Folate (or B9) is a water-soluble vitamin. It is used in cell maintenance, cell formation and to keep tissue healthy. The synthetic version that is found in supplements and fortified foods is called Folic Acid. Folate can lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, birth defects, and neural tube defects.

How much do you need? The RDA recommends:

For Males:

• 11-14 = 150 mg
• 15-51+ = 200 mg

For Females

• 11-14 = 150
• 15-51+ = 180
• pregnant = 400 mg
  note: if there’s even the mere possibility of you becoming pregnant,
  it’s better to be safe and consume 4oo mg. taking supplements is
  recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
• lactating 1st 6 months = 280
• lactating 2nd 6 months = 260

Lucky for us most folate is found in fruits and veggies. It can also be found in legumes, nuts and seeds.
Some of the best sources are:

• asparagus
• green leafy vegetables
• beans
• sunflower seeds
• oranges
• strawberries
• melons

Folate deficiency (a form of anemia) occurs when there’s a decrease in red blood cells. It can also cause red blood cells to become abnormally large. Some signs that you may be deficient include diarrhea, loss of apetite, weight loss, weakness, sore tongue, headaches, heart palpitations, irritability, forgetfulness, and behavioral disorders.
If you have folate deficiency and give birth it can result in a low birth weight and defects, so be extra careful during pregnancy.

I received this email recently:

“I am currently writing a book related to my life experience over the next year with diet, exercise, spirituality etc. I have read many different opinions on this and various topics…”

“I have read from the palaeolithic diet that soy is bad, legumes, peas, I am certain that you have seen the same things. This is the website where I read it. I have for the last week eaten a Raw diet. http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html I am attempting to cut out caffeine and all the other “Bad” stuff but this guy says I cannot even have peanuts. Can I survive on Veggies, Nuts, and Fruits? Any help you can be would be greatly appreciated.”

This is a very good question, and I thought others would be interested in this as well, so here’s the answer I gave (note: I’m not a registered dietitian, but I do a lot of research on vegan nutrition):

It sounds like you’re essentially attempting a Fruitarian lifestyle. It is a very limited diet, but is believed to be quite healthy. Fruitarians eat about 75% fruit and get the rest of their nutrition from other raw vegan sources (like nuts and veggies). Darwin was a believer in this diet. He felt it was the most natural diet for humans. The trick, however is, you must be very careful about getting enough variety in this limited diet so that you get proper nutrition. Some of the nutrients you need to be sure you are getting are iron, B12, folate, calcium, and protein. I urge you to check my “nutrient check” section, which I will continue to add more information to.

For iron, you should eat things like raisins, apricots, spinach and pistachios.

For B12, I don’t know how you feel about supplements but you may have to add B12 supplements to your diet since plants do not make B12 and will only contain B12 if they are contaminated by microorganisms. So you can take a chance and hope for those microorganisms to land on the plants you eat, but it is risky. If you can have yeast in your diet, some nutritional yeasts contain B12. Note: deficiency can be a very serious problem.

Folate can be found in green leafy vegetables.

Calcium can be found in foods like almonds, brazil nuts, dandelion greens, kelp, parsley, kale, arugula, and figs.

Protein can be found in nuts, seeds, spinach, kale, and broccoli.

Our bodies need calcium on a daily basis to maintain strong bones (teeth included). Our bodies cannot produce calcium on their own so we need to get it through nutrition. Some of the vegan dietary sources include tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, seeds and nuts. Note: In order to absorb calcium, our bodies need vitamin D. So be sure to expose yourself to the sun for at least 15 minutes a few times a week, or get vitamin D through nutrition/ fortified foods.

daily requirements:

• 0-6 months = 210 mg
• 7-12 months = 270 mg
• 1-3 years = 500 mg
• 4-8 years = 800 mg
• 9-18 yrs old = 1300 mg
• 19-50 yrs old = 1000 mg
• 51+ = 1200 mg

some of the top vegan dietary sources are:

• sesame seeds
• tofu
• soybeans
• almonds
• brazil nuts
• flax seeds
• kidney beans
• french beans
• yellow beans
• navy beans
• turnip greens
• dandelion greens
• kelp (seaweed)
• parsley
• kale
• arugula
• collards
• figs

I’ve been a member of Greendeavor for a few months now. It’s a good site for vegan shopping and eco-friendly shopping. I feel the two often go hand-in-hand.

Do you ever think about your carbon footprint? It’s the amount of energy you use driving your car, using a computer, using air conditioning.. any use of fossil fuels that put greenhouse gases into the air. If there were a way to offset that carbon footprint that was pretty painless, wouldn’t you want to?

That’s one of the great features of Greendeavor. Through shopping, or through donations, you can offset or neutralize your footprint. The money goes towards projects which will prevent future greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. And you get rewarded through reward points.

One of the stores you can earn points through is Vegan Unlimited. You can get all sorts of vegan goodies like cosmetics, pet supplies, bags, hats and belts.

Oh, and if you sign up, feel free to tell them Emily Prachthauser invited you. And if you tell others, it can help you earn points. So spread the word!

survey…

• Are you tired of looking at the list of ingredients on foods and thinking “yay it’s vegan!” only to read on the very bottom the all too familiar “may contain traces of milk and eggs” or “produced in a facility that makes…” Whether you are that finicky with your vegan food choices or not, wouldn’t it be nice to have vegan food produced in an all-vegan facility?
• do you like ice cream (like chocolate chip cookie dough)?
• are you Jewish?
• are you allergic to peanuts or nuts?

If you answered favorably to any of the above questions, then I think you’ll want to check out Temptation Vegan Ice Cream.

It’s a vegan company based in Illinois. I’m originally from the Midwest so that’s exciting to me. They’re also hip with myspace, if you want to be friends with them. On their myspace page it says “We’re a bunch of vegan guys from the Midwest who started a non-dairy ice cream company. Temptation Frozen Soy Dessert is available in Whole Foods Markets and many other health food stores in MOST places East of Utah. Sorry West Coasters*.” Well, I now live in Utah and it looks as though we just missed the cut off. Hopefully they will expand their market to the West Coast soon. I already emailed them about getting the product at Wild Oats in SLC. You can email them, too if you want the product to be carried in your area. Just go to this link. For now I’ll just have to get my fix next time I head back to Wisconsin. I’ll get my non-dairy from the dairy state.

prep time: 20-30 min.

I’ve heard this called other names like black bean & corn salsa and have tasted some variations. But this one is my personal favorite. It can be used as a dip/salsa or can just be eaten by itself. Healthy and delicious.

• 1 can shoepeg corn (drained), or fresh sweet corn
• 1 can black beans OR 1 can black-eyed peas (drained)
• 2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped finely
• 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
• 1 ripe avocado peeled and diced
• juice of one lemon
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• garlic, powdered or diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. The lemon will keep the avocado from discoloring. Serve with chips such as Fritos Scoops or serve as a salad. It keeps for a couple of days if refrigerated. For salads you can also add or substitute garbanzo beans, frozen corn, even cucumbers.

Thanks Mum!

prep time: 10 min.

• sea salt
• a lemon/lemon juice
• edamame

So simple, yet so delectable. Boil edamame (still in pods) for just a couple of minutes. Drain. Sprinkle on sea salt (to taste). Squeeze on some lemon juice (to taste). Chew on pods to remove beans. Discard pods.

I’ve found a few different articles on this now. Apparently, people who eat red meat tend to smell worse than those who do not. One study called, “The Effect of Meat Consumption on Body Odor Attractiveness,” was a blind study in which women rated the scents of two different groups of men- those who did not eat red meat for 2 weeks, and those who did. According to an article in VegNews

note: due to an abundance of comments, I have edited this entry to contain additional, more specific information. I appreciate your input.

If you’re as fortunate as I am, you’ve had baffled meat eaters repeatedly asking this question. Why this seems to be the number one concern they have for us veg’s is beyond me. And why our society is under the impression that only animal products have protein probably has something to do with the popularity of those meat-based Atkins-type diets. But don’t you worry- plant proteins contain the same 23 amino acids as animal proteins. Deficiency in protein is quite uncommon in the U.S. The best source of protein you can possibly get is through spirulina, an ocean algae. Consuming just 2 tablespoons (20 g) of this supplement will give you a whopping 13 grams of protein.

Here’s a list of vegan foods that contain protein (in grams):

(note: these are generalizations- protein may vary for certain foods like whole wheat bread depending on type and brand)

SOY

• tempeh (1 cup, 40g)
• soybeans (1 cup cooked, 29g)
• tofu (4 oz, 9g)
• tofu, firm (4 oz, 11g)
• soy nut butter (2 tbsp, 7g)
• soymilk (1 cup, 7g)

BEANS

• soybeans (1 cup, 29g)
• black beans (1 cup cooked, 15g)
• kidney beans (1 cup cooked, 13g)
• vegetarian baked beans (1 cup, 12g)
• pinto beans (1 cup cooked, 12g)
• lima beans (1 cup cooked, 10g)

NUTS

• soy nuts (1/4 cup roasted, 19g)
• cashews (1/4 cup, 5g)
• almonds (1/4 cup, 8g)
• almond butter (2 tbsp, 5g)
• brazil nuts (1/4 cup, 8g)
• hazel nuts (1/4 cup, 8g)
• pine nuts (1/4 cup, 4g)
• macadamia nuts (1/4 cup, 4g)
• pecans (1/4 cup, 5g)
• walnuts (1/4 cup, 8g)

GRAINS

• oatmeal (1 cup, 6g)
• bulgur (1 cup, 6g)
• seitan (3 oz, 31g)
• whole wheat bread (2 slices, 5g)

VEGETABLES

• chickpeas (1 cup cooked, 12g)
• green peas (1 cup cooked, 9g)
• spinach (1 cup cooked, 5g)
• artichoke (1 medium cooked, 4g)
• kale (1 cup cooked, 2.5g)
• broccoli (1 cup cooked, 4g)
• potato (1 medium, 4g)

LEGUMES

• lentils (1 cup cooked, 18g)
• peanuts (1/4 cup, 8g)
• peanut butter (2 tbsp, 8g)

SEEDS

• sunflower seeds (1/4 cup, 6g)
• pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup, 9g)
• quinoa (1 cup cooked, 9g)

RICE

• brown rice (1 cup cooked, 5g)
• wild rice (1 cup cooked, 6.5g)

How much protein should you get per day? Multiply your body weight by .36 and that will give you the number of grams you should be getting. (example: a 150lb person should get about 54 grams of protein)

________________________________________________________________________

IT certifications are very important to maintain your position. Certification exams like MCSE 70-293 and 156-215 CheckPoint security validates your knowledge and skills. Cisco 646-563 ASAM and 642-426 Troubleshooting Unified Communications (TUC) guarantee you to get good job. The other Cisco 650-621 LCSAWLAN and 650-575 LCSAS exam are also valuable and high level security certification exams.