Dear Friends,

Every week, I wax poetic about some way that you can help yourself feel better, perhaps get inspired to eat better or to incorporate some new healthy practice into your already beautiful life. This week, I am recommending something that I am desperate to do as well.

There has been a bit of an energetic shift for me, working harder at getting healthy foods to more people – i.e. getting my “Faux Gras” into the marketplace (mind you, we are in many new stores! Read on) and doing a few workshops in the coming months. What I need to do is something so simple, so free and yet so conscious, everything else needs to be put aside to incorporate it.

It’s called, simply, raising your awareness. If you can bring your awareness – your most basic attention – to your mood, your food, your breath, your actions, your appetite, your love, your thoughts, your thoughts behind those thoughts, and the thoughts in between those – you will be transformed. As Deepak Chopra says, bring your awareness to the thoughts in between the thoughts. That is where your connection to all the knowledge that exists in the whole world lies. When you allow yourself to listen, you are creating yourself anew.

And if in those thoughts, behind all the things you think you are thinking of, you remember, you hear a voice inquiring – to take good care of your body this week – I am here.

With love, respect, and other nutrients,

Ella

Dear Friends,

People often ask me how I get my protein. I think lots of vegetarians get this kind of question. And people are actually concerned. For those of you that know me, you know I am a healthy girl with no signs of protein deficiency. So, no worries. I actually get my protein from a multitude of sources, and you can too.

There is some debate on how much protein we actually need during the course of a day. Reports range from 25-70 grams a day, depending on sex, age, and athletic performance, and we do need to get all 9 amino acids – which means we need complex carbs. An average 5’5″ woman needs only 25-45 grams a day. In a developed society it is almost impossible to be protein deficient. And protein is not one of those “more is better” kind of nutrients. High-protein diets actually contribute to osteoporoisis and kidney failure, not to mention weight gain, lethargy, halitosis, body odor and constipation. Meanwhile, low-protein diets can leave you feeling spacey, anemic, tired or too thin.

Everyone needs to honor their own desires for protein, though it is definitely easy to get enough as a vegan or vegetarian. Check out the following guide to see how easy it is to stack up your proteins.

1 cup of oatmeal 7 grams
1 cup of tempeh 41 grams
3 oz of seitan 31 grams
5 oz tofu 11 grams
1 cup of lentils 18 grams
1 cup of black beans 15 grams
1 cup of quinoa 9 grams
2 tbs peanut buttter 8 grams
1/4 cup of almonds 8 grams
1 cup of brown rice 5 grams
1 cup of cooked broccoli 4 grams
1 cup of cooked peas 9 grams
1/4 cup of cashews 5 grams

You can see how easy it is, as long as you are having a balanced diet. At Regal Vegan, we make sure you’re getting a good serving of healthy, plant-based proteins with every meal. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

With love, respect, and other nutrients,

Ella

Dear Friends,

How do people get their New Year’s resolutions resolved? Do you find you have a 3-week or 6-week commitment to your resolution before it tapers off? A good thing to consider is how different your life will be once you actually resolve to do these things. Instead of focusing on the resolution, focus on the way your life will improve. Get into that feeling, and it will be easier to accomplish.
Here are some ways you can make your intentions a reality this year:

1. Write down your intentions and keep them in a visible place, like taped to your bedroom mirror or the dashboard of your car.

2. Get to the source of whatever is keeping you in a rut. Are you in a stressful relationship that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night? Are you stressed at work and feel too tired to exercise after work? If you don’t tackle the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal.

3. Be clear about what your life would look like once you achieve your goal. If you resolve to go to the gym more, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the result of your action, and you will be more likely to stick with your plan.

4. Share your resolutions with friends and family. Hold each other accountable for achieving your goals. If you want to go to the gym more, have a friend call you two or three times a week to check on you or invite them to join you.

5. Reward yourself with every little accomplishment. If your intention is to lose weight and you lose 1 pound a week, pamper yourself with a massage.

Big changes do not require big leaps. Permanent change is more likely to happen gradually than through one big restrictive plan. Allow yourself to climb the ladder one rung at a time.

If getting more healthy food into your life is part of your New Year intention, let Regal Vegan make it easy for you with a week of meals designed to get you back in the black.

With love, respect, and other nutrients,

Ella

Dear Friends,

How has the New Year been so far for you? I hope it’s been as raucous or as restful as you would have liked. It’s important to make sure that you are choosing the kind of experiences you desire. In fact, I’d like to help give you more of those experiences so – please let me know how our service has been treating you. Your feedback is important to us, so if we see you’ve submitted your form, you will receive a certificate for a free dinner with your next order! Just click here to fill out this easy online form, and get your free dinner on the way. Thank you in advance for your contribution.

So, feeding your brain. Everyone wants to be smarter, healthier, happier right? And certainly doing things like crossword puzzles, learning languages and problem solving help your brain stay healthy and sharp. But how can food help? Well, you may have heard about this little miracle called Omega-3 Fatty Acids. This amino acid has proven cognitive effects, and has been shown to improve learning and memory. That’s why moms are feeding this supplement to their kids every way they can. But this delicate acid – which is sensitive to heat and light can found in fatty fish. And vegetarian sources of it can be found in ground Flax Seeds, Walnuts, Cauliflower and Cabbage. Omega 3′s are known as the “good fats.”

Other great brain foods are those Antioxidants everyone keeps talking about. These are the vitamins A, C and E which are found in large amounts in apples, blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, squash and many other plant foods. Antioxidants have so many benefits, and certainly, the brain and its capacity for good functioning over the long haul is one of them.

Folic Acid is another good one (think again of pregnant women and what they are crazy for supplementing with). This magical complex vitamin helps ward of cognitive decline. And i don’t only mean the kind that comes after too much New Years celebrating. You can up your folic acid intake by having more spinach, asparagus, collards, broccoli, beets and lentils.

As you can probably tell, eating a plant-based diet is an amazing source of brain food. It happens to be an amazing source of everything else food too. I encourage you to experiment with some full on Omega-3/folate/antioxidant eating for a few weeks and see if you can’t get through the Sunday crossword or a day at work, with a little more finesse.

Here’s to welcoming you back, feeding your brain and wishing you an amazing year to come.

With love, respect, and other nutrients,
Ella