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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Vegetarian? What's a Vegan? There are many reasons why people choose to be vegetarian or vegan and thus many debates about what exactly it means to be vegetarian or vegan. In general, a vegetarian is anyone who doesn't eat meat and a vegan is anyone who doesn't eat any animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish) or deritives of animal products (gelatin, casein, whey, etc). Unfortunately, some people who experiment with vegetarian or vegan diets do so without paying attention to the nutritional and/or caloric needs of the body and do end up becoming nutritionally deprived. We're here to help you avoid those pitfalls! If you feel at all uncomfortable about any recommendations we make, we strongly encourage you to seek out the advice of your doctor or a qualified nutritionist. Our goal is helping you improve your health by learning why and how to eat more of the best foods for you and less of (or eliminating) the less healthy foods. Few doctors would discourage their patients from eating more whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables and less bad cholestoral, fat, and nutritionally deficient food! Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is the most commonly known form of Processed Free Glutamic Acid. The abbreviation MSG is often used to generically refer to all sources of processed free glutamic acid. Sources of processed free glutamic acid are added to foods as "flavor enhancers," but the percieved additional flavor is actually caused by a chemical reaction in the body, not a change in the food. Any source of protein which has been heavily processed most likely contains processed free glutamic acid. For a more detailed explanation, please check out the Truth In Labeling website. Processed Free Glutamic Acid comes from many sources, some of which are Vegan, some of which are not. Regardless of whether or not it's vegan, it can still cause very nasty reactions in people such as migrains, adrenaline rushes, anxiety/panic attacks, paranoia, and many others. Unfortunately, vegan convenience foods are just as susceptible, if not more so, to containing sources of MSG as non-vegan foods. Based on the research available to date and our own personal experiences, we firmly believe the healthiest diet should not contain any source of MSG. That said, it is in almost every "convenient" food on the market today, vegan or not, and since you're already consuming it, we will review products which contain it that will at least help you transition away from meat, dairy, and other high-cholestoral, high-fat, high-calorie products. Studies have shown that pesticide levels in children are effected by the types of produce (organic vs. conventional) they consume. The long-term effects of this are still being studied. Our philosophy is to keep it as natural as is reasonable. If costs are a big concern to you, go ahead and get conventional produce, but if costs are less critical to you and you want the healthiest option, you can't go wrong with organic. The term "All Natural" is quite silly and useless, meaning little more than fluff. The FDA does not really regulate the use of this phrase at all -- anything derived from plant or animal origin, including cyanide and cocaine, can be called "all natural." Obviously, that doesn't mean it's safe or healthy. Many companies like to say their hidden sources of MSG are "all natural" and thus safe, but all MSG is derived from plant or animal origins and all forms are unhealthy (though some are less potent than others). |
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