A Growing Awareness

Over the years, I've taken many a cross-country road trip. On this particular segment of my travels, I've noticed an emergence of shops and restaurants that cater to a health-conscious population. Sure, these places have been around, but it seems like there are more of them, and in more unlikely places. I left Tucson relatively certain that it would be impossible to find some of my staples (i.e. bulk grains like buckwheat and barley, castille soap, fluoride-free toothpaste) in places other than big cities, and even then I had my doubts. I was especially doubtful of the fact that I'd be able to find restaurants offering vegan options.

I guess I was wrong. I first of all recommend (as I have before) HappyCow. This website is an amazing resource for finding health food stores, vegan and vegetarian restaurants and other healthy options in any city around the world. In my case, though, I didn't have regular internet access for most of the trek through the southwest, so I just talked to people. Our campground hosts, people who worked in big supermarkets, people in vitamin shops, and even strangers recommended places to go. I wanted to share some of the little gem's I've found along the way:

In Del Rio, Texas
Nature's Medicine Shop

2442 Veterans Blvd Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 778-1790

This little shop is easy to spot with it's bright green front. It's stocked full of vitamins and herbal supplements, an incredible selection of books, personal care products, and dry goods like nutritional yeast, vegan bouillon cubes, gluten-free pasta, raw snack bars, and other necessities. The woman who owns the place is incredibly nice and helpful, and she has an interesting story to boot. I couldn't find a website, though, and it's not listed on HappyCow.

In Corpus Christi, Texas
Sun Harvest

1440 Airline Rd, Corpus Christi Texas

361-993-2850

This health food store is relatively large. It's got a small selection of bulk foods like dry beans and grains. It's got a small selection of organic produce tucked amidst the non-organic produce. It's got bulk organic free-trade coffee, and a couple of other staple foods like organic brown rice cakes, gluten-free tortillas, and even a small refrigerator/freezer section of some vegan health foods. It was a little disappointing due to it's size (I was expecting more of a selection) but it's the only thing of it's sort here, so I still count it as a gem.

In Lafayette, Louisiana
Masala Indian Kitchen

2208 Kaliste Saloom Rd, Lafayette Louisiana

337-981-6373

This delicious Indian restaurant has vegan options right on the menu, and the food is absolutely delicious. The staff is familiar with vegan diets, too, and so can answer questions and take special requests. I definitely recommend this place.

In Nashville, Tennessee (okay, there's tons of stuff in Nashville like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's but I must give a shout out to this particular restaurant)
The Wild Cow

1896 Eastland Ave, Nashville Tennessee

615-262-2717

This restaurant offers vegan and vegetarian dishes. It's tucked in a quaint little area in East Nashville, and it has a great atmosphere. What I really liked about the options here is that they were pretty much free of processed foods. Lots of vegan restaurants I've been to have entrees that all feature mock meats and fake dishes like pizzas, meatballs, hot dogs, and chicken. I have a bit of an aversion to these things, so I was refreshed to see things like beans and kale, lentil stew, and other grain and veggie options on the menu. Plus, you get your pick of quinoa or rice.

In Chesterton, Indiana
Molly Bea's Ingredients
761 Indian Boundary Road
Chesterton, IN 46304
PHONE: (219) 983-9401

This place is a gem. While the local supermarket carries organic produce and packaged goods, Molly Bea's is a bulk lovers paradise. The entire store is bulk bins. They offer an incredible selection of beans (lentils of all colors, split peas, and beans of all kinds), grains (buckwheat, barley, millet, amaranth, quinoa, and rice in varieties you've never heard of), teas (oh my, what delicious blends they have!), dried fruit, and herbs and spices (yes, whole and ground, of all kinds). I could have spent days in this shop. They even have wine tastings and tea talks in the evenings.

Au Naturel Market

1708 E Lincolnway, Valparaiso Indiana

219-465-198

This little market had many of the staples we use like almond butter, raw honey, brown rice cakes, and vitamins and herbal supplements. The staff is pretty helpful too. They also have a good selection of personal care products like chlorine free feminine products, and seventh generation laundry and dish soaps.

Local Flavors

1505 2 S Calumet Rd, Chesterton Indiana

219-921-0488

This little eatery features a complete vegan menu. They offer mock meat products mostly, like chicken tacos. They also have vegan mac and cheese. The food is good, and it's nice to have a vegan option on the fly. I do wish they'd offer more whole foods based dishes, though. They do have a vegan desert menu, featuring sundaes and cookies, if you're looking for a little treat.

In Cleveland, Ohio
Szechwan Garden

13800 Detroit Ave, Lakewood Ohio

216-226-1987

We stumbled upon this little Chinese restaurant in the throes of hunger, and unprepared with our own food stores. It has a vegetarian menu in addition to the normal menu which features many many veggie and tofu options, and some mock meat options. We tried several of the tofu dishes, which were delicious. And the peanut sauces is to die for.

In Amherst, Massachusetts (okay there are tons of options here too like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and every other restaurant which has at least one vegan option, but I have to give a shout out to one in particular)
Fresh Side

39 S Pleasant St, Amherst Massachusetts

413-256-0296

This restaurant has the freshest food I've had at a restaurant. The many vegan options are noted on the menu. The dishes are light and don't leave you with that feeling like most restaurants leave you with (the sort of heavy, uncomfortable, I just ate out kind of feeling). They have delicious tea rolls and soups, and the lunch menu is more affordable. Also the tea selection is great, and sitting on the sidewalk on a beautiful day with a good meal is always a treat.

Well, that's all I've got so far, but we're heading down the east coast next, so I'm sure this entry will have a second volume. Spread the word, and treat your body.

Vegan Health

When people start thinking about going vegan, some find it difficult to give up all the things they were brought up eating. So, they keep having the "occasional" meat, dairy, or egg meal. But you should rest easy: you can give it all up and still get ALL vitamins, nutrients, proteins, fats, amino acids, and flavor you need. That you ever need any amount of dairy, meat, or eggs is a myth.

Don't believe me? Do your research. The best thing I've seen lately is this amazing film called Eating. It will blow you away. And at the end is a complete list of really great resources where you can check everything out for yourself. You can order a copy for $10 here.

Also, check out these books.

Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating
by Erik Marcus

Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet
by Brenda Davis and Besanto Melina

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living

It is seriously worth your time to consider all the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. I really really don't like telling people what to do, and I've always had the "to each his own" mentality. But the more I learn about the standard American way of life, the more passionate I become. We are being lied to, poisoned, and deceived, and we should really take matters into our own hands.

Who doesn't care about what goes into their bodies? Our food is full of chemicals, dyes, artificial flavors, colorings, fillers, sweeteners, and animal products. Stop buying it. Let's vote with our dollars and support organic produce, whole foods, non-GMO vegetable crops. We eat for nutrition and health, and when our food is so bad that it gives us health problems that we in turn treat with tons and tons of medications, we know there are major problems. Take your life and your health back-- the holistic way. Treat yourself from the inside out. Support life in all it's facets- the life of the planet on which we live, the lives of the animals living here with us, and the lives of yourselves and your children.

::stepping down from the soapbox now::

Please, next time you put something in or on your body, really think about where it is coming from.

Vegan 411

The following are my favorite resources for vegan-related things.

First of all, if you want to know what, exactly, vegan means, try here.

Great starting places are Vegan.com and Vegan.net (they are not related). You can find recipes, books, F&Q about veganism, starting guides for interested people, info about what veganism is, means, and entails, articles about health and a vegan lifestyle, and even articles about animal rights.

Want to find vegan restaurants where you live or somewhere you are planning to travel? Visit Happy Cow for a global directory of vegan/vegetarian restaurants and food stores. Super useful.

Need a delicious vegan recipe quick? Search Veg Web for many, many options. I've tried so many recipes from here, with much success! They all have reviews, too.

Need vegan food, attire, personal care items or other vegan related things but can't find them in your area? Check Vegan Essentials for almost anything you may need.

PETA has a website that lists popular and readily available food in familiar brands that are accidentally vegan. A good places to start if you're trying to change your habits.

Also, there are a couple books I'd highly recommend.

This is a great introduction to the why and the how of becoming vegan. It's not preachy at all.

Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating
by Erik Marcus

This one gets really detailed in terms of health and nutrition. Like which vitamins and nutrients come from where and what should you be eating every day to make sure you have no deficiencies. It's really informative and helpful in learning how to plan your meals.

Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet
by Brenda Davis and Besanto Melina

The title speaks for itself. It's pretty comprehensive, and even gets into vegan pregnancies and raising vegan children.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living

And this is the ultimate vegan cookbook. I use it for everything. Also check out the second one they came out with called The Garden of Vegan.

How it All Vegan
By Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer

If you can't find what your looking for, you can always ask the people at your local vegan restaurant or health food store. Also yahoo groups usually has a vegan forum where you can find other vegans in your area.

And if you have a question about whether or not a product is vegan, you can always contact the manufacturers. They are usually glad to help you out because they definitely want your business.