Vegan Bytes #60: What Do You Know About Whole Grains?

Welcome to the Vegan-Nutritionista.com subscriber group! Our newsletter focuses on helping you learn more about veganism and how to apply it to your daily life. Vegan Bytes is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date with the world of food, answering your vegan nutrition questions, and providing you with ideas on ways to spread your lifestyle beliefs.

*Nutritional Spotlight: What are Whole Grains and How Do I Eat Them?
*Vegan Travel: Sutra Seattle Supper Club
*Question: "Why do I have gas and diarrhea on a vegan diet?"
*Vegan Ebooks Collection: Vegan Nutritionista's Meal Plans and Cookbooks
*Recipe of the Month: Decadent Vegan Carrot Cake
*Vegan Spotlight: Who Are the Famous Vegans?
*What's New?: What's New With Vegan Nutritionista?

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I remember a time I was telling someone to eat more whole grains and he said, "I don't even know what a grain is." It shocked me into silence. I couldn't really explain it accurately and I don't think he left with any better idea of how to add better sources of grains into his diet.

After that encounter, I put together a page explaining whole grains that I think helps, but without a real idea of how to cook them, it's incomplete.

So then I made an ebook on how to cook beans and grains that I think makes a nice reference copy for the kitchen.

Now I want to point anyone who still doesn't know what to do with grains or how to add them into their diet to a page I made with a few great whole grain recipes. I make whole grains virtually every day, and usually they combine with vegetables and beans in a simple dinner or get thrown on top of a bunch of vegetables for a salad. These recipes do give you a few awesome ways to enhance the flavors, and you can substitute in whatever grains you like best.

I'd love to share some of your favorite whole grain recipes with the rest of our readers, so if you have one you'd love to spread the word about, please pop over here to add your best recipe. Use as many details as you can to explain how to make the recipe and if you can add a picture, that makes it even more valuable to our community.

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The weekend after Thanksgiving I had an amazing dining experience for one reason: we went to Sutra Restaurant in Seattle. Part of why it was so unique was because it's a prix fixe meal at set dining times, but the other part is because each dish is so absolutely delicious.

Sutra serves dinner at one or two seatings each night, and everyone eats the same thing at the same time. Perhaps because the chefs have time to focus on only five courses each week, they're able to dedicate more time to making each sauce and seasoning perfect. They focus on local vegetables that are in season at the time you visit, so you'll likely never eat the same thing twice. And of course, everything is vegan, so you don't need to pepper the server with questions. If you have more strict dietary restrictions (like gluten-free or sugar-free), you can contact them ahead of time to tailor your meal to fit.

I definitely recommend getting a reservation for Sutra if you're anywhere in the Seattle area. It's an experience you won't soon forget. Check out my full review of Sutra, including what we ate and which dishes we thought were best.

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Question:

"I have been eating vegan for the past few weeks because of a few books that I read that convinced me to do so. I am ready to give up because of the gas, pain, bloating and diarrhea I am experiencing. My friend told me to wait a week until my body adjusts and its been a few- it seems to be getting worse. The diarrhea has gotten so bad that I am afraid to leave the house. I tried to stop eating beans and legumes and that has not helped and don't I need to keep those in my diet? Please help I am about to give up!"

-JJ, Montana

Answer:

Don't give up! First of all, your friend is probably right; it often takes a few weeks for your body to adjust to a new diet. It's hard for me to tell exactly what's going on without knowing what you used to eat and what you are eating now. For instance, if you have started eating fake meats and many processed soy-based foods, that could give you more intestinal upset than if you are eating a diet that is mostly whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits.

Read the rest of my answer about developing gas and digestive issues once you switch to a vegan diet.

If you have any vegan questions and you want some guidance, feel free to send them in by following this link.

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Vegan Cooking for Beginners

Vegan Cooking for Beginners is designed for new cooks and veteran vegans who want quick, cheap, and easy vegan recipes. It has 75 recipes, tons of pictures of the finished meals, nutritional information, and detailed instructions to make every recipe easy to follow. Read more and download a copy for only $7.99 here.

• Amazon for Kindle
• iTunes for iPad or iPhone
• Nook from Barnes & Noble
• Diesel books
• And, from Kobo

Vegan Meal Plans for Winter

Vegan Meal Plans is a complete meal plan for one month vegan weekday dinners. It includes 64 recipes, pictures, nutritional information, grocery lists, and tips and techniques. Everyone from those beginning a vegan diet to those veterans who want fresh menu ideas love this ebook. It focuses on fresh, local, and seasonal vegetables and uses all normal ingredients-- no fussy or gourmet skills needed. Download a copy for only $9.75 here.

If you have an e-reader, you can get Vegan Meal Plans for Fall designed specifically for that device for $9.99:

• From Amazon for Kindle
• From Apple for iTunes
• From Barnes and Noble for Nook
• From Kobo
• From Diesel Ebooks

Book of the Month: Vegan Christmas Cookies: 20 Best Vegan Cookie Recipes

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and part of the reason is because it's time to bake cookies. I've been baking my entire life, and I've been veganizing family recipes and making my own for years. In this ebook you'll find all your old favorites, like Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Thumbprints, Linzers, Peanut Butter with Chocolate Bombs, Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls, Gingerbread, and of course, Vegan Sugar Cookies.

Read more about the book on the Vegan Christmas Cookies page, or if you already know you have to have it, get your copy now for only $7.95. Buy now and you get a free guide to Natural Homemade Food Coloring and a Vegan Grocery List.

• You can also get it specifically for an e-reader on Amazon for Kindle
• Also on iTunes for iPad or iPhone
• On Nook from Barnes & Noble
• On Diesel books
• And, from Kobo

The Vegan Bread Box: 30 Simple and Delicious Vegan Bread Recipes

This is one of our most popular cookbooks. I've found it really difficult to find a vegan bread cookbook on the internet; there are tons of recipes out there, but they're scattered all over different sites and you never know which ones are good. This book has everything from an eggless brioche to a classic whole wheat boule recipe, so you'll never have to go scrounging the internet again. I'm so happy people have gotten so much out of this ebook.

Learn more about the bread baking tip that's almost too easy here or download your copy for only $7.95 now.

Get iPad/Kindle/Kobo/Reader Formatted Vegan Bread Recipes for only $7.99!

• To buy The Vegan Bread Box on Amazon, click here.
  
• For iTunes, click here.
• For the Barnes and Noble Nook
• For Kobo
• For Diesel

Just the Menus Ebook Package Deal

Just the Menus Ebook Package allows you to have both Vegan Nutritionista meal plans, one for the fall/winter and one for the spring/summer at a discounted rate. Download your copy for only $16.99 here.

Menus and Cookbooks Ebook Package Deal

Menus and Cookbooks Ebook Package allows you to have Vegan Cooking for Beginners, both Vegan Nutritionista Meal Plans, The Vegan Bread Box, Vegan Christmas Cookies, and Cut the Cheese. Download your copy for only $41.99 here.

Vegan Grocery List

This massive, complete vegan grocery list is the only one you'll ever need. Print out copies of it to hang on your fridge, and then mark what you need as you go throughout the week. Download a copy for only $0.99.

Entire Collection of Ebooks Deal:

Get Vegan Cooking for Beginners, Cut the Cheese, The Vegan Bread Box, A Fresh New Vegan You, both Vegan Meal Plans and Vegan Meal Plans for Spring, Vegan Christmas Cookies AND a free copy of the massive Vegan Grocery List for only $63.99. Save BIG on this package! Download this package here. *Note: this does not include a separate file for Soak, Rinse, Boil! because you get it within A Fresh New Vegan You.

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When I was growing up, my mom was known as one of the best bakers in her group of friends, and her carrot cake recipe was one of her specialties. One of my best friends used to request a slice of carrot cake when she came to visit on college breaks. So, I promise this started as a really good recipe, just one full of eggs and cream cheese.

When I stopped eating dairy products, I assumed cream cheese frosting was gone from my life, but that was before I learned to cook with dairy alternatives. I've now taken her original recipe and made it vegan, and I doubt anyone could ever tell the difference. You've got to try it!

You can see my two favorite carrot cake recipes here; the decadent mom-inspired version and the lower-fat alternative that still tastes really good.

You can share your own recipes and comment on others by following this link to Vegan Nutritionista.

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After the Oscars last month and award season wrapping up, I thought it would be a good time to highlight those vegan celebrities who keep our lifestyle choices in the limelight. I don't believe that just because someone is famous that we regular people should necessarily look up to them, but I do like that when someone hears about a vegan celebrity, they're more likely to google them and learn about their lifestyle.

For instance, most of the recaps about Anne Hathaway's dress also included a mention of the fact that she was wearing designer vegan shoes. Someone who hadn't thought about what animals go through to make leather for us might then consider changing their diet.

Whenever Tony Gonzalez plays football, I get a ton of people rushing to my website after looking up his diet, especially after an announcer calls attention to the fact that Tony's old but plays well because he eats well. Score for all of us, no matter how you feel about football.

So, in honor of the Oscars, I bring you this list of famous vegans. I continually update it, and as far as I know, it's the most up-to-date and accurate list of vegan celebrities on the internet. Of course, I haven't personally asked any of these people about their diet, so keep in mind that it's based on what they've told us publicly. If you know of someone else, please do let me know.

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Vegan Nutritionista is constantly growing and changing, and if you signed up for this newsletter a long time ago, you might not have read our new information. Our blog page keeps you up-to-date with new articles on the site.

We're in the process of updating the design of our website. I sometimes had a hard time fitting everything I wanted to say into the two columns we used to use, so now we have three columns. And, we'll be transitioning over to a really pretty color scheme. Nothing changes for you; all the content is exactly the same. I hope you like it!

We also now have a vegan forum where you can find topics submitted by users for discussion, answers, and places to add your own input. There is no member name required to participate, so you can jump right in and

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Vegan Essentials is one of my very favorite places to shop for vegan supplies. They have everything from clothes and shoes to vegan cheese, and their prices are the best around.

Amazon has really grown on me over the past decade or so. It no longer is just a resource for finding books, but now sells almost everything. Over the past few years, I've found more and more vegan-friendly supplies on amazon, including books, shoes, clothes, soymilk makers, soybeans, and so much more.

VitaMix is hands down the best blender on the market. I recommend it to anyone and everyone, and it's absolutely amazing... no exaggeration. In fact, the other day, I found myself taking a complete stranger to a section of a cooking store to show her the VitaMix and explain its benefits, just for pure fun!

You can make soups, ice cream, smoothies, whole fruit/vegetable juices, grind grains, make nut butters, grind ice, and so much more. I can remember life before the VitaMix and how frustrating it was to never get the exact consistency I wanted in my smoothies because the ice just wouldn't break up, and now I never give it a second thought. Highly recommended!

If you're a vegan nutritionista yourself and have always thought about running a blog with your vegan recipes, you should think about an SBI website. I would never have known how to start a website, let alone get Vegan Nutritionista to the successful place it is right now without Site Build It, and I can't recommend it enough. If you are passionate about anything, any hobby, lifestyle, food, drink, or culture, you can start a website about it. All you have to do is love it, research it, and learn to "talk" about it and SBI will guide you to making it financially successful.

I am an affiliate for these newsletter sponsors, so anytime someone buys something from these stores after using a link from our site, I make a small commission on it. But, I do promise that I would never recommend something that I don't use and love myself. So if you see a link on our site for something you like, you can support their company and the running of Vegan Nutritionista as well, or you can always choose to go directly to the company.

And don't forget, a percentage of all Vegan Nutritionista profits go to a rotating group of charities that benefit animals. This quarter we're giving money to the Louisiana ASPCA to help with animal victims of Hurricane Isaac.

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That's all for this month!! I hope you enjoyed reading it. Have a great month!