Food! Fat Free Salad Dressing - I found a Goodie!

Another food post!  What's going on here?  I guess it's that the more I read and listen to podcasts (favorite right now: http://www.richroll.com/podcast ) the more I can't separate what I'm eating* from what I believe in from an environmental impact + fashion perspective.  And, I've learned I need to cut out fat due to cardiac concerns that run in my family (thank you, Dr. Esselstyn!).  

So - what can I use as salad dressing?   I don't like sweet ones and the only two I ever loved are Blue Cheese and Ranch (which, after living in Texas where pizza is dipped in it!!!!!!  I was so grossed out I couldn't eat that anymore.  It doesn't wash off plates very easily either - can you imagine what it's doing in your body? ugh.ack.yuck.).   

Fat Free Dressing?  Does it exist?  How can one live without olive oil???  Here's what I just invented, and it's pretty tasty on top of being nutritionally dense!

"Salty" Lemon Dressing

2T. Lemon Juice

1-2T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Shake or 3 of Maine Coast Sea Seasonings Dulse Flakes (yummy seaweed)

Shake or 3 of Toasted Black Sesame 

    Whip it together w/ a fork and pour over your salad.  Done. 

Here's why I like it - lemon juice aids in the absorption of iron and calcium from greens; Bragg's and Dulse add a sea salty taste without being refined salt; Bragg's is of course an amazing source of Amino Acids (meat, schmeat!);  sesame seeds (the wonder food!) add beauty, crunch, a gazillion minerals, fiber and an earthy sort of meaty flavor; Dulse Flakes are also mineral dense.   

There you have it!  Enjoy:-)

*BACK STORY:  I was raised vegetarian but went meaty in my teens believing the hocus pocus about "needing animal protein" but then, after reading Skinny Bitch 6 years ago I switched to a 95% vegan diet because I didn't have any legitimate excuses for eating animals anymore.  I struggle to this day completely avoiding cheese and ice cream, but I get better every month:-)  And better, the less dairy eat the better my skin and overall health/well-being.  

Brie, oh how I love thee, but thee lovest not me:-(

DETOX the Fashion Industry

Detoxing one's mis-treated bod is still all the rage as we've entered 2014 but detoxing fashion has been around for quite some time.
I've finally had a moment to get educated on Greenpeace's beautiful DETOX campaign and urge you to get involved too.  Together we can turn the textiles industry around, so let's DO IT - sign the Detox Fashion Manifesto here and join luminaries, Allegra Hicks and Livia Firth!

Turn 'em Inside Out on 24-04-14

It's on my calendar - will you join us??

In memory of the horrendous fires of the Rana Plaza garment factory on 24/04/13, Fashion Revolution.org is on a mission with WHO MADE YOUR CLOTHES?  day scheduled for 24/04/14.

  

Going way beyond the giggly Jr. High tradition of "inside out day" Who Made Your Clothes? day is a poignant demand that we all address  the WHO (the actual people) and HOW our clothing is made  - from thread to finish.  Wearing your clothes #INSIDEOUT for the day will undoubtedly initiate conversations on the dire conditions in much of the garment industry as it stands today.  Perhaps questions will arise like:

Where did the cotton in your beloved skinnies come from?  Did the cotton farmer suffer from pesticide exposure or was he one of the lucky ones planting Organic Cotton?  Who sews for your favorite companies?  Are you sure your comfy Ts weren't sewn by 12-yr-olds?  Can you find something you like even better from eco brands?

Let's insure the victims of Rana Plaza are never forgotten and demand fashion brands uphold  acceptable ethical & eco standards in all areas of production.

Post WHO MADE YOUR CLOTHES? day on your own social media sites the revolution will begin!

http://www.fashionrevolution.org

https://www.facebook.com/fashionrevolution.org

@Fash_Rev

Ah!  Late breaking news - just realized there's a video (click above) and US version of @Fash_RevUSA.  Sorry about that!

Of Sewmobiles and "Necropants"

Ecouterre is offering up a slew of Eco-Fashion Vote-For's today that are both enlightening and fun.  A few of the stories were previously mentioned on this blog but there are a host of other ones should you spare the time.

This is our current favorite - talk about every little bit helps - ceramics professor Michael Swaine  spends one day/month mending clothes for free, on the street in SF.  He has set up his "sew mobile" this way for 12 years! "My small act is mostly a gesture and for some it means a lot but I think the bigger importance is the example of participating, of being a citizen and acting outside of what is normal.”

Necropants under Vote for the Most Bizarre

You can cast your VOTE for many pioneers whom are 'acting outside of what is normal' HERE.  Do it!

Who's Ecologically Illiterate?

Oh my friends!  This article in The Guardian hits right square on the head of the nail for us here at Jag & Nevie.  It is a personal pet peeve (pun intended) that animal rights are often the only Eco concern the fashion industry has and only because PETA makes such a fuss. While we uphold vegan values of course, it is the health of the entire globe that drives our machine, so I'm happy to see someone highlight the issue so succinctly.  It's short article, please take a gander.
KEY SNIPPETS -

"It's simply amazing how far we are from being a seriously ecologically literate culture." (Rebecca Burgess, author, textile artist and founder of The Fibershed Project in San Geronimo, California)

"In order to get mainstream society to react faster and stronger we have to show victims (people and animals) of planet abuse." (Sarina Saturn, assistant professor at the School of Psychological Science at Oregon State University)

River pollution from fabric dyeing

Love those bunnies and mink and beaver and cows and pigs, but love the trees and water and mountains and PEOPLE too.

Denim causes major eco problems

PASS IT ON!

How Young is the Child Making YOUR Clothes?

As someone surrounded by grade school children all of the time I find this intolerably heartbreaking -

9-Yr-old Bangladesh garment worker

Thank you, Ecouterre for posting the truth behind Fast Fashion. The article is here.

* * Next time a 7 or 11-yr-old in our household gripes about dinner or homework I will magically conjure up the video above:-)

The Slow Fashion Pledge

If you don't know about it yet - the Slow Fashion Movement is what's up, girls!  Slow Fashion is the antithesis of mass produced, cheapo clothes so readily found at low-end retailers.  Yes, THOSE retailers we all know and love:-)   Slow Fashion is about quality, sustainability and conscientious production methods.   It's true that high quality, hand made clothing is usually stratospheric in price, but really, that's what you can readily find on Etsy but at affordable price points.  Just be sure to read the designers' feedback when you purchase there!
I took the Handmade Pledge at Etsy long ago, and now I've taken the Slow Fashion Pledge - you should too:
Pledge right here