CHOCOLATE PUDDING THAT IS DAIRY, WHEAT AND NUT-FREE

My darling childhood friend recently found our that her nine-month old baby is allergic to dairy, wheat and nuts. Since she is still breastfeeding, this means she cannot eat dairy, wheat or nuts either!

“What I miss most is fat,” says Sonia. “I’m starving and just want to eat chocolate! Do you have any dessert recipes that are dairy, wheat and nut-free?”

“Actually, girl, you are in luck! Did you know you can make an amazing chocolate pudding out of ripe avocados?”

“Shut up,” says Sonia with a laugh. “You are not serious.”

“Really! The avocado is a great creamy base for the pudding and the chocolate masks any avocado taste. Plus, you get lots of really great fats and vitamins from the avocado. Not only will it satisfy your cravings, it will make your skin glow and your hair shine.”

“Send me the recipe. I’m starving for chocolate.”

RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE PUDDING

2 T organic chocolate

1 cup water

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. cinnamon

10 pitted dates, soaked in water for 5-10 minutes and drained

1 avocado, ripe

strawberries, sliced

1. In a food processor or high-speed blender, process all ingredients except strawberries, dates and avocado.

2. While the food processor is running, alternate dates and avocado until the entire mixture is smooth.

3. In a wine or champagne glass, alternate mousse and sliced strawberries to create a layered decadent dessert.

TIP: If you use more water this makes a wonderful chocolate sauce to pour over your favorite vegan ice cream or a dipping sauce for fruit.

This recipe was slightly altered from Robyn Boyd’s amazing raw (and some cooked) vegan cookbook, Rawsome Recipes.

THE GREAT VITAMIN DEBATE

Do you take vitamins? I rarely – if ever – take vitamins. When I do, they often give me a stomach ache, and as I become healthier, I listen to my body. If a food or supplement makes me feel sick, that tells me I should not eat it.

When you become vegetarian, everyone asks the same questions, “How do you get protein?” and “Are you taking enough vitamins and supplements?” It is hard for many Americans to believe that one can stay healthy eating fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts alone. When I tell them I get my protein from veggies and nuts and the occasional egg, and never take vitamins, they look at me like I am crazy. “What about the B-vitamins? Vegetarians have to take B-vitamins!”

SHOULD VEGETARIANS TAKE VITAMINS?

A couple of years ago, I started going to a wonderful chiropractor in New York’s West Village. In the early 1980s, he participated in a longitudinal study researching the effects of vitamins on the body. After five years of medical doctors, researchers, and holistic practitioners studying patients and recording data, he said the only vitamin that the body absorbed in pill-form was Vitamin C. “Vitamins,” he told me, “are best absorbed into the bloodstream and the body when they come from whole, unprocessed food.”

Many friends I know swear by vitamins and say they give them more energy and make them more immune to colds and flus. Many medical doctors say that it is always a good idea for adults 40 and over to at least take a multivitamin daily.

For my birthday, my man gave me a copy of Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Pollan argues that prevailingly scientific research has not improved our health, but made us fat and diseased. For decades, scientists have supported “nutritionism”; the theory that health does not come from whole food, but the individual nutrients within food. It is not the orange that is good for you, but the vitamin C within the orange. In “nutritionism,” then, vitamin C can be removed from the orange, be made into a pill, and be considered equally as “nutritious.” But what if there is something else within the orange that helps humans to absorb the natural vitamin C?

IF I CAN’T GET VITAMINS FROM PILLS, WHAT SHOULD I BE EATING?

1. “Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.” From interviewing numerous nutritionists, Mr. Pollan says that the best place to get Vitamin C and many other nutrients necessary for vibrant health, is to eat leaves. Obviously, when he says “leaves”, he means salad: lettuce, spinach, kale, mustard greens, chard, mixed greens, etc. One thing scientists do agree on, he says, one can never eat too many greens.

2. Where do I get vitamin B12? Vegetarians need to be concerned about Vitamin B12 because the only natural source for it is in meat or bacteria. However, Mr. Pollan points out, humans need only a very small amount of B12 and vegetarians may get enough from eating fermented produce or fermented teas, like Kombucha. The Vegetarian Society disagrees with this statement and argues that “the only reliable unfortified sources of vitamin B12 are meat, dairy products and eggs.” They recommend that vegans eat food fortified with B12. One egg a week will supply a vegetarian with enough B12 to not need to take supplements.

3. Juicing! If you missed my blog, Drink Your Vegetables, I recommend checking it out. Juicing fresh, organic vegetables is a great way to inject pure vitamins and minerals directly into your bloodstream.

DO YOU TAKE VITAMINS?

Once again, many people have many different opinions about what vitamins you should take when. I would like to hear from you, darling readers. What vitamins are you taking? Do you feel better than when you aren’t taking vitamins? Let me know!