the oil's still coming...

The other day I joined the group "Boycott BP" on facebook. And I invited my friends.

I rarely send out invites to people, although I'm always receiving "gifts", "high fives", "green plants", "green bottles", you name it. But seriously, we are about to celebrate Memorial Day at the end of the month of May, and the oil is still leaking. No one is saying if they've stopped it, although you would think between one of the largest companies and one of the wealthiest nations someone could think of a way to stop it and actually put that plan in action.

I know it's not good to complain and do nothing. When I'm upset by some news, I usually try to pass on important info, write to the editor, or leave a comment to let the powers that be know that it matters to me. I've looked through many news sites to see the different opinions on this matter. For one, it doesn't seem that the government wants to move fast, although according to the latest Live Feed Obama will suspend"planned exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska until at least 2011." (Doesn't that seem like a lot of specifics?)

Also, I also found out through DawnWatch that once animals are exposed to oil, they are basically as good as dead. This is obviously not what the media are showing, based on the wealth of animal clean-up pictures that insinuate that there is hope where unfortunately there shouldn't be.

The animal rights group PETA has chosen to address the oil spill by focusing on an underlying factor: heavy reliance on oil. Since a vegetarian/vegan diet uses less oil and fossil fuels, they suggest using diet to influence a system of consumption and business structure that responds to consumer demand and profit margins.

Tonight, May 28, there is a protest in NYC against BP. So I guess there are ways to get involved, although stopping the leak immediately is still a bit out of reach for most of us.

lots of green (juice)

If you ever go to Dharma Mittra's in Manhattan it wouldn't be surprising to hear him closing his yoga class with "Go have a green juice." While usually I am not a particular fan of a bunch of greens funneled into a small glass of green lip-smacking power, yesterday I had just finished a yoga class and hadn't had a good salad or bunch of leafy vegetables for a few days.

I think one of the keys to great juice is having the right blender or juicer. While a blender is good for fruit smoothies or mixes, to extract the full flavor a good juicer does it best. We have a Breville at home, and it works wonders with everything from apples to carrots, even beets and (yes we've tried it) radishes. So here's a simple green juice that is great when your body craves the nutrients that only lots of leaves and verdancy can give (serves 2 thirsty people):

Handful of Kale (you can sub spinach)

Handful of chard

3-4 stalks Celery (you can also do cucumber)

Small bunch parsley

2 apples

1 lemon

This is potent stuff - I personally can only take a few sips and then my better half downs the rest. But if you like the taste, green juices are the Red Bull of yogis, only without the crash afterwards. :-)

am juicing

I just had to share a wonderful little juice I put together this morning after my yoga practice. I'm nearly always running late, so it can be hard to find something quick that is also nutritious and feed the body in a post-workout fashion.

I usually like bananas in my smoothies, but today there were none. After a brief scan of what was on hand, I put together the following in a small food processor (you could use a blender as well) and got something that was sweet and tasty, a red juice that reminded me of melted sorbet or a red slushee... yum.

serves 1

4-8 fresh strawberries

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/4-1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons agave nectar (you could also substitute 2-3 dates, fresh or soaked)

By the way, the strawberries contain Vitamin C and fiber, and pomegranate is full of antioxidants. So you can enjoy increased immunity, healthy digestion, and disease prevention in a simple glass. :-)

going down to metro(politan)

Although I've lived in Forest Hills for several years, not having a car has placed me into the I-only-go-where-I-can-walk-in-10-minutes-or-take-a-subway category. Which means I hardly ever venture off Queens Boulevard or off the subway lines which seamlessly take me into Manhattan or along Queens without having to walk much in the north-south direction.

However, recently I have been hearing more and more about the fantastic restaurants along Metropolitan Avenue, including Wafa's (with great vegan I hear), Dee's, and Nick's (the Bistro, not to be confused with Nick's Pizza).

So my fiance and I decided to set out on Mother's Day, at 7pm, to search out the best of Metropolitan Avenue. Special day that it was, Wafas was closed, and Dees was booked all night. (I guess that's what we get for procrastinating.) We were fortunate, however, to find our way into Nick's Bistro and pick a few items off the menu.

It was quite clean inside, appearing recently renovated, and our server quickly pointed out the vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. Some pita chips and hummus were brought out first, and they caught our attention with the fresh flavor that was so tasty that the plate was clean before we knew it. We ordered a pasta and also a vegetable platter, accompanied by "veggie chips". All were, again, fresh and full of flavor, to a degree that not all restaurants can boast of. Although we arrived hungry, we were full midway through the meal so we had no room for dessert. When it became evident that all the desserts were not vegan, the server surprised us with a small fruit plate to finish the meal.

As we were dining, I saw a glimpse of other salads, which also looked delicious. In the end, we left Nick's with happy stomachs and a new appreciation for the southern side of Forest Hills. It will be no great effort for us to venture back to Metropolitan to have another meal at Nick's Bistro.

vegan nutrition

Yesterday I picked up a book at Jivamukti Yoga Studio entitled Thrive: the Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance. I've been reading it steadily, and although I've been following a mostly vegan diet I admit it's been hard at times to figure out what works and what doesn't. Should I be eating fruit or green juices? Do I eat many small meals or a few big meals? How do I choose among fruits and vegetables?

I received some diet/nutritional clarification and recommendations last fall from Thara, the Ayurvedic doctor at the Chopra Center in NYC. She told me my dosha type (which is basically the energies that characterize your physical, mental, and spiritual makeup) and recommended certain foods, oils and herbs to balance everything out.

I found the book Thrive to be a great complement to her recommendations, and it also offers the nutritional/scientific basis for his food choices. The author, a professional Ironman triathlete, ended up with a vegan diet not for ethical reasons, but simply out of a desire to gain more energy, speed his recovery time, have higher mental and physical function, and keep a high muscle/low fat body.

It's funny that his conclusions, based on over 20 years of research and personal experimentation, yield the same foods that have been touted by doctors for their antioxidant properties, by activists for saving the lives of animals, by environmentalists for creating less stress on the environment, and by yoga practitioners for increased energy and awareness.

By the way, I haven't finished the book yet, but at the end there are several recipes and meal options which compose of his "Thrive" diet. Just glancing at them, they are designed to be quick and easy to make, and use lots of fresh, health, energy-boosting ingredients. (I'll let you know when I try the recipes.)

Peace,

Kaity