Take your iron. Seriously.

This is a story all about how
my life got flip turned upside down
I'd like to take a take a minute just sit right there,
and tell you why should take your iron, kids.

Take your iron, children.

Seriously though. A lot of veggies (myself included) don't keep up with taking supplements. Yeah, it's tough to remember. Yeah, life gets busy. But do it. Trust me.

Foods like spinach and soy beans contain spinach, and its great to eat dark green veg and beans, but it's not enough. Adult males need 8 mgs a day, and adult women need 18 mgs.

Iron is more important then you think. It helps to transport oxygen throughout the body, and helps with cell growth and regeneration. Again, doesn't sound important, but trust me, if you don't have enough iron, you can tell.

I've been on and off anemic (severely iron deficient) since my teens. I didn't know what it was at first, but I found myself feeling sluggish and slow, I couldn't think properly, I got fatigued easily, I had problems breathing, I was getting sick more often, and I was cold. All. The. Time. I started finding school more difficult. (I started losing hair too. Can't guarantee it's related, but it seemed to lesson after I started taking iron).

All because I wasn't taking iron.

I started taking supplements a while back (you can find non-gelatin capsule ones) and oh my gosh, do I ever feel better. I'm more alert, awake, active. I don't have breathing issues. I'm not freakishly cold, and my ginger pale skin isn't quite as pasty! (I was surprised, you wouldn't think it would affect skin colouring but it does!)

In extreme cases you can even get a decreased immune system and an inflamed tongue (glossitis).

So, yes, it's a pain to remember to take supplements (try to take B-12 as well to help iron absorption, especially if you're not only iron deficient, but your iron stores are low), but it's worth it. Trust me. If you have anemia, and you start taking iron, you'll feel more...you.

Body and Health Canada states the following symptoms as signs of anemia. So if these sound familiar, take some iron!

• irritability
• weakness
• shortness of breath
• low blood pressure (especially when going from lying or sitting to standing)
• sore tongue
• brittle nails
• unusual food cravings (called pica)
• decreased appetite (especially in children)
• headache

Honest to blog, I often forget to take my iron and I find myself feeling these symptoms, and to have to get my butt kicked into getting back on track (normally by my aunt).


So, serious. Take iron. Love iron. Don't make the mistake of thinking it's not important.

Don't forget meeee!

A rant about eggplant and the other things meat eaters say

Right. 

Honestly, I'm not the kind of person who will get mad at my non-veg friends. I'm not going to rant at people about vegetarianism in an effort to convert anyone. It's my personal choice, if I'm asked, I'll share (I love when people are interested.) Overall, I'm pretty damn tolerant. But there are some questions people ask that drive me insane.

"Why did you ask them to leave the eggplant/zucchini/other off your pasta/pizza/panini/salad? Aren't you a vegetarian? Aren't you supposed to like all vegetables?

What?? WHAT? How does this even make any sense?? Yes, I've found vegetarians tend to be more open to trying vegetables, or have tried more vegetables then our meat eating counterparts, but that doesn't mean we love all vegetables! That's like saying to a meat-eater "Hey, so, I noticed you're not a big fan of eating cow brain, why is that??" Vegetarians don't eat all the veg. Meat eaters don't eat all the meat. So I don't want eggplant on my sandwich, lay off.

What is this? What the hell is it? Get it away from me!

"You know, you kill plants and eat them. Plants can feel pain too. How does that make you feel?"

Here's where I stand on this complete absurdity. Animals (and yes, I count fish on this level too. I don't understand this "I'm a vegetarian but I eat fish" buisness. They're animals too) have brains, and hearts, and eyes. They feel compassion for their young, they nurture. The awful things that occur in some slaughterhouses, the treatment of some animals...I'm not okay with that.

Also, if I don't eat veggies, I will be able to eat nothing in the world, so...

And, this leads to the big one...

"Why won't you just eat meat? I know once you try it you'll loooooove it."  x100

I have heard this over and over again, from friends, from my grandmother (who went through a period where she swore she was going to put some meat in my food and "I wouldn't be able to tell the difference"). In elementary school I had people try to put pepperoni on my food. Not cool.

I get if people say it once in a while. It's a common joke, and fine. But it's when it becomes more then that, it drives me insane.

I respect your choice to eat meat. I don't believe in it, and I wish more people were vegetarian, but it's not like I'm taking all your meat and chucking it in the garbage.

If you want to ask why I'm vegetarian, sure. I'm happy to talk about it. Even the bugging and pestering I can deal with. It's when people try to force it on me that I get pissed. Respect my decision. I respect yours.

   

Why I love Tofu

Ahhhh tofu.

I absolutely love tofu. Looove it. It's amazing as a meat alternative, especially in stir fries. 

Tofu is pressed soy bean curd, which makes it a great source of protein (which is harder to get then you'd think, as a vegetarian). It's a complete protein, which means you can eat this lovely meat alternative all by itself and still get all the amino acids you need. With ten grams per half cup, it's one of two complete proteins for vegetarians (the other is quinoa).

Also, unlike meat, the fat in tofu is unsaturated :)

Of course, all this health stuff is lovely, but the reason I love it is VERSATILITY!

Tofu absorbs the flavour of whatever you cook it with, so it's an easy way to add a ton of protein to every meal! You can fry it in stir fry, cook a couple pieces on a pan and add a slice of cheese. One of my favourite pizza places, Magic Oven, infuses tofu with green tea before sprinking these delicious bites on your pizza.

It also comes in a few textures, so you can buy it firm (best for frying and cooking) or silky (the kind of tofu you can get in miso soup, you can use it as a replacement for cheese in many recipes)

You can also buy prepared tofu. I looooove tofu in teriyaki sauce from Pete's Tofu personally, but if you want to give sweet tofu a go, you can buy dessert tofu. Pete's does a bunch of fruit on the bottom tofus that I haven't personally tried but I've heard great things about.

The obligatory 'welcome to my blog post'

To start off, a little bit about me.

I'm a twenty-something ginger who's just moved to Toronto from the 'burbs for school, and take journalism and poli sci at U of T.

I have my own place for the first time! :)

Vegetarian born and raised.

Completely sick of some of the "vegetarian options" out there (how many times have I heard "well....we have fries....or....salad).

Wonder why people assume being "vegetarian" means you adore all the yucky vegetables no one else likes (eggplant, anyone?)

I'm an avid foodie, and love living in Toronto! There are so many veggie options out here to discover, for the money spenders, the money savers, and the dirt cheap (shout out to all my fellow students!).

So I want to share my experiences and thoughts while living a vegetarian lifestyle in the big city!