Leggo the Eggos: Vegan Egg Substitutes

If you're avoiding eggs because you eat a plant-based diet or simply to limit your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, you have several options. Some substitutions work better than others depending on the recipe, but a little trial and error will help you determine which one works best with each dish. See the list below to learn which option I used in the vegan Chocolate Cranberry Zucchini Bread pictured here.

The Natural Human Diet

When you see dead animals on the side of the road, are you tempted to stop and snack on them? Does the sight of a dead bird make you salivate? Do you daydream about killing cows with your bare hands and eating them raw? If you answered "no" to these questions, congratulations—like it or not, you're an herbivore.
According to biologists and anthropologists who study our anatomy and our evolutionary history, humans are herbivores who are not well suited to eating meat. Humans lack both the physical characteristics of carnivores and the instinct that drives them to kill animals and devour their raw carcasses.

The Vegetarian Diet Supports Cruelty To Animals

Definition

The definition we use for the "vegetarian diet", generally accepted around the world, is a diet that includes fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, Dairy products, eggs and honey.

The Dairy Industry

The Dairy industry is inextricably linked to the Beef industry. Unwanted calves, both female and male, are either sent directly to slaughter, as "vealers", or become beef cattle, to be killed later as adults. After a lifetime of service to the dairy farmer, many (if not all) older cows, who are no longer producing as the farmer requires, are also killed for meat. The Dairy cow is forced to become pregnant, so she can produce milk for vegetarians' cornflakes and coffee. The only way that the cow's milk can be given to humans is to deprive the calf of its natural milk. So, the calf is taken away from the cow, which is very distressing to the mother cow, as any human mother can imagine. Can you imagine the outcry if humans did this to human mothers? It did happen to the Australian Aborigines, with appropriate outrage! Not to be outraged by this behaviour, is to be "speciesist". Would you support or condone this industry?

10 Everyday Fruits and Vegetables that are Poisonous

Most of us think that eating fruits and vegetables can be nothing but healthy but there are hidden dangers in many common foods. Poisons that make you sick, paralyze and even kill you lurk behind some of our favorites.

10. Lima Beans
Photo: Sanjay Acharya
Lima beans have to be very well cooked before they are eaten because the raw beans contain a product called limarin. Just a handful can make someone violently ill so always ensure they have been cooked at least 10 minutes and never, ever put them in salads raw. Cooking renders them harmless and gives you lots of good nutrition. 

9. Cassava Root
Photo: David Monniaux
When it comes to starch, cassava (also called manioc or yucca) is the third most consumed food in the world. It also contains cyanide and unless processed in some way, it can kill. There are two types, sweet and bitter, with the bitter having more cyanide, but many farmers prefer it because pests don't eat it - or die if they do. Even simply soaking cassava for a few hours will help as it also contains an enzyme called limnarase that liberates the cyanide over time. One pound of bitter, unproccessed cassava will kill a cow and has killed humans in the past.

8. NutmegPhoto: Miansari66
Nutmeg contains myristicine, which is psychoactive. If that wasn't enough, too much of it will cause vomiting, sweating, dizziness, hallucinations and headache. Not to worry though, the amount normally used in any cooking is not enough to give you any symptoms, but lately there has been a fad by teens to get high on nutmeg... with very unhappy results.

7. Kidney Beans
Photo: Triatoma
Kidney beans contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin, which will make you extremely ill and in some rare cases has killed. The beans MUST be boiled for 10 minutes before cooking, and that includes slow cooking. These beans become five times more toxic when heated to the temperatures used in slow cooking than they are when raw, so never just add them to a stew or chili without boiling them first. Better yet, use canned kidney beans. Only a few will land you in hospital wishing you had died. A few more and there is no wishing about it.

6. Chocolate (cocoa beans)
Photo: gerenme
Chocolate is included here though while it is not poisonous to humans, the ingredient theobromine is dangerous to dogs and cats. Most of us love our furry friends and it is vital you keep your favorite treats away from them. Unfortunately, like anti freeze, which is sweet, they seem to enjoy it so never leave it where they can scoot off with an Easter egg. As little as 40 grams can make them violently ill. It is treatable in most cases albeit very expensive and in larger doses will kill.
Humans are not immune to it either, it is just too low a dose to bother most of us though some elderly chocolate lovers may find themselves unable to tolerate it.

5. Tomato

Photo: Manjith 
Kainickara
The leaves and vines of tomato plants contain alkaloid poisons such as atropine that cause dizziness, headaches and upset tummies. There is also some in green tomatoes and one death has been attributed to it, but generally the amount of 'tomatine' in them is too small to cause any harm. Always refuse tea made from the leaves though; it is still something offered on occasion.

4. Cherries, Apricots, Peaches and Plums
Photo: Amanda Slater
Cherries, apricots, peaches and plums contain cyanogenic glycosides that creates cyanide in the pits. Swallowing a pit or two is not going to have much effect - our bodies will deal with a certain amount of cyanide but it is more dangerous if you chew them. This makes children particularly vulnerable, especially if they get into a full bowl and don't de-pit the fruit. Some people die every year (not just children) from eating too many pits, but you do have to work at it. For most of us, one or two is not a problem.

3. Rhubarb
Photo: Le Grande Farmers Market
You probably won't die from it if you eat the leaf, but it contains oxalic acid salts that can cause kidney problems, coma and convulsions. However, the stalks are not a problem and even with the leaves, you would need to eat about 5 lbs before you reached a fatal dose. Just don't think they look like great greens and why let them go to waste - you will be very ill.

2. PotatoesPhoto: Scott Bauer 
Potatoes are perfectly safe unless they have turned green on the skins or are sprouting. They contain solanine, which develops with exposure to light - one reason to always keep potatoes in a cool, dark place. If you eat too much, you will experience severe digestive problems or even death.

1. Apple
Photo: Photo: Abhijit Tembhekar
An apple a day will keep the doctor away. Unless you eat the seeds. Like cherries and other fruits, they contain cyanogenic glycosides causing cyanide. Seeds from one apple will not likely cause an effect but people have eaten enough to die from it.
These ten fruits and vegetables are healthy if consumed carefully but remember that illness and death can be lurking where you least expect it!

Sources: environmentalgraffiti

ABOUT TEETH

TEETH: INCISORS
----------------------

CARNIVORE:Short & Pointed
HERBIVORE: Broad ,Flattened & Spade Shaped
OMNIVORE: Short & Pointed
HUMAN: Broad,Flattened & Spade Shaped

TEETH: CANINES
--------------------

CARNIVORE:Long,Sharp & Curved
HERBIVORE:Dull & Short or Long (for defense),Or None,
OMNIVORE: Long,Sharp & Curved
HUMAN:Short & Blunted

TEETH: MOLARS
---------------------

CARNIVORE: Sharp,Jagged & Blade Shaped
HERBIVORE:Flattened With Cusps vs Complex Surface
OMNIVORE:Sharp,Blades And/Or Flattened
HUMAN:Flatterened With Nodular Cusps

CHEWING
---------------

CARNIVORE:None;Swallows Food Whole
HERBIVORE:Extensive Chewing Necessary
OMNIVORE: Swallows food whole And/Or Simple Crushing
HUMAN: Extensive Chewing Necessary

SALIVA
------------

CARNIVORE:No Digestive Enzymes
HERBIVORE:Carbohydrate Digesting Enzymes
OMNIVORE:No Digestive Enzymes
HUMAN:Carbohydrate Digesting Enzymes

STOMACH TYPE
---------------------

CARNIVORE:Simple
HERBIVORE:Simple
OMNIVORE:Simple
HUMAN:LOUIS:Simple

STOMACH ACIDITY
--------------------------

CARNIVORE: Less Than Or equal to PH 1 With Food In Stomach
HERBIVORE:PH 4 To 5 With Food In Stomach
OMNIVORE: Less Than Or Equal To PH 1 With Food In Stomach
HUMAN: PH 4 To 5 With Food In Stomach

STOMACH CAPCITY
------------------------

CARNIVORE: 60% To 70% Of Total Volume Of Digestive Tract
HERBIVORE:Less Than 30% Of Total Volume Of Digestive Tract
OMNIVORE: 60% To 70% of Total Volume Of Digestive Tract
HUMAN: 21% To 27% Of Total Volume Of Digestive Tract

Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar -- Physically Addictive

Pus in milk?

In NutritionFacts.org‘s video-of-the-day today, I note that the antiseptics used to disinfect cow teats can provide a source of iodine, but have been found to boost the level of pus in the milk of cows with staph-infected udders. Today’s dairy cows endure annual cycles of artificial insemination, pregnancy and birth, and mechanized milking for 10 out of 12 months of the year (including seven months of their 9-month pregnancies). This excessive metabolic drain overburdens the cows, who are considered “productive” for only two years and are slaughtered for hamburger when their profitability drops, typically around their fourth birthday – a small fraction of their natural lifespan.

Processed Meats Declared Too Dangerous for Human Consumption

By Mike Adams

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has just completed a detailed review of more than 7,000 clinical studies covering links between diet and cancer. Its conclusion is rocking the health world with startling bluntness: Processed meats are too dangerous for human consumption. Consumers should stop buying and eating all processed meat products for the rest of their lives

10 Superfoods ALL vegans should consume!

Walnuts – There are just a few good sources of essential omega 3 fatty acids in the vegan diet. The walnut is one of the most appealing and healthy of the choices. Walnuts have been called “brain-food” and it’s interesting that they even look like a brain. Their high concentration of omega-3 essential fat is just what is needed to keep your brain cells functioning properly. It is commonly known now that lack of omega-3 fats has conclusively been linked to depression. But studies also show that a lack of omega-3 fats is linked to learning disorders, behavioral problems, temper tantrums, and sleep disorders. Walnuts have been found to contain a bio-available form of ‘melatonin’; a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which induces and regulates sleep; and sleep is very important to healing. Studies have linked eating a handful of walnuts to a reduction in bone-loss. Studies also point out that our body turns the ALA (alpha linolenic acid) provided by walnuts into EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) which is a long-chain fatty acid. Vegan diets, typically, do NOT contain any DHA (another long-chain fatty acid). Some studies say that we can make EPA long-chain fatty acid from walnuts or flax, but not DHA, therefore some vegans will supplement with a vegan DHA from microalgae. There is little evidence of adverse health or cognitive effects due to DHA-deficiency in adult vegans, but vegan medical doctors strongly advise pregnant and lactating vegan mothers to supplement with DHA made from micro-algae. Walnuts are also a very good source of manganese and a good source of copper, two important and essential minerals. They also contain an antioxidant compound called ‘ellagic acid’, which helps in cancer protection. I’m off for a handful of walnuts!

Calcium absorption: soy milk versus cow milk

Protein

Protein is important for maintaining muscle and bone mass, for keeping the immune system strong, and to prevent fatigue.

People not familiar with vegan nutrition often assume it is terribly hard to get enough protein on a vegan diet, and that's if they even think there is any protein in plant foods at all (how they think vegans survive is an interesting question, though many of them probably don't think we do). On the other hand, once "educated", most vegans have the diametrically opposite view, considering it impossible for someone not to get enough protein on a vegan diet.

'Flexitarians' driving global move away from meat consumption: study

Sales of meat have slowed to a crawl around the world, thanks in part to the growing number of 'flexitarians' -  that murkily-defined group of part-time vegetarians - and public health warnings outlining the perils of red meat consumption.
According to an August report from Euromonitor International, meat was one of the worst performers over the 2005 to 2010 period, with sales growing less than 14 percent over the six-year period. Only vegetables fared slightly worse, with a growth rate of 11 percent.