Some people like to avoid the predictable winter colds and flus by taking something extra to boost immunity and well-being. For this purpose, along with general health, I recently reintroduced spirulina into my diet, but was not loving the taste or globs left in the blender when mixing it into a daily smoothie.

It was not long before Sunfood’s Sun is Shining arrived in the mail. I am not an expert on green powders or superfoods, but it felt like the royalty of the green powders had befriended lucky me. The product hit the spot – the taste is basically neutral, which is a lot better than spirulina, and Sun is Shining blends smoothly into any beverage. Since I started taking it each day, I have noticed a sustained energy throughout the day, even when not having slept well the night before.

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San Francisco not only teases the senses with colorful Victorian homes, amazing bay views, and abundant arts and culture, but is a vegetarian travel haven. One  highlight is being treated to dinner at the classic gourmet Millennium Restaurant.

It seems the best way to experience Millennium’s many offerings is by sharing several items with your dining companions  — my group of three ravaged every dish that came to the table. Partly that was because we were really hungry after not being seated until 9:15 pm for an 8:45 reservation — a bit frustrating. But we also devoured everything because it was seriously delectable.

Millennium focuses on fresh, organic vegan cuisine that is free of genetically modified foods. While some  vegans are masters of making simple veggie burritos, Millennium is serving up delicacies like Sake Seared Snap Peas and Roasted Fava Bean Flatbread, just for starters. My favorite appetizer was the Buckwheat and Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi with seared shiitake mushrooms, pickled ginger-wasabi cream and toasted nori. Their entrees, which ran about $25 each, were intricate recipes such as the Sesame-Black Pepper Crusted Portobello or a Southwestern Semolina Crepe.

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With the busy lives we lead today, and that hectic buzz in the air that some feel as the holidays approach, nothing calms and nurtures us like a healthy meal. That being said, it is nice to come home from work and have in mind something fairly easy to prepare. Hopefully dinner will also warm us up from the chilly night, and be tasty and healthy.

Those of us who have been veggie for a long time may become bored with too much of the same thing (however, I personally never tire of guacamole). We certainly appreciate a unique-sounding dish. I am excited to try Singapore-Style Rice Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables, a vegan version of Singapore mei fun. This was the winner of the “quick recipe of the year,” along with three other recipes in Vegan.com’s Vegan Recipe of the Year Feature. It is unbelievable that Robin Robertson, the creator of the Singapore meal, has written 19 cookbooks and blogs regularly as well! She blows some of us weekly bloggers out of the water.

If you use your noodle and take advantage of all the resources available on the Internet, not to mention the enormous selection of cookbooks, you shall be among those healthy, well-fed folks in the world.

Photo Credit- Robin Robertson/Vegan.com

For over 20 years, my family has been lucky enough to know Deborah Shemesh, who inspires people by the dozens with her life story. She went from being told she had six months to live many years ago to an amazing cancer survivor who teaches yoga and meditation, creates lovely art, and is a great mother.   Here is a previous article on Deborah. Please enjoy her life story, reprinted from her website.

Cancer is more than just the dysfunction of the body. It may be our fate, but we can turn that fate into a destiny if we move past the diagnosis. We are more than our bodies, cells, blood or bones – after the diagnosis we must call upon the vastness of our spirit to help us heal.

This is my story and my fight for life. Mine is a story of incredible spirit that carries me as I continue my physical battle with cancer, defying all odds. Physical victories were but one element of the fight, however. Along with it came the Herculean obstacles of emotional, psychological and spiritual elements. Furthermore, there was the horrendous social stigma and prejudice that comes with it—the judgments, the rejections, the ignorance in dealing with belief systems and statistics within the medical profession.

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If you want a truly once-in-a-lifetime decadent experience, from having coconut oil and coffee poured onto your body to being given a hot shower while lying down, head over to Spa Velia in downtown San Diego! It was fun walking through downtown, surrounded with people and cars, and then feeling calmer within moments of stepping into Spa Velia in the award-winning Gold LEED Certified building, the Columbia Center.

The spa owners already belonged to a green spa network, but wanted to go more earth-friendly and organic and to attract guests that wouldn’t necessarily get a body treatment for fear of chemicals or non-vegan products. All the body care treatments Spa Velia offers are vegan, and everything is medicinal and holistic, based on traditional Chinese medicine.  Everything in their body care, massage and wax services is organic; their skin care is not completely organic, but many natural products are used.

Hello y aloha, I will be taking it easy on blogging for the next few weeks, as I have a big work event coming up, and for other reasons. But I wanted to share something inspiring from Eco-Vegan Gal who Southern California lost to Northern California. Luckily, she continues to make great videos and motivate others toward a healthy and eco-friendly diet and lifestyle.

I am cuckoo for coconuts, like many people, but have not yet ventured into trying coconut kefir, a highly popular type of probiotics (for digestion), used as an alternative to dairy kefir. Eco-Vegan Gal claims the coconut kefir has calcium, phosphorus, enzymes and vitamins, and more. Because the product is expensive to buy, she figured out how to make it on her own, and it is fun to watch the simple process. Click on “video recipes” on the bottom right of her site (link above) and scroll through until you find the kefir video.  Have fun!

Reprinted from The Vegetarian Guy

Staying healthy sometimes can be a challenge.  Aside from taking common sense precautions, there is a lot we can do to keep ourselves healthy with food–colorful foods, that is.

The darker and more colorful fruits and vegetables are healthier with more anti-oxidants and immune building micro-nutrients.  For example:  red and yellow beets, carrots, radishes and red peppers–which all happen to be in my Harvest Vegetable Salad recipe.  Local farmers markets should have plenty of these vegetables in stock!

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Prabhat Gautam has an amazing list of accomplishments.

He started Positive Television in 2003, wanting to inspire people to do more good in the world through watching celebrities talking about their causes and charities. About 90% of his work with Positive Television is related to veggie causes.

In 5th grade he learned about how many chinchillas are killed for one fur coat and felt it was very cruel; by high school he was a strict vegetarian. Later, he became vegan and learned about “the horrors of the factory farming system and will never go back. I’ve never been happier and healthier. When I play flag football or basketball with friends, I am always the person who has the most energy,” said Prabhat.

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By Teagen McClain, guest writer

September 25 kicks off the third annual San Diego Veg Week when hundreds of people pledge to go vegetarian or vegan for one week.   Coordinated by APRL (The Animal Protection and Rescue League), Veg Week assists the newly veg and veg-curious alike in making healthy compassionate food choices.

These days we are fortunate to have countless veg options for dining and an overwhelming abundance of cookbooks and online resources.  Veg Week helps to narrow it down and get you started, with grocery shopping tours, nutrition lectures, a cooking class, a movie night, and more.  There’s even a vegan ice cream social with a live band!

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Photo by Peace Pies

Today was so worth a stroll around the sunny Little Italy Farmer’s Market in San Diego. One of the first stops was the Peace Pies table, full of healthy raw, vegan, gluten-free and organic (what more could you want?) treats. They are still  fixing up their Ocean Beach location which had a fire, and are celebrating the recent opening of their second location in Encinitas at 133 Daphne Street, where the Greenery used to be. It’s open Tues.-Sat. from 11 am – 4 pm.

I couldn’t miss the Majestic Garlic table for some nutritious spread (made in many flavors) for sandwiches, dipping crackers,  and various other culinary uses. Today I crammed the basil flavor into my bag with an avocado, fresh chard, and oranges. Next I was called to sample a dip called Bitchin’ Sauce, which is fortunately vegan, gluten-free, and almond-based.  The vendor constantly used the “B” word, which was a bit amusing, and the product was tasty.

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