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...
We are still here, but mostly living in the kitchen!
After three and a half months of living on hiatus, it seems most suitable to break the long silence and share what we have been up to!
Dear you who you just stumbled to this small corner of our big world. Our website, where we mostly write about sustainable living, animals, and vegan food. Or you who you have been coming back and seeing no action here. Yes, we have been gone for a while, but not far at all. We just moved from our desks to the kitchen. The laptop was replaced with a stove.
Cooking
Ever since we started our home-cooking vegan food business, which mostly concentrates on vegan snacks and dried fruit chips, we had literally no time for writing. That doesn’t mean that we are not coming back. We may, but only time knows. The situation on our Mother Earth is not getting any better, so there are really urgent articles to write. But as urgent it may be, we also need to support ourselves to make the ends meet. As for you, so for us, the current world order has introduced many life changes. So more than ever it is important that we follow our passion and make a living on what we know the best – vegan cooking.
Freedom
Cooking is not the only thing that matters a lot. We love freedom, we love liberty and animals. This is why we try more to fight for our rights. Not only of the human brothers and sisters but also non-human brothers and sisters. We want to do more for the voiceless, for those who are caged, who are trapped or abused daily. The fight for animal liberation will never end. This is in our blood and in our hearts. We love animals and there is no place for animal abuse in our world.
Go vegan
If you do love animals as well, please consider taking the steps in your life, where you harm them the most. The easiest is to become vegan. If you are not quite ready this year, then please start freshly on the new year. Veganuary is taking place every year. This is your chance to start with a change. If you stop eating animal products, you will notice soon that your dog or cat is not much different from a cow or a chicken. They both have a right to the best lives. Just one is keeping you company and making you happy. While the other is meant to keep far away from you and feed you. They all should be free and not serve us, especially not sacrificing their lives for our taste buds. Living cruelty-free is good for animals, good for the planet, and good for you.
Make a change
Choose a compassionate living and start with eating no animal-derived foods. We are here to help you. We can help you out with a consultation, we can cook for your Christmas meal and we can become your friends. Help us to help animals by ordering special items from our Vegan Very Much Shop. You can find some fundraising food items made only using plants. We will donate the 50% as promised to a lovely animal sanctuary called Dara Farm Sanctuary. They are a cruelty-free, vegan living organization run by two guys. We have some other great ideas, how we can support them in the near future. Keep checking back and remember all lives matter.
Yours,
Eve and Kerly
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!
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.
Vegan and Keto? Review of The Key Dough
Keto is referring to a diet that is low in carbohydrates but high in protein. While originating as a medical diet, its popularly is associated with weight loss.
The Key Dough was established at the end of 2019 in Toronto, Canada by Julie Sullivan. Vegan Very Much met the friendly and kind owner at the Cabbagetown Farmers Market in October 2020. During our nice chat with CEO Julie Sullivan, we introduced our work at Vegan Very Much, and our interest in reviewing vegan companies to our readers. As November was No-Buy Month, we were unable to purchase the tempting but healthy treats. Julie kindly offered that we choose a pack of Key Dough cookies (made from The Key Dough Mix) each, so that we can try and review them for our readers.
The opportunity to interview the founder of this fairly new establishment and share it with you is thrilling. Since we like food, we like to always explore this field. We hope you learn something new and purchase from The Key Dough. We can’t wait to hear about your first impressions.
First impressions of the Key Dough cookies!
Kerly tried them first with herbal tea in hand. Her first impressions are as follows:
It’s really good! Very rich…I love the texture. It is so….thick!”
She devoured it, albeit, mindfully savouring each rich, tasty bite. After eating the healthy cookie, she exclaimed: ”That one is all I needed!” This is a big compliment coming from this sweet tooth. She felt that it has scratched her itch for something dessert-like, although it was not very sweet. The added plant satisfied the brain!
Just a quick explanation of science, the brain has receptors that attract glucose. Without this glucose, the brain cannot functions. Carbohydrates we consume concert into brain-powering glucose. The Key Dough’s One Mix cookies contain complex carbohydrates and fat, which was responsible for our feeling of well-being and satisfaction after eating just one each at first try.
On the contrary, sugary cookies require you to keep eating to feel satisfied. To lead a healthy addiction-free life, as it relates to sugar, the Key Dough health cookies are a way to go! They are keto-friendly as the clever name suggests. The denseness due to the added plant fat is good for weight loss, as fat burns fat!
My first impressions are as follows:
”Oh wow, the texture is nice. I agree that it’s very rich. Is that coconut oil? Wow, it’s very dense/ heavy, so I can see why you’re satisfied after just one!”
Still, I thought I would eat the other one, because I couldn’t stop, but also had just one. I must point out that this is very rare in our vegan household!
Vegan Very Much interview with The Key Dough
Note: We e-mailed the following interview questions to Julie Sullivan at The Key Dough.
We didn’t alter any part of this interview except for grammar check. We added our own Vegan Very Much comments to create a conversational read, as interviews are. Julie’s answers are in italics.
We asked The Key Dough to ”please put an asterisk* beside your favourite questions.”
1. What would you say is the big ‘why’ for starting your business?
I’m a dreamer, I see possibilities. I thoroughly approach life with a detective’s sense and all the why’s. On a much smaller scale, when I started the Keto Diet and prepared sweets weren’t readily available – I had to make or bake them myself and I have always loved being creative in the kitchen. I was in a one-year business certificate at Ryerson, where I took my very first marketing class (at 29), still figuring out what to do with my life and having had the entrepreneurial dream many times before, I saw an opportunity that I was passionate about.
VVM: I can definitely relate to being a dreamer, which makes it impossible to settle for just any job when you know you’re capable of so much more. I also attended Ryerson, and at the time. My course mates would sneer at the business major because we saw ourselves are opposites, fast-forward, multiple Social Workers have left the field, including myself, to pursue entrepreneurship.
It is wonderful that Julie took the step to attend Ryerson School of Business, it is important to invest in yourself. Interestingly, at 29 years old, she was in her Saturn return. Have you heard of this? Saturn is a slow-moving planet that takes 28-29 years to return to where it was at your birth. At 28-29, Saturn confronts us to make moves that will better our lives; to grow up so to speak. Even without knowledge of this astrological phenomenon, many people we know have married, left their 9-5 jobs (including Kerly at 29 years old), had a baby, or even divorced.
** 2. What do you wish you knew before starting your business?
I wish I had a road map or guidebook specific to the GTA and the food industry and I intend to create something for entrepreneurs of the future.
VVM: This is a great idea! When we start a business, we look for examples of how to make it the best. It’s a great way to give back and answer the questions that were left unanswered for you.
**3. What tips would you give others wishing to start a business?
It’s a lot of work and I think it takes a certain kind of person, but if you’re willing to work hard and are that type of person (passionate, creative, a self-starter) – then go for it because, in the end, nothing else will suffice.
VVM: This is true! It’s much easier to go to work and get a paycheque even if you do the bare minimum. What is not easy is, investing our whole self into a business, working harder than you ever have, and not make any money initially… If you are currently getting a paycheque from your job, pay yourself first and save as much as you can to bring your well-researched business idea to life.
**4. What environmental choices did you consider as you started your business?
I decided to make our prepared cookies entirely plant-based because, before Keto, I was a pescetarian from my early twenties onward. I know how bad factory farming is for animals and the environment so I wanted our brand to be as considerate as I could make it.
It took longer and they cost more – but we searched long and hard, high and low to find our biodegradable packaging.
VVM: As environmental low-impact vegans, we are concerned with ingredients and packaging. We’re glad that The Key Dough took the environmental and animal impact of our food choices into consideration by making The Key Dough prepared cookies, vegan! We hope that the future sees all companies making all their products plant-based, therefore cruelty-free, without sacrificing taste.
**5. How does your brand help build community?
This is a good question. We feel like we’ve been welcomed into other communities more than creating our own thus far. Where I met you was at the Cabbagetown Farmers Market, a group of local independent food growers and producers. I use a shared-kitchen full of food startups.
I have found the keto community on Instagram to be hugely supportive. People love this diet – because it works. I feel way better on it. So it’s a genuine community of people living their lives passionately through food. The Keto community is the best. I have also had a ton of support from friends, family, and my co-workers (our earliest testers). Our retail partners are part of our community as well as our suppliers.
In the building I live in, my neighbours were my first employees and believers. They saw this thing blossom from the ground up and for that, I will be forever grateful. It’s the little guys in the beginning, who believe in you when you have nothing that is the true stars. They made all this possible. I should mention RISE Asset Development too. My first loan provider is funded by U of T’s Rotman School of Business and a CAMH partnership. There I met Steve – who was foundational in believing in me from the start, who helped me believe in myself and led me to Zain, my very first official mentor ever.
VVM: There’s so much here to comment on. It is heartwarming that many people believed in The Key Dough from the start, from friends, family to coworkers and business networks and loan provider. The journey of establishing The Key Dough illustrates the fact that community is key in any endeavour- united we stand, divided we fall.
6. Which of your products would you recommend people start with?
I think The Key Dough Mix is the place to start. Since Covid, we have seen people bake and so we pivoted to an all-purpose sweet mix. You can use it for cookies, muffins, pancakes, or pie crust.
VVM: Being creative in the kitchen is a great stress reliever, we cannot wait to try these mixes. We’ve already requested it at our local Healthy Planet!
7. What would you like everyone to know about your business/products?
Sugar is a carb so if there’s one thing we recommend, it’s lowering your processed sugar intake. The stuff is junk. It makes you feel like crap. It provides no nutritional value and it’s addictive. We want to provide a low-sugar option without sacrificing taste. It’s a healthier cookie without sacrificing flavour.
VVM: We agree, sugar is more addictive than cocaine! As adults, we have to make choices that benefit not only ourselves but our dependents. The Key Dough’s cookies that we were reviewing were very tasty without being overly sweet. The fat content from seeds and coconut oil made them very satisfying- hence the reason why we had just one each with our herbal teas. Try it for yourself- you can be healthy and have tasty treats!
Comment from Julie:
Loved these questions, ladies. Really made me think and get clear on what we’re doing. I honestly teared up in the community part because we’ve had an unbelievable amount of support throughout this journey. I can’t wait to see the article – link me!
Have a great week,
Julie.
Conclusion
Our interview with Julie Sullivan, founder of The Key Dough was mind-opening. We learned a lot, and are happy to share it with you. You can take many gems from the answers that the company provided, whether you are currently keto or not. The Key Dough cookies are 100% plant-based and are a good addition to any vegan lifestyle. If you are vegetarian or pescatarian, you can enjoy the full range of products.
Currently, you get the chance to request The Key Dough products at your local health food stores!
Here is the link!
Every month is Veganuary
Now when the most important month for the environment and animals is over, continuous attention to Veganuary is much needed.
I had no idea for the longest time what Veganuary was. I had never participated in it in and so never recommended it. Now that I have been vegan for more than three years, I am more awake. I know that there is a need to spread the word. Not only in January.
What is Veganuary?
Veganuary is a UK non-profit organization founded in 2014. It seeks to bring awareness to a vegan lifestyle free of animal products every January. In a way, you can call it the vegan awareness month. The participants of this groundbreaking event have more than doubled every year since its start 6 years ago. Luckily, the idea of being a plant-based consumer for a whole month is getting more and more popular:
- The 2017 campaign had 50,000 participants signed up as of January 4.
- In 2018 170,000 people signed up, a 183% increase over 2017 numbers.
- The 2019 event signups were reported to be as many as 14,000 per day for a total of 250,000 signups from 193 countries.
- By January 5th, 2020 a record 350,000 people had registered to take part in Veganuary.
These numbers speak loud and clear that things are changing. And for the better. Hopefully. But it is quite disappointing that all the attention is for just one month. Why not every month? It is
Think of Veganuary every month
The extra awareness for veganism for the first month of the year is highly needed, but why not take an extra step and think of Veganuary every month. There are many positive effects of going vegan for more than one month, as it can promote better health for you and those around you, contribute to a better environmental state, and make the lives of animals better.
Being vegan is proven to promote good health and increase vitality, which makes you feel good. But perhaps more important to many of us is the well-being of dear ones around us. We can have our family and friends longer with us. Eating meat is not suitable for any of us, it is harmful to our health. Did you know that the length of our and all herbivores’ intestines is 27 times longer than the body? This is because breaking down cellulose in plant foods is a GINORMOUS job that requires ”untold billions of bacteria which do the breaking down for the herbivore.” Carnivores like lions, unlike rabbits and humans, have sharp teeth to shred meant and short powerful intestines to digest the flesh quickly. Imagine the meat you eat taking so long to travel through your long intestines? The bacteria aren’t meant to digest that! And it is not only meat that causes many health problems. It is also dairy.
Look at the simple graph below from the documentary. The two little dots on the left are data sections for the other two leading causes of deaths. The first is violence, wars, etc. and the middle describes accidental deaths. You can barely see those, because chronic disease kills annually 30 000 000 people in total, leaving them far behind.
Dairy
When drinking milk and using dairy products, we consume bodily liquids of a cow, who is lactating to feed its baby. Unfortunately, after her calf is born, they will lose their mother and their rightful nutrition, which goes to humans. The female cow becomes just a milking machine, not for her calves, but for humans. The male calves will be killed and sold as veal, as they are no use for the dairy industry. Female calves are raised for the same reason as their mothers – to produce milk for humans. Contrary to popular propaganda, drinking milk does no good for the body. Dairy companies had bought the scientist for the longest time, to fool us all to believe that milk gives you good bones and lots of protein. It doesn’t really work like that. As those nations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture.
Environment
Raising animals, producing products out of them, etc. is very exhausting for our planet. Cow cattle need lots of space, lots of water and lots of feed. And even more water is needed when the flesh of animals is processed for human taste buds. Oftentimes, the country where the cattle are raised does not have enough feed. So then it has to be transported from another country. More forests are cut down to grow more food for animals. It is all adding to the high greenhouse gas emissions.
We have a water crisis. Though it may seem that we have lots of oceans and water should not be a problem, but only a little part of the water is good for human consumption. Animal agriculture is destroying this water and also the oceans– home of sea life.
There are dead zones in the oceans. This is due to the massive amounts of nitrogen put into the oceans and coral reefs dying for the same reason. Animal agriculture is the main reason for global warming as well. One of three fish caught from the ocean is fed to the animal raised in agriculture. Hence overfishing is causing problems for us. As it really puts our future at stake as well.
Animals
Animals are living in cramped conditions. They can’t enjoy their lives to the fullest: run around, gaze and grow up with their loving parent. Males in animal agriculture, are killed including calves and chicks. Females are raised in bad conditions – to be slaves for human needs.
No death is humane. There is no happy meat or happy eggs. Free-range eggs are just a myth, to make us feel better. Not a single egg manufacturer can provide the needed space for hen’s normal well-being. This is not financially possible for them.
We abuse animals in so many fields. Not only for food but for pleasure too (zoo, circus, entertainment) as well. Not to forget fashion – for our shoes, bags, belts, and jackets, animals ‘have’ to die. But animals are individuals – they have feelings, needs and they also know what pain is.
If you are a pet owner, consider the fact that you are not eating your pets. So why should you eat other animals then altogether?
So….every month is Veganuary, right?
It is very difficult not to think of every month as a Veganuary after watching “Let us be Heroes – The True Cost of our Food Choices (2018)“. Though, as a vegan I have seen a fair amount of such documentaries, they still have an immense effect on me because the message is always so simple, but yet so powerful:
go vegan
for your health,
the planet,
the animals!
These are enough reasons to put the needs of your tastebuds aside and start making changes in your life, which would not harm animals or our home – planet Earth as we all need to manage and dwell happily here. Yet, animal agriculture, in other words, the majority’s eating and lifestyle habits, are straining the world and, we are at the edge of a catastrophe. It is here actually, no matter if you feel it in your corner of the world or not.
Take steps and stop eating animal products, as that way you also contribute to a better today and better future. Spread the word and make a change!
Normalizing fasting for better health
Fasting is as natural as breathing. Imagine how healthy our relationship with food would be if we didn’t give ourselves access 24/7?
From the moment we wake up, we use energy that we are not even aware of thinking of what we’ll eat and when. This time and energy we spend thinking about eating, preparing food, and eating can be used for something else! Perhaps it is time to try fasting?
Let’s first look at the amount of nutrition one needs to stay alive and healthy. Privileged people practice fasting (while many starve…), so there must be a hidden gem when it comes to giving ourselves a break from ALL things food. Give your hands a break from preparing food and your body a break from the hard work of breaking down the food you consume.
What is fasting?
Fasting is quite simply abstaining from eating any food for a period of time that can range from a few hours to a few months (under medical supervision!) The latter end of the range may be extreme. But we naturally fast for at least 8 hours every single day when we sleep. As we sleep, the body is focused on internal housekeeping and night-only repairs, since during the day, it is breaking down food for energy.
In the West where we have 24/7 access to food, we have become addicted to overfeeding ourselves. It’s recommended that we eat 3 square meals every day–breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The word breakfast literally means to break from the fast. We have been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and yet this is the easiest time for some of us to continue fasting. Many people can skip breakfast, but to skip dinner is much harder since we naturally fast when we sleep and falling asleep on an empty tank is hard– again, acknowledge your privilege.
Snacking between meals
If we snack in between meals, we are loading our body with more food before it has the chance to digest our bigger meals ”square meals”. In doing so, we are sending the wrong information, which keeps our digestive systems working less than optimal.
It’s not a surprise that as society has become more consumerist, eating more during the day is encouraged and normalized. Snacking has become a serious business. There are many companies that make millions every year selling us snacks full of salt, sugar and saturated fats. What if we started eating our 3 meals a day and nothing else? Would we die of malnutrition? Of course not! Many people don’t know when their next meal is coming.
Why should I fast?
There are many benefits to fasting, both health and lifestyle-related.
- Gives your body a break so it can heal, repair, and discard defective cells.
- Get a mind vacation from thinking of food, grocery shopping, preparing and finally, eating.
- Food can be costly if you are “feed the beast” every few hours.
- The more you eat your feelings, the more you rely on food for emotional numbness over your plates.
- Time to explore other interests.
- It challenges you to meet your friends for something other than food. Your wallet will thank you because you can eat before meeting up.
- It can provide mental clarity and space to communicate with a higher power.
- Teaches you discipline, mind over matter.
- Lose weight.
- Appreciate the food you eat. When you don’t over-feed, you appreciate the food you eat more.
- It makes you a better person as you know what hunger pains feel like, so you’re more likely to help those who need it.
Vegans and fasting
Many people reduce veganism to JUST food. This is not accurate for many who enter this lifestyle out of compassion for animals, the environment, and health. While vegan food is great, if we eat mindlessness whenever we want, we step on our own toes. Avocados, for example, use a lot of energy to produce and yet they have become a defining point for online veganism. You can do something about this by not buying avocados because even the people whose native food it is can often not afford it because we are obsessed with it.
My fasting experience
I have done intermittent fasting for many years without knowing. The longest I have ever done so is 1 day, not including fasting during the night. It hasn’t been easy once my stomach starts rumbling and churning, but once I keep at it, it gets easier.
On Sunday night, we watched a documentary on fasting. It educated us on all types of fasting. Including intermittent fasting, water-only fasting, religious fasting, weight loss, chronic disease like cancer, hypertension, diabetes and more. The one that stood out to us was intermittent fasting because this is the one that is most common. Have you ever had to fast before doing bloodwork? This is intermittent fasting because you don’t eat after dinner, then go straight to the doctor when you wake up on an empty stomach. Water is the only permissible drink during such fast.
Giddily after our movie dinner and dessert, we jumped right in and fasted from 7 pm Sunday to 4 pm Monday. 2020 herald a 4 day work week for me, with Mondays off. We worked out for 1 hour 45 minutes including the walks to and from the park.
It was easier than we thought! We continued fasting during the week–after dinner at 7 or 8 pm until lunch between 1:30 to 2:30 pm. On Friday, I finally succumbed to the crepes that my wife had lovingly packed for me as an emergency lunch at work.
My Positive side effects of fasting
- Not thinking about food so much.
- Fewer cravings.
- Body positive – it helps that my stomach stays flat throughout the day as I work off my holiday food of yesteryear.
- Enjoying food more when I have it.
- Eating slower.
- Being satiated with one full serving instead of eating more and more, until I feel like I’m about to explode.
- Taking my 10k steps seriously and being overall more healthy
- Drinking more water and herbal teas to cleanse and feel less empty, especially teas in the morning which warms me.
With all the above benefits I have experienced, I will continue intermittent fasting for as long as it feels good for my body as I feel that normalizing fasting for better health is important.