I'd like to say "thank you" to all of you who have been waiting so patiently for this first issue, which includes a password you might find handy.

It is my sincere hope that the information I provide on my little website assists you in being the healthiest Vegan you can be.

Wishing you a beautiful day,
Sassy

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Beans versus pasta?
• Is fish vegan?
• Do I need special tools to go vegan?
• Vegan lunch ideas?
• Can going vegan help with Diabetes?

Dear Sassy,
Do you consider it a bad idea to eat a great deal of beans in place of pasta?
-- Jason, Santa Rosa

Hi Jason,
When I first went vegan I relied on pasta -- A LOT. I simply didn't know what else to eat, since at that time it was the only vegetarian dish I could think of.

My rule of thumb when trying to decide between different foods is this: Which is closer to a whole food?

Since pasta always begins as a grain (usually wheat), you can quite easily see the difference between its original self and the finished product -- it simply doesn't resemble the original whole food. Eating whole grain pasta would be a step in the right direction, but personally I don't like whole grain pastas so can't recommend them too strongly. ;O)

Beans are a whole food, so I would highly recommend you add them to your diet. They're an excellent source of vegetarian protein, among other things. I like to eat beans every day, whether eaten alone, mixed with grains, added to soups, or eaten cold over a crisp green salad. You can even make cheesy sauces with beans, including white beans and garbanzos. No matter how you add them in, eat those beans! :O)

To learn how to make beans from scratch including selection advice, prep, cooking techniques, and "Vegan Flavor Matches" visit the Beans main page.

Dear Sassy,
I am not Vegan yet, but I am toying around with the idea. I really love salmon and shrimp but being vegan one can't eat this correct? I also love pasta is there an easy recipe w/o meat? Last question: Do I need any special cooking tools to accomplish this?

Hi there,
Salmon and shrimp are not vegan. A good rule of thumb: If what you're about to eat had a mother (like a cow, chicken or fish) or came from something that had a mother (like eggs, milk and honey), it's likely to be NOT VEGAN.

A healthy addition to any vegan diet is tempeh. What makes tempeh so healthy is the fact that it's fermented which is very good for you, and it's a less-processed form of soy than tofu (and as I discussed above, always ask yourself the question: Which is closer to a whole food?). Steam tempeh for 15 minutes, and then crumble into your favorite pasta sauce. I think you'll enjoy the taste and texture and find it fills the spot of your old favorite non-vegan pasta.

Going vegan DOES NOT require any special tools, aside from normal everyday kitchen tools and appliances. However, over the years I have found the following to be particularly useful:

1. VitaMix blender
2. coffee grinder (for nuts and seeds)
3. a really good chef's knife -- I like ceramic
4. a juicer

Hope this helps. :O)

Dear Sassy,
What are some lunch ideas for taking in that little brown bag? I think that being vegan is easy fairly easy when you are at home but can you show us ways to be a vegan on the go. What things would you eat for lunch (ex. a person who works 9-5).
-- Miljan, Chicago

Hi Miljan,
Although I currently work from home, when I worked 9-5 out of home I had to brown bag it -- not only because there were no restaurants close-by that catered to my vegan diet, but because I wanted my lunch to be as healthy as possible.

So what did I bring? Usually leftovers from the night before. I also would make sandwich fillings (such as tofu egg salad and tempeh salad) that were easy to whip up and would last for a few days' worth of lunches. Have you tried McDougall's soups? You simply add hot water -- which is easily doable in most work places.

There are lots of sandwiches you can make, and you can vary the bread to keep it interesting. Here are some sandwich ideas from the Veg Society:

• peanut butter with dairy-free coleslaw, bean-sprouts and lettuce
• olive, hummus, red onion
• roasted vegetables and hummus on sun-dried tomato bread
• pickled beetroot, caraway, hummus and lettuce
• veggie burger with sauerkraut
• grated carrot, red peppers, red onions, toasted pumpkin seeds
• tomatoes, black pepper, sun-dried tomato paste on olive ciabatta
• nut loaf
• sliced falafel with onions and shredded cabbage
• spinach, garlic, vegan mayo, salt and crushed black pepper
• red kidney beans, corn, tomato paste, onion, pickles

Don't forget about salads of all kinds, fresh or dried fruit, crisp veggies with a dip (such as tahini or guacamole), nuts, and seeds. You might also visit the website of The Vegan Lunchbox, which focuses on healthy and fun vegan lunches for kids -- but I've heard through the vegan grapevine they can be used for adult lunches too.

Here's what I recommend you DO NOT bring, if you can help it: Sandwiches made with highly processed vegan meats and cheeses, such as soy bologna, soy turkey, soy cheese, etc. These are wonderful tasting and fun to eat; however, they're not exactly the healthiest foods for a Vegan. So do what you can to choose more whole foods.

Dear Sassy,
I am diabetic and would so much like to get off my meds. I take a couple of pills, I want to lose weight, so maybe I can reverse my problem. Will the Vegan way be good for me, and how do I get started?
-- Terry, Hampton Virginia

Hi Terry,
I'm not a doctor and would never try to act as such, but to my understanding some people with Type II have had luck by switching to a vegan diet. Type I is trickier. (If anyone reading this has dealt with this issue, please use the contact form below to drop me a line and share with me your personal experience. Thanks in advance!)

Many people who have been successful going this route have found the amount of medication they need to be drastically reduced and many times eliminated. If I were you, I would work closely with a doctor or nutritionist who can monitor your progress if you decide to forge ahead with a vegan diet.

I highly recommend you check out this article located on the Physicians' Committee For Responsible Medicine website.

Best wishes, Terry. Please do keep in touch and let me know how it all works out for you.

That wraps it up for this edition of The Golden Banana newsletter. VeganCoach.com has been created to help YOU. To contact me with questions, comments or suggestions, please fill out the form on my Contact page.

Thanks! :O)
Sassy