Hi, my name is Vanessa Lech. After traveling throughout Western ...
Hi, my name is Vanessa Lech. After traveling throughout Western Europe and much of America I was inspired to write this book. “Eat, Live, Love!” includes stories of my journey while eating delicious vegetarian meals as I journeyed throughout the world. You will find staples for your pantry and 28 recipes from my kitchen to yours. I hope to inspire others to begin their journey. Through the hardships of my past and with the love of my husband, I have managed to tap into tremendous growth as a human being. I have become the best and most honest version of myself. Every day, I strive to grow and learn as I hope we all do. Contents About Me Part I: Eating in Different Parts of the World Alaska Canada England Florida France Italy Nevada North Carolina Portugal Spain Washington DC Washington State Part II: Simple & Diverse Recipes for your home Part III: Staples for your pantry
Appendix References About Me –
Hi, my name is Vanessa Lech. I decided to eat a vegan focused diet in the winter of 2010 after having consumed a primarily plant based diet for years. I have never had the weight or health issues that many of my peers have had related to poor nutrition. Initially, I created a recipe blog and commentary on restaurants and eateries as I ate at them. This evolved into a website with a directory of restaurants and the website evolved into a comprehensive vegetarian lifestyle book that enhances people’s lives. I am passionate about many things and food certainly tops my interest, particularly vegetarian food. I am not a nutritionist nor do I care to be. However, if you are concerned about my credentials; I have obtained multiple degrees from accredited universities. I do not claim to be an expert but I have learned a lot about nutrition and public health through my research, professional studies and the many books that I have read as well as my continued reading, travels and ongoing research. Some of the books, documentaries and magazines that I have read or viewed are listed in the “Appendix: Books-Films-Magazines” section of this book. I have watched as more and more television shows appear about the morbidly obese and as many Americans become increasingly mystified as to why their waistlines are expanding. I have found that a healthy lifestyle is NOT complicated. It is simple, affordable and fun! The core of my diet consists of fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains that are prepared in a variety of appetizing ways. I would say that 90% of my diet is vegan and the other 10% is vegetarian because I eat yogurt and I have a weakness for cheese. I eat Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, Cabot & Tillamook Cheeses as well as yogurt and cheeses that come from other reputable family farms that focus on humane animal husbandry practices and responsible agricultural practices. Whenever possible my kitchen contains certified organic ingredients and food from local family farms that is free of cruelty, pesticides and artificial
additives. I utilize the free portion of the following website, http://www.livestrong.com/myplate to monitor my calorie intake and output as well as the effectiveness of my fitness routines. I love food and I eat a lot of it! I became a vegetarian for a few simple reasons; I love & value my health, the earth & the animals & I want to take care of it. Small, local and organic farms are fairly sustainable and I do use them to provide food for my nonvegetarian husband and for my carnivorous dogs. Small, local farmers tend to care far more about how their farm animals live and ultimately about how they die. The unfortunate reality is that most foods consumed and sold today are produced through Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) aka factory farms. CAFOs are usually corporate owned and treat their workers and “food” animals inhumanely. It is common industry practice to pump the animals full of growth hormones, antibiotics, place pesticides and even arsenic in their food and many of these animals are butchered alive due to corporate greed and a lack of compassion and remorse. Many of the workers are illegal immigrants that are exploited and paid less than living wages while working in inhumane conditions that often result in gruesome injuries and even death. Don’t believe me, do your research. However this book is not about death, it is about life. A healthy life is what I will focus on in the content of this book. This book is designed to inspire the reader. I consider myself to be a moderate person and a moderate vegetarian. I am not extreme. I can see both sides to every argument and I always keep an open mind. I tend to home cook my dogs’ food and it contains meat as well, but I ensure that it is locally sourced and the animals have been handled and raised humanely.
There are many things that I wish that I could change in this world but I am aware that I cannot change everything. Therefore at this time I will use this book with the inspiration of improving public health in some small way. For now, I will leave you with these quotes that keep me motivated.... “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi “Let food be thy medicine” - Hippocrates
Appendix References About Me –
Hi, my name is Vanessa Lech. I decided to eat a vegan focused diet in the winter of 2010 after having consumed a primarily plant based diet for years. I have never had the weight or health issues that many of my peers have had related to poor nutrition. Initially, I created a recipe blog and commentary on restaurants and eateries as I ate at them. This evolved into a website with a directory of restaurants and the website evolved into a comprehensive vegetarian lifestyle book that enhances people’s lives. I am passionate about many things and food certainly tops my interest, particularly vegetarian food. I am not a nutritionist nor do I care to be. However, if you are concerned about my credentials; I have obtained multiple degrees from accredited universities. I do not claim to be an expert but I have learned a lot about nutrition and public health through my research, professional studies and the many books that I have read as well as my continued reading, travels and ongoing research. Some of the books, documentaries and magazines that I have read or viewed are listed in the “Appendix: Books-Films-Magazines” section of this book. I have watched as more and more television shows appear about the morbidly obese and as many Americans become increasingly mystified as to why their waistlines are expanding. I have found that a healthy lifestyle is NOT complicated. It is simple, affordable and fun! The core of my diet consists of fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains that are prepared in a variety of appetizing ways. I would say that 90% of my diet is vegan and the other 10% is vegetarian because I eat yogurt and I have a weakness for cheese. I eat Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, Cabot & Tillamook Cheeses as well as yogurt and cheeses that come from other reputable family farms that focus on humane animal husbandry practices and responsible agricultural practices. Whenever possible my kitchen contains certified organic ingredients and food from local family farms that is free of cruelty, pesticides and artificial
additives. I utilize the free portion of the following website, http://www.livestrong.com/myplate to monitor my calorie intake and output as well as the effectiveness of my fitness routines. I love food and I eat a lot of it! I became a vegetarian for a few simple reasons; I love & value my health, the earth & the animals & I want to take care of it. Small, local and organic farms are fairly sustainable and I do use them to provide food for my nonvegetarian husband and for my carnivorous dogs. Small, local farmers tend to care far more about how their farm animals live and ultimately about how they die. The unfortunate reality is that most foods consumed and sold today are produced through Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) aka factory farms. CAFOs are usually corporate owned and treat their workers and “food” animals inhumanely. It is common industry practice to pump the animals full of growth hormones, antibiotics, place pesticides and even arsenic in their food and many of these animals are butchered alive due to corporate greed and a lack of compassion and remorse. Many of the workers are illegal immigrants that are exploited and paid less than living wages while working in inhumane conditions that often result in gruesome injuries and even death. Don’t believe me, do your research. However this book is not about death, it is about life. A healthy life is what I will focus on in the content of this book. This book is designed to inspire the reader. I consider myself to be a moderate person and a moderate vegetarian. I am not extreme. I can see both sides to every argument and I always keep an open mind. I tend to home cook my dogs’ food and it contains meat as well, but I ensure that it is locally sourced and the animals have been handled and raised humanely.
There are many things that I wish that I could change in this world but I am aware that I cannot change everything. Therefore at this time I will use this book with the inspiration of improving public health in some small way. For now, I will leave you with these quotes that keep me motivated.... “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi “Let food be thy medicine” - Hippocrates
