Is It Vegan?

As I sat pounding through a bag of Salt & Vinegar potato chips, I thought to myself-

“I’m pretty sure these are Vegan. My wife said the ingredients were vegan. Pretty sure that’s what I remember. Well I better start Googlin’! Hope I can stuff my face fast enough before I find something that fails the test.”

It Isn’t Healthy

Do I understand the absurdity of this thinking and what it contradicts? Of course I do. Yes, I want to promote and practice healthy choices and healthy living every minute of everyday. But some days, you come home a snarf on a bag of chips. Some days, with a hope and a prayer, you scroll your web search results on which of your favorite Girl Scout Cookies are vegan (hint: Thin Mints pass the test).

So that’s the inspiration of this blog post. The endless search I perform daily on the inter webs of “Is _____ vegan?”

You’ve done this before. You know the resources available online are vast. And one is often yielded with results that give you wiki-level, complicated chemical compound structure explanations of the chemical ingredients found in our food. I value that information immensely, I really do, but more often than not what I need is a ‘yes or a no’.

A Quick List at Your Fingertips

So that’s my offer to you. Here’s my simple ‘yes or no’. As of writing this the list has three because as I eat these chips and blog this post, the three things on this bag I am unfamiliar with are: Maltodextrin, Malic Acid, and Citric Acid.

I’m not going to fake like I know what these ingredients are. Even after blogging them, I’ll forget. What I can promise you is I did research before giving it a NickBellBlog proverbial Thumbs Up.

Bookmark this page now. I promise to grow it daily:

The List (i.e. is it vegan?)

• Citric Acid – YES. Naturally occurring in citrus fruits.
• Cholecalciferol – DEPENDS. This is the vitamin D in your supplement. Often comes from chemically messing around with lambs wool.
• Gelatin– NO. Comes from collagen which come me from animals.
• Glycerin – DEPENDS. Some glycerin is derived from tallow (animal based).
• Malic Acid – YES. Gives your S&V chips their tanginess. Naturally occurring substance.
• Maltodextrin – YES. It’s derived from starch. It’s in a bunch of stuff.
• Niacin – USUALLY. Pretty decent write up here.
• Riboflavin – USUALLY. Like niacin, some riboflavin is animal extracted.
• Subway Vegimax – NOPE. It has egg whites.
• Vitamin D – See “Cholecalciferol”.
• Wendy’s French Fries – DEPENDS. Ask them if they fry their nuggets in the same oil.
• Wendy’s Ketchup – NO. It has Natural Flavorings. If it’s unknown it’s a no in my book.

That’s it??? Yes! For now. Today (3/15/2018) is the birth of this post. Stay with me an watch it grow! Got any quick hitters I can add? Send them my way!

All the best and Plant Love to you all,

Nick Bell

Vegan Lunch at the Naf Naf Grill

For those of you lucky enough to have a Naf Naf Grill in your area (we currently have one in Northeast Ohio) you may not be aware of the many vegan options listed right on their menu.

The only problem is (as of writing this blog post) they don’t have this information on their website. I am writing this blog post with hopes of providing you that resource until they do!

What’s a Naf Naf?

If you have no idea what a Naf Naf Grill is- the best I can describe it as is a Middle Eastern Chipotle.

What Are My Vegan Options?

So here’s the run down on your vegan options (so many!). I included a photo of their menu so you can see they put it right up there (but again, not on their website). I also found their associates to be extremely knowledgeable and helped clarify any questions about what was vegan or not (especially when it came to the sauces)

Select Your Base

• Pita (vegan) or Bowl (vegan based on what you put in it)
• Add Hummus, Baba, Romaine, Basmati Rice or Couscous (all vegan!)

I usually get the bowl and have the pita on the side.

Pick Your Protein

• Falafel (vegan and the only obvious choice here)

Top It Off

• Chopped Salad (vegan)
• Purple Cabbage (vegan again)
• Sumac Onions (still vegan)
• Middle Eastern Pickles (all the vegan!)

Extras

• Naf Fries (vegan)
• Lentil Soup (vegan)

As you can see almost the whole menu is vegan which is great news!

Here’s the Rub:

I’d ike to make the disclaimer this isn’t necessarily healthy eating. It’s a “vegan option rundown”. Let’s be honest – Naf Naf is still fast food (super high in fat and sodium).

I think it’s fair to say dining out anywhere is not your healthiest option ever (so much salt in everything).

Staying on a whole foods plant based diet requires being diligent and packing your own healthy lunches and meals.

But life isn’t perfect and when you can spare the indulgence hopefully you will give this vegan friendly establishment a try!

A Supplement Story

Once Upon A Time

There once there was a vegan who took supplements. It was a B12 vitamin. The end.

Ok well almost.

Many people ask me what I take to “ensure I am getting all my nutrients on a plant based diet”. After grumbling under my breath that I probably get more vitamins and nutrients eating plants than I would socking down a pound of disgusting meat a day, here’s what I tell them:

• Multi-vitamin (currently I take this – disclaimer, not vegan. More on this below. Currently doing some research but think I will be switching to this)
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D (I use a generic Heinens grocery store brand for both vitamins)
• Probiotic (I use Garden of Life Brand but many others will do well. I like this particular product because of its quality and you don’t have to refrigerate them)

That’s it. No protein powder, no special shakes or juice cleanses, no omegas. Nothing. I don’t have the time or the room in my budget to be concerned with all that.

Notice a trend in my approach to keeping on a plat based diet? Simplicity.

Listen To Your Doctor

Of course if your doctor tells you to take X and Y. Listen to your doctor and take X and Y. If you live in a climate that sees as little sun as I do between September and May, then take a vitamin D. Worried about calcium I guess take a calcium supplement if you know you need it.

Just be self aware as to what you need. You have to do what is best for you, but don’t get sucked into thinking you all of a sudden need magic elixirs and meal replacement shakes just because you are now on a plant based diet.

Simple whole foods are your magic elixir! You are going down this path because it is healthier!

Know What’s Inside

If you are going the strict vegan path as I am attempting then you need to be aware that not all supplements are created equal.

I recently fell victim to good marketing and bought the men’s multi vitamin gummi by Smarty Pants. Cool bottle. Gummi. Awesome!

Not awesome because they contain Gelatin and Gelatin is not vegan. Since I hate the idea of being wasteful I will finish the bottle and buy Deva Vegan Vitamins Daily Multivitamin & Mineral Supplement. I’ve read great reviews and they seem to be a good deal at around $20 for 90 tablets.

Deciding What’s Best For You

Is a multi vitamin really worth it? I dunno. I’ve heard mixed reviews on the effectiveness based on quality, etc, etc. For me, the extra insurance makes me feel a little better. The same may be said for protein powders if you work out a lot or a supplement shake if you are truly concerned about getting your vitamins from a whole foods source. Just start with the simple and add what you feel works best for you!

A Buddha Bowl Is Not Just a Buddha Bowl

Make It Work For You

I believe in keeping things pretty simple. Including finding inspiration for making meals. To be honest I don’t often love following recipes but I will take inspiration from them, at least that’s the best I am capable of. I like to think that I can make food work for me instead of the other way around.

I’ve been mostly successful at adapting a new plant based diet as a result of keeping things simple. Although I do fail from time to time especially when trying new combinations. That being said, nothing ever resulted in a meal that was so terrible I couldn’t eat it. I just downed it and didn’t ever try that combination again. The only time things go really bad for me is when I am trying to make sauces or dressings or something that involves a lot of ingredients. Like the one time I attempted a curry sauce that was saltier than the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea it salty, right. Whatever the case, I rarely try my own sauces. If you are someone who is seriously cutting oil, salt or sugar out of your diet, you may need to master this skill, however. Just make it a mini-personal challenge for yourself and simplify in other ways. In the meantime for me- hot sauce and a few go-to store bought dressings.

Simple.

A Buddha Bowl Is Born

I have to say I’ve known about “Buddha Bowls” for sometime but never garnered much attention to them. It wasn’t until I read an excerpt in “Finding Ultra” by Rich Roll that the idea began to make total sense.

A few months into preparing/making the switch over to a plant based diet, I was pretty deep into listening to the Rich Roll podcast (I still am and if you aren’t already a subscriber I highly suggest you do that now. It is the daily inspiration that seriously keeps me going everyday). As a result of listening to Rich, I was inspired to read his book.

Then something really hit me as I neared the end of his book.

There was no “two week meal plan”, no “hour-by-minute-here’s-everything-ever-to-be-successful”. Rather it was a collection of honest statements by the author “…these are some of the things that work for me, I eat rice and beans with hot sauce”. Or maybe he said lentils. And this clearly isn’t a direct quote.

But the point was never more clear to me – simple sustenance.

So simplicity in sustenance is exactly what I started doing. I can tell you it works and it gets me by. It also helps that Buddha Bowls are really tasty. Here’s what I conjured up today.

You can see a few pantry staples involved. If you are someone who doesn’t like broccoli, prefers red salsa over tomatillo, favors chickpeas, hates quinoa today and wants brown rice, then whatever! Grab some stuff that sounds good to you put it together, eat it and get on with your day!

This little daily blend has become quite a treat in my life

Don’t Meal Plan

So as a I began stocking piling staples like beans and brown rice, prepping veggies, and batch cooking some basics, it quickly became easier to throw something together to eat and get on with my day. Making a big commitment in your life to go plant based is hard enough. Being strict enough to not supplement that diet with Vegan-ized convenience junk food (you know what I’m talking about) is even harder.

In order to be successful in adapting a new diet, we need to form habits and create routines that make it easier. The more you free your mind from meal planning or stressing out on what you are going to eat three times a day (including snacks), the more successful you will be.

Here’s what I suggest- get some enjoyable, easy meals in your life that works for you (i.e. Buddha Bowls), and build around them.

Don’t stress out about having too much food around you all the time. I used to stockpile my desk with a ton of stuff. Because file drawers aren’t refrigerated it was all processed convenience food. Don’t do that. You don’t need to eat that much anyways.

Carry some fruit with you and drink water. Simple.

The more you eat this way, drink more water, also the more you incorporate healthy caffeine habits (I have one cup of mushroom coffee in the morning, sometimes another in the afternoon), the more energy you will have throughout the day. Not right at first but it will come. I sit at a desk all day looking at a computer screen and believe me my mind wanders and I get tired but I can tell you- you will start to have more energy. You will crave less junk and your mind will begin to be more focused.

Don’t overthink it. Don’t eat too many heavy carbs around lunch and drink more water. Best advice I can give you for today.

Until next time, thanks for reading my blog and would love to hear your ideas on how you keep things simple.

What I ate – I had lunch at the Cleveland Vegan Cafe

Yesterday left me feeling the need for a soul-warming lunch. It was a Friday, in Cleveland, in February. You know. And if you don’t, it’s probably what you can imagine.

Whatever food prep I did for the week was exhausted, I had been fighting a cold, work deadlines were looming, so take out it was.

As a newly minted vegan, plant eater, whatever, it was only my second visit to the Cleveland Vegan Cafe in Lakewood, OH.  It’s not a quick drive from my office but it’s a worthy destination.  I do have other fail safe options that are close by, but they fail in comparison to this place when you need a quality fix.

I’ll save a review of the restaurant for another post, another day, with pictures.  The purpose in posts like this one is to share what I am eating as I continue my journey into the lifestyle of eating a plant based diet.  Here’s what I enjoyed off the menu:

• Massaman Curry – a savory dish that warmed me to the core. A filling dish on its own.
• Buffalo Cauliflower Dip – not ashamed to say I scarfed this on the drive back to my office. I don’t often keep a Rolodex of recipes but this is something I am determined to make at home.
• Lemon Poppyseed Scone – I ate this waiting for my takeout because I am a grown man, making grown man decisions.

I was pretty full for the day after this, and it probably constituted a larger lunch than normal for me, but it was the medicine I needed. Later that day I noshed on some berries for dinner as I was still full.   That morning I had my usual: Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain toast with coconut oil and almond butter, Mushroom Coffee (yep), and two glasses of water with my vitamins (a multi, B12, and calcium).

If you want to learn more about me and the simple approach I am taking to adapt and sustain a plant based lifestyle check out my about page.

Thanks for reading and your comments are welcome below.