If you’re looking to lose a few, one sure-fire way to stay lean is to count calories. I find it’s the best method, personally, to truly keep track of my energy intake. On that note, it’s a good idea to have some lower calorie, easy to portion, items on hand to fill you up and keep you on track. Here’s a list of some yummy vegan goodies and their calories:

• Knorr Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon, 2.1oz (60g) - 25 cal/ cube
  clear soups are a great way to fill you up on very few calories. super tasty, and easy to make.
  
• Oatmeal-100-200 cal (depending on brand & flavor)
  can be eaten any time, and will do wonders for satisfying hunger. Not to mention the great health benefits of it.
  
• Cucumbers - 40 cal medium, with peel- 25 without peel
  Super low in calories and even better with seasonings. Add a little dill, salt, pepper… go crazy on that cuc’!
• Almonds - 7 cal/almond
  Ok, not low in calories, but easy to calculate. If you eat 7, you’re at about 50 calories. And they do fill you up. And they’re very good for you.
  
• Mushrooms - 1 C/ raw 15 cal
  Incredibly low in calories and so yummy. Sauté with some soy sauce or some other low cal sauce. Delightful!
  
• Apricots - 17 calories each
  Yes, they’re a smaller fruit but being able to eat an entire apricot for a mere 17 calories is pretty awesome and delicious. I had to triple check the calories the other day because I couldn’t believe it.
• Baked Potato - medium 160 calories
  If you want something super filling, here you go. Add salt, pepper, garlic, salsa or whatever seasoning tickles your fancy.
• Salsa - 11 calories for 2 Tbsp
  There are a wide variety of salsas but your standard tomato salsa is very low in calories and has become the new ketchup, popularity-wise.
  
• Spaghetti Squash - 75 calories/cup
  Like pasta, but so much more bang for your buck, calorie-wise. Great with many different sauces like marinara or a little maple syrup.
  
• Lettuce - 1 head, 21 calories
  Not a whole lot of substance to lettuce, but what a great filler food. Add it to any dish to give some extra fiber and texture.
  
• Coffee and Tea - 0 calories
  the healthiness of coffee is debatable but when you’re waiting for your next meal and trying to stave off hunger, sip your favorite warm beverage to pass the time. Add a splash of soymilk (measured and accounted for, of course) to kick up the flavor. Throwing a lemon in your tea is light and tasty too! on that note…
• Lemon - 13 calories, Lime - 20 calories
  An entire lemon is a mere 13 calories and one squeeze is great in water and tea. If you’re bored with plain old water, spruce it up with some delicious citrus!
  
• Water - 0 calories
  yeah, I know it’s an obvious one but focusing on drinking enough water is the bigger challenge. 8 - 10 glasses folks! More if you partake in vigorous activities.
  
• Rice Cakes - 30-70 calories (depending on brand and flavor)
  Pretty flavorless on their own but good with something on top, like a slice of vegan cheeze or veggies or something. Again, be creative! If you get bored, you might get off track.
  
• Celery - 9 calories for 1 large stalk
  often talked about as the negative calorie food, celery supposedly takes more calories to chew and burn than are in it, so eat up!
  
• Mustard - 0 calories
  this tasty condiment comes in a wide variety of flavors and is a great way to add a kick to your food with no added guilt.
• grapefruit - 80 calories
  a diet favorite, this food is low in calories and supposedly helps boost your metabolism. ever had a fresh grapefruit picked right from the tree? pure heaven… i wish i had a tree of my own.
• blueberries - 1 Cup, 84 calories
  superfood! filled with phytonutrients and fiber and said to improve short term memory and promote healthy aging, among other things. you really can’t go wrong with this one.
  
• Spinach - 7 calories uncooked, 40 calories cooked
  another amazing food filled with phytochemicals, iron and many other vitamins and minerals.
  

Obviously there are plenty more great low calorie foods out there. But this list will give you a good jump start. Feel free to comment on other low calorie foods.

Side note: when reducing your calories you should still focus on getting the right nutrition. Multivitamins aren’t a bad idea either. This blog is in no way promoting starving yourself to lose weight. Here is a calorie calculator to help you determine your daily caloric needs.

I had some over-ripe bananas hanging around and banana bread sounded like a mighty-fine idea. And banana bread with chocolate chips? Oh man. It doesn’t get much better than that.

• 2 bananas
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 C maple syrup
• 1/2 C unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 C flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• vegan chocolate or carob chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix all wet and dry ingredients separately. Be sure to thoroughly mush the bananas. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet. Result should be a thick dough.

Bake 30-35 minutes. Stick a knife in to see if it’s done.

Recipe and a (partial) demo can be found at: http://www.chooseveg.com/banana-bread.asp

Balance is important. And, as I’ve said before, there are unhealthy vegans. It’s a good idea to keep track of the type of foods you’re getting. Here’s a great food pyramid I got from http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/

Please note there are some variations of the vegan pyramid floating around. This pyramid says you should get most of your nutrition from whole grains. I say, when in doubt, get most of your nutrients from fruits, veggies and whole grains. And, though they’re quite good for you, use oils, nuts and nut butters more sparingly. And, of course, don’t overdo the processed products.

Ultimately, you should set out to get a variety of foods in your diet. And become good friends with the produce section!

To those not already vegan or vegetarian that read my blog: HELLO OUT THERE! Next week (May 19-25) is World Vegetarian Week. Yay! For the meat eaters out there- I challenge you to ban meat consumption for a week. For those of you that are vegetarian- I challenge you to go vegan for the week. Take that extra step to show animals you really do care. Show your body you care. Show the environment you care. If everyone in the world stopped eating meat for a week, just imagine how many pounds of flesh that is? Quite a freaking bit.

Besides, this is a great excuse for you to go out and explore those meat alternatives you’ve been contemplating, but never really took the plunge and bought. Replace that turkey on your sandwich with tofurkey. When ordering that pasta, get it without the chicken. Buy the veggie burrito instead of the pulled pork version. Replace your burger with a Boca Burger. Expand your pallet. Experiment. It could be one of the best decisions you ever make. And if you like some of the veg meals you eat this week, you can incorporate them into your regular diet. And every time you eat another veg meal from this point on, you can smile and give yourself a pat on the back. Because you’re supporting a good cause. How lovely!

To motivate you on your veg journey, you can sign the Veg Pledge. I’m so proud of you! And remember to peruse my recipes for yummy ideas.

And as a reward for a great week, you should order this AMAZING vegan fudge mix. It’s almost too good, but good for you at the same time! “Health Food That Tastes Like Junk Food.” Ain’t life grand.

A great replacement for scrambled eggs. I think these taste even better.

• Firm Tofu
• Olive Oil
• Vegetable Oil Spread*
• Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat frying pan with a little olive oil. Chop up tofu into small pieces and throw into pan. Add vegetable oil spread (about 1 TBSP for half a carton of tofu, add more for richer flavor). Break up tofu with spatula to give more of a scrambled texture. Add desired salt and pepper. When tofu turns light yellow in color, right before it starts to brown, that’s when it’s ready to eat. Delish!

*I like Smart Balance Light. It’s non-hydrogenated, has no trans-fatty acids, and contains flax oil, which gives you your omega 3 & 6 and a variety of other vegetable oils. Oh, and it tastes good! Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread is another great one. Non-hydrogenated, trans fat free, non-GMO, 100% expeller-pressed vegetable oils and also contains omega-3.

You don’t have to be a raw foodist to sprout your own seeds, but if you are eating just raw foods, spouted seeds are an essential part of your diet. I’ve mentioned the wonders of wheatgrass previously. It’s got so many health benefits and is a great natural medicine. Normally I just buy my wheatgrass already grown at Wild Oats/ Whole Foods. $5 for a bed that lasts about a 5 days. A little longer if you keep watering it and trimming the grass. But it is nice to know how to sprout your own seeds. There are many seeds you can sprout besides wheatberries such as garbanzo beans, broccoli seeds, sunflower seeds, basil etc. I tried reading about sprouting, but it’s really not an ideal way to learn. The best way to learn is by watching someone else do it. Karen Knowler, a raw food coach, has a variety of how-to videos on YouTube. A couple of short videos I encourage you to watch if you’re at all interested in sprouting, are “Sprouting” and “Wheatgrass and Indoor Greens” which you can find here on her YouTube page: http://youtube.com/user/karenknowler

Thanks to everyone that takes the time to read my blog. I hope you love reading it as much as I love writing it. As a token of my gratitude, dear readers, I offer you free buttons! Just cute little promo buttons, available for free from now until May 20th, (’08). If you’re interested, email me at empracht@gmail.com with your name and address. Thanks! and HAPPY READING!

I’ve been waiting years for a book like Skinny Bitch to arrive. I recommend everyone read this fantastic book– even if you’re not trying to lose weight. Co-written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (both formerly in the modeling industry), this book focuses on vegan foods and how great they are for your health. They advise you to stay away from chemically-laden foods, and they also delve into the nastiness of the meat and dairy industries. They tell it like it is, so brace yourselves. I had a moment while I was reading quotes from slaughterhouse workers where I just started bawling for 20 minutes straight. It never gets easier to hear how horribly these sweet, wonderful creatures are treated. And it just made me feel so helpless sitting there, doing nothing as countless numbers of these lovely animals continue to be tortured every day.

The authors have clearly have done their research on the blood-thirsty, incestuous relationship between the USDA and the meat and dairy industries. As well as the FDA and the EPA. In summation, “trust no one.”

Not only does this book focus on your personal health, and animal cruelty, but it focuses on environmental impacts as well. What could be better than choosing a lifestyle that is ideal for your peak health, the health of the globe, and the well-being of our dear animal friends?

They also go in-depth about the horrors of the chemicals in foods and why we need to steer clear of them if we want to be healthy. And they do it all with a tough-love approach. Their crassness is pretty entertaining at times. Though I had already heard a bit about the horrors of chemical sweeteners, there’s plenty of info they bring to the table about other chemicals that I knew little about.

Interestingly, this book is not promoted as a vegan book. Nowhere on the outside does it mention vegansim. They just tell you what foods are healthiest for your body. Which, coincidentally are vegan foods. And perhaps that was the right approach. Many people shy away when they see the word vegan, but given the fact that this book is a #1 New York Times Best Seller, I’d say they’ve made their mark in the general public. And they just wrote a sequel (deep breath): Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)