Videos: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Speaks At 2011 San Francisco Veg Fest

On World Vegetarian Day 2011 (October 1st) I attended the San Francisco Veg Festival, which was a really lovely event despite its small size. The highlight was easily a talk by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, a well known vegan author, speaker and all around advocate. After all the buzz around her talk at the Vida Vegan Bloggers Conference in Portland, I knew I had to record her SF lecture so I could share it with you. It was about 50 minutes in length, but I went through and edited it down to 3 segments totaling 24 minutes so that it'd be easier to watch. 

Video: Spork-Fed Vegan Cookbook Launch at VegNews in San Francisco

Last night I attended the Spork-Fed vegan cookbook launch at VegNews in San Francisco and had a blast. I know the Spork Foods sisters (Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg) from Los Angeles and it was great to see them, especially after everyone has been raving about their new book. I can see why - the book embodies their sweet, knowledgable spirits, it's fun to look through, the photos are gorgeous and it's full of important information about cooking vegan.

The Lowdown on Unrefined Sweeteners: Are They Healthier Or Just As Bad As Any Sugar?

I used to think agave nectar was the perfect sweetener because some raw foodists I trusted introduced me to it. Finally, it seemed like a great unrefined alternative to sugar and honey! But a year or so ago I did some research and discovered that it's not all it's cracked up to be - how disappointing! And over time, I learned that all unrefined sugars have some drawbacks - I outline the details in this article on Organic Authority.

Video Updates from Massachusetts!

I'm currently in Massachusetts visiting family and friends...and finding lots of vegan grub! Of course there are reviews to come, but in the meantime I'm posting little video updates like these:

Veganista on EcoStiletto: Amazing Grass

EcoStiletto, a website devoted to giving you the inside scoop on being glamorously green, played a big role in the rise of Eco-Vegan Gal. I attended several of their parties in L.A. when I first started this site and met so many fabulous people in the sustainability and health fields who I later became friends with and partnered up with. So I didn't hesitate when they asked me if I would pen their new Veganista section - how could I say no to sharing my thoughts on great things happening in the eco-vegan world?!

My first piece when up this week and is about Amazing Grass. If you've been watching my What A Vegan Eats series you've probably seen me drinking their GREENSuperFood quite a lot. Click here to hear what I have to say about them on EcoStiletto and enter to win a container for yourself!

EVG Community Q&A: Overweight On The Vegan Diet

image by puuikibeach

Question:

I've been overweight most of my life, became vegetarian and with a lot of work, lost over 70 pounds. Almost 4 years ago I became vegan and gained quite a bit of weight back. I've kicked up my workouts, I've tried green juicing, I've visited a nutritionist... nothing has worked. The nutritionist had me cut my workouts, try different sized meals, etc., but in the end, she suggested my body just really doesn't like me being vegan. I'm wondering if you have had any experience with this type of dilemma. Can a person's body really be programmed to not lose weight on a vegan diet? I've read so many success stories of "I became vegan and dropped weight instantly" and my story is the opposite. I'm struggling with what to do. I'd really appreciate any ideas/thoughts/suggestions you'd be willing to share.

Answer:

Top 3 Organic Vegan Wines

Since alcohol is a rare indulgence for me, I always want to have the best of the best when I have it, but with so many excellant options available it's hard to decide. When Organic Authority asked me to write about the top organic, vegan wines it was quite a challenge. Check out which I chose based on the processes used, ingredients and sustainability awareness.

Slowing Down...Temporarily

I've had to slow down my posts and videos in the past few days due to a hectic schedule and upcoming traveling, but I've got a lot in store for you such as footage from amazing speakers at San Francisco Veg Festival and a review of Cinnaholic in Berkeley. If you miss the every day videos I'm doing my best to upload short and sweet content to my new channel What A Vegan Eats - so go check that out and be sure to subscribe!