Wikipedia defines hummus as “a Middle Eastern and Arabic food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic”. Hummus is commonly used as a dip for vegetables or is spread on flatbread or crackers. As you can see from the ingredients, traditional hummus is entirely plant based (no animal products), making it an excellent option for whole, plant-based diets. Especially because hummus is high in iron and vitamin C; has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6; excellent source of protein and dietary fiber.

Many varieties of hummus can be derived from the traditional recipe by either substituting other types of beans (e.g., soy beans, black beans, white beans) or by adding other ingredients such as roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, cilantro or parsley, olives, roasted tomatoes, jalapenos, chipotle, and basil to give the hummus different flavors.

Hummus is delicious! I love to use hummus as a spread for veggie sandwiches or a dip for veggies. I make my own roasted red pepper hummus because it’s very simple to make (see the recipe in the “Recipe” tab) and I know exactly what’s in it. Which brings me to an experience I had at a Starbucks. My boyfriend and I were in a Starbucks and looking for a plant-based snack when we noticed something on the menu that said “Crisp, seasonal vegetables served with a chipotle hummus dip”. So, we ordered it. We were so wrapped up in our conversation that neither of us really noticed that the hummus looked suspiciously creamy and smooth, instead of the normal thick and slightly course texture from tiny blended bits of chickpeas. We each dipped a frozen veggie (that’s another story) into the hummus and took a bite, and it didn’t taste right to either of us. We learned from the staff why the hummus was so smooth and creamy: the second ingredient was mayonnaise! We never would have suspected that hummus would have mayonnaise in it, and of course, we only finished the frozen vegetables and didn’t eat any more of the hummus.

That experience served as a good reminder when dining out to always ask about ingredients, even when I’m ordering foods that are traditionally plant-based, because if it wasn’t prepared in front of me, I really have no idea what I’m actually eating. Which brings to mind another point: don’t get fooled into believing something is healthy just because healthy words are included in the name or description. The only way to know if it’s really healthy is to know exactly what is in it and how much.

After that experience today, I’m thinking that maybe Starbucks should stick with what it knows best, coffee.

Why would I be talking about erectile dysfunction here? Perhaps because erectile dysfunction, or impotence (difficulty maintaining an erection sufficient for sex), can be an early warning sign of heart disease. In fact, according to an article posted in Time Health & Family, an Australian study found that men with severe erectile dysfunction were 60% more likely to go to the hospital for coronary heart disease and twice as likely to die over a two to three year period, compared to men who did not have erection problems. There is a link between impotence and heart attacks.

Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is caused by the build-up of plaques in your arteries and increases your risk of aneurysm, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. Smaller arteries get plugged up before larger arteries, so the penis will get blocked before the larger arteries that supply blood to the heart and other organs. When blood flow to the penis is blocked, erection is difficult, and the good news is that it could save your life!

Wouldn’t it make sense that something that can improve heart disease would also improve sexual dysfunction? According to Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. MD, a total whole, plant-based diet can completely stop and even reverse heart disease! Studies have shown that a diet full of antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory-rich, cholesterol-lowering whole plant-based foods can both improve sexual function and lower risk of heart disease.

Antioxidant-rich foods have a “Viagra-like” effect of boosting nitric oxide production, which improves blood flow. Pistachio nuts have arginine, an amino acid that boosts nitric oxide production. In a study by Aldemir and colleagues published in the International Journal of Impotence Research in 2011, men who consumed 100 grams of pistachio nuts daily for three weeks experienced lower cholesterol (cholesterol is an important indicator of sexual dysfunction) and improved erectile function with no side effects. The improved blood flow could be explained by increased nitric oxide production from the arginine in the pistachio nuts.

Drugs like Viagra inhibit phosphodiesterase-5, (an enzyme that reduces blood flow to the penis) and artificially boost nitric oxide production to increase blood flow, which only covers up symptoms of the underlying problem of unhealthy arteries. Phosphodiesterase-5 is also found in the retina, and a side effect of Viagra can be loss of vision. Why risk side effects at all when the problem can be completely stopped or even reversed? Eating whole plant-based foods like nuts actually helps attack the root cause of the unhealthy arteries: cholesterol, oxidation, and inflammation. Plus eating whole plant-based foods only has good side effects.

Resources

http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/30/erectile-dysfunction-can-be-a-warning-sign-for-heart-disease/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/erectile-dysfunction/HB00074

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/pistachio-nuts-for-erectile-dysfunction/

You know that you’re supposed to eat more fiber. But do you know why? Fiber happens to be very good for your health. There are two types of fiber: soluble fiber, which dissolves and forms a thick, gel-like substance in your intestines that slows the rate food moves through your intestinal tract; and insoluble fiber which is not broken down at all and passes right through your digestive system unchanged.

A diet high in fiber has several benefits, including:

.1. Fiber helps you maintain a healthy weight and can help you lose weight.

• Foods high in fiber are bulky and low in calories, filling you up.
• Foods high in fiber take longer to chew, giving your body time to register that you’re no longer hungry before you overeat.
• Foods high in fiber slow digestion, making you feel full longer.
• Fiber binds up fat as it passes through your digestive system, and the fat gets eliminated along with the fiber.
• Soluble fiber slows digestion and gives your body more time to absorb nutrients.

2. Soluble fiber lowers total cholesterol by picking up and excreting some of the excess LDL (bad) cholesterol, thereby lowering LDL cholesterol levels.

3. Soluble fiber helps regulate blood sugar by slowing the absorption of sugar, which helps improve blood sugar levels for diabetics and reduces the chance of insulin spikes that can lead to the formation of kidney stones and gallstones. 

4. Insoluble fiber cures constipation because it moves food through your digestive tract and keeps you regular. 

5. High fiber foods offer significant protection against cancer (including colon cancer) and heart disease, lower your risk of developing hemorrhoids and diverticular disease (small pouches in your colon), may provide relief from irritable bowel syndrome, and may prevent or reduce severity of stroke and improve chances of recovery.

The USDA recommends 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed, so if you eat a 2,000 calorie per day diet, you should be getting 28 grams of fiber daily. If you’re like most Americans, you are eating less than half the recommended amount.

Fiber is only found in whole or minimally processed plant foods (there is no fiber in meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or foods made from processed and refined sugar and/or flour). The best way to get your fiber is by eating a diet rich in whole, plant-based foods.

Foods rich in fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), nuts, and seeds. Most plant-based foods contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, and some contain more of one type or the other.

​Soluble fiber is typically found in the fleshy inner portion of vegetables and fruits; insoluble fiber is concentrated in the skin, peel, or outer covering of whole, plant-based foods.

Magnesium is important for optimal health. Our bodies need magnesium to promote healthy bones (magnesium helps absorb calcium), maintain normal muscle and nerve function, maintain heart rhythm and a healthy immune system, help regulate blood sugar levels, and promote healthy blood pressure. A deficiency in magnesium, although rare in this country, can cause muscle spasms, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, migraines, anxiety disorders, and cerebral infarction. According to Dr. Komaroff of Harvard Medical School, the daily requirement of magnesium for women ages 19-30 is 310 milligrams (mg) and over 30 is 320 mg; and for men ages 19-30 is 400 mg and over 30 is 420 mg.

The good news is that it’s easy to get lots of magnesium in your diet. Many plant-based foods are rich in magnesium including:

• Dark leafy greens per 1 cup cooked: spinach = 157 mg, Swiss chard – 150 mg.
  
• Nuts and seeds per ½ cup: squash and pumpkin seeds – 382 mg, sesame seeds – 253 mg, Brazil nuts – 250 mg, almonds – 193 mg, cashews – 207 mg, pine nuts – 169 mg, peanuts – 264 mg, pecans – 60 mg, walnuts – 92 mg
  
• Beans and lentils per 1 cup: soy beans – 108 mg, black beans – 120 mg, lentils, 71 mg, kidney beans – 74 mg
  
• Whole grains per 1 cup: quinoa – 118 mg, brown rice – 86 mg, oatmeal – 63 mg, whole wheat pasta – 42 mg, whole wheat bread – 24 mg/slice
  
• Avocados: 1 average (136 g)  – 39 mg
  
• Bananas: 1 medium – 32 mg
  
• Dark chocolate (70-85%) – ~1 oz (1 square) – 65 mg (yet another reason to eat dark chocolate!)
  

Resources:
USDA National Nutrition Database
www.AskDoctorK.com
www.Healthaliciousness.com

What’s the difference between living a vegan lifestyle and living a whole food plant-based lifestyle? While there are many similarities, there are also some differences. You can be vegan without eating whole, plant-based foods, and you can live a whole food plant-based lifestyle without being vegan. Huh?

According to Wikipedia, the term “vegan” was coined by Donald Watson in 1944. Vegan is a contraction of the first three and last two letters of the word “vegetarian” and describes vegetarians that refrain from consuming animal foods, including meat, dairy, eggs, and other animal-derived substances. In addition, veganism focuses on all aspects relating to animal cruelty and usage. True vegans oppose the use of animals or animal products for any purpose if the animal had to suffer in any way. That includes leather (clothing, hats, upholstery, etc.), medications, supplements, lotions, ointments, soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, toothpastes, lubricants, transmission and brake fluid, plastics, etc., products that were either tested on animals and/or that use ingredients made from animals. For example, did you know that gel caps are made with gelatin, which comes from boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones in water? Vegans also oppose destruction of the environment caused by increased generation of greenhouse gases, ground water pollution, and clear-cutting forests (to name a few) that result from raising animals for food.

While many vegans consume whole, plant-based foods, that’s not the case for all vegans. There are many processed and refined foods available that are free of animal-based foods. These are also known as vegan junk food. So technically you can be vegan and not eat whole, plant-based foods.

Someone who lives a whole food plant-based lifestyle is one who does not consume any animal-based foods and instead chooses unprocessed (or minimally processed) whole, plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. Typically those who choose a whole food plant-based lifestyle do so primarily for the personal benefits of optimal health and/or weight management. The positive impacts of living a whole food plant-based lifestyle on the treatment of animals and on the environment are added benefits (yet not always the driving force) of choosing this lifestyle.

The term “vegan” is often used to describe someone who lives a “whole food plant-based lifestyle” because when it comes to eating, most people understand the term “vegan” to indicate someone who does not consume any animal-based foods. Even though I live a whole food plant-based lifestyle, I often catch myself giving in to the convenience of calling myself vegan, when the truth is, I’m not 100% vegan. I live a whole food plant-based lifestyle knowing that I contribute to the added benefits to animals and the environment.

No animals were harmed in the writing of this post.

A week after twisting my right knee, the swelling started to get worse, my knee stiffened, and it became noticeably more difficult to walk on my right leg. When my good friend saw me limping around, she immediately recommended I see her Traditional Chinese Doctor. Having always been intrigued by Traditional Chinese Medicine, I immediately accepted and she scheduled an appointment for me the next day. In the meantime, the Doctor prescribed a treatment of fresh ginger, crushed and heated, to be placed directly on my swollen knee and wrapped in plastic. 

With my friend’s help, we put the fresh, crushed, warm ginger on my knee, with juice from the ginger dripping all down my leg. Once we got the plastic wrapped around my leg with the ginger, I could feel the warm, almost burning sensation of the fresh ginger on my skin. I left the wrapped ginger on my knee overnight, and when I removed the wrap the next morning, the swelling had almost completely disappeared and I could walk on my right leg with significantly less tightness and pain! In fact, I could walk almost completely normally.

When I saw the Doctor later in the day, he began by massaging my right knee to remove any blockages. He worked the knee, which was quite painful. At first I resisted the pain and my body tensed up. Then I relaxed into the pain, which made the pain then seem much less intense. When the Doctor was finished working on my knee, he did acupuncture by inserting needles around my knee and on the bottom of my foot. It didn’t hurt and once the needles were inserted, I no longer noticed them. Next he worked on my neck, upper back, and shoulders to remove any blockages there, and interestingly, every so often he hit a pressure point on my upper body and I felt a tingling sensation around the needles. 

The Doctor worked on my stomach and chest, and discovered that I had gas in my chest cavity around my heart. I laughed when he told me that I would have to cut back on the amount of meat that I eat – I haven’t eaten meat in almost two years! So I asked him how long that gas had been there. He said it was at least three years old (I have no idea how he knew that). Now I have yet another reason to not eat meat! The Doctor told me that gas in the chest cavity is common, and is caused by eating meat, over-eating, and stress. He worked that gas out of my chest cavity, and I could feel it gurgling into my stomach as he pushed it out. 

The Doctor spent a full hour working on me, and by the time he was finished, my knee and my whole body felt looser and better. He told me that the injury to my knee is not serious (thankfully!) and that it will heal in about a week as long as I stay off it and continue to treat it with fresh ginger. 

The Traditional Chinese Doctor’s approach of working on my entire body is something I’ve never experienced before with western medicine. Had I gone to a western Doctor, he or she would have looked only at my knee, probably taken an x-ray, and then given me a prescription for pain medication and maybe a brace, or worse yet, recommended surgery. I love the Traditional Chinese approach, which has been around for thousands of years, because no part of my body, including my knee, is isolated from the rest of my body – it’s all connected, and treating my body as a whole enhances my healing. I feel better already!

It’s that time of year again – green chile harvest in New Mexico, which means that the air is filled with the aroma of fresh New Mexico green chiles being roasted. The New Mexico green chile is a defining ingredient in New Mexican cuisine and is included in or added to most foods served in New Mexico. Even the McDonalds in New Mexico serve green chile cheeseburgers. New Mexico green chiles have a distinctly bold flavor that makes incredible chile sauces and is just as good in foods or smothering foods. The hotter, the better, and these chiles get hot! And if you’ve ever lived in New Mexico, you know just how addicting these chiles are!

Today was a special day for those of us living in the Los Angeles area in need of a New Mexico green chile fix because the Los Angeles Chapter of the University of New Mexico Alumni Association imported and roasted 1,500 pounds of fresh New Mexico green chiles for UNM alumni, family, and friends at the 21st annual ChileFest. After a full afternoon of breathing in the aroma of the chiles as they were roasting and helping to bag the freshly roasted chiles, I made out with my stash, enough to last me until next year’s annual ChileFest! In addition to the amazing flavor, each one of these chiles packs over 100% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C!

If you would like to try these amazing chiles and don’t live in New Mexico, your local Whole Foods Market just might have a roaster set up to roast the New Mexico green chiles that they are selling now, so keep your eyes open over the next few weeks. Otherwise you can search online for vendors that sell the chiles. 

We each have our own set of strengths and we usually feel energized and satisfied when using those strengths. Positive Psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman identified 24 strengths in all of us that can benefit our happiness and wellbeing by using our strengths. I thought I’d take a look at how each of the 24 strengths might help us make a change such as adopting a whole plant-based lifestyle:  

• Creativity – use this strength to help you come up with fun, fresh ideas for new and different foods; also use this strength to come up with new activities that can help get you out of your old routines so that you don’t automatically reach for certain foods that you want to avoid.
  
• Curiosity – use this strength to explore new food options or how many different ways there are to prepare your favorite vegetables or other plant-based foods.
  
• Open-mindedness – having this strength enables you to be willing and even excited to try and experience new things, and can be helpful in trying new food options or changing old habits.
  
• Love of learning – there is always so much we can all learn about how our choices affect our weight and our health. Having this strength makes it fun to discover interesting facts and recipes.  
  
• Perspective – this strength helps you to remember why a plant-based lifestyle is important to you, which helps keep you on track when it gets difficult.
  
• Bravery – this strength allows you to choose to eat foods that others might make fun of. Sometimes you will stand out among the meat and dairy eaters who don’t understand your choices and think you should eat what everyone else is eating. It can take bravery to stand up and hold your ground.
  
• Persistence – this strength helps keep you going when the going gets tough.
  
• Integrity – this strength helps you follow through with your commitment without giving in to temptations.
  
• Vitality – this strength helps keep you full of enthusiasm and energy for staying the course. 
  
• Love – especially for yourself, this strength gives you the recognition and appreciation of the gift of health that you are giving yourself.
  
• Kindness – this strength helps you nurture yourself and your emotions by not being too hard on yourself. 
  
• Social intelligence – this strength helps you integrate your new habits around others.
  
• Citizenship – this strength helps you find community and support from others who are also adopting or have already adopted the lifestyle you are learning to adopt.
  
• Fairness – this strength helps you to embrace your choices without criticism or judgment regarding the choices of others.
  
• Leadership – this strength motivates you make positive changes in your weight and/or health to become a role model for others and inspire others to do the same for themselves.
  
• Forgiveness and mercy – this strength helps you interact with others who may give you a hard time or eat tempting foods around you, and self-forgiveness helps you move on at times when you might slip.
  
• Humility/Modesty – this strength lets your accomplishments of good health and weight control speak for themselves as you watch these results unfold.
  
• Prudence – this strength helps you stay within your boundaries regarding food choices. 
  
• Self-regulation – this strength gives you the discipline required to stick with your plan regarding food choices.
  
• Appreciation of beauty and excellence – this strength helps you appreciate all your efforts and successes.
  
• Gratitude – this strength helps you appreciate what whole, plant-based foods can do for your body.
  
• Hope – this strength gives you optimism toward using whole, plant-based foods to achieve the outcome of a thin, healthy body.
  
• Humor – this strength allows you to laugh along the way and see the lighter side of life, reducing stress.
  
• Spirituality – this strength helps you find peace in your journey.
  

If you’re interested in learning about your own character strengths, including your top 5 character strengths, go to http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/aiesec/content.aspx?id=821 and register to take the survey. The test will take you 20-30 minutes to complete. You may even learn something surprising about yourself!

We have been so conditioned to believe that carbohydrates are bad for us. And that couldn't be further from the truth! What is true is that processed and refined carbohydrates, which are stripped of valuable fiber and nutrients, are bad for us. Whole, unprocessed, unrefined carbohydrates as packaged by nature are actually very good for us! But unfortunately many people are not aware of the distinction, and strive to cut all carbohydrates out of their diet, which is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Carbohydrates are only found in plant-based foods. You won’t find any carbs in meat, poultry, fish, dairy, or eggs. Foods with carbs include vegetables (including starchy vegetables), fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds. These also happen to be the same foods that are rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and natural sugars, all of which our bodies need to maintain optimal weight and health. Yes, our bodies even need sugar, to fuel our cells, and especially our brains! If you are on a diet that cuts out carbs, technically that means that you have to cut out all of these foods. How realistic is that? How sustainable is that? How healthy is that?

If you’re cutting carbs out of your diet, the carbs (or sugars) that you really need to think about cutting out of your diet are the processed and refined carbs in which all the fiber and nutrients have been removed (the reason so many of these foods are “enriched” is to try to put back some of the nutrition that was removed). Especially the processed and refined carbs prepared with unhealthy saturated fats and cholesterol. Which foods are those? I’m talking about the ones made with white flour (enriched or bleached) and/or sugar – foods that probably also have fat (butter, oil, cream, lard, etc.) and eggs (high in cholesterol) such as baked goods (cakes, cookies, pies, muffins, etc.), crackers, sugary cereals, white bread, white pasta, and candy. For that matter, ice cream (dairy) has added carbs because it’s loaded with sugar (plus plenty of saturated fat). White rice is no better since it’s a refined grain. These are the carbs that make you fat and unhealthy (see my post about carbohydrates from December 16, 2012 to learn why).

On the other hand, whole, unprocessed, unrefined complex carbohydrates keep you healthy and help you maintain a healthy weight. The fiber in these carbohydrates slow the rate of sugar absorption, giving your body the opportunity to use the sugar as fuel rather than converting it into fat. Additionally, the slower rate of sugar absorption controls your insulin response, lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes. Plus you get all the nutrients in their most potent form as packaged by nature.

So you love pasta? Try whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice, or whole grain pasta with your favorite low-fat marinara sauce (try adding vegetables to the sauce). Does it taste the same as the white, pasty pasta you love? No, it tastes even better, although you might not appreciate that just yet. Be patient and give it time, and your tastes will adjust to the nutty flavors and textures of whole grain pasta. So will your weight and your health. The same is true for whole-grain breads, crackers, and cereals as well as brown rice.

Want something sweet? Try spreading some peanut butter (the kind with “peanuts” as the only ingredient) or raw almond butter over a slice of whole grain bread and top it with sliced banana and maybe even a little pure maple syrup. It’s sweet, satisfying, gives you energy, and you have no reason to feel guilty!

This post is for you, T – Happy Birthday!

So you’ve stopped eating meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs, and now you are eating only plant-based foods, and maybe to some extent you’re also including some processed and even refined foods such as breads, crackers, cereal, pasta, baked goods, and/or candy. Have you really stopped eating all animal-based foods? Not necessarily. That’s because there are many hidden animal products in foods that you don’t know are there because you don’t know what many of the ingredients listed on a package label are. Here’s a guide to help you decipher from the ingredient list on food labels what you are actually eating in order to help you decide if it’s something that you really want to eat:

Carmine – red food coloring made from ground up cochineal beetles. Used in fruit drinks, sauces, bottled cherries, colored pasta, and frozen pops.

Casein – milk protein. Used as a binding agent in bread, processed cereals, instant soups, instant potatoes, margarine, salad dressings, sweets, and cake mixes. Found in some soy cheeses. Also in some medication. Can be in products labeled “lactose-free”. 

Gelatin – made from collagen (protein) from by-products of the slaughterhouse, including animal skin, bones, cartilage, tendons, hooves, claws, and fish skins. Used in gel caps, yogurt, cereals, marshmallows, some candies, and as a colorless, flavorless thickening agent to set molded salads and desserts.

Isinglass – from air bladders of freshwater fish (Beluga sturgeon). Used to clarify some wine and beer. Also used in some jellied desserts. Vegan wines use carbon, limestone, silica gel, etc instead.

Albumin – protein in egg whites. Found in processed foods.

Glucose – from animal tissues and fluids (also can come from fruits). Found in baked goods, soft drinks, candies, frosting.

Glycerides (monoglycerides, diglycerides, and tryglycerides) – glycerol is from animal fats or plants. Found in processed foods.

Lactose (saccharum lactin, D-lactose) – milk sugar used as a culture medium in processed foods.

Lactic acid – acid formed by bacteria acting on lactose (milk sugar). Used in pickles, olives, sauerkraut, candy, frozen desserts, and fruit preserves

Tallow – solid fat of sheep and cattle separated from the membranous tissues. Used in margarine.

Oleic acid (oleinic acid) – animal tallow. Used in synthetic butter, vegetable fats and oils, candy, beverages, condiments.

Stearic acid (octadecanoic acid) – tallow or other animals fats and oils. Used in vanilla flavoring, baked goods, beverages, candy.

Lactylic stearate – salt of stearic acid. Used as a conditioner in bread dough.

Lecithin – phospholipids (phosphorylated fats) from animal tissues, plants, and egg yolks. Used in breakfast cereal, candy, chocolate, baked goods, margarine, vegetable oil sprays.

Lutein – deep yellow coloring from marigolds or egg yolks. Used as a commercial food coloring.

Suet – hard white fat around kidneys and loin of animals. Used in margarine and pastries.

Vitamin A (A1, retinol) – vitamin obtained from vegetables, egg yolks, or fish liver oil. Used in vitamin supplements and fortification of foods.

Vitamin B12 – vitamin produced by microorganisms and found in all animal products; synthetic form (cyanocobalamin or cobalamin on labels) is vegan. Used in supplements and fortified foods.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) – from fish liver oils or lanolin. Used in supplements and fortified foods.

Whey – watery liquid that separates from the solids in cheese-making. Used in crackers, breads, boxed cereals, granola, cakes, and processed foods.

You may have noticed that some of ingredients on this list can come from either animal or plant sources. While the label won’t tell you the source of the ingredients in a product, you can always contact the company that makes the product to find out if any particular ingredients are animal or plant based. Then you can decide if it’s something you want to eat.

Resources

• Mickey Z., Planet Green, 7 common hidden animal-derived ingredients to avoid; recipes.howstuffoworks.com
  
• For Dummies, www.dummies.com