Tofu gross??????????????????

Theres word going around saying tofu is gross. WTF?? CLEARLY these haters have never eaten properly made. Tofu on it's own doesn't taste like anything, so of course it's going to taste shitty. Thats like throwing a slab of steak on the grill without any seasoning, marinating, sauce and the works. No one does that shit, so treat tofu the same way you would a steak, it can be equally delicious done correctly.

There is a cubic fuckton of different ways to prepare tofu, it's silly anyone still thinks it tastes gross. Don't get me wrong, I can see why. Meat taste damn delicious and taste so good you get preoccupied with it and forget about it's healthier alternative, Mr.T(Tofu). But if you cook it correctly, it can make meat look like a little bitch.

Health Concerns

There is a die-hard BBQ Texan at my culinary school who argued that he didn't like tofu, or any soy product for that matter, because it causes increases of estrogen in the body. Studies have shown that soy does have a high amount of natural plant chemicals called Isoflavones. These reputation assassins bind to estrogen receptors and have similar effects to estrogen, but it's weak as fuck compared to animal based estrogen.

According to the American Cancer Society, Asian women who eat the most isoflavones have a 24% lower chance of getting breast cancer. So tofu is not the wolf in sheeps clothing my Texan classmate thought it was.

Tofu kicks some major ass when it comes to it's health benefits. It's a no brainer that it's high in protein, but it's content of calcium is insane, along with manganese and copper. Then there is Tempeh, a fermented soy bean patty, that is also a nutritional badass. It's fermented, so it has the same effect as probiotics in the belly, making soy an even better option to turn to when concerned about the health risks with eating soy or tofu.

The only way tofu can be bad for you is if it is heavily "processed" and fucked with. This is what's giving my main man tofu a bad rep. People tend to stray away from the blocks of tofu because they don't know what the hell to do with it, so they go for the premade soy burger that use "soy protein isolate" or some bullshit like that. It is way more convenient and you're guaranteed a tasty meal, but it comes at the cost of your health and that's never a fair deal.

Cooking the T

First and foremost, you're going to want to start by picking the right kind of tofu. There is two different kinds: cottony and silken, differed by the coagulating agents used. Both have different levels of firmness from custard-soft to firm n' meaty(LOL). For crispy tofu, it's best to go with cottony extra firm tofu.

The cheat code for crisp and golden brown tofu is to make sure all the moisture is drained out. If not, you'll have a pan of mush, crumbles and tears, because that's always a sad sight. If you're in a time crunch, dice up your tofu then lay the dices on a baking sheet or cutting board lined with paper towels. Find another baking sheet or cutting and put it on top of the tofu and weigh it down with some weight(Books work well). Let the moisture drain for about 10-20 minutes.

After draining, it is time for crisping. Make sure you heat up a cast iron skillet to medium heat with just enough oil to cover the pan. Cast iron is best because it heats up evenly and make sure it's hot, you want to hear that sizzle when the tofu hits the pan. Once it's in the pan, let it cook til a nice golden crust develops, then turn. Repeat til all sides are crusted. Make sure to let the crust fully develop, otherwise it will stick to the pan and rip.

Once crusted over, now it is time to marinate. You would think to marinate it ahead of time, and some people do, but the tofu will brown too fast and will taste like raw marinade inside. Choose any sauce, herbs or spices you want to flavor the tofu with and toss with the tofu. Add herbs and spices at end because tofu takes a while to brown and the herbs and spices will burn.

Tofu taste like the gates of heaven in your mouth when done correctly, and I hope this procedure will help with making the best goddamn tofu you've ever made. Oh and on the plus side, you won't get food sickness if it is under-cooked ;)

Juice or Smoothie??

intro

Juicing and Blending are have their followers and each will preach about which ever one keeps their horn a tootin'. Smoothies and Juices are pretty rad when it comes to eating healthy, but some wonder if one is better than the other...

WTF is Juice?? I drink DRANK!!!

Juice is just straight up water and nutrients from fruits and veggies. The indigestible fiber from whatever produce was used is either thrown away or can be used for certain recipes. The fiber being removed makes it quick and easy for your digestive system to break down the food, along with providing bigger nutrient blast rather than eating the fruit whole. Critics would say that this isn't exactly a good thing because it spikes blood sugar, resulting in mood swings, energy loss and memory problems.

If your body makes you pay for having do it's job and hates digesting fiber, then juicing could possibly help. 

Smoothie Groovin' and Looney Toonin'

Smoothies are simply the fruit blended down to juice form with all the fiber maintained. The nutrient dense fiber causes the digestive system to work harder, but makes the nutrient blast less like a blast and more like a slow steady stream of nutrients keeping blood sugar more stable. The fiber also makes smoothies more filling.

Which is Better

Both benefit the little minions(cells) in our bodies, making them feel supreme as a wet dream, it just depends on what you want out of it. Do you want something that is gonna keep you full for a while while you're at work? A smoothie might be a good idea. Or do you want something thats gonna feel like nutrient heroine and beats the fuck out of any cough you feel coming along? A juice might be a good idea. Smoothies and Juices are some of the healthiest things you can put in your mouth. It doesn't matter which one it is, just drink one!! 

Who Says You Can't Be Vegan???

Being vegan its common to get a lot of crap from non-vegans. Comments like, "You're not getting enough protein", or, "Why are you depriving yourself", or "You're gonna die eating that way". Being vegan you got to have thick skin because of such scrutiny. To help you feel like you've got a crew that's got your back, here is a list of 5 vegan badasses that prove you can thrive on a diet of "Rabbit Food".

Rich Roll

A true veg-head badass. Rich is a two-time top finisher at the Ultraman Worldchampionships and in 2010 was the first person(along with his partner in crime Jason Lester) to finish EPIC-5- 5 Ironman distance triathlons on 5 different Hawaiian islands in under a week. He's also written a memoir, "FINDING ULTRA: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself", so you know this dude can hang on run and in english, or if you attend OCI, in blogging class.

Patrik Baboumian

Big ass dude from Germany who eats a shit ton of plants to be that big. In the picture below he's setting a new world record by carrying a 1,212 lb. yoke(ironic) 35 feet across the stage Vegfest. Not enough protein huh?? It definitely looks like Patrick is BROtein deficient.

Mike Tyson

Even though he did bite someone's ear off one time, he still counts as vegan. He didn't swallow it, not sure if he chewed or enjoyed it, but he's still vegan. He wasn't vegan during his career, but after he retired, some managed to make it's way around his belly and thighs. After he saw how much of "foodie" he turned into, he went vegan. 

Scott Jurek

Scott Jurek is the Micheal Jordan of ultra marathons, and is totes a veger. He also has a pretty rad book my boss let me borrow. It's called "Eat and Run", and he talks about running a cubic fuckton and gives some quick, easy and super healthy recipes. I mean, they're made by an utlra marathon runner, of course they're healthy as fuck.

Frank Medrano

 Frank Medrano makes me want to start learning some handstands because the shit he does is insane. He's in a crew called Vegan Calisthen-X that's all about spreading the message of the benefits from a vegan diet and fitness. A chill dude with a dope talent, truly inspiring.

Conveniently Vegan

One day while I was making a salad for dinner at a family event, my aunt was watching me and commented, "Being vegan takes a lot of work". Maybe in her eyes it seemed like a lot of work, but that was an easy meal. Some chopping of vegetables and a blend for my dressing and that was it. But in a way she was right, being Vegan you have to spend more time in the kitchen since their is a lack of foods that are not only convenient and cheap, but healthy as well.

Food Processing

Cooking your own food has been shown to be healthier by default. When we let corporations do the cooking for us, they add a bunch of shit we don't even want in their. The finished product may look tasty and nutritious(like a granola bar), but in reality it is packed with chemical shit blasted from a science lab's asshole that contribute to the health of the corporations bank accounts and jokingly says 'GOTCHYA' to your health and well-being. Lot's of these chemicals are banned in other countries and the FDA lets this shit happen because it makes food that suppose to be shit actually look appetizing and make cheap food-like substances seem palatable. This is like going to a fine-dining Mexican restaurant and getting plate of food you thought was from their kitchen, but actually is from a taco truck down the road that can't pass inspection but is kept in business by the restaurant because it is cheaper than having it's own kitchen.

Restaurants Got Your Back

If you go to a restaurant to get your food cooked, then expect to pay for because you're not only paying for food. Sorry to break it to you. You're paying for the food, the work it took to make the food, the light needed to see where the food is, the gas to cook it and best of all the profit needed for people's paychecks. I hope you can make it rain, because you're gonna be dropping stacks for a meal. Not to mention the nutritional value of the meal is pretty much unknown. I went to a vegan burger joint thinking their food would be healthy, I mean, they said it was and we all know businesses never lie. After eating there I didn't feel the same as I do after one of my home-cooked meals, so I looked up the nutritional profile of the dish I had. In ONE order of 'wings', it had 570 calories, 32g of carbs, 33g of protein, 1257mg of salt and 48g of fat! Holy shit just call the ambulance now. It's awesome for spreading veganism but shit, if it has 48g of fat, I don't see the difference between the real wings and fake 'wings'.

Cook, ITS WORTH IT

I know to some this seems like a pain in the ass, but it will benefit you sooooo much in the long run. You get to keep track of what is going in your body and you don't have to pay someone an outrageous amount of money to cook it for you. All it takes is looking up some recipes and just doing what it says. Small habits like these make a huge difference not only in your life, but also to those who around you. It shows them that it is possible to eat healthy and not as annoying as most seem to believe.Trust me, there is a ton of recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, all you need is a kitchen and the will to learn.

Managing Your Chub

Exercise...

Keep in mind this is a blog about HEALTH and not only VEGANISM, but the two definitely go hand-in-hand. One aspect of being healthy is maintaining your physical health with not only diet, but also exercise as well. Everyone knows how they should be exercising, but have more important things to do like learn how to cook meth on "Breaking Bad", or watch porn on Miley Cyrus' video, "Wrecking Ball", or any Rihanna video, or Katy Perry video, or.... the list is endless. If's unfortunate, a lot of people are dying from bullshit diseases like Heart Disease, Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes, all of which can be treated with some exercise(Of course diet too).

The Beginnings

One idea on starting to workout is to begin with an activity that won't make you so bored you'll feel more crazy than a person in straight jacket forced to listen to "Let It Go" from Frozen. This is where a bunch of noobs fall short. They start with running, struggle to get some mileage, don't see the instant results they desire, and just flat out quit. Don't make this mistake, just make sure whatever activity you choose actually is realistic, don't start out with something that's going to kfick your ass from the get go. Start easy, and slowly build up your body's ability to do higher intensities. Back when I made my transition from a 235 lb ball of jiggles, I started with longboarding to work, it was something I was just getting in to and I LOVED to do it. It was nice, I got to rest every 3 pushes or so. This developed my cardio and formed a foundation for fitness. I might suggest starting with  walking or biking, if you feel like that's lame as shit, then get on a trampoline, groove to some of your favorite toons or strap your paycheck to your kid's belt, that'll get you moving.

Finally Getting The Hang Of It

Once you've gotten your body use to strenuous activity and it doesn't act like a bitch and get sore from a stroll down the road, now you're ready to start a more intense exercise. The exercise you started out with woke up your muscles. Now they're awake, and time to give them a reason for opening their eyes. You can make the transition from walking to light jogging, from biking with your kids around the neighborhood to biking with a friend around the town, or actually being able to get somewhat close to catching your paycheck. For me, I went from longboarding to jogging and I fell in love, all sweaty, after my first run. I tried lifting weights, but I liked the adventurous feeling of exploring different routes around town. Remember in whatever it is you're doing, learn common mistakes and how to avoid them, learn proper form and technique, and don't be afraid to take breaks, this shit is hard and you can get carried away and over use something in your body.

Fit As A Mofo

By now you should be feeling like a god damn superhero and be able to take on some intense shit. You're starting to look like greek god and feel like Justin Bieber in a room full of  teens. You're starting to see some results and don't dread going for a work out. It's time to start upping the intensity if you've managed to avoid injury to this point. Good job, you've shown to have enough discipline to actually progress in your training and can pretty much eat anything in sight if you keep up with your workout \regimen. You're fit now, the trick is actually staying fit and maintaining all the progress you've made. Don't feel pressured to have to run 12 miles a day, just do some sort of exercise for 20-40 minutes a day and you'll be good. Working out doesn't have to suck, just know the more the merrier within reason.

Epic Meal Time's Vegan Zombie Apocalypse

First off, this video is hilarious because a lot of the jokes aimed at vegans are true. From the tye-dye to listening to Ska music, both I personally enjoy. I had a lot of laughs while watching it, especially the joke about smelling the compost. At first it got me a little mad, but after thinking about why they would make a vidoe like this made me realize that some vegans are truly annoying, and kind of assholes.


EVERYONE KNOWS HOW ANIMALS ARE TREATED IN FACTORY FARMS. If everyone wanted to know more information on the subject, I'm sure they will look it up themselves. That subject is the big elephant in the room that know one wants to acknowledge, so let THEM choose when they want to acknowledge it. They know where their food comes from is not a pleasant sight, is not very clean, and is pumped full of chemicals, THEY KNOW THIS and it makes them feel like shit if you tell them.

I use to be that vegan that tells people about the harmful effects that steak has on their health and the environment. After seeing their reaction, a look of guilt and sinfulness, it made me think twice about spreading this info. It made me feel like a prick.

Now, going about spreading the vegan message in a new way, I find it best to treat Veganism like other religions, something I myself find annoying. Just like Mormons going up to your door at 9:00 am on a Saturday is the exact feeling you'll get when a Vegan is PREACHING about the horrors in factory farms and the treatment of animals. So, to all you prick vegans(Like how I use to be) out there, KEEP YOUR DIET/LIFESTYLE/RELIGION to yourself unless asked.

Besides, humans are OMNIVORES. We have a choice. It's not black and white: you're either herbivore or carnivore, no, there is a grey area, omnivore, which is what we are. A video called, "Are Humans Meant To Eat Meat?", opened my eyes to the saying, "To Each Their Own". Check it out...

This dude just shredded every argument I had to defend my "humans are meant to be vegan" claim. Definitely made me think twice about it.

In Ayurvedic medicine, animal products, mainly in the form of dairy, are PRESCRIBED to patients for treatment. Ayurveda originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and is one of the country's traditional health care systems. I don't think they would use anything that wouldn't hurt you in the long run and wouldn't be around today if it didn't have any successful results.

You see my vegan homedawgz, going about this lifestyle will lead you to articles and videos that make you feel smart after you analyze them and will want to make you want to tell your family and friends about how they can help themselves and the environment. Especially if they don't ask, DON'T TELL THEM anything you learned. There's no need to sound like Einstein to your friends and family when no one is in the mood for getting slapped by some knowledge. If the topic comes up somehow, and they seem interested, then go for it, just be cautious, a huge debate my breakout and your opponent might go Hannibal on your ass and eat your face!(No they won't)

Bill Gates Digs Plant Based Eggs, Whattt???!?!

Yep, theres word on the street of a plant based egg in the science lab/kitchen of a business in San Francisco, CA. CEO/Founder, Josh Tetrick is the man behind it all, reppin' his new business, Hampton Creek, he's set himself on an epic quest to make a positive change in the way we eat by making it healthier and cheaper than what his products are mimicking.