Sunday, September 28, 2014

素料漫谈

免除素料的素食怡人的魅力
在于其天然的缤纷色彩
素料(mock meat)的利弊,
可说是素食圈子里常常出现
议论纷纷、争论不休的课题。

有的人认为
素料可以作为鼓励大众少吃肉的替代品;
或者是协助新进素食者转变口味的过度食品。

也有人认为素料究竟是制成品,对肠胃消化不利,
里头还可能含有许多添加剂和味素,
长期食用会危害健康; 

而且,素料的名称让素食者
一直念着鱼肉鸡鸭,
吃得心不清静。

以上的言论各自有各自的道理,
孰对孰错,难有定案。

但是,如果我们单纯地从营养观点分析,
素料是站不住脚的。

素料业者一般会维护他们的素料说
是使用大豆蛋白、植物纤维、蒟蒻或香菇柄制成的,
而不是传统的淀粉面筋类制成,所以不会导致发胖,比较健康。

可是,制作素料的过程里头,
使用到脱水、煎炸、去矿的手法来防腐;
要不然就是高糖、高盐、强碱、强酸泡制;
让食物的微量元素和维他命大大流失,
食物的生命力严重损耗,
吃了后会导致消化道的负荷。

素料制成后,健康意识不强的厂商,
便会加入味精、色素和化学品来模仿海鲜肉类的风味。
无形中,这也加剧了素料对健康的危害。。。

素料在时下很流行,
其中之一的原因是因为素食餐厅能够透过素料减低成本。
素料可以被冻结在冰格,耐上至少一年以上,
因此不会有食材的浪费。

反观,新鲜的蔬果材料最长只能耐3-7天,
每个星期都得丢掉用不完或不新鲜的食材,
辗转提高了成本。

在素食文化甚薄弱的社会里,
素食需求不大,
很自然地,
素食业者就被逼使用素料。

有的素食业者认为大众都喜爱吃肉,
如果用素料可以吸引群众多吃素;
从宗教的观点,颇有功德。
说不定,可以慢慢地帮助大众转换口味。

这观点的确不错,但是在推广素食之际,
叫大众吃下不健康的速成品,
素食业者又于心何忍?

反而,有许多非素食者谢绝吃素
是因为害怕吃不健康的素料。

从这个观点而言,
反而素料给素食圈子带来了不良的印象,
更难以劝服大众吃素!

劝服一个人吃素与否,
不赖于素食的口感接近不接近肉类。

其实,我们应该给予正确的教育,
让肉食者理解
吃素和荤食不一样的地方是
素食能净化血液,让体魄改善,思维清晰,情绪安稳,
有利于成就事业和人生规划等等好处。

素食业者在经营成本上的无奈
而被迫使用素料的状况
是可以改善的。

这个得靠明智的素食者,
不断的给予素食业者对天然素食的正面反馈;
为了自己的健康,为了改善素食社会形象,坚决不食用素料。

素食圈子的需求结构改变,
很自然地,供应结构也会改善。

摒除素料的改革过程中,
就好像革命的过程,
一定会有一些些的牺牲。

这里的牺牲,指的是
素食业者可能会遇上成本提高,收入减少的问题;
素食消费者也应该会因此赔上更高的价格
来购买不含素料的天然素食。

两方都必须心甘情愿的做出牺牲,
一起扛这个改善社会饮食健康与道德的重任。

素食消费者,有经济能力可以多支持;
经济能力偏低的,可以尝试多在家里吃素,减低开销。
没有能力的素食者,看到天然素食的价格高,也不应毁谤,
反而该随喜业者的勇气与牺牲。

这样子,素食文化的提升就指日可待!


真诚的祝福,
其銚

{福慧人生} 


To mock or not to mock

A vegan dish
without mock meat
is appealing for it's natural colours
The Pro’s and Con’s of mock meat 
have been much discussed 
but there is never a satisfactory conclusion.

There are opinions that 
mock meats can be a tool 
to encourage people eat less meat, 
as mock meat could serve as a replacement. 

Also, for veg beginners, 
mock meat can also be a transition phase to 
gradually accustom their taste buds to purely plant based food.

However, 
there are also perceptions that 
mock meat is afterall a type of processed food, 
hence it is not good for digestion, 
and may even be infested with additives and flavor enhancers, 
deterring health in long term. 

Also, there are claims that 
mock meat are always given the animal names, 
which do not quite help one nurture compassion.

The arguments above have their own basis. 
It seems truly difficult to conclude 
whether mock meat is an angel or a devil. 

But one thing for sure, 
from the nutrition perspective, 
mock meat has not any point to defend for.

Mock meat manufacturers generally would 
protest in such a way that 
their mock meats are made of 
soy proteins, plant fibres, konjac and mushroom stems, 
hence much healthier and less fattening than 
conventional gluten-based mock meat. 

However, the manufacturing of mock meat 
often deploys techniques like 
dehydration, deep frying, demineralization to preserve the products. 
Otherwise, high concentration of sugar, salt, alkaline and acids 
will be used. 

All these processing leads to mineral and vitamins depletion, 
rendering serious loss of life force in food. 
Ingestion of such products will cause burden to the digestive systems.

Furthermore, 
some manufacturers who are less health conscious, 
may even add in MSG, colourings and chemicals 
to mock the flavor and aroma of meat and seafood. 
This inevitably causes more health damage.

One of the reasons why mock meat is popular nowadays, 
is due to the fact that 
mock meat can help veg eateries to reduce cost. 

Mock meat could be stored in freezer for more than a year, 
hence the food material wastage is minimized. 

Conversely, because fresh produce generally can only last 3-7 days, 
every week a lot of leftover or unfresh materials 
have to be thrown away, 
in turn elevating the overall cost. 

Wherever vegetarianism is not popular, 
and the demand for vegetarian food is low, 
it is inevitable to see vegetarian eateries 
deploying mock meat to ensure survival.

Some vegetarian eateries perceive that 
mock meat could attract more people consume vegetarian food, 
since most of the public love meat. 

From religious point of view, 
this may attract good merits 
as the vegetarian eateries operators may claim. 

While the intention is good, 
this method of promoting vegetarianism is 
as good as putting public on unhealthy fast food. 
Vegetarian eateries need to understand the implications well. 

In fact, a lot of people avoid vegetarian 
due to the abuse of mock meat. 
From this perspective, 
it turns out that mock meat tarnishes the image of vegetarianism, 
and consequently hinders the outreach of vegetarianism to the public.

To convince a non-veg to consume vegetarian food, 
does not need to depend on 
whether the vegetarian food taste like meat. 

Instead, proper education should be offered to non-veg, 
explaining that compared from meat diet, 
vegetarian diet could cleanse our blood better, 
improve our physical wellbeing, 
bring about brain clarity, 
stable emotion, 
and eventually supporting successful career and holistic lifestyle.

Vegetarian eateries’ dilemma in using mock meat 
is not unresolvable. 

The solution lies in the wisdom of vegetarian community, 
where veg consumers have to continuously provide 
positive feedbacks on natural vegetarian items and 
strictly refuse mock meat 
(for the sake of own’s health and the positive image of veg community). 

When the demand of the veg community changes, 
the supply will also ‘naturally’ change.

The course of eliminating mock meat
is likened to a revolution. 
Sacrifice is inevitable. 

Here, sacrifice means that 
veg eateries may face higher operating cost, reduced profits; 
veg consumers are likely to pay a higher premium for natural foods. 

Both parties, have to sacrifice willfully, 
so as to share the effort of restructuring dietetic health and 
reinstating food ethics of our society.


Veg consumers who are well off may offer more support; 
those who have restricted budget may consider 
eating at home more, to reduce living cost. 

Whereas, those who are unable to pay for natural food, 
should not complain about higher natural food cost, 
but should instead praise the courageous veg eateries for their sacrifices. 
This way, there will be hope for improvement of vegetarian culture in our society!



By good will,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Fermenting for Life Force Nourishment

Black Bean Yoghurt
with germinated nuts,
is full of life force
In The Veg School's Veg Nutrition Course,
I often encourage students to consume

not only
Nutritious Food with a broad spectrum of nutrients
from 6 plant parts with 5 colours

but also
Life Force Food which are rich in the 3 elements of
   (1) Water
   (2) Oxygen
   (3) Minerals
as summarised in this Level 4 reminder card
often given out to students of Veg Nutrition Course.

A very good example of Life Force Food is
yoghurt.

However,
as we are now living in an era where cows are abused,
and dairy milks are intoxicated with antibiotics and hormones,
it's recommendable to take plant based yoghurt.

One of my favourite vegan yoghurt is
made of organic black bean milk.

Here is my favourite life force recipe to share:

Ingredients:
Plain Organic Black Bean Powder (or Organic Soy Powder)
..... 60g

Filtered water
..... 300mL   [ie 100mL/20g powder]



Clinical grade vegan Probiotics (or any vegan yoghurt starter)
..... 12billion cfu

Methods:
1. Dissolve and homogenize Black Bean powder in water.

2. Bring to boil in a stainless steel pot, switch off fire, put on the lid and let cool down for 1 hour. -- boiling is critical, as boiling can sterilize the milk and ensure the success of good bacteria growth later.

3. Test the pot whether it has cooled enough by holding your palm on pot for 15-30 sec.
    ~If yes, proceed to next step.
    ~If you can't hold for more than 15 sec,
       it's still too hot for inoculating the starter Probiotics.
       Let cool down further for 15min
       or until you can just hold your palm on the pot for 15-30sec.
     -- don't over cool the plant milk,
        otherwise, yoghurt fermentation later will be less efficient.
       Some warmth is essential in yoghurt making.

4. When the pot is cool enough, add in Probiotics and homogenize.
 
5. Put on the lid and leave at a corner in room temperature for 18 hours.
    (Probiotics grow more slowly in plant milk compared to dairy,
     hence the longer hours of fermentation)

6.  The yoghurt is ready.
     Before consuming,
     save about 50mL as the starter culture (to make 500mL yoghurt)
     for the next batch of yoghurt making.
     Chill the remainder of the yoghurt up to 3-4 days in the fridge.


Regular consumption of vegan yoghurt
with some pre-soaked nuts/seeds and fresh colourful fruits in the morning
will naturally bring about life force
for the benefits of anti-aging, better skin, stronger immunity
and more vibrant digestive track ^.^


Bon Apetito!
Kee Yew


p/s: I personally prefer O'Tigres brand Black Soy Powder from Biogreen's (which is pre-sprouted for less acidity and more nutrients bioavailability). Probiotics wise, I personally prefer USANA's one, as it gives consistent result and fruity flavour after fermenting. You are welcome to go any USANA branches in the world and quote my ID 3134793 for discounted member price, without joining as a member.

{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Thursday, September 4, 2014

素食营养误区(6)-- 生食

牛蒡沙拉配芥子苗
生命力俱足的沙拉
许多素食者选择素食,
其中的主因是寻求健康。

而在寻求健康的路上,
难免会追随时下风靡的生食文化。

生食是一种特殊的饮食法,
要求饮食不经加温处理,
以免破坏食物原有的自然酵素。

生食因为保有酵素,
所以能够容易地被消化。

在养生的角度而言,
容易消化的饮食,
能够节约能量的消耗,
进而达到美容养颜、延年益寿的效果。

因此,不少素食者都蜂踊追随。

生食,和素食一样,
需要一定的基础教育才能 
安全、健康地计划生食餐饮。

一般以为生食就是免除熟食的吃法;
所以刻意避免经加温处理的食物,
偏执于水果、菜叶沙拉、果菜泥。

从营养的方面而言,虽然酵素的价值很高,
但是生食因为选择范围狭窄,
也带来了食物种类缺乏的问题,
进而影响营养的不均衡。

从阴阳平衡方面而言,
果类、菜叶类一般偏阴性,
如果长期多吃这类型的食物,
会造成阴阳不和谐,而引起不必要的疾病。

因此,生食必须注意以下事项:
(1)    不能挑食,得尽量扩展食物种类: 
      由于天下植物多半含有毒素,
      通常需经加温烹调, 才能把部分毒素化解。
      生食自然造成可选择的种类偏少。

      如果有偏食习惯,那么就会把营养不均的问题加剧。

(2)    着重于催芽种子、苗芽类: 
      植物的六大部位(根、茎、叶、花、果、种子)之中,
      以种子的营养最为俱全,而且多偏阳性。
      所以生食必须把种子类的比重提高,补足营养,平衡阴阳。
      
      一些种子虽然可以生食,但是依然还带一点毒性,
      所以食用前一定要浸泡、发芽、催苗。

      例子:催芽绿豆、浸泡过的杏仁、葵花子苗。

(3)    尽量摄取根类蔬菜:
      如果生食允许,得多食用根类蔬菜;
      因为根类,一般含有更多矿物质。
      矿物质在叶、花、果类里是偏少的。

      可生食的根类有:姜、白萝卜、红萝卜、甜菜根、沙葛、牛蒡、淮山等。

(4)     经常食用发酵食品:
      发酵食品含有许多维生素B群,
      而生食很常缺乏维生素B(因为其主要来源是不能生食的谷粮),
      所以必须多吃。

      而且,发酵后的食品,毒性也大大的减低,
      让许多原本不能生食的食物,经发酵后可以安全食用。

      例如:营养丰富的豆瓣酱、回春水、泡菜等。

对初学素食者而言,

(I)  一般不建议大量生食;技术和学识尚不纯熟故。

(II) 如果想学生食,建议三餐里,选一餐生食即可。
       这样可以减低营养不均的几率。

(III)而早餐,一般建议避免生食(因为早上偏阴)。

 (IV)  另外,由于生食和熟食的消化程序有所不同;
       生食和熟食,最好分开两餐来吃。
       如果执意把生熟参拌,长期下去恐怕会造成消化道的伤害。

 (V)   假设免不了生熟同一餐,尽量把生熟的比例分明,
       即是:熟的要明显比生的多出几倍,或者,
       生的要明显比熟的多出几倍。
       (如: 80%生+20%熟  或 80%熟+20%生)
       这样可以减少肠胃被混淆的机会。

生食是一门精深的学问。

在匆匆追逐生食文化之际,
不妨放缓脚步,先把熟食基础做好。

打基础可以考虑报读素食课程和请教资深素食者。
  
*更多生食点子可参考电子食谱:http://tinyurl.com/SimpleVegetarian



诚心祝福!
其銚
pureland2012-at-gmail.com


{福慧人生}

The Pitfalls in Vegetarian Nutrition (6) – Raw Diet

Burdock salad with wasabe sprouts
as a life force salad
A lot of vegetarians 
decided to pick up a vegetarian diet 
to pursue better health. 
Hence, along the path  of their wellness pursuance, 
it’s common to see vegetarians 
following the fad of raw diet.

Raw diet is a special diet which consumes 
only foods which are not treated with heat, 
to avoid damaging the natural enzymes in the food 
so that the foods are easy to digest. 

By wellness principles, 
the ease of digestion leads to better conservation of energy, 
and in turn brings about better skins, anti-aging effects. 
This is one major reason raw diet is gaining popularity.

Raw diet, just like a vegetarian diet, 
requires basic education, to plan safely and healthily. 

A common mistake is that 
many presume raw diet is merely avoiding cooked food. 
Therefore, many under-informed raw foodists, 
when avoiding heating their foods, 
have inevitably fallen to the trap of consuming mainly 
fruits, leafy salads and smoothies only. 

From the view of nutrition, 
although enzymes is highly valued, 
raw diet may cause nutritional imbalance
due to the relatively limited food choices. 

By Yin-Yang principles, 
fruits and leafy vegetables are generally 
inclined towards Yin properties. 
If one is to consume Yin food in large amount 
for prolonged period, 
the bodily system balance will be upset and cause disorders.

Therefore, there are a few critical remarks, 
raw foodists must take note of:
(1)     Not to be selective with food, and to diversify food varieties: 
          Due to the fact that most plants 
          generally contain toxins to different extent, 
          heat is often recommended to degenerate the toxins. 
          Going raw hence inevitably attracts fewer food options/varieties. 
          
          If a raw foodist, further becomes selective with food, 
          the risk of nutritional imbalanced may be worsened. 

(2)     Emphasize on germinated seeds and sprouts:  
          Among the 6 plant parts (root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed), 
          seed has got the most comprehensive nutrition and 
          is generally inclined towards Yang properties. 
          
          Hence, the proportion of seeds in a raw diet 
          must be substantially high, 
          in order to secure comprehensive nutrition and 
          Yin-Yang balance. 

          Although some seeds can be eaten raw, 
          they are still somewhat toxic. 
          It is recommended to soak, germinate or sprout them 
          prior to consumption. 

          Some examples are: 
          sprouted mung beans, soaked almond and sunflower seed sprouts.

(3)    Increase the intake of root vegetables: 
          If can be taken raw, 
          try to increase the consumption of root vegetables; 
          because generally root vegetables contain more minerals 
          which is relatively little in other plant parts like leaf, flower and fruits.  
          
          Roots which can be eaten raw include: 
          ginger, radish, carrot, beetroot, sengkuang, burdock, Huaishan etc.

(4)   Take fermented food more frequently: 
         Fermented foods are rich in Vitamin B complex 
         which are relatively lacking in a raw diet. 
         
         The source of Vitamin B complex is mainly cereal grains 
         which generally cannot be eaten raw; 
         hence fermented food becomes a major source of Vit Bs for raw foodists.
         
         Moreover, fermentation reduces toxins in raw food, 
         rendering some raw ingredients safer to be taken raw. 

         For examples: fermented soy bean paste, rejuvelac, saurkraut, 


For beginners, 

(i) it is generally not recommendable 
to consume large quantity of raw food, 
because beginners have yet the matured skills and 
in depth knowledge about raw food. 

(ii) Should one decide to adopt a raw diet, 
it is advisable to take one raw meal per day only. 
This is to reduce the risk of nutritional imbalance. 

(ii) Also, if possible avoid taking raw during breakfast, 
as morning is already lacking of Yang elements.

(iv) Furthermore, as both raw and cooked diets are 
treated differently in the digestive system, 
it’s always recommended to keep both 
raw and cooked food eaten separately. 
If both raw and cooked foods are constantly mixed in meals, 
the digestive tract may be compromised in long term. 

(v) If occasionally both raw and cooked foods have to be mixed, 
ensure that there is an obvious difference between raw and cooked portions. 
In other words, 
arrange such that cooked food portion 
is a few times more than raw food portion, 
or vice versa. 
(e.g. 80% cook+20% raw or 20% cooked+80% raw)
This way the digestive tract is less confused.


Raw diet is profound. 

Before hastily leaping into a raw regime, 
slow down and first get the foundation of vegetarian diet steadily built up. 

As to how to build a good foundation for vegetarian diet, 
consider consulting experienced vegetarians or attend a vegetarian nutrition course.

*More raw diet tips at Recipe eBook: http://tinyurl.com/SimpleVegetarian



Many blessings,
Kee Yew
pureland2012-at-gmail.com


{Learning Holistic Wellness for Wisdom and Compassion}

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

素食营养误区(5)-- 矿物质

均衡营养始于有机农耕
矿物质是现代饮食营养
最容易被忽略的营养之一。

主要是因为现代化学农耕所致。

现代的农耕脱离了旧时有机农耕方法,
沿用了化学肥料、化学杀虫剂和
催生剂,让蔬果庄稼都快速成长。

表面看来,那好像是件好事,
能提供更多的粮食给人民。

可是,化学农耕愈半世纪以来,
产生了饮食普遍缺乏矿物质的副作用。

原因主要是:
(一) 化学药物的使用,伤及了土壤里的微生物。
      土内的微生物不能正常滋长,
      便不能给土壤里的游离元素(即是矿物质)合成为有机元素。
      植物一般上没用办法有效吸收土壤里的游离矿物质。
      
      当土壤的微生物奄奄一息之际合成不了有机矿物质,
      蔬果庄稼便不能吸收足够的矿物质。
      人们吃了这些化学耕地长出来的蔬菜、水果、谷物,
      也就顺理成章的缺乏矿物质。

(二) 现代农耕,使用了大量的氮、磷、钾和荷尔蒙给农作物催生。
      催生的农作物因为成长快速而被提早收割,
      接触土壤的时间,比沿用天然肥料的有机农耕相比,来得短。

      化学农作物虽然成长快速,
      可是它们从土壤吸收矿物质的速度是没有办法催促的。
      所以,最终造成化学农作物由于接触土壤时间段而缺乏矿物质。

在正常的饮食里,矿物质的需求量是不高的,
许多人就此认为矿物质应该不难摄取。

但是人们却没料到化学农作物在催生提早收割之后,
连基本的矿物质水平也达不到!

矿物质质是均衡营养的一个重要环节;
它主宰了
  新陈代谢、
  神经讯息的传达、
  细胞组织的沟通、
  免疫能力等许多不可妥协的生理运作。

长期缺乏矿物质会给身体带来许多伤害和衰退性病,
  例如: 肥胖、糖尿病、癌症、心脏病、疲劳、忧郁症等等。

素食者往往忽略矿物质的摄取;
常常犯下以下弊病:
(一) 不吃糙米、偏爱白饭:
    糙米含有大量的矿物质,
    而多数矿物质都集中在糙米的米麸和胚芽; 
    
    白米因为米麸和胚芽被磨去,
    会失去了大量的矿物质,
    
    所以素食者不吃糙米,只吃白饭,
    长期下去会缺乏矿物质。

(二) 少吃根类蔬菜,偏爱菜叶水果:
    植物的不同部位蕴含不同的营养素。
    有的部位,维他命多(如水果),
    有的蛋白质多(如种子),
    有的矿物质多(如根部)。

    如果素食者偏爱吃叶类蔬菜和水果,
    那么矿物质的摄取便会偏低。

    根类蔬菜如果摄取不足,
    长期下去也会导致矿物质缺乏。

(三) 因为偏见而不肯购买有机农作物:
    有机农作物如以上叙述比化学农作物含有更丰富的矿物质。
    有的素食者,因为误解有机和化学农作物营养价值上没区别,
    而不愿意食用有机农产品;也因此加剧了缺乏矿物质的机会。

基于现代饮食普遍上都是来自化学农耕作物,
而且食品加工精炼的泛滥也使致更多的矿物质流失,
矿物质的缺乏已经是全世界的健康威胁。

如果不正视这个日益恶化的问题,
文明病的并发率会持续地增加。

虽然我们顿时未能逆转化学农耕,回归有机农耕,
但是我们依然可以按我们的经济能力,支持有机食品。

为了维护我们的健康,要记得多吃粗粮、根类蔬菜。

有必要的话,也可以服用些少的矿物质营养辅助品。


真心的祝福,
其銚
pureland2012-at-gmail.com

{福慧人生}
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