About Ayal

Ever since he discovered that you are what you eat, Ayal has been cooking without added fat. Since scrambles and other fried dishes are his favorite, nonstick cookware is his new best friend. Ayal has a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University, as well as a Masters Degree in Science from M.I.T.

IKEA TO MAKE 50 PERCENT OF FOOD MENU PLANT-BASED BY 2025

Furniture chain IKEA has announced that it plans to make 50 percent of its restaurant meals plant-based by 2025 as part of a new set of sustainability commitments. IKEA also plans to transition 80 percent of its packaged meals to be plant-based.

“IKEA wants to make healthy and sustainable choices the most desirable option, by for example demonstrating that plant-based food can be really delicious,” Lena Pripp-Kovac, Chief Sustainability Officer at Inter IKEA Group, said. “Research confirms the importance of making sustainable products affordable and desirable, and Continue reading

Killer sugary drinks – literally

Well we can’t say we’re surprised, but the numbers are pretty staggering: a comprehensive new study that has been ongoing since 1980 attributes as many as 184,000 deaths annually world wide to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. The United States alone had more than 25,000 deaths per year attributed to the drinks.

soda sugar sweetened beverages

The study was conducted by researchers from Harvard in association with several other universities. The research included 62 dietary surveys in 51 countries, with Continue reading

America waddles on Dunkin’

Came across this hilarious graphic on the web, too funny! Maybe because it’s true?

America waddles on DunkinOf course the same can be said of all the other fast food junk food peddlers, but at least they don’t have runners in their logos!

California’s dirty secret

California is running out of water. As usual profit motivated corporations create all sorts of confusing misinformation about the situation to obscure the real culprit, but if you look closely it’s crystal clear what the problem is. Almost half of the average Californian’s water footprint is due to the consumption of meat and dairy.California has led the nation in dairy production since 1993, and it can take as much as 2000 gallons of water to produce ONE gallon of milk! And it takes about 600 gallons of water to make a pound of cheese. Of course the water foot print of beef and other meat is enormous as well. The drought is a nightmare, but simply cutting meat and dairy consumption can help keep us all California dreamin’.

First ever junk food tax in North America

We’re very excited that this month the Navajo Nation will be instituting North America’s first ever junk food tax! While it’s certainly not a game changer in the world of junk food, it’s “one small step for mankind” in the direction of public policy actually encouraging health for a change.

junk-food

The new tax is 2 percent on soda, chips, and other junk foods. In a related positive development, in 2014 the Navajo Nation removed a 5 percent tax on vegetables and fruits. Now that’s a real treat!

Mom’s vegan cauliflower soup

Nutritional information is included at the bottom of this recipe.

My mom is an awesome cook, and she sometimes surprises me with amazing dishes made from ingredients I previously thought I didn’t like. I’ve never been a big fan of cauliflower, and I’m not a big soup eater.

But her vegan cauliflower soup blew me away the first time I had it. I just couldn’t stop eating it! Now it’s one of my all time faves, and I even bought an immersion blender so I can make it myself. Yum!

vegan-cauliflower-soup

Besides being insanely tasty, this soup is incredibly easy to make. It’s also super healthy since with no added oil it’s extremely low in fat. So simple, so delicious. You can’t beat  Continue reading

Mom’s Magical Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

UPDATE: This recipe was originally posted at HathaYoga.com. Nutritional information is included at the bottom of this post. Recipe by Ellen Naor, photos by Jacob Naor.

My mom has been cooking low fat vegan for years, and she’s an amazing cook. This is one of her signature creations. She wanted to call these “Dad’s Favorite Pancakes”, which they are. But while he does help her cook, the recipe is all hers. So I convinced her to let me call them “Mom’s Magical Vegan Blueberry Pancakes”!

Vegan blueberry pancakes

So you might ask what makes my mom’s pancakes magical? Because they magically disappear! Not only are these delicious, but they’re low fat and super healthy too. You can eat a big stack of them, guilt free! Check out the complete nutritional Continue reading