6 Friday, February 23, 2024 brooklintowncrier.com Health Canada recently recalled a vegan margherita pizza sold by Farm Boy, that contained undeclared milk products. Milk, which is neither vegan nor plant-based, is also a common allergen. It's possible the milk product came from contact with equipment in the processing plant. For those with a milk allergy, even trace amounts can be deadly. Once, the ingredients on a tub of plant-based margarine I bought had milk listed. Yet the container said "plant-based." Another time, I purchased a soup labeled as vegan though it, too, had milk listed. Read labels It's essential to read labels to ensure the wording matches the ingredients. On a product label, after the list of ingredients, is a heading (often in bold) called "May Contain." This means that the product may have come in contact with ingredients such as soy, wheat, milk, and nuts. These are common allergens and dangerous for those with allergies. Generally the contact is due to shared processing Is It Really Vegan? Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Premier Ford - About that hospital! The Premier has said he will release the $3 million capital planning grant to kickstart the new hospital whose Whitby site was approved over two years ago. Send your feedback to whitby.ca/NewHospital. equipment or proximity to products that contain them. While vegans don't worry too much about this, some do. With the increased demand for vegan and plant-based products, many companies are launching vegan product lines and marketing their products as plant-based to make them appear healthy. As always, whole foods should be the bulk of your diet and limit processed foods to a smaller percentage of the foods you eat. Whole foods are better as they contain more nutrients and fewer additives to increase shelf life. Vegan cheese Another thing I caution people about is vegan cheeses. There are some delicious brands, but many rely on coconut oil as their first ingredient. Coconut oil, however, is a saturated fat which I keep to a minimum in my diet. Cashew-based vegan cheese might be a better choice. You can limit the amount of coconut oil-based vegan cheeses you eat. I purchased a cashew-based vegan cheese at Longo's called Green Goddess. It had a sharper flavour, similar to old cheese, and I enjoyed it. Your ultimate goal in changing your diet to vegan is to be healthy and have high energy. You don't need to copy a meat-based diet nor have a processed meat substitute. I recently made red lentil wraps with just three ingredients and they were delicious. I filled them with hummus, chopped vegetables, a sunflower seed-based spreadable cheese, and radish sprouts. Here's the recipe. Enjoy! Ingredients • 1 cup dry red lentils • 2 cups water • A pinch of salt optional Instructions • Soak your lentils in 2 cups of water for at least 3 hours. You can also soak overnight if this is more convenient. • Pour the water and lentils into a high-speed blender and add salt if desired. Blend until smooth. • Heat a nonstick skillet and pour on the batter. Twirl the pan to spread out the batter and make it thinner. If you don't have a good nonstick pan, you may need to use a bit of oil. • Cook for about 2 minutes per side. Sheree's Hack: Double the recipe and freeze half. Each year the Mayor of Whitby recognizes the valuable contributions that seniors have made to our community, by presenting the Mayor's Senior Volunteer Award to an individual with outstanding commitment to community involvement through volunteering. The purpose of this program is to enhance the profile of older volunteers within our community. Nominate Someone in the Whitby Community From January to March each year, you are invited to nominate an individual for this award by completing the fillable nomination form located at whitby.ca/msva, making sure to provide as much detail as possible. To qualify, the nominee must be: A current resident of Whitby; 55 years of age or older and have volunteered their time in the community for a number of years. Nominees do not have to be members of the Town of Whitby 55+ Recreation Services to qualify. The nominations are judged based on volunteering at multiple organizations, the type of volunteer involvement and years of involvement. Nominations Open for Mayor's Senior Volunteer Award