Our story It began in a foreign country in Western Europe. It was the summer of 2018. We made a move and later, another decision that would change our lives f o r e v e r. The city was Berlin. The year was 2017, in the … Read more...
Articles on Vegan ed. showcase what it means to be vegan; thriving without animal products and getting all your nutrition from plant-based foods. Tips on how to start, maintain and improve yourself the journey. For those who are living or want to live a compassionate life. Read the following articles to nourish your brain!
Oven-baked sweet potatoes, bright green broccoli and roasted garlic.
Creating food against shallowness and commercialism
We delivered a big order for a customer who is very supportive of reusing unconventional packaging. Creating less garbage is what we are after!
Since last week we have had our online vegan food shop officially open. This existed for a while in our heads and finally, we had the courage and means to make our dream come true. Though offering good vegan food is our main output, creating less garbage (and not participating in food waste) is just as important.
Creating vegan food…
When you are thinking of the food we offer, we hope you think of tasty, filling, and flavourful food. The kind of food you remember eating when you were young, the food the wise old women in your family made. But you do not have time to make it at home, or have no interest and learning to make yourself. Food which you can’t buy from the store. And you wouldn’t want to either, because freshness would be lost. As though the store-bought food you crave, may fill the gap for your tastebuds, it definitely creates a gap in your health. Commercially produced foods are always full of empty calories, fillers, and unnatural ingredients and additives to stretch the dollar. Nobody should put that kind of stuff in their bodies.
When we think of the food we are creating, we are following the next simple rule set out by wonderful food guru Michael Pollan:
“If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”
Michael Pollan
And another famous quote from “Finding Nemo”, which has inspired us a lot, in a bit changed form:
“Fish/animals are friends. Not food.”
Bruce the Shark
Simple as that? Right? This is why our recipes are simple and made of few natural plant-based ingredients. We love animals and want them to enjoy their lives. By using only plants, simple herbs, and spices, we are creating pleasant cruelty-free eating experiences. The ingredients do not come to us packed in many packages, and they will not reach the customers packed in many packages. Creating less garbage? Yes, please.
…against shallowness…
We are just making good vegan food. Period. We are not aiming for our products to be visually top-notch. Though we are aware of the fact that we first eat with our eyes, we may not deliver so much in the visual section. But we definitely want to slam in the culinary section! I think this is agreeable, better a bad looking and tasty food, than good-looking, yucky and unhealthy food.
Though I love photography and always want to take good food photographs, I am never aiming to create beautiful, colorful, but always the same-looking Instagram suitable photos. I admit that the vegan food feeds look gorgeous. The creativity of the people is out of this world. I respect plant-based home or professional chefs who make good meals and have wonderful photos. Though I appreciate their work, this is not something I aim to do myself. I want to create less garbage and have the food on the photos look how it actually is. I don’t want to be popular on Instagram, because I want to reach people who appreciate what we are creating. Real food made of real ingredients by real people.
…and commercialism
We do not like buying for buying’s sake. And shopping. And malls. We do not want to add to the richness of big corporations. We are doing everything opposite as much as possible. Commercialism doesn’t help to create less garbage, it only adds more. We do not want to invest in fancy, and beautiful packages you are using just once. The package is meant to be practical, not to give you a wow-effect. This should come while eating the food. Again, I do appreciate it when people put so much effort into making their products beautiful. I myself like simple, environmentally friendly packages or reusing of what is already there. Too many things exist already and via mutual aid, we can share and trade things we do not need. A different approach can be done if the volumes are small and you really care.
So we are saying no to single-use plastic and will not buy any containers or Ziplocks or any plastic items to pack our food into. We have been given by our kind friend some of the above-listed items and we will be using what we have.
Conclusion
How lucky we are that the big order we had was received by a kind person, who actually noticed our so-called homemade attempts to create less waste. We delivered a pack of 6 Pride rainbow cookies with glaze, which we didn’t want to put in a large container with a lid. Instead, we decided to use just the lid as a plate and covered it with foil instead (already had). If you are smart, creative, and care above all, you can use foil many times after you have bought it home, depending on its condition.
Our kind customer noticed this and mentioned that in their follow-up email. They were even so kind as to offer extra containers, which we collected the following day. They said that they wash them and prefer that they be reused at least once before ending up in the landfills since the notorious black takeout food containers are not recyclable (the downside of the ordering in) because the machines cannot detect black. Such are the people we want to reach. Who wants to support food that doesn’t torture animals, to create for customers who appreciate taste over looks, and understand the idea of reusing and a more low-impact lifestyle.
Feel free to leave a container on your porch next time you are ordering from us! 😉
Vegan Very Much Shop is here with June fundraiser!
This is not our average post, but a short and quite sharp and straightforward announcement! Visit our shop while supporting our fundraiser!
We are so happy to announce that our Very Very Much Shop is finally open for business! To start it off in a special way, we are throwing a June Bake-Sale Fundraiser Since we are located in Toronto, Canada, this is the only city we are available to cater to at the moment.
For the longest time, we have been thinking of following two of our long-time passions: food and helping animals. No matter what personal challenges we face, there are always others worse off than ourselves and there is always something to be grateful for if we pay attention. There are many ways and opportunities to give back. We are used to volunteering our time and skills for the well-being of others.
Hence, for the month of June in celebration of our shop launch, we are selling simple and tasty vegan food and donating a large portion of the profit.
Why we are having this fundraiser?
- promote veganism
- donate money for animal causes
- give our part of volunteering
- to meet our neighbours
Where will my donation go?
For the month of June, 50% of the proceeds will go to a vegan-friendly charity! Want to help animal rights or support animal sanctuaries or help plant more trees? Order savoury carrot pie for yourself and your loved ones!
How it works?
Order on Mon/Tues/Wed by 6 pm and get your goodies delivered for free on Thursday!
Orders on Thurs/Fri/Sat by 12pm and get your goodies delivered for free on Sunday!
**We currently ONLY deliver to Anywhere between Broadview, Danforth, O’Connor, and Donlands Avenues in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
via porch drop off
or
we can deliver it right to you at your building.
What is the suggested donation for a Pay What You Can slice? (per slice of carrot pie or banana bread)
$5 ($2.50 or half will be donated to charity!)
What is the price for a whole pie or bread? (fixed price)
$15 (6 decent pieces)
$20 (8 pieces)
Payment options:
You can pay with cash during delivery or send an e-Transfer before delivery to info@veganverymuch.com Please use vegan as the security answer
Thank you for giving from your heart!
Please fill in the form below your desired product to order your goodies!
Want to support us? Visit our shop and purchase something tasty for yourself and your loved ones, while helping a charity! Visit the shop to find out more!
Vegan Very Much is having its 5th year Veganniversary!
Do you celebrate your vegan anniversary? Is this even a thing? Yes, it is! And it even does have its special name – veganniversary!
Interestingly enough the 5 years of being vegan kind of crept up to me last Sunday. I was just doing my usual evening computer work when I realized that the 6th of June marks the day when I/we became vegan. I let Eve know about this special discovery. Then I started looking for more information on how people celebrate it if at all. Apparently, this is a real thing and it has its own name: veganniversary! I found this beautiful website called Live Kindly and they had listed 11 Vegan Activities to Celebrate Your Veganniversary. I browsed the list and chose some activities we would like to participate in.
Just to give you few ideas you could easily enjoy on your veganniversary wherever you happen to be:
1. Make a Vegan Cake
2. Support a Vegan Business
3. Master Vegan Cuisine
4. Watch a Vegan Documentary
5. Treat Yo’ Self
+ as a bonus you can also throw a potluck party!
How we are going to celebrate our 5th year as vegans?
Since we are currently on our 10-day green smoothie cleanse (more about this in later posts), then we had to postpone the celebrations. Until the end of this week. LOL. Making a cake is a must, as we both love vegan sweets, but we are not going overboard consuming them. Some time ago we decided that we would only be supporting vegan businesses. Eating out is so overrated, especially if you are used to cooking food at home. Prices have gone really up and there is no need to support a business that is still participating in cruelty. We are definitely going to treat ourselves – chill at home, go for a walk and nibble something good. If we find a vegan documentary we already haven’t seen (except Earthling, which we can’t watch) then we will enjoy that activity as well.
Why you should celebrate veganniversary?
As with all things which are so-called out of the norm, need time and space. New information or practices are pushed aside, as they may be too extreme for people to understand. The same applies to people who do not eat meat. This is new and strange. I would love to think perhaps not so much on these days. But it is still not so widely accepted by omnivores who feel threatened by vegans.
So what we as vegans can do is to celebrate our special date when we become vegans. If you are just starting, then you can celebrate your first, second, and third, etc month of being vegan. Take pictures, share them on social media and try to normalize this ever so normal thing – not eating animals! Tell proud and loud that this is your veganniversary! The more exposure all kinds of vegan initiatives get, the more people accept, understand, and perhaps even want to go vegan themselves. We should not try to turn people vegan, but we can share the information and make them think about how much animals sacrifice to serve humans.
We hope that more people wake up and realize soon that animals are not our food. They are free beings who have a right to life, freedom, and care by their mothers. We are here to support them and help when they are in need. Other than that we do not need to eat stake, go to zoos, circus, buy leather items, spread honey on our bread and be almost vegans. Just find the compassion in your heart and put your taste buds aside.
This is what we are wishing on our special day – change of habits to many kind people!
*Pictured above is a cake we made using Loving it Vegans wonderful funfetti cake recipe. This is a very easy cake and ever so delicious. Can be made easily using oat flour, if you do not want to eat gluten. So perhaps this can be your veganniversary cake!
Going vegan – easy tips to help you get started
You have made a wonderful decision of going vegan. Good for you, we applaud your decision. But what’s next? Let us share some simple tips to help you!
Pat yourself on the shoulder for making that amazing decision. Summer is the easiest time to start your vegan journey. The new beginnings are sometimes hard and full of challenges. Let us direct you through the obstacles, which may arise. Please take a look at our short to-do list after making a decision when transitioning to a plant-based life. Please know that this list is in random order. You will find what is more important to you, so you can tackle that first. If you have anything else to add, please let us know, we would love to update this list.
Simple tips to follow to help your transition easier to vegan
*Start clearing your pantry, fridge, and freezer – read the labels and take all out which is not made of plants. But please do not trash the food. Look for donation options via community fridges, food banks, especially if you have lots of unopened products. If you have opened items and feel comfortable giving them away, please put everything in a box. Put it on the curb, or by recycling collection areas and your food will find a new home fast.
*Plan your meals – in the beginning, it may hard to find what to eat. That’s why you should have ideas for the first weeks. Find inspiration from Elephantastic Vegan.
*Tell your friends and family about your decision on going vegan – tell them your story. Add whatever you want to share with them, now when you are on your plant-based journey. Perhaps sharing this link from The Spruce Eats helps them to understand you better from the eating perspective.
*Educate yourself constantly – read more. Follow vegan news, check new recipes, visit vegan forums – the vegan community is there to help you.
*Meet other vegans – post on Instagram, follow fellow vegan websites, reach out in your neighbourhood groups – the people you meet there will always offer you support and help to answer your questions.
*Ask help from us – we are always here to help people transitioning to vegan and share personal tips on their righteous path.
More to come, so keep your head up!
We will break these points to separate articles and help you find more information behind all these suggestions. So, please check back weekly to find more information.
It may not be easy in the beginning, but which beginning is easy ever? So stay true to yourself. Remind yourself of the reason for you going vegan. Think of the values, the lives of the animals in whose death you are not participating, and of what it means to you. We are creatures of habits, we can change if we want to, it takes time, but it can be done!
Welcome to the wonderful vegan family!
Ask and you’re given – mutual aid at its best
Do you need anything? Just ask. Mutual aid is based on asking and helping each other’s goals come true! Get to know more about it below.
As you know, for the past four months, we have been making vegan sandwiches for those in need. We reached out to Food Not Bombs Toronto to offer some saved food items. Then we got to talking with a volunteer from there and he introduced us to mutual aid. A term we knew about but didn’t think of it so much before. Mutual aid is perhaps new to many therefore needs a wider introduction.
In organization theory, mutual aid is a voluntary reciprocal exchange of resources and services for mutual benefit. Mutual aid projects are a form of political participation in which people take responsibility for caring for one another and changing political conditions.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Anyway, besides that, he told that FNB is looking for people who would love to take over the sandwich making. As the other team was just ending their work. We were like, okay, but 100 sandwiches sound like a big deal. Making food for so many people wasn’t definitely a skill in our CV’s. But we thought that perhaps this is how we can introduce veganism to a wider audience. To show that vegan food is beautiful and nutritious.
Aiming for the best
Ever since we started with our task of making sandwiches we strived for the best. As vegans, we love and appreciate food. For a couple of years, we have also been fighting for food waste. What a great moment for us – save food and feed people! Also since we are not into consumerism and are frugal, we wanted since the beginning to keep the costs for Food Not Bombs as low as possible.
So far we have offered sandwiches made of different kinds of beans, such as black, white and kidney beans and our favourites, chickpeas. Few times we have been experimenting with wonderful results with vegan eggplant bacon. With mayo, tomato, and fresh lettuce leaf, this has proved to be a hit. At least amongst us two 🙂 One time we were lucky to score 10 packages of Ives gluten-free burgers. We smeared them in barbecue sauce and grilled them in the oven, these burgers were a hit among the receiving end.
Mutual aid started to work little by little, as we received food from different people. Many times people just gave away what they didn’t need, and we were able to put this to work while making sandwich fillings. Awesome! We didn’t think that there is so much free food to save if you just happen to be at the right place at the right time.
Though we like what we are doing, we also like to excite ourselves during this process. So we are trying to come up with new ideas and offer a more varied sandwich selection. But fabricated vegan products are quite expensive, so we have been mostly using vegetables and beans for delivering healthy sandwiches.
Would you be able to donate?
At the end of the last year, I really started to think about what I could do to make these sandwiches better. I knew that there had to be a way. Perhaps reaching out to vegan companies would bring some results. Though I wasn’t really sold on that idea, I decided to give mutual aid a chance and see what it may bring.
I contacted more than twenty companies. Some small local companies and some huge brands from the United States. When writing to them I didn’t think that they will take a step. As the companies have branches in Canada as well and perhaps even in Toronto, so it would be easier to communicate and deliver.
Anyway, we got back, I think around 6 replies. Guess what, responses came mostly from larger companies. This was really surprising, as I have been doing cold e-mailing before and they usually never get back. Wow, so I actually had some leads I could tie down to deals. My heart was full of joy and happiness. Mostly I was glad that people cared and gave mutual aid a chance. Even if it was just a promise to donate something in the future.
Yes, please! I want to Follow Your Heart!
One responder really stood out from the rest, as they were ready for action. The person was representing the company Follow Your Heart. If you are a vegan you are most likely familiar with their famous vegenaise. And perhaps you know their variety of vegan cheeses.
The representative of FYH was really supportive of what we are doing and offered their contribution to make better vegan sandwiches. They were all business when they asked for our mailing address. On Friday UPS delivered a 45 lbs box for our sandwich making. Just on time for our Saturday preparations.
When we opened the box, we were blown away – so many slices of cheese and vegan mayo! Yay, looks like we are on for grilled cheese sandwiches. And for many more ihttps://followyourheart.com/products/avocado-oil/n the future!
Thank you, mutual aid!
On Thursday I reached out to community members near us and a couple of friends. I contacted people from whom I have received free items or delivered similar things to them. Or people who have shared their surplus food with us. We have to talk later about the idea of the Buy Nothing Project, which practicing mutual aid actively.
Anyway, many didn’t have an electric griddle to lend, but our two friends, Ian and Maimu had. We were really happy and were hoping to make these sandwiches with two machines. Ian was even so kind to drop his griddle off. And I bought Maimu’s from her nearby porch.
We had an electric griddle for 8 sandwiches and an electric pan for 4. We were on!
Conclusion
The idea of this article was to give you a little idea of what mutual aid is. Encourage you to ask for what you need and be grateful for what you have.
From this article, many other subjects were hatches, which we will introduce to you in the near future. Such as the idea of the Buy Nothing Project, how to make perfect grilled sandwiches, and introduce mostly on photos how a large company can be environmentally friendly and make a change in people’s lives.
I want to be vegan for a month!
As luck has it January is known as Veganuary. Therefore it is very easy to try to be vegan for a month! Our three tips will help you!
So you have made a wonderful decision of wanting to try being vegan for a month. No matter how long you can hold on to it, your choice is very much worthy of applause. Even if you manage to be vegan just for one day, you will save 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forest, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life. Isn’t that great?
But month being vegan does sound much nicer, eh? With the help of a wonderful vegan calculator at Vegancalculator.com, you can do some easy math. So during one month of being vegan, you would save the following:
There is more than one reason to try going vegan for a month at least. Below are some things to keep in mind though when going vegan. These few tips will help you out during the most difficult few days and weeks.
What matters you the most?
Now think about why you want to be vegan for a month? Is it for the health, the animals or environment or some other reason? Though the most popular reasons are health and compassion for the animals, the others around you, especially meat-eaters can be threatened by that. As they think you are trying to be better than them. Or they will just do not get your sudden wish of loving animals of all kinds. The third reason why people go vegan is for the environment. This is half less popular than the previous answer. But this is actually the most acceptable cause for those who are not vegans. Environment affects us all, and making conscious choices about your eating habits, may actually make others also want to question theirs.
Being vegan is connected to saving CO2, forests, and water. In a year a person who only eats plants will save:
- 3,373 kilograms of CO2
- 3,340 square meters of forest
- 1,520,851 liters of water
Striking numbers, right?
Eat more
When you do not consume animal products you leave out of your plate, you’re not eating so much. it is really important to replace the missing food items with others. Think of tofu, tempeh, beans, mushrooms, etc. Vegans tend to eat more, as the meals made of plants are less calorically intense. So you need to compensate for what you are missing. If you really love cheese, deli slices, and some other animal products, do not worry. There are a wonderful variety of all kinds of spreads, cheeses, and mock meat. Another good way how to eat properly is to google for vegan meal recipes. You will find a galore of breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas. Whole grains, legumes, and starches are your friends now. You need to consume more of these food items to obtain more energy!
Plan ahead!
It is very important to stay on track when just started with a vegan lifestyle. Our lives are oftentimes so busy that we do not have time enough to prepare our meals and snacks. That’s how we may grab a muesli-bar which has some milk powder in it or a pastry made of eggs and butter. Believe us, we know that there are not many vegan-friendly snack options always nearby. Be one step ahead and prepare a little snack bag. It may consist of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and dark chocolate bits. Most of the potato chips are vegan and so are Oreo cookies. Let us recommend once again our favourite snack – peanut butter or peanuts and banana. Oh, they go together so well, giving you a sweet and salty, soft and crunchy experience. And this combo is oh so filling.
Conclusion
Starting with something or changing habits may not come overnight. If you started this journey because of health issues, you may see some changes overnight or you may have to wait for the results. Do not give up, just enjoy your path. The easiest is to cook food yourself and make your favourite homemade meals vegan. If you need help vegan websites and communities are there for you. Remember, plan a bit ahead, as every beginning is a bit bumpy. As an article we read about becoming vegan – it is a journey, not a race.
Perhaps now you want to be vegan longer than just a month.
Read more about our other article on Veganury here.
Helpful links:
Get help from this vegan starter kit at Veganuary.com
If you’re still not sure what to expect, read more by Maggie Kelly about her experience of going vegan for a month at Bodyandsoul.com
Statistics of the vegancalculator.com are listed here.
We are new Toronto Food Not Bombs volunteers
We were first introduced to Food Not Bombs in the summer of 2017 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Our Couchsurfing host and friend invited us to volunteer at a Sunday afternoon gathering organized by Food Not Bombs Sofia.
It took place in a spacious wooden bungalow, where we had the overwhelming pleasure of meeting friendly and interesting people. Many of these volunteers felt strongly about veganism, food-waste, and helping people in need. Some were activists, others were not. And yet, we were all shared the common goal of getting nutritious food on the table, as we prepped and cooked veggie/vegan food to serve the impoverished community.
Our new vegan friend, an athletic weight trainer on a mission to show the world that muscles and veganism go hand in hand, was thrilled to have us there and so were we! He explained that there’s an opportunity to attend and volunteer at this event every Sunday. He added that Sofia Food Not Bombs also provides clothes, shoes, and other supplies to those in need. It is also crucial that they rent out the house to others when not in use, for income to accomplish their aim to help more people in need.
Fast forward to 2020, just a few weeks ago, Food Not Bombs, re-entered our lives. This time, across the globe in a different global climate. This time, in the city of Toronto.
What is Food Not Bombs?
”Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer movement that recovers food that would otherwise be discarded, and shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities in 65 countries in protest to war, poverty, and destruction of the environment. ”We are not a charity but dedicated to taking nonviolent direct action. Our movement has no headquarters, positions of leadership and we use the process of consensus to make decisions. We also provide food and supplies to the survivors of natural disasters, and people participating in occupations, strikes, marches and other protests.” PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TODAY
The above text and image below are taken from FoodNotBombs.net
Food Not Bombs is a global movement
How we became Toronto Food Not Bombs volunteers
Through a whirlwind of bref interactions initiated by Kerly, we became fast volunteers. We ended up taking over the sandwich duty for Toronto Food Not Bombs.
Through our food saving work, we contacted the Toronto Food Not Bombs team, and one passionate volunteer arrived to pick up the donated food.
After a passionate conversation and crash course of the work that our contact at Toronto Food Not Bombs is involved with, he casually asked a million dollar question:
Paraphrasing here…
”Would you be interested in making the sandwiches, as the current volunteers are returning to work and will be unavailable in 2 weeks? ”
Truth be told, once this question hit the air, we simply could not get it off our minds, but we also knew that as vegans, it would be a ”creative challenge” as our contact worded it.
Making sandwiches (as simple as it sounds) for the hungry is after all in alignment with our mission at Vegan Very Much.
Our Mission at Vegan Very Much
C r e a t e
As humans, we are creators who are capable of bringing brilliant ideas to life.
Co m p a s s i o n
Veganism is compassionate for both animals (especially factory farm animals), as well as the environment. This extends to showing compassion toward one another, as in treat others as you would like to be treated.
C o m m u n i t y
It is our intent to connect with you and create a community of not only like/minds, but also like-hearts.
As a vegan website focused on low-impact and living a less wasteful life, we abhor food waste! We agree that ”food-waste is of the world’s dumbest problem.”
The creative challenge
The goal is to make 100 sandwiches (give or take) quite a small budget. Toronto Food Not Bombs distributes these to houseless and underprivileged people in Downtown Toronto. The location is Allan Gardens (outside the Botanical Garden) on Sundays at 11 am. Packages of food are also handed out during this time.
12 Loaves of bread feeds 100
First off, we enlisted the help of café Serano (Serano Bakery) to slice the twelve loaves of Cobs Bread donated bread to Toronto Food Not Bombs. We quite simply could not make the sandwiches without them and of course our TFNB partners and donors.
According to a volunteer who picks up the bread from the bakery and delivers it all, the company aims to bake an excess of over $1000 worth of products so that they are able to donate to communities who need it most! Support them with your purchases; most of their breads and baked goods are vegan!
cobsbread.com
Week one sandwiches for Toronto Food Not Bombs: chickpea fritters
Week one’s sandwich is inspired by a food expert whose amazing and simple recipe the fritters were based on. He was kind and patient enough to walk us through the process of how he makes his chickpea fritters, answering numerous questions and giving advice based on our many adaptations to the original gem.
Apart from walking us through every step of how to make the perfect chickpea fritters, our food expert told us about Toronto Food Not Cops. This movement feeds the houseless in the city delicious and nutritious vegan food!
Here are some of the images of the process captured with a phone camera by Kerly, (Kerly Ilves Photography)
How can you support the work of Food Not Bombs?
- Donate If you can give back in this way, donate to your local chapter of Food Not Bombs. If you reside in Toronto, you can donate to Toronto FNB You can also donate to the global chapter PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TODAY
- Both individuals and companies can donate monetarily and/or in-kind (supplies, groceries, food, etc.)
- Volunteer at Toronto Food Not Bombs or your local chapter
- Find out if Food Not Bombs in your city, if not, mobilize the community to create a chapter
- If you live in Toronto or the GTA, contact TFNB to volunteer, as many more of us are needed, now more than ever! Website, Facebook, Instagram
- Donate food that you don’t want or need to FNB to provide free meals to disadvantaged people.
- If you are vegan and interested in supporting our sandwich making workshop on Saturdays, please contact us.
- Do you have delicious budget-friendly sandwich ideas for the Toronto Food Not Bombs sandwich team? Comment below, DM us on Instagram or contact us on this site.
Share your thoughts:
What do you think of the work that the grassroots organization Food Not Bombs is doing across the global chapters?
Mould on food: meh or no way!
Your favourite pastry may grow mould overnight. Should you trash it or should you eat it? Mould on food – all you need to know!
I remember my first encounter with mould on food when I was making buttered bread during my early years. When I took the bread out from the bread closet, it was half-covered with a grayish, teal furry looking mould. I learned that was bad and not good to eat, even if the end of the bread is okay.
As I grew older, I saw mould sometimes on top or on the sides of the home-made preserve jars, my mom or grandmother had made. Mom cleaned it thoroughly and the jam always tasted good. Now, juices tend to have a bit of a funky taste. Then later I saw it on cottage cheese, milk, cheese, and nuts. I have heard so many different opinions about mould, so I finally decided to look up all there is to know about it on food.
Why is it important to talk about mould?
Because of misknowledge, we may waste food that is still edible to eat. Wasted food means wasted money, more garbage, and contributing more climate change, as food waste is considered to be one of the most heated environmental problems. If you waste food, it means that you may have wasted some of your next meal. Each bite you eat is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. Think of growing, processing, packaging and transporting the food we eat. All this contributes to climate change. Discarded food will rot and release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
“Fruit always starts to rot from the inside“
I heard this from a woman with whom we were circled around to get food from Foodsharing in Berlin. I just got an apple and it had a soft brown mouldy spot. She said I should not eat it. It got me thinking. Would the same apply to bread, which is covered with small mouldy spots? Would it be okay just to cut the bad parts off and then eat it?
The little colourful spots you see on food is just the mould on the surface. These spores allow the mould to reproduce. It works really similar to plants – it has roots below the surface, which travel deep into the food. It really doesn’t help just to remove the spots covering the bread. If you do that and eat it, you will consume some mouthfuls of fungus nevertheless. This wouldn’t be life-threatening, but what one should keep in mind is that foods that are mouldy may also have invisible bacteria growing along with the mould.
Luckily most moulds are harmless, but unfortunately, some are dangerous. Mycotoxins are the poisonous ones. They are substances produced by certain ones found primarily in grain and nut crops. But they are also in celery, grape juice, apples, and other produce. These substances are often contained in and around the threads that burrow into the food and can cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems.
Some mould is good for you!
I guess you know that some moulds are used to make certain kinds of cheeses and can be on the surface of cheese or be developed internally. This is all good. For example, the blue-veined cheese such as Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, and Stilton are created by the introduction of P. roqueforti or Penicillium roqueforti spores. Brie and Camembert have white surface moulds. Other cheeses have both an internal and a surface mould. These are used to manufacture these cheeses are safe to eat.
As a vegan, I do not know much about it anymore. I haven’t had any vegan cheese go mouldy on me. Not sure if that will ever happen to me. 😀
Help – moldy food!
Mould grows out of spores that are always in the air. Mould spores are not harmful in the air, but when they land on a surface, they start searching for nutrients and water. So food serves as the perfect environment for mould to grow – once it starts growing, it usually will spread quickly.
If there is some mould on your food – don’t panic yet. Read the tips below. They will help you to figure out, which foods are not good to eat, when they are mouldy and which are good to go. You just have to cut the mouldy part off. Exciting!
THROW THESE OUT if you see mold:
- Luncheon meats, bacon, or hot dogs, cooked leftover meat and poultry
- Cooked casseroles
- Cooked grain and pasta
- Soft cheese (i.e. cottage, cream cheese, Neufchatel, chevre, Bel Paese, etc.)
- Crumbled, shredded, and sliced cheeses (all types)
- Yogurt and sour cream
- Peanut butter
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Bread and baked goods
- Jams and jellies*
- Cheese made with mold (such as Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Brie, Camembert)
*The mould in jams and jellied could be producing a mycotoxin. Microbiologists recommend against scooping out the mould and using the remaining condiment. I guess my grandmother and mother have been wrong all this time. :O
EAT THESE, after cutting off the mold
- Hard salami and dry-cured country hams (Eat them. Scrub mould off the surface. It is normal for these shelf-stable products to have surface mould.)
- Firm fruits and vegetables (such as cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, etc.), as well as hard cheeses, are OK to eat if you remove the mould. Cut off at least 2,5 cm (1 inch) round and below the mould spot. Keep the knife out of the mould itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the produce.
Remember while you’re removing mould, etc. that you should be washing your hands and food prep surfaces often.
How can I prevent mould from forming?
Refrigerate, refrigerate, refrigerate. This is the best advice coming from somebody who doesn’t even own a fridge 🙂 But I mean colder temperatures, the better, so your food doesn’t start going mouldy. Its growth is encouraged by warm and humid conditions. Be aware though, that they can also grow in the refrigerator too, just more slowly (think of yogurt and milk). When the mould spores dry, they float through the air and find conditions in which to grow some more mouldy friends.
Keep your fridge clean to avoid more food from getting spoilt and decrease food waste. And if possible keep the humidity at home 40 percent, examining food for mould before you buy it, purchasing food in small amounts so mould doesn’t have time to grow, covering food with plastic wrap, and eating leftovers within three to four days.
Sounds pretty easy, uh?
The best is not to let your food go to that state in the first place – consume it when it is fresh and do not horde food!
I have been eating mouldy bread, the same way I described above – discarding those little spots – and I am still here. After knowing that it is not only on the surface but also inside of the bread, it doesn’t make me want to eat mouldy bread anymore.
And if you are wondering what a low mould diet is, check out Balanced-healtcare.com article to find out more.
When was the last time you found mouldy food at home?
Note: Mould/Mold can be used interchangeably. Mould, as in with the ‘U’ is the Canadian and British spelling while omitting the ‘U’ as in Mold, is the American way.
References:
How many times do you think the ‘mould’ was used in this article?
Have you ever cleaned off the mouldy part of a food item then eaten the rest?
Boost your immune system while social distancing
Probably by now, many people have done a fair share of staying home and practicing social-distancing. But how do you boost your immune system during these changing times?
It is a little known fact that humans (even introverts) need to have people around them to be well…human! We are not meant to be alone. Babies who are devastatingly starved of socialization do not develop healthfully. Prisoners in solitary confinement even for hours come out mentally changed from when they went in… We are not any different from them as during quarantine and social distancing times, we need to boost our immune systems to make it.
Based on a true story film that we just had the opportunity to watch, Just mercy, a wrongfully convicted Walter “Johnnie D” McMillian suffered life-long repercussions after solitary confinement and 6 years on death row, till he died long after his release. The human spirit needs positive socialization in order to support life. While our social-isolation during this global panic-attack is a far cry from what people on death row. (Did you know that at least 1 of 9 are wrongfully convicted due to poverty and race?) Endure, we still need to maintain or immune system to ward off illness and maintain hope that things will be OK.
Here are 5 ways to boost your immune system during these challenging times.
Eat whole foods to boost your immune system
While others scramble mostly for pasta, rice, canned food, and toilet paper…as a vegan, stock up on fresh fruits:
- lemon,
- orange,
- kiwi,
- kumquat,
- berries,
- banana,
- apple, etc.
and vegetables:
- carrot,
- eggplant,
- spinach,
- tomato,
- pepper,
- cucumber
- zucchini and other squashes etc.
You can cook, steam, bake, stirfry, and freeze them if needed. Ensure that you eat colourful fresh produce and limit refined starch that will surely add your waistline especially if you’re not active. Whole foods also include whole-grains, legumes, healthy fats like (extra-virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. These foods contain vitamins and minerals such as the following:
Vitamin C
Vitamin c is the main vitamin that boosts the immune system.
Foods that contain vitamin c: orange, lemon, kumquats, sweet peppers
Vitamin B6
Foods that contain vitamin B6: Leafy greens, chickpeas)
Vitamin E
An antioxidant that fights off infections.
Foods that contain vitamin E: Spinach, nuts, and seeds.
Limit stress and anxiety to boost your immune system
Stress weakens your immune system, so whenever you’re feeling stressed, ask yourself this: “Can I do something about this right now?” If so, make a plan on what you will do about it. If you answer no, then rub your hands together and shake it off your hands.
Stress ball of light practice
- Rub your hands together to create warmth and friction, then open them as wide as you want, to create an energy ball. Do you feel the energy between your hands?
- Imagine that your energy ball is made of golden-white light. Now, one by one put in everything that is stressing or worrying you in this energy ball. It can be a colourful ball of light if you want.
- Now, release the ball to the sky and let the universe or God or source take care of it, transmuting it into light energy.
Prioritize physical activity to boost your immune system
It is easy to become a couch potato or for some of us, to go on being one, but does this make you feel good? Probably not. While it is good during self-isolation to do nothing and return back to your human-beingness, rather than doing, it is also important to move your body. The energy that flows through your body needs ways to express itself, so exercise is an important way to do this. you can make it fun and follow along to a dance video online.
A friend of ours sent us a dance video which we have enjoyed and I even looked for more. Not only is it fun to dance (you don’t need to be good at it, just focus on getting the moves somewhat). The interesting thing is, when your attention is turned to dancing and how your body feels, you give your mind a break from all pointless thinking, therefore, relieving stress.
You can also go for a walk if your garden or backyard or in nature to walk your dog. Keep in mind that your state police might come looking for you…even if you are not near anyone…This should not last very long hopefully. David Icke’s son, Jamie Icke took his dog for a walk in the countryside and when he got back to his car, there was an office there who questioned him on what he was doing…clearly not about health but about power.
Do something creative to boost your immune system
Not that we need expert advice on the obvious, but experts agree that creativity is healthy!!! Creating something out of nothing is a great feeling whether it’s cooking, art, a dance, a story, music. You don’t need to create the wheel, just do something your way or not. Something that gives you a finished product in the end. We are powerful beings on this earth to play with energy and create things. Our creations with the right intentions, fulfill ur spirit and the spirit of all.
I hope you are all doing well during this time. It’s important to do things that light a spark within you. Avoid the news because it is fear-based and will affect your immune system and well-being. Be hopeful that you don’t have to carry anything on your shoulders. Return to this list when you feel negative. It’s fine to allow yourself the space to feel everything without judgment, but don’t dwell there. Come out for some air or open the windows.
It’s darkest before the dawn and
a new day is on the horizon and
it’s bright!
References:
The Scientific Reasons Why Being Creative Can Make You Happier