Well it's that time of the year again... Lent. Where I go from being a normal omnivore to being an herbivore... with a side of fish. Occasionally. The first and last week for us is totally vegan. That is probably the hardest because I work with clients and can't always bring my lunch and for the most part, I can't go out either. There are vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Cali. Lots of them. My clients never seem to be interested in them.
*sigh*
On a more serious note, I figured out why I end up feeling so run down and haggard by the time lent ends. It is also the same reason that the vegan or vegetarian life style is not sustainable for me.
It appears that I have trouble absorbing nonheme sources of iron. And being already anemic to begin with, the vegan diet quickly runs my stores into the negatives leaving me feeling like a wrung out wash rag.
So what is heme?
What started this discussion is the friends concern for how much I sleep towards the end of lent. She was concerned that the diet was making me sick. Over the years I have gotten a whole lot better at figuring out complete sources of protein and how to make vegan food tasty. This is significantly helped by the fact that vegan products have gotten better and tastier. But still, no matter how much better I get and no matter how healthy seaming my diet is, by the end of lent, I just feel...sick. I have lately begun to think that it has to do with iron.
Then the other night my friend pointed me to a government fact sheet on iron.
In summary there are two dietary sources of iron. Heme, that which comes from animal mater. And nonheme. That which comes from plant matter. Our bodies treat both of these differently. They are absorbed and processed at different rates of efficiency and are affected by different things in our diets.
Heme based iron is absorbed at a rate of 15-35 percent and is not affected by other dietary factors. In contrast, nonheme iron is absorbed at a rate of just 2-20 percent and is significantly impacted by other dietary factors. Tannins, calcium, legumes and whole grains can all have a negative impact on the absorption of nonheme based iron. Some of which can be mildly offset by cooking in cast iron cookware.
For a vegan diet this means that the very whole grains that provide the necessary proteins in the diet can interfere with necessary iron. Supplements which are mineral based iron, only help partially and appear to be subject to the same dietary factors. And while there are a lot of nonheme sources that provide a large percentage of the FDA recommended value for iron, none of them do any good if they are not absorbed.
All in all, it is an interesting and informative article. Well worth a read.
But what it means to me is that while I can be e vegan or a vegetarian for short periods of time, it would be unhealthy for me in the long run. This is just as well. I like meat.
So what is an omnivore to do when faced with an herbivore diet? And what does the aboce picture have to do with the price of beans?
Burrito!
I will start this off saying that vegan crumbles ROCK! For taco meat I prefer them to ground beef 100%. And they are wonderful in tomato sauce... anything that will give them a lot of flavor as on their own they are rather...bland. In addition, I have found that pepper jack soy cheese is entirely acceptable... melted. I would not eat it out of hand because there is still the odd textural issue that soy cheese tends to have - it is rubbery - I do however like it melted. The spiciness hides any left over oddness of flavor making this cheese enjoyable if not a total replacement for my beloved real cheeses.
Vegan Burritos
1 bag vegan crumbles (I like Morningstar Farms)
1 scant cup corn
2 packets taco seasoning [1]
1/2 cup shredded soy pepper jack
2 tomatoes slices or chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 ripe avocado
6 whole wheat tortillas
Salad Greens
Salsa [2]
Dump the corn and the veggie crumbles into a frying pan. Mix the taco seasoning with about a generous half cup of water and add to the pan immediately. Fry on high until the corn and crumbles are heated through and the water is absorbed. Do not over cook.
To server, place the tortillas on a plate with a damp cloth over them, microwave for 30 seconds to heat. Arrange the veggies and cilantro on a plate and squirt with the juice of a lime. Put the crumble and corn mixture in a bowl next to a bowl of salsa and one of the soy cheese. Now let everyone have fun making their own burritos.
Easy as pie and so good you won't miss the meat! Promise!
[1] I usually like to use one regular and one spicy, this time around I skipped the spicy and instead put in 2 teaspoons cumin and 1 teaspoon coriander, half teaspoon of turmeric and a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper. And I like the rounder flavors of adding my own spices better!
[2] I make my own by putting the following in a blender: tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, Serrano chilies, salt, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. So much better than store bought!
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