I grew up in a town called Hartland, about a half hour outside of Milwaukee, WI. It was a small town with not a whole lot of action. So, whenever my friends and I wanted to experience city life, we’d head to Milwaukee. In high school, my good friend Emily and I used to go to a little place called Fuel Cafe. We had a great time drinking caffeinated beverages, eating sandwiches, and reading the Onion.

Now, Emily lives in Boston and I live in Minneapolis, so we don’t get to hang out very often. Luckily, our parents still live in Hartland, so whenever the holidays roll around, we make a point of meeting up. To commemorate the occasion, I suggested we check out our old fave. So we headed to Fuel Cafe. Happily, we discovered Fuel is doing quite well these days, as they celebrate their 15th year in Riverwest. A quaint cafe with a lot of character, great coffee drinks, and even better food! They have several vegan options available. I had the most amazing VLT (vegan bacon, lettuce, tomato, and vegenaise) EVER!! Check out their menu here.

So, if you’re ever in Milwaukee, head to 818 E. Center Street. You’ll be glad you stopped by! Pop over any weekend for a bowl of their homemade vegan chili.

I was browsing through Alternative Outfitters and found these snazzy wallets. Faux-leather, of course, and highly unique. The colors are great. A retro feel with plenty of character. Check ‘em out! And no, I have not been paid to endorse these. I just dig ‘em.

Stuffed animals are always a cute gift idea for the holidays. What’s even cuter? A stuffed animal that helps save endangered species. My fiance got me a plush Pygmy Marmoset, which is the smallest monkey on earth. The money he donated to the World Wildlife Fund helps save this species which is in danger of losing its habitat.

photo by tim ellis

They have tons of cute creatures to choose from: http://www.worldwildlife.org/ogc/species_category.cfm

When you adopt an animal for $50, you get an adoption kit which includes the plush toy, a fact card, a photo of the real animal, a certificate of adoption, and a gift bag.

photo by mavi07

I picked up a new fruit at the grocery store. New to me, that is. It’s called a pomelo, or a Chinese grapefruit. It’s essentially a large grapefruit. Very strong citrus smell and not as sour or bitter as the common grapefruit.

The outside is a pale green. Apparently they can grow to be as large as a basketball! Mine was not nearly that large. It’s native to South-East Asia and goes by many different names.

If you’ve heard of a tangelo, it’s a cross between a tangerine and pomelo. Funny that I knew tangelos before I knew pomelos.

Anyway, if you happen to come across one, and you like grapefruit, give it a try! It’s pretty fantastic. Squeeze the remaining juice into a glass for a yummy citrus kick.

Nutrition facts:
72 cal per cup
1.9mg sodium
410.4mg potassium
18.28g carbs
1.9g dietary fiber
1.444g protein
115.9% daily value of vitamin C

I watched the documentary King Corn last night and was pretty disturbed by the reality of the U.S. corn industry. We produce ridiculous amounts of corn and the surplus is bad news for animals and for people. Livestock are force fed mass amounts of corn feed, which causes ulcers, acidosis and many other health problems. One man they interviewed said “It’s a good thing they slaughter the cows when they do. They’d be dead in six months anyway.” Cows are natural grass feeders. It keeps them lean and healthy. Corn feed is far too rich and starchy for them and they are essentially forced into obesity. Their muscles turn into fat and they’re pumped full of antibiotics just to help treat the acidosis the corn feed causes. Believe it or not, livestock consumes 70% of the antibiotics in the U.S.!!

So why aren’t we grass feeding the cows? It’s food economics. Due to the surplus of corn in this country, corn feed is cheaper to buy. As a result, meat is cheaper to buy. Incredibly unhealthy and fattening, but still cheaper. And the U.S. is built upon the demand for cheap food. Nowadays, only about 13% of a family’s money goes towards food. But, of course, this cheap food comes at a hefty price.

What else does this corn surplus mean? High fructose corn syrup. And LOTS of it. A fun little test for you– while you’re checking labels at the grocery store, check for high fructose corn syrup. You’ll be blown away by how many foods contain it. Obviously, sticking with fresh produce is a big help. But this sneaky substance is all over the place.

This is one big factor in the dramatic rise of type 2 diabetes. Which is why it enrages me to see those commercials promoting high fructose corn syrup. It’s just one more strategy for selling corn, and one more step towards an early death. We need to actively cut these empty calories out of our diets, not add more “in moderation.”

It makes me sad to realize that this innocent plant can be the cause of so many problems. I’m not blaming the plant, of course. I’m blaming the food industry for giving it such a bad reputation. Not to mention how corn has transformed. It used to be a much healthier food. But in the crops today, the protein has been replaced with more starch.

I recommend checking out King Corn if you haven’t already. It starts off rather slow, but it gets quite interesting as it goes. I was a bit disappointed, however, that the guys who made the documentary continued to eat meat, even after all they had learned. ::sigh::

photo by kaibara87

I’m embarking on a new health kick. It happens fairly often. Whenever I feel like my level of processed goodies, white flours, and sugars has started to escalate (like during holidays), I pull myself back with lots of veggies, fresh fruits, and whole grains. Here’s a typical healthy day:

Breakfast
Oatmeal or high fiber cereal with soymilk and a multi vitamin.
Coffee!! Or tea. Or both. I pee a lot.

Snack
Fruit! Like raspberries. Combine with soy yogurt, if I have any.

Lunch
Vegetable stir fry, or steamed veggies. Or a salad.

Snack
Nuts (sparingly)

Dinner
More vegetables, perhaps with some brown rice
or a nice big salad filled with fresh veggies and seasonings!!

If I’m still hungry
Another highly fibered bowl of cereal or more fruit

Tippies:

Hydration! Drink lots of water. Drink it before meals. Drink it between meals. Drink, drink, drink. Did I mention I pee a lot?

Salt! It can be easy to overload on salt. Don’t forget about all the salt-like seasonings out there that contain no salt at all, like Mrs. Dash, or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute! Could save you a world of bloat later on.

When eating so many veggies, it’s important to get creative with your seasonings, otherwise you could get bored out of your gourd. Pick up new produce you haven’t tried and look up recipes. Last night, I made a killer butternut squash dish by adding balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Combine with brown rice and place on a bed of lettuce and you’ve got yourself a tasty plate! Some other great health foods to combine with your veggies are lentils, wild rice, beans, roasted pine nuts or other nuts, and sunflower seeds.

Go seasonal! Pick foods that are fresh this time of year.

Go dark! The darker colors in fruits and veggies indicate phytonutrients. Cancer prevention! And we could use more of them to hide from the flu season, as well. I should know. My fiance had a rough night last night with hot and cold sweats, and stuffy sinuses. Hopefully I won’t be next. Pass the blueberries, please.