT vegan, so stick with the Thai dressing in the future. I have updated the older post but wanted to also let you know here just in case you didn't catch it.

3) In other news, I am thinking about starting another sidebar link section for vegan-in-Bellingham-goes-out-of-town restaurant reviews. I have a few from Portland, Seattle, and now most recently Reno. Who knew the "biggest little city in the world" was also vegan-friendly? Two reviews coming soon...

4) I also want to chime in that I still LOVE Dandelion Organics and if you haven't signed up for a bin delivery yet, what's stopping you? The food is always good and inspirational, and they were so nice to me and recently changed both my delivery time and location with no problem. THANKS Dandelion!

5) In other news, my friend Elizabeth left me a voicemail yesterday that the cupcake place at the Farmers Market is now offering vegan cupcakes! I see a Saturday excursion in my near future. Details to follow soon.

6) Recently someone asked me if I was running out of restaurants to review in Bellingham yet and the answer is thankfully no! It seems every day I learn of another place to try, and most recently someone mentioned India Grill. I did submit a comment on their online form a long time ago asking about vegan options and never heard back, but now I have decided I will just have to go and try it since someone else personally endorsed it. If you have any favorite spots that I have not yet reviewed, please comment or email me at veganinbellingham@gmail.com

So much to write and not enough time! But I think that's a good thing. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, thanks for reading.

The rumors are true: Vegan donuts are now available at Rocket Donuts in Bellingham!

Thanks to everyone who commented and let me know about Rocket Donuts vegan options. I now think Rocket Donuts is even cooler than I initially did after first falling in love with their truly delish vegan pumpkin muffin. (One actually saved me the other day at WWU--I didn't bring anything to work for lunch and trying to find anything vegan at the VU during summer quarter is pretty much impossible. Seriously--it shouldn't be so hard to find even just a salad! Thanks for Rocket's pumpkin muffin or it would have been a long hard hungry afternoon!)

Having only ever been to the stand at the Farmers Market, I was looking forward to actually eating inside. And as you might have guessed with my previously expressed fondness for sci-fi, I absolutely loved it. The interior is so great and so fun. I felt right at home to find two such awesome things merged into one: sci-fi and donuts! What a perfectly ingenious combination!

As for food choices, I decided to try one of each of the two donut options--chocolate iced and plain. (I liked them both but think I have to say that I am partial to the chocolate one, partly because I tend to favor anything with chocolate.) They were so fresh and tasty--truly a treat.

The morning we were there they were preparing for a children's birthday party so they had some balloons and decorations up as well, which gave everything a festive feel. My husband and I sat at the counter by the window and enjoyed the view of the cool Rocket Donuts car while we ate our yummy breakfast.

We listened to different people place their orders and converse with the nice people working the counter. We both wondered about how many vegan donuts were sold in a day and if they were selling well. I thought about asking, but while we were pondering this question, more and more people began coming in and out and the place started to fill up like crazy. And then we overheard one man ordering half a dozen donuts, and he asked for two of them to be vegan and to be placed in a separate bag. He explained that they were for his daughter and son-in-law who were both vegan. I love it when I hear things like that: proof that non-vegans who have vegans in their lives are also happy to find places that can accommodate everyone.

To me it is clear that Rocket Donuts has a great future in Bellingham. They seem to share the same qualities I equate with Bellingham--they are creative, vibrant, fun and different, with a little something for everyone, including the vegans. So thanks Rocket Donuts for being so awesome. Please know you are appreciated!

Happy Father's Day weekend!

We are off to celebrate with my father and will be back next week, so no new post this weekend but please check back the weekend of the 27th because I know I will have lots to share with you all!