Dump Dairy plus A Couple of Memes

Wishing my Jewish readers a wonderful Rosh Hashanah

There are many reasons for wanting to live dairy-free; fear of breast and prostate cancer , gaining weight , lactose intolerance or milk allergy and from a compassionate view, cruelty to cows and their calves in the dairy industry.

When the decision is finally made to live dairy-free, the first problem encountered is you wonder whether you will be able to obtain enough calcium in your and your family's food, to maintain healthy bones and prevent the development of osteoporosis.

Dairy does not prevent Osteoporosis. In actual fact animal protein tends to leach calcium from the bones, leading to its excretion in the urine. To maintain healthy bones one should exercise, regularly, spend time in the sun or eat vitamin D rich foods or take a vitamin D supplement, eliminate all or most animal protein, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, not smoke, and finally, limit salt intake.

The recommended daily level of calcium for children 1-3 years 500mg, 4-8 years 800mg, and 9-18 1300mg. Adults 19-50 years require 1000 mg and 50+ 1200 mg daily. Excellent charts of calcium contained in non-dairy foods are available at Go Dairy Free and VRG. Non-dairy calcium supplements are also available at health shops if you feel your diet is not providing enough.

The next main problem, which is actually not a big problem at all, is with what to substitute the milk, cream, cheese and butter. In most countries it is no problem at all, with Vegan cheese and butter substitutes, and many commercial soy and nut milks available. In other countries some items are available and some are not. You can use simple substitutes like cold pressed oils in cooking and baking, and avocado or hummus (houmous) as a spread. It is also great fun to make your own homemade substitutes.

Be healthy, go dairy free.

"I have been dairy free for several years, and I started because I felt it was going to reduce my allergies, which it did, and help me lose weight, which it did." - Fran Drescher "The Nanny"

Three Recipes from Go Dairy Free
(see website for tons of info and great dairy-free recipes)

Quick Almond Milk (Raw)

1 quart/1 litre Water, ice cold
1 cup soaked almonds
2 tbsps raisins or 1 tbsp sweetener

Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. Strain if desired.

Corn Buttery Spread (Cooked)

¼ cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 cup Water
¼ cup Soy, Rice, or Oat Milk
2 tsps Lemon Juice
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 tbsps unsweetened flaked coconut

Cook the cornmeal and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it becomes “mushy”. Combine with remaining ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Vegan Parmesan (Cooked)
Submitted by Bearhouse5 - I make this a little different every time - all depending on my mood. If you use sesame seeds, just throw all the ingredients into a food processor and give it all a quick whizz.

Equal amounts of:
Almond meal or ground sesame seeds
nutritional yeast flakes (available from health food store)

Any or all, to taste: salt, pepper, bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder.

Mix all ingredients together and use on pasta, lasagne or anything that calls for parmesan cheese.

Hummus Recipe (beans pre-cooked)
From AllRecipes - Lots of hummus recipes there to try out.

2 cups canned garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 tsp minced fresh parsley

Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT DEMANDS SUCCESS MEME

I am honored and pleased to say I have been nominated by Deborah author of Climate of Our Future , a well written blog discussing climate change, to be added to a list for Outstanding Personal Development Bloggers.

Priscilla Palmer of Personal Development Demands Success started this list. She states "Personal development is a large topic that includes but is not limited to (law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills). This list should include any blog you feel can benefit us in our growth process."

The bloggers I wish added to the list due to them making me grow in one way or another:
Marion of Herbal Connection
Rosemary of Parkinson's Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy
Winsome of Winsome Gunning Art Walk
EvelynLim of Attraction Mind Map

Notify Priscilla of whom you want added to the list. The list is situated HERE .

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And finally........The next meme, Curious to learn more about me? comes to me courtesy of Bazu author of Where's the Revolution?

Here are the “official” rules:
# Players must list one fact, word, or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of your first or middle name.
# When you are tagged you need to write your own post containing your first or middle name game facts, word, or tidbit.
# At the end of your post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag.
# Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them ,they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
# If I’ve tagged YOU, please join in on the fun!

J - JOB - I have none as I retired in 2005. Hated working in an office for 40+ years so now I do what I like. Trying to change my brain from analytical to creative.
A - Activism - The Animal Rights Movement is very close to my heart and I belong to many groups fighting for those Rights.
C - Cats - I am crazy about cats. Mine have passed on and lived to be very old, but thankfully a neighbor's cat visits me daily from sun up to sun down.
K - Knowledge - I hate not knowing about things and spend many hours every week searching for info. Before the Net I visited the library and bookshops for hours on end, and bought hundrends of books.
I - Icy Weather - Since I was a tiny tot I hate being cold and even in the hottest Summer I can still have cold hands and hate cold swimming pools.
E - Eating - I always hated eating meat when young, not due to the taste but because I love animals, became vegetarian in my mid-20's and Vegan at around 50. Avos, mangoes and potatoes are my favorite foods.

For this meme I tag: SusanV , Mother Wintermoon , Deborah and Naomi



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