drbecca26

about me

This is a picture of half of me in my kitchen (wearing some pretty amazing shoes, I'll have you know)...this is the room in my house where I am happiest...I like to keep fresh flowers in here all the time and I like to keep my pantry full of wholesome ingredients to prepare great vegan meals. (I eat a vegan diet, but don't follow the whole lifestyle...you may notice that many of my recipes are geared toward lacto-ovo vegetarians...that's because I used to be one before I became a strict vegetarian!)
I feel very strongly about food and how it affects us...I think of it as medicine...the food you eat can be just as effective for the maintenance of your health as any prescription drug! And who wouldn't want to use nutrition as a way to avoid disease so that you end up taking less pills later in life? Health was my motivation for giving up dairy and eggs...and, although I don't make it a habit to go around shouting at people that they should eat this and avoid that, it does make me happy when people make the right choices for their health!

Hmmmmm. pet peeves? If I had a dollar for every time since I gave up meat (even during the eight years that I was lacto-ovo) that someone asked me, "Well, what DO you eat, anyway?" I could retire to a tropical island! I guess it bothers me that people are so ignorant of the choices that are available to them. And it shocks me that there are people out there who have no clue how to read a label, deciding whether something has too much fat or sodium (or whatever) for them to consume! I knew a woman who thought her potato chips were healthy because "it said no trans-fats" on the bag! I always dreamed of becoming a dietician so I could help that kind of person, but have been disinclined to pursue it because of the time to earn the degree, the low pay most of them receive and the general feeling that no one will listen to me, anyway!

For fun, I like to hang out with my dogs, cook for people (especially veg people!), read, make jewelry, watch British comedy on TV, go out shopping with friends at places like junk stores and ethnic markets, and tons of other stuff! I stay pretty busy!

Fave restaurant...Sage in Chapel Hill...if you live around here, I encourage you to check it out! Beautiful food, great atmosphere, even if it is on the small side, and the proprietor is the most gorgeous man! And everything on the menu is vegetarian or vegan...I feel so free when I walk in there...it's amazing! For food shopping, I like Whole Foods the best. Trader Joe's is not as veg friendly, but they have good prices on many staples that I use. Some of the mainstream stores are even catching on...we have a Food Lion near us way out here in the boonies that has a whole natural foods area that allows me to purchase many vegan specialty items without making a long drive to town! Love that! Amazon.com is great for non-perishable foods...they have that subscribe and save program for many grocery items and it is a real savings! I subscribe to numerous items...agave nectar, vegetable broth, and quite a few more! Check it out!

Favorite Foods:

Any kind of vegan pesto over any kind of pasta(I love to use toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts...cheaper AND tastier)...vegetarian sushi...seaweed salad, yum!...I love to build really nice salads with homemade dressings...mostly I love a variety of foods...I hate more than anything to get stuck eating the same things day after day without changing things up at all!
Right now I am loving all the Isa and Terry recipes...Veganomicon is a fantastic cookbook that will please veg folks and non-veg folks alike! I am just biding my time for an event to which I can carry some nice vegan cupcakes!

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