VEGWORLDLY WANDERINGS
ROLLING ON THE RIVER CENTRAL EUROPE DELIGHTS FROM CRUISE SHIP TO CASTLES Story and photos by Robin Tierney "Eis eis baby"
I
’m not talking about that old song by rapper Vanilla Ice, but the berry, chocolate, apple, vanilla and other vegan ice cream flavors at Zanoni & Zanoni, a popular gelato shop in downtown Vienna. I chose apple, made from fruit from the region’s orchards. My bicycle buddies, curious about the vegan options, confirmed the other flavors were just as delicious. Finding vegan dishes in central Europe proved
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easy in port cities, surrounding towns and onboard during my week-long river cruise on the beautiful AmaSonata. When signing up for the cruise, I’d listed “vegan” on my papers. Every time I entered the ship’s elegant dining room, the chef and staff were ready to not just accommodate, but to make my meals as creative and enjoyable as the standard fare. And on the AmaSonata, standard fare meets very high standards. Many modern river cruises have advantages over ocean liners, such as diverse shore excursions covered in their all-inclusive rates and more time for
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local immersion in culturally rich villages, towns and cities. Those prone to sea-sickness generally avoid that malady on rivers. A river cruise with access to central European castles, forests and centuries-old towns sounded like the perfect getaway. This one offered a bonus: the teaming of top-rated cruise and bicycle tour operators. So I found myself sailing aboard AmaWaterways’ luxurious new AmaSonata and biking with Backroads on the Danube Cycling Sensation River Cruise.
The Bicycling Backroads, a global active travel company launched in 1979, designs adventures that combine wanderlust with expert guides who keep you on track, informed and supplied with everything you need. Backroads trips accommodate nearly all fitness levels, ages and interests. Packages include guided rides, lodging,
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FAMILY AND LIFESTYLE
this: THE WORST day of our summer vacation started with two boxes of cereal. One was fruity and the other was chocolatey. They look like little stones. You know the ones, right? Breakfast is usually overnight oats, a smoothie, fruit, homemade pancakes or 'yogurt' with gluten-free crispies... Nothing fancy, sugary or with food dye. One morning on vacation in the Adirondacks, we decided to have some colored, sugary, chemical-infused cereal. Here's what went down: We ate the cereal. The next 30 minutes or so were normal. Then...it was hard to get out of the house. The kids were sluggish, fought and then ran around like crazy. Then the whining kicked in. I was on the verge of losing it. Raised voices were hard to hold back. I am normally pretty patient. The kids were hungry for more sugary foods. I had a headache and no one had fun.
killers and junk. For us, it's not. I'm not saying we are perfect all the time. I'm just saying this is not our family's normal. Coincidence? We tried again, but just a little. Result? Not good. Friends and clients have the same experiences, they just don't make the correlation until they actively make the choice to eliminate these foods. You see, our bodies and minds do react to the foods we eat. Sugars and food dyes act like drugs in our brains. Look it up and see the photo comparisons. When you eat those foods on a regular basis, it's hard to see that the patterns and the unwanted behaviors are abnormal. They seem completely normal and just part of your child's personality. Ceasing to eat these junk foods may not immediately create the opposite effect. It will create a calm, but sometimes behaviors have been learned and have to be reframed. Still, teaching your child proper behavior will never have seemed easier.
Worst vacay day ever.
So before you have a perfect day and go buy some delicious processed, sugary and colorful treats, consider if the pleasure you get from eating it will outweigh the change in behavior. Think about a more natural choice...It will be worth it.
For some, this a normal day: yelling, fighting, pain
How can you relate?
About the Author
Shoshana Chaim is a wife, mother of two and the co-founder of planttrainers.com and the Plant Trainers Podcast. She helps stressed parents and families overwhelmed with physical and mental illness embrace a more holistic planti-ful lifestyle in order to create more calmness and health in their family life. Shoshana works with clients all over the world through her internet based company and has helped clients come off of insulin injections, lose significant amounts of weight, teaches techniques to regulate children's' behavor and has helped families on their journey to a more plant-rich diet. To get in touch with Shoshana you can visit her website at www.plantrainers.com and join her Facebook group Healthy Plant Based Families. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ plantpoweredmoms/
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FAMILY AND LIFESTYLE
I DON’T LIKE CHICKPEAS,
I HATE QUINOA
AND YUCK, KALE! 5 TIPS TO TAKING THESE SENTENCES OUT OF YOUR FAMILY’S VOCABULARY
M
by Andrea Denton y daughter didn’t always eat chickpeas. like chickpeas a couple years ago now loves them— I can remember a time when anything or at least likes them enough to eat them all the time, related to chickpeas wasn’t happening which is really what matters, right?
in my house. “I don’t like chickpeas.” It was a fact. These days, she excitedly tells me if there is hummus Count kale and quinoa among other such victories, I involved at a get-together. The same kid who didn’t mean, um, advances in my daughter’s tastes. It’s not
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FEATURE
OUR VEGAN
HEROES VegWorld Magazine
OUR VEGAN HEROES
Senator Cory Booker Cory Booker and the Vegan Cause For the last few months, every media outlet from the North to the Deep South has been awash with news on the affable Senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker. The legislator has been in the spotlight for a number of years, but the current wave of publicity comes from the fact that he was being floated as one of the top contestants in Hillary Clinton's consideration for a running mate. Booker exploded into the public spotlight in 2006, when he won the Mayoral elections in Newark. In 2013, he ran in a special election for one of New Jersey's Senatorial posts and claimed the position. The following year, he won his full-term mandate and has been pretty close to the top of the main items on prime time ever since then. For some years now, we have known Booker to be a vegan, but not many of us actually have the scoop on this refreshing revelation from the outspoken senator.
Booker's Vegan Beginnings The 47-year-old Senator has often pointed out in interviews that he had been a vegetarian since 1992 and always felt the need to go fully vegan. He said that he actually tried it out in 1993 for a couple of months but found himself constantly falling off the
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wagon. Booker attributes this lack of success to his lifestyle at the time. Back then, he would often have to ask at parties or dinners whether the meals they served had vegan options. This is in sharp contrast to today, when plenty of establishments and hosts provide vegan meals for the convenience of their guests.
Going Fully Vegan In 2014, Booker announced that he was now ready to experiment at going fully vegan and started actively engaging Americans on the importance of adopting such a lifestyle. He achieved this by tweeting out graphics and stats on the health status of those who were plant-based versus those who were not. He also used his powerful position in politics to rally people behind healthy vegan eating by making media and public appearances to support switching over to meatless alternatives. In a 2014 interview, the legislator pointed out that he was not 'living his truth' by shelving vegan choices for what he, in the 90's, considered simple food choices. His goal this time was to encourage people to try going vegan for a month. He, himself, went fully vegan after just a month of transitioning.
Booker's Vegan Philosophy Cory believes that most people out there can become vegans if they put their heart into it. His
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OUR VEGAN HEROES
What is your title in the military and how long have
American diet’ comfort zone, and support her
you been in the service?
efforts to bring better nutrition to our family. With Laura leading the way, our family’s diet has evolved
I am a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps,
over time, and meal planning has become much
and will promote to Colonel on August 1st. I enlisted
easier (and far more fun) with all family members
in the Marines right out of high school in 1988, and
now in fundamental nutrition agreement.
served, initially, in the Marine Corps Reserves while attending college as a full-time student. While
Is your family also vegan?
in college, my reserve unit was mobilized and deployed to Okinawa, Japan, during OPERATION
Yes, my immediate family and I all thrive on a ‘whole
Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Following graduation,
food, plant-based’ diet.
I commissioned as a Marine officer and have been serving on activeduty, since 1993.
Have you found there are enough food options for you during your military work or have you found
When did you become vegan and why? How long
that the food available to you is lacking enough
were you vegan before joining the military?
calories/nutrition?
My family and I actually don’t describe ourselves
Healthy
as “Vegans,” but would better describe our diet as
significantly since I first joined the service, but the
“whole food, plant-based” (T. ColinCampbell, The
context of that service is a major driver for food
China Study). My wife, Laura, led the way for better
choice availability. During deployments, fresh
family nutrition, and I eventually started making
fruits and vegetables can be limited or unavailable.
personal changes in 2009 (long after I joined the
During deployment, and depending on location,
Marines). My wife focused a lot on better nutrition
Marines might be limited to eating prepackaged
before and during my first Iraq deployment in 2008.
‘MealsReadytoEat’ (MRE). These meals (MRE’s) are
I came home from that deployment and was really
calorie dense, and are designed to provide fuel on
looking forward to Southern California’s famous
the go, when you don’t have the infrastructure or
‘InnOut Burger,’ so I wasn’t terribly excited about
time to stop and prepare normal meals. (There are
the healthy changes Laura made while I was gone.
now a few vegetarian MRE options, as well.) Where
As a result, our young daughter was the recipient
I was located in Iraq, there were well established
of mixed nutrition messages from her parents,
camps and bases with improved dining facilities, so
and meal planning became more challenging. I
healthy food choices were plentiful (and also plenty
deployed back to Iraq again in 2009 with the same
of unhealthy choices, too). When in garrison/not
unit, and it was toward the end of that deployment
deployed, I eat at home with my family and bring
that my wife reached out, asking me to support her
my lunches every day, from home. I also know that
nutrition improvement efforts. Better nutrition had
military ‘chow halls’ (dining facilities) do offer some
become increasingly important to my wife. After
healthy food alternatives (along with the standard,
heartfelt pondering, I felt a confirmation (and some
not-so-healthy options, of course).
nutrition
options
have
expanded
chagrin) that I needed to get out of my ‘standard
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OUR VEGAN HEROES
What major changes have you experienced working
Have you noticed that you are able to outperform
in such a demanding physical environment? (e.g.
others because of more energy from your healthy
Do you find you need to eat more often, less often?
vegan diet?
Do you have more endurance?) The Marine Corps is all about leadership and mission My most recent tour of duty here in Hawaii consisted
- accomplishment, and I do work hard to try to
of headquarters staff work, so, while the hours were
set a good example in physical fitness, nutrition,
sometimes long, the daily work wasn’t physically
and other areas. I’m 46 now, so, while I’ve slowed
demanding. However, with a regular morning
down some with age, I do sometimes outperform
exercise regimen, combined with demanding work
younger Marines. At the end of the day, though, it’s
and personal schedules, I sometimes found myself
about trying to inspire them for self-improvement,
“grazing” throughout a normal workday (on healthy
in a broader sense (but I don’t push my nutrition
snacks I brought from home), in addition to my
choices on others).
homemade lunch.
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