The Veggie Gal

I can’t believe it but I have been blogging for one whole year now!  When I started this blog it was really to show a few family members that I care deeply about that eating a plant based, vegan diet can be easy, tasty and change your health for the better.  I really wanted them to make the switch so that they could be in my life longer and I would not have to worry about them being consumed by one of the many horrible diseases that come along with eating the SAD diet.  Well, unfortunately those people have made no such changes in their eating habits and continue to worry me but I have had to let go of the idea that I can change anyone and just live by example and take care of my own family.  I can only hope that they do not have to learn by having a heart attack, developing cancer or some other horrible disease.

With this one year mark comes a big change for me and that is moving from the big city of Phoenix Arizona to a small rural town in South Dakota.  This was a big decision for our family and one we did not make lightly.  It is going to be quite a switch to go from one extreme to another in more ways than just the weather.  I have not seen the snow in over 6 years and it is very beautiful here because the temperature gets so cold that it actually looks like silver sparkles are falling from the sky some days.  I can say that I did not miss shoveling snow or driving on icy streets but I can also say that it is wonderful to watch my two little ones faces as they watch the snow fall, go sledding or just play in it.

I thought moving to a small town in the mid-west would be difficult being a vegan because I would not be able to find what I needed at the stores and would stand out like a sore thumb.   I was surprised to find that other than a few select things I can pretty much get anything I need and what I can’t find the adorable little natural/co-op store will order it.  They of course will charge twice would I would have paid in the big city to get it here but that is probably better that I stay away from the naughty treats anyway.

The other surprising thing is that there are other vegans here and even a couple of raw vegans.  I have yet to meet any of the vegans but I’m sure once we get out from under the blankets of snow I might.  I think the word is spreading enough that you can find a few of us in every corner of the world now

A big adjustment is all the hunters and hunting commercials than run on television.    On almost every business door there are signs that say “Welcome Hunters!” (during hunting season of course).  Even during election time T.V. commercials show the candidate standing next to their truck, holding a gun in hunting gear to make their plea to become the next whatever.  I have never seen such a thing.

I am looking forward to living a slower paced life filled with more family, friends and fun.  I hope to be able to contribute in some educational way to the local community on healthy eating and maybe get a few people to change their lives for the better by making the switch or at the least open a few minds to plant based side dishes at least.

A change I am hoping to make this year to this blog is to make it more personal.  Originally my plan was to put up recipes to help people see that you don’t have to sacrifice too much to be healthy but also to share my stories.  I had posted my husband’s 21 day vegan kickstart, my 30 day food diary  as well as my master cleanse experience.  I want to expand on those things and do a healthier version of my 30 day food diary (the one posted is a bit naughtier than I am trying to be now) as well as anything else that fits into the blog.

Another change I would like to make is to improve the recipe page, I know I said I would do this before but life got crazy and I still have that goal.  I know it is just one Looooong list of recipes and not organized as well a it could be.  I will seperate the recipes into categories so that they are easier to sort through.  I would love suggestions of what YOU would like to see so I can consider that with the redesign.

One day (maybe sooner than later) I would like to add a video section.  I love music, hard rock music, and would love to cook some recipes while playing some of my favorite songs.  I also will link to some of the amazing videos from some of my favorite vegan doctors so everything is in one place.  Again, I would love any suggestions for additions that would make this site the best site for YOU.

Thank you all for visiting my site and any social networking promotion you may have done to help it spread to more people.

Kim~The Veggie Gal

Tags: The Veggie Gal, Vegan diet

When I started blogging I haphazardly took pictures of the food I made and posted it without even thinking about it.  As long as it was not too blurry and showed the food I figured it was good.  WOW I was so wrong!  I had never taken a photography class in my life and my photography experience went as far as taking pictures of my kids playing or at birthday and Christmas parties.

Once I tried to submit my photos to some of the food sites I realized they SUCKED and that is why they were being rejected DUH!  I started actually paying attention to the photographs of other vegan food bloggers and saw that there were some amazingly talented people out there who took beautifully artistic pictures and I had a lot of learning to do.  I am still learning and have yet to go out and buy a real camera and photo box but I have learned how to use my little point and shoot a little better and try to be creative where I can.  At a minimum I at least adjust the lighting so it is much brighter and not so dark and there is not a flash .

So since those first few months I have started to retake pictures of some of those old recipes and delete the old embarrassingly ugly one.    For those of you who keep up with the new posts but don’t look at the recipe page I am going to post a few of the new photos for the old recipes here.  It sure helps them to look more appetizing and me to look like a real food blogger   I have plenty more to retake as you can see from the recipe page and will work on it but I like to make new recipes and with it being VeganMoFo I am dedicated (for now) to doing just that.  These are the most recent retakes and links to those recipes.  I will keep posting new ones as I go so check back periodically.

Almond Maple Bananas

Oatmeal Waffles

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Glazed Cinnamon Biscuits

Super Sourdough Sandwich

Fruity Smoothie

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Tags: Breakfast, Dinner, Dr. Neal Barnard, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Lunch, Mexican Food, Vegan, vegan mofo 2010, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

Once a vegetarian for more than 25 years I thought, like most, that I needed dairy to get my much needed calcium and protein and oh boy cheese and ice cream tasted good!  Well I was soooo wrong and so is everyone else who thinks the same thing.  There is scientific proof that consuming animal protein from any source is not only fattening but it causes tons horrible diseases.

I would not be vegan if it were not for the likes of several doctors who preach a plant based (vegan) diet and share that knowledge with the world.   These doctors have helped change so many people’s lives for the better, opened many eyes to the health benefits of eating a vegan diet and should get more recognition than they do.  I would love to see a whole panel of these doctors on the Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, The Today Show and any other show that wants to show American’s how to improve their lives and stop disease.  The message they are spreading IS the answer to the health care crisis in the country!

I think that all vegans should know all three sides of being a vegan and knowing about the way it can change your health for the better is a very important aspect. Many vegans eat a very high fat, high sugar diet (I understand why for sure it is good!) but need to know the benefits of eating a low fat high nutrient rich diet and try to strike a balance to be even better role models for why eating vegan is the right thing to do for your body, the planet and the animals.

Here is a brief description of some (there are so many more out there) of the doctors who have made a difference in my life and have amazing books and websites to back up their claims.  These summaries are all in my own words and not direct quotes or facts directly from these doctors, I hope to represent them well in my descriptions as I respect each one of them immensely.  Please take some time and learn about each doctor and you never know you might want to change how you eat to improve your health too.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell.  Dr. Campbell wrote the first book I read about how eating a plant based diet can change your health and it is a life changer for anyone who reads it called The China Study.  Dr. Campbell was raised on a farm and ate the typical American diet and never thought twice about doing so until he was part of a group of doctors trying to help hungry and sick children in other countries.  He discovered that the children who ate the most animal protein had higher incidence of disease thus starting him on a path of discovery.  He was part of a more than 20 year study that was eventually called The China Study and in that 20 years they discovered that animal protein of all sources (including low fat) is the cause (or trigger) of most disease even genetic ones.  This book is not a diet book or a recipe book but a book based on scientific facts that prove time and time again that animal protein can cause disease and plant protein can halt, reverse or prevent it.  I think ever single person alive should read this book and that it should be the main book studied in all health classes.

Dr.Neal Barnard.  I find Dr. Barnard to be an amazing writer, speaker and human being.  He is so well spoken that even the heavy meat eater might be swayed to at least try some vegan food with his encouragement.  He is honest, gentle, direct and knows what the hell he is talking about without ever flinching in his devotion.  Neal Barnard is the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) which is an amazing group of doctors dedicated to health through a kind, plant based diet.  PCRM is responsible for the 21 day Vegan Kickstart that so many people have been joining to get healthy and so many celebrities are part of promoting.  Dr. Barnard is also president of The Cancer Project, a nonprofit organization advancing cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and research.  I actually went to almost a whole year of classes at the cancer center in Arizona.  They always have a dietitian speak about the topic of the night, the benefits of eating a plant based diet to prevent disease, cancer in particular being at the cancer center, you watch a short 5-10 minute video featuring Dr. Barnard, then a wonderful chef makes 2-3 meals right before your eyes and at the end of it all you get to eat the food and it is all FREEEEE!  Click the Cancer Project link to see if you have a class near you so you can benefit from them too.  These are a few of Dr. Barnards books that I have read and highly recommend.   Breaking the Food Seduction, Food for Life, and Turn off the Fat Genes

Dr. John McDougall.  I discovered Dr. McDougall while reading The China Study and immediately bought 3 of his books, Program for Maximum Weight Loss, 12 Days to Dynamic-Health, Program for Women and then headed over to the library to rent any other ones they had to read while waiting for my shipment.  I also went to his website and read everything I could on health and nutrition.  If you don’t know my story as to why I was looking so deeply into health please read it here.   Although I do not 100% follow his program (I’m around 90% depending on the day or month-HOLIDAYS UGH) I believe that if anyone does they will be the better for it.  He, like Dr. Campbell, promotes a plant based diet that is extremely low in fat without any added oils and is starch based. The plan is strict in that you can not have any animal products, added oils and must keep refined foods and sugar to a minimum if at all.   I aspire to be a 100% follower but with a family of 6 to feed and 2 of them being meat eaters (not to mention my sweet tooth) it something I must balance to keep everyone happy.  If you follow my blog at all you will see that I do follow his teaching most of the time but I also have some recipes that I just can’t or won’t McDougallize and those are my cheats if you will.  I think if everyone on the planet were to adopt even a 70% McDougall diet while still being 100% vegan we would see diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and more drop to a record low.  Please take some time to educate yourself on your most important asset you have, your health.  Dr. McDougall has a live in clinic where you can be a patient and learn everything directly from him and his staff but if you can’t afford it or would not want to make that big of a commitment he also has a FREE program on his site that will more than educate you on how to change your diet for the better.  He also has a FREE forum that you can join and learn from as well as hundreds of free recipes.  There is a doctor and dietitian section on the forum where those professionals answer questions.  I have also personally emailed Dr. Mcdougall directly and he has always replied with wonderful information.  He is just amazing!

Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  Dr. Fuhrman like Dr. McDougall is very strict about his dietary guidelines and although he promotes a vegan, plant based diet that is low fat he suggests keeping cooked starches and whole grains to a minimum and maximizing nutrient density through salads, particularly greens.  He suggests eating 1 lbs of raw vegetables a day and 1 lb of cooked vegetables a day.  He also has a consulting practice like Dr. McDougall but you can actually get in to see him without being part of a whole group of people going to a 10 day, 5 day or 3 day program if you would rather approach it that way.  He also offers phone consults but neither is cheap by any means but if your health is in dire straights he can probably help you.  I do not like that you have to pay to be part of his forum (Dr. McDougall’s is free) because I feel that limits his ability to spread the word.  I have read and would highly recommend these books by Dr. Fuhrman  Disease Proof Your Child, Fasting and Eating for Health, Eat to Live.

There are many more plant promoting doctors around and I could go on and on but these should get you started if you have not yet heard of them.  Again, I highly suggest everyone read at least one book from each of these guys and at a minimum read The China Study.  As a vegan you will have even more reasons to stick to your devotion to eating plant based as even more ammo to combat the angry meat eaters who ask questions like “where do you get your protein?”, “where do you get your calcium?” and “you need meat and milk to be healthy”.  Happy Reading

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Tags: 21 day vegan kickstart, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. McDougall, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Neal Barnard, The China Study, Vegan, vegan doctors, vegan mofo 2010

So over at PPK they created something called Vegan MOFO (month of food) and it is where vegan bloggers blog as often as they can for the entire month about all things vegan.  They recommend you post at least 5 times a week which is what I intend to do.  There are over 500 vegan blogs doing it this year and I am one of them!  With 4 kids, a husband and tons of other things to do this will quite a challenge but one I am excited to be part of.  I hope that the vegan word can be spread through this type of event and more people will be interested in learning more about choosing a vegan lifestyle.

There are bloggers from all over the world doing this not just in America!  Here is a link to the vegan MOFO headquarters blog roll that shows all of us taking part in this exciting event and I am excited to be on that list.  Being able to learn about all the different approaches people take to being a vegan will be most apparent this month because food bloggers will not only be posting recipes but any and all things vegan so it will get much more personal.  I love learning why someone became a vegan because the reasons vary so much from one person to the next and there are  thousands of person stories to be heard.

Another great part of the vegan mofo is it starts on World Vegan Day which is today!  World Vegan Day is an awareness day much like the other hundreds of awareness days around the globe.  For vegans it is a day to celebrate the choice you made and possibly educate others on why being a vegan is the right choice for your health, the planet and the animals.  I will not get radical on you and keep things light but some suggestions to learn more about being a vegan on world vegan day could be;

• Watch Earthlings, Food Inc., Fast Food Nation or even a kid move like Babe that will make you think about your food choices.
• Read some vegan blogs.  Here are some of my favorites http://www.manifestvegan.com/, http://happyherbivore.com/, http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/
• If you are not a vegan make a vegan meal and see what you are missing.  Here are some of my own favorites that are meat eater friendly.

See you tomorrow

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Tags: vegan mofo 2010, world vegan day

I am very pleased to post my first fellow vegan blogger interview.  I reached out to Allyson at Manifest Vegan when I first started blogging because while searching for gluten free, vegan dishes for my daughter I came upon her blog and just fell in love with it.  Her education in art really shows through on her blog in all ways from her decorative food, stunning photography, her own beautiful  and creative body art and even when you sneak a peak at her amazing paintings at http://allysonkramer.com/.

I was smitten with her website and style so I had to contact her and we have since become pen pal buddies.  Although we initially became vegans for different reasons we see eye to eye on the importance of cruelty free eating/living, our health and the health of our family and more things than we could have imagined.  She has written a cookbook that is in the works and I can’t wait to see how gorgeous that is going to turn out!

I am pleased to introduce you to Allyson Kramer the author and creator of Manifest Vegan. 

When did you adopt a vegan lifestyle and why?

I went vegan solely for the compassion I had for animals. It seemed hypocritical to me to eat and take from animals if I also wanted to claim I respected them. Once that message became loud and clear to me (around age 15), I immediately transitioned to veganism and started learning as much as I could about cooking/being vegan. This went on for a few years during highschool, and unfortunately slipped to the backburner. During college I definitely had lost track of why I went vegan in the first place… and kept falling off the wagon and haphazardly hopping back on again. Eventually after I graduated from college, I worked a few jobs related to my degree (fine arts) and found myself completely dissatisfied with how I was using my time. I took a break from things and just re-assessed my life a bit… during that time, thoughts of veganism (and guilt!) started creeping back into my life. One day, I just sat down and watched “Meet Your Meat” and “Earthlings”… to force myself to remember, and it worked. I have been a dedicated vegan ever since.

How has being a vegan changed your life and the lives of those you love?

This is a toughie – there have been so many wonderful things happen in my and my family’s life because of us choosing to be vegans… but I’m not sure how directly correlated they all are! My husband and I are certainly happier than we were as omnivores, simply because for us, being “vegan” means trying to always be compassionate in everything we do. This has translated into more facets of our daily lives than we could have ever imagined! Our son, who is 8, also seems to boast a sense of security when he talks about not eating/using animals. Since he has always had a deep connection to all animals, I think veganism just strengthens his bond. My daughter, who is 1 ½ years old, is, in her own way, a positive advocate for veganism She is a brilliant and strong little girl who is constantly being doted over for her pleasant and smiling disposition. All in all, I would say that I have never been happier in my entire life. I just feel good about my choices, and that comes out in everything I do.

Where you already a vegan when you found out about your celiac and how challenging was that?

I was a vegan when I found out about having celiac disease. It was so shocking! I mean, I was ill for five years and no doctor, out of four, had ever suggested that it was my diet that was causing the issues I was having. In fact, I constantly asked my doctors about my symptoms possibly being diet related and always received a resounding, no.  Not until after I went vegan the final time, did I really start to learn about nutrition. Eventually, out of desperation to regain my own health and sanity, I decided to go “high raw”… eliminating almost all gluten from my diet and replacing it will sprouted grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Suddenly after 5 years of unrelenting dyesthasia, skin problems, arthritis, fatigue, intestinal pain/cramping, and migraines… I felt fine.

At the time, I thought, “wow, this high raw diet is amazing!”… little did I know, it wasn’t all the fresh fruits and veggies I was including in my diet, it was the one thing I was eliminating.  The stars sort of aligned and I had told my doctor about being “high raw” just as she was giving me my celiac prognosis.

The news hit me hard, mostly because I loved to bake, and had little knowledge of how to do so without gluten. I had also heard horror stories about gluten-free food (just as I am sure non-vegans hear horror stories about “vegan” fare). So, needless to say, I was a little apprehensive. But, I didn’t lose my knack for making recipes, and I had an easy transition into gluten free. It is still a learning process today, simply because of all of the variables involved in gluten free flours versus typical All Purpose flour, but I really am enjoying it very much! Plus, I can’t believe how many amazing whole grains I was missing out on when I was defaulting to AP flour in my cooking and baking. I am really glad to be gluten free- I am much healthier now, and I feel like I have a much better grasp on baking than I ever did.

Do you have difficulty traveling with not only being vegan but gluten free too?

We always plan ahead, and can usually find many choices no matter where we are headed. Oftentimes, there is at least a Mexican restaurant, Sushi Bar, or Chinese restaurant nearby. We have even had a lot of success just grabbing some prepared foods, like veggies, hummus, granola, fruit and bread if we are nearby a grocery store. There are always choices available; it’s just a matter of knowing how and where to find them!

When did you start your blog and why?

I honestly began Manifest Vegan because I was unhappy with how I was spending my time and energy during the day. I received a BFA in Painting and Sculpture, and began pursuing work after graduation related to art and museum work. At some point, I just became really frustrated that I had no time to do the things I really wanted to do. It was even coming out in my own artwork, where I was drawing and painting self portraits of me cooking in my kitchen! I knew I was missing my calling, and even toyed with the idea of running a vegan bakery for a number of years. Eventually, I realized that my passion for social and environmental causes far outweighed my paycheck at the time. I quit my dayjob and decided to start Manifest Vegan.

What have you learned from your blog?

A lot. I have definitely improved my recipe development and photography skills since I launched a year ago, but more importantly, I learned that I am in the beginning of what I intend to do for the rest of my life – one way or another. Prior to starting my blog, I hadn’t yet had that realization. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, exactly. Now, I know that my heart (and time) belongs to creating recipes, photographing them and sharing it with the world.

Are you a member of any local vegan groups?

No… not yet! But, we are soon relocating to Philadelphia… so I’d love to hear if anyone has any good recommendations!

Is your family vegan and if not how have you worked that out?

Yes, we are all vegans!

Do you do anything else in the vegan community?

I am currently working on my very first cookbook… which will have over 100 recipes with accompanying photos. I am having a blast in the process, and plan to complete a few more after this one.

How have you dealt with being a vegan in a small, non vegan town?

Honestly, I have never known any other way! I suppose that means that I have dealt with it pretty easily. It definitely helps that I make most of our food from scratch. If I were dependent on other people cooking for me, I am sure I would face a little more difficulty. Things are getting easier, around even my small town, for vegans.  It still seems strange to me (and exciting) that I don’t have to travel an hour outside of town to find a decent vegan ice cream.  Our humble grocery in the middle of a farmtown carries vegan cheese! The times they are a changin’.

Can you tell what 3 of your favorite recipes are (from your site)?

I love love love the cinnamon donut cake I just posted… love it!  And I really love the Rice Dumplings with Sweet Banana Sauce and the PB&J Parfait.

Who is your fav celebrity vegan and why?

Hmmm, I am going to make an educated guess at this- because I’m not really hip on who all the vegan celebrities are… but from what I can tell of him, Thom Yorke seems really cool. I’d say he’s my favorite.

Follow Allyson at one or ALL of these places;

http://www.manifestvegan.com/

http://www.allysonkramer.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manifest-Vegan/78650358479

http://twitter.com/ManifestVegan

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Tags: Allyson Kramer, Gluten Free, manifest vegan, Vegan, vegan interview, vegan recipe

I wanted to point out that I have added a new page to this blog after many requests to do so.  The new Substitutions page will help anyone who is interested in transitioning to a vegan diet by giving you substitutions for all the meat, dairy and other animal based products.  I have put descriptions and pictures of many of the products I personally use and enjoy.  Please check it out and if you see that anything is missing that you might want on there just let me know and I will add it for you.

Have a great day!

Kim~The Veggie Gal

Tags: substitutions

Hi all!  As you may have noticed I have been MIA and the reason for that is a horrible stinkin computer VIRUS!  My computer came down with the sniffles a couple weeks ago but I just ignored the signs because I was too busy.  My husband brought home a new computer and told me I should move all my files over but I was so busy with life that I did not listen and figured I would do it later.  Every morning it would take just a bit longer to start up but I would think “I will do it a little later”.  Well I ended up going on a fun trip to my home town of SLC, Utah to visit family, friends and to see Lisa Williams live and when I came back my computer was dead!  I actually had to tip it on its side for it to start up, BAD sign!

My husband, my son and I all have different levels of computer training and with all of our efforts together we have gotten most of the files transferred over to the new computer and I am now settling in and re-organizing things.  I will be able to make a new post in a couple of days but wanted to let you all know that I am still here and sorry for the hiccup.  I know better than to put off backing up my computer but life sometimes get the better of you and you do not listen to the little warnings that are being whispered until it turns into a loud scream.

Be back soon, xoxo

Kim~The Veggie Gal

Time allowing, I am trying to make this site all inclusive and am working hard on adding a few more pages/categories with things like substitutions, tips & tricks, videos, a major overhaul to the recipe page and who knows what else.  Here are a few current changes that  I wanted to make everyone aware of so you can get the most out of your visit here.

• I have added the option of  receiving Updates By Email via subscription through feed burner.  Just enter your email address,  click subscribe and anytime I add a new post you will receive it directly to your email inbox.  This will always be at the top right corner of the main page.
• In the Pages section I have added a Contact Us link that will take you to that page.  If you have any questions, comments, gripes (be nice please), or just want to chat feel free to use that form.
• I also changed the search option.  It will open a completely new page leaving your current page untouched so you can then view what you are looking for and return to what you were reading.

With change in mind I would love to hear any suggestions you might have as to what you would like to see on this site?  If anything stands out as something that should be changed or added please use the Contact Us form and let me know or just comment here.

Thank you all for taking the time to visit my site!

Kim~The Veggie Gal

Tags: Vegan

Today, April 22^nd is Earth Day.  Earth Day is a day that we all collectively recognize how precious our mother earth is and think of ways to better preserve her life which in turn will preserve ours.  In essence it is how we can be more “green” day.

The world is thinking greener all the time by recycling, using less water, not using aerosol cans, carpooling, driving “green” cars, going paperless on bills, and so on.  But did you know that being vegan even just for one day is the BIGGEST thing you can do for our planet?

Reducing meat consumption may just help solve the world’s environmental problems

“Eighty percent of Americans, in polls, say they are environmentalists … And yet, most of us have remained unaware of the one thing that we could be doing on an individual basis that would be most helpful in slowing the deterioration and shifting us toward a more ecologically sustainable way of life.” – Excerpt from “The Food Revolution” by John Robbins

If you have not read these stats before then please consider reading them and making some changes in your life to better the life of our planet and improve the length and quality of yours.

• Animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gas emissions than automobiles and that gas is 23 times more deadly than carbon.
• A vegan requires 10,000 gallons of water annually to grow his/her food; a meat-eater requires 230,000 gallons.
• According to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, climate change mitigation costs could be reduced by 80 percent if everyone ate a vegan diet.
• The EPA says that factory farms pollute our waterways more than all other industrial sources combined.

Here are some stats that show how going vegan for just one day can benefit both the planet and YOU.

• 100 billion gallons of water would be saved.
• 33 ton of antibiotics would not be consumed by an animal (and then by you after eating that animal)
• Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as produced by all of France would not be used

Switching to a plant based vegan diet can change your life and the life of the planet in more ways than you might know.  Did you know that;

• If every American skipped one meal of chicken a week and ate a plant-based meal instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be equivalent to taking more than half of a million cars off of U.S. roads. Source: Environmental Defense
• Researchers at the University of Chicago concluded that switching from standard American diet to a vegan diet is more effective in the fight against global warming than switching from a standard American car to a hybrid.
• Most nutrition professionals agree that moving away from an animal product-based diet to a plant-based diet is the single most important improvement human beings can do to improve their well-being.
• The only food products on this planet that have heart clogging cholesterol in them are from animals.  You will not find one ounce of cholesterol in any plant based food.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

~Albert Einstein

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Tags: Earth Day, John Robbins, Vegan, Vegan Earth Day

Today I am not going to post any articles or recipes. Instead I would like to talk a little bit about something that is close to my heart. Five years ago I gave birth to a beautiful little bundle of joy. She had dark brown hair, blue eyes, 10 fingers, 10 toes, tiny little ears, a space between her big toes, a longer than average line in the palm of her hand, and a little button nose. Those last few unique characteristics are related to the fact that she was born with Down syndrome.

I found out that she would have Down syndrome when I was 20 weeks (5 months) pregnant. She was my third child and I was that magical age that the doctors start to get nervous about, 35 so they kept pressuring me to get tested. I refused for the first 18 weeks. I decided that I loved the baby that was growing inside of me no matter what might be and had no worries that anything would be wrong anyway. At 18 weeks I went in for the regularly scheduled ultrasound that you get to ensure things are going well, the baby is developing on schedule and to determine the sex if you want to know it. I am a super impatient person so I of course wanted to know the sex so I could plan. That was my main focus of going in for this appointment I never once thought that something might be wrong.

The woman called us into the ultrasound room after what seemed like an eternity in the waiting area because they have you hold your bladder and UGH I had to go! She was nice, asked all the typical questions about how things are going, were we excited, did we want a particular sex or not etc. I had only said I wanted to be sure that I had a healthy baby. My first child, a son, was perfectly healthy but my second child, a daughter, was born with a super rare disease called Biliary Atresia which causes the liver to become diseased and die and thus the person will die unless they get a liver transplant. This disease in not caused by anything the mother does, is not genetic and just has no known cause that science has found, just a wild fluke. My daughter had her first surgery at 5 weeks old to see if they could stop the disease progression of her liver but it failed and the disease progressed. By the time she was 7 months old she had a stomach that was 3 times the size of her head from the swollen liver and fluids coming off from it. We had to put her in the hospital because she was close to dying and they wanted to put her at the top of the liver transplant waiting list. After not qualifying myself to donate part of my liver to her we thought it was the end for her until we got that amazing call at 2:00. It was the greatest day of our lives and the scariest time of our lives.  It was quite a thing to go through but she has done wonderful ever since.

Because of the trauma we all went through with my daughter 10 years before I was worried that it would happen again (even though it never does according to science). I asked the ultrasound tech to look at the child’s liver to see if it looked normal although this is not proven to be a diagnostic tool. I just wanted to get that worry out of my head so I could just focus on my healthy baby and start to plan if I needed pink or blue cloths. She said the liver looked fine, asked us if we wanted to know the sex which of course we did. She told us it was a girl. Then she said she had to go talk to the doctor for a minute and would be right back, she took the films with her. That was weird. No other tech did that with my two children before this so that made us worry a little bit.

She came back in the room and said she needed to look at something again. She then said that she was sorry to say this but she was recommending we go to a specialist because with my age (35) and her findings we want to be sure our child did not have Down syndrome or a heart defect. We asked her what findings she was talking about and she showed us that the nasal bone on our child was very very small and indicative of Down syndrome and that there was a little white spot on the heart that could possibly be a heart defect. She showed us both of these things and the white spot was noticeable but I could not see what she was talking about with the nose.

We left the office in shock and filled with worry. But for some reason I was not too terrified because I just felt like they were wrong and everything was ok. I made the appt with the specialist for a week later and we went in. They took us back to the ultrasound room where they had a more detailed ultrasound machine to check things out. The tech was a young woman who seemed to young to me to even have a job like that. She did the same thing as the last tech with all her checking while being completely quiet and not asking one question or even smiling. She then said she would be right back and came back a second later with the doctor. He walked in, quickly introduced himself and then turned to the screen to have her show him some things. They mumbled a bit to each other very low and seemed very secretive. He then took over with the wand and started to very unemotionally explain that the last tech was right the nasal bone was very small and the baby did in fact have a heart defect. He also pointed out that their was a large space between the big and first toe on each food and those things added to my age increased my risk of having a baby with Down syndrome greatly. He said we should come back to his office right away.

We sat down in his office and again he was very unemotional and seemed almost cold to me. I do not remember everything he said other than the things that stick out in my mind. He explained that I had about a 1-15 chance of having a child with Down syndrome but the only way to know for sure was an amnio. He said that we only had another week to know for sure because if I wanted to abort my baby legally in our state we needed to know ASAP. I could not imagine aborting a baby who was already 5 months old and was moving, kicking and growing! If we waited to long we would have to go to another country to abort but he could arrange it. He said having a baby with Down syndrome was going to be difficult. He said in the older days you could put them in an institution but now that is frowned upon so basically we were stuck with her forever. We would have to kiss our retirement years goodbye and know that we would be taking care of her until we died and then would have to rely on someone else to do it for us. He said some people with Down syndrome can get a job but the most we could ever hope for is for her to be a greeter at Walmart if she was lucky. Then he asked if we wanted the amnio.

I was in complete shock just sitting there crying listening to all he had to say. My husband was holding my hand but I felt like I was so alone and was floating in a fog. He then asked me again if I wanted the amnio because we should do it now, today. I looked at my husband for what he thought. He was nodding his head yes. My husband was my second marriage so this was his first child. He had not had the experience of seeing his own child be born so he was more scientific about it and agreed that we should know now so we could make our decisions. I NEVER ever believed in abortion and still did not, at least for me. I felt so much pressure so I agreed and we went into the same room for the procedure. I still felt like I was in a great fog and could not stop crying. The young lady who did not speak a word to us before while she did the ultrasound just rolled the wand around on my stomach staring at me while I cried. The doctor stuck the needle in my belly and extracted the fluid. I was so angry that it did not really hurt but felt more like pressure. I was so worried they would stick her in the head or something with that needled that I watched the screen very closely. That lady just kept staring at me and I felt like slapping her, but I didn’t (now I think I should have ).

One week later, the day before Thanksgiving, we got the results and they were positive. The lady on the phone was very apologetic and sympathetic and told me how sorry she was. At the time I felt sorry for myself too and cried for hours. I thought it was all over, that I was carrying a monster and that everything that doctor said would be true. I started to do research on Down syndrome and as I did I realized that people with Down syndrome are just that, people with Down syndrome. They have their own personality, temperament, likes, dislikes and even though they have physical traits of Down syndrome they have genetic physical traits of their family as well. They could walk, sing, dance, read, write, laugh, love, have jobs (and not just at Walmart for Gods sake although if that would make her happy then I would love it!), pay their bills, some even drive and get married. They just do all of these things a little slower than the rest of us do. I decided that abortion would not even be a consideration (just as it never had been for me before this). The more I looked at the pictures, watched the videos, read the stories of other families the more I saw the children and not the Down syndrome.

I continued the rest of my pregnancy as I had with the others but just doing more research into Down syndrome and what to expect when she was born. I knew she had a heart defect which is a fairly common thing with Down syndrome and I had read that they are usually pretty easily fixable and most people recover well. Not to say that open heart surgery is ever easy but at least it was fixable!

I went into labor at exactly 37 weeks and because I had had false labor a few times over the past week and went to the hospital I ended up waiting to long to get my planned epidural. UGHHHHH that was the most horrible pain I had ever felt and her birth was pretty traumatic for me. But when they handed her to me and I saw that indeed she did have Down syndrome (you could see it in her eyes, the crease in her hand and the space between her toes) I knew that I had a precious gift in my arms and I was calmed. A soul that trusted me enough to take care of her and teach her and love her and I was happy. She was beautiful and sweet, and looked at me and my husband with trusting eyes. Although I was still a little sad that she did indeed have Down syndrome I knew that it was going to be ok.

She had her heart surgery at 5 1/2 months old and had a complete repair. I can’t say that it was easy, it was pretty horrible actually but we got through it. She has some health problems that can typically come with Down syndrome and ended up getting autism (I think from vaccines but that is a whole other story).  The road we have traveled with her so far has had a few bumps in it but it also has some great and joyful times too. She can have some pretty big attitude just like other kids can but she also can be such a sweet and loving person.

I have another child now, my 4th, he is about 3 years younger, he is typical and perfectly healthy. He and her are best friends and teach each other a lot of things. They give each other hugs and kisses and big bonks on the head too. They laugh and scream with in minutes of each emotion and are great joys in my life. My daughter has taught me and my family to not judge so quickly on the exterior of people and to be more tolerant of the differences that we all have in us, whether they are noticeable or not. She can melt anyone’s heart with in a few minutes of meeting her because she will just give you a big hug. That is not to say that she is the sweetest person in the world as many people mistakenly think of people with Down syndrome.  People with Down syndrome have ALL the same emotions as we do and not always sweet, they are kids just like other kids!   She has learned so much and is learning more each day. She knows about 150 sign language signs and can say as many words too. She is behind for her calendar age but right on track for her adjusted age. I have the same expectations of her that I do my other children (age appropriate) and know she will achieve all that she wants or needs to in her own time.

She will be starting kindergarten this fall and learning to adapt to the world around her. I am putting her in a typical classroom with her typical peers. She will hopefully learn a lot from them and they will learn a lot from her. I know that life with her might be a little challenging but it will be filled with lots of love and joy too. Besides aren’t all kids challenging and cause us to get gray hairs no matter if they are typical or not, I know my other 3 typical kids can be!  My life is not over but is just on a different path than I had planned it to be on.  I do not regret that she was born or that we had to go down a different road.  I just had to learn to adjust to my new environment and role in life and now I welcome all the challenges, joys and experiences I will enjoy with her throughout our lives together.  If you have a child with Down syndrome you know what I am saying.  If you do not maybe you will see things a little differently when you encounter a person with Down syndrome.  And lastly if you are currently pregnant with  or in the future have a child with Down syndrome you will be a little more prepared and know that it will be ok and that your life will be enriched by being blessed with such a child.

Today I want everyone to know a little bit more about me and to do that you need to know a little bit about my life and this is one of the many stories that go along with that. My story with Down syndrome is just one of thousands around the world.   My story has some unique things about it but probably has more similar things about it to anyone who has a child with Down syndrome.  I think that is the moral of the story, we are all unique but not all that different and that goes for people with Down syndrome too.  They are people first who happen to have Down syndrome.
Here are a few pictures of my little angel.

To learn more about down syndrome and World Down Syndrome Day 2010 check out http://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/

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