Excerpts from Ginny Messina for theveganrd,com on August 29, 2013

If your diet is built around a variety of whole plant foods including at least three servings of legumes (beans, soyfoods and peanuts) per day, and your calorie intake is sufficient, you won’t have any trouble getting enough protein. If you are on a reduced calorie diet or you’re an athlete, you may need more than the three servings of legumes.

Calcium is a little different. It’s not that it’s difficult to meet needs, but you do need to make a bit of effort to include calcium-rich foods in your diet. Both the Institute of Medicine (the government agency that establishes the RDAs) and the World Health Organization recommend 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day for adults (or 1200 for those over 50).

The recommendation is based on the assumption that we absorb about 30 percent of the calcium in our diet—since that’s the absorption rate for calcium from cow’s milk. That is, our biological need for calcium is around 250 to 300 milligrams of calcium per day, but we need to consume as much as 1000 milligrams in order to absorb enough. Or at least that’s true if you get most of your calcium from cow’s milk.

For certain leafy green vegetables, absorption rates are considerably higher. For example, we absorb between 50 and 60 percent of the calcium in cruciferous leafy green vegetables like kale and turnip greens. In contrast, absorption rates for calcium from beans is fairly low at about 17 percent. And for oxalate-rich vegetables like spinach, absorption is extremely low, only around five percent.

So, it’s really better to pay attention to our biological needs and the amount of calcium we’re likely to absorb from a food, rather than the amount that is actually in foods. Unfortunately, we don’t have this information for very many foods.

The table below shows the amount of calcium absorbed from a few foods that are relevant to vegan diets (with cow’s milk included for comparison). And we can use a couple of extreme examples to show just how important the absorption issue is. For example, if you ate three cups of cooked turnip greens as your sole source of calcium, your intake—about 600 milligrams—would be well below the calcium RDA. But you’d still absorb enough to meet biological needs. Alternatively, you could meet the calcium RDA by eating about 4 1/2 cups of white beans, but you’d absorb only around 170 milligrams which is well below biological needs.

I typically get my calcium from a mix of fortified orange juice, tofu, and greens. I mostly aim for the RDA, but on the days when I’m eating a lot of greens, I don’t worry about it quite as much. I don’t exactly micromanage this, but I do pay attention to it. I don’t depend on beans and nuts for my calcium too much because the absorption is so poor, but I know that they contribute at least some calcium to my overall intake.

Getting calcium from fruits and vegetables might have some advantages since diets rich in these foods are linked to improved bone health. This may be because plant sources of calcium are often high in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin K, all important for keeping bones strong. There has also been interest in the idea that isoflavones in soymilk and tofu might protect bone health, but the findings on this are pretty conflicting.

So, bottom line: Vegans cannot ignore calcium, but it’s relatively easy to get enough. And there may be benefits for everyone to getting calcium from plants.

*amount will vary considerably depending on firmness of tofu
**absorption from collards hasn’t been measured but I think it’s safe to assume that it is at least 50%

References for calcium absorption:

Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:1238S-1241S.

Zhao Y, Martin BR, Weaver CM. Calcium bioavailability of calcium carbonate fortified soymilk is equivalent to cow’s milk in young women. J Nutr 2005;135:2379-82.

Heaney RP, Dowell MS, Rafferty K, Bierman J. Bioavailability of the calcium in fortified soy imitation milk, with some observations on method. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:1166-9

- See more at: http://www.theveganrd.com/2013/08/vegan-diets-for-healthy-bones-2.html#sthash.xvjs3f6y.dpufh

     Recently, an amazing and accidental discovery was made.  History.com reports:

When rug designer Luke Irwin and his wife decided to create a space for their kids to play table tennis, they never imagined it would lead to one of the more compelling archaeological finds in recent history. In early 2015, the Irwins hired workers to lay electrical cable to an old barn on their property in Brixton Deverill, a small village near Warminster in Wiltshire, England. Soon after the workers began digging in the garden, they hit a hard layer some 18 inches below the topsoil. Archaeologists later confirmed that the vivid mosaic of orange, grey and cream ceramic tiles formed part of the floor of a grand three-story villa, built between A.D. 175 and 220 and thought to be one of the largest such structures ever constructed in Roman Britain.

     So, after a couple of thousand years, a villa that may have looked something like this...

...was completely grown over?  Exactly.  It's crazy to look at something as big and complex as a villa (a Roman upper-class country house), and think that it could one day be gone and grown over leaving behind nothing but a field of green grass. 

     But as Christians, are we asked to believe anything less?  Romans 5:20 says:

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

The idea of God's grace to cover our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is incredible enough to believe.  But then to understand that by nature it is abounding.  In other words, it is living!  Growing!  Abounding at a rate that is greater than that to which it is applied!  To know that something as big and complex as our sins, issues, and problems can be grown over/covered to the point of no remembrance is the heart of the Gospel.

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered..
- Romans 4:7

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
- Isaiah 43:25

This is why David, and every sinner, should have the faith to pray, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions" (Psalm 51:1).   In that moment of faith, we receive forgiveness!  From then on this grace is as enduring as God's love.  And as God's love grows deeper, so does the application of His grace growing over me.  Over time we grow into an image that is altogether new and unlike the old as the Irwin family's Wiltshire garden (2 Corinthians 5:17)!

Maybe the grass is greener on the other side.

- From The Vegan Corner

Ingredients [ounces / grams ]

7/8 cup all-purpose/plain flour (equals ¾ cup + 1 tbsp) (3.9 oz)
¼ cup carob powder (0.7oz)
¾ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp desiccated coconut (0.3oz)
1 cup granulated sugar (6.7oz)
2 tbsp golden syrup (optional)
½ cup non-dairy milk
5 drops vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).
2. Sift all the powders into a bowl, add in the other ingredients and stir well to complete the batter.
3. Pour the batter into a greased cake pan (our was 8 inches or 20 cm large) and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, remembering to rotate the pan half way through the cooking time.

Substitutions and Tips

• The desiccated coconut can be substituted with chocolate chips to obtain an even deeper and more complex chocolate flavour.
• For this recipe you can use any sort of granulated sugar you have, being it beet or cane sugar.

Yield, Times and Info:

Makes: 14 Brownies
Preparation Time: 5m
Cooking Time: 20m
Total Time: 25m
Storage Times: Keeps for 3 days in the fridge and it can be warmed up when needed

Nutritional Info:

Serving Size: 40g       Calories: 115kcal       Carbohydrate: 25.7g       Sugar: 18.6g       Fiber: 1g       Fat: 1g       Saturated Fat: 0.7g       Unsaturated Fat: 0.3g       Protein: 1.3g       Sodium: 9.3mg       Water: 12g      

Caloric Ratio:

88% Carbs
8% Fats
4% Proteins

Posted in Homeschool View on Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Moses. Abraham. Noah. Paul. Jesus.

These are often some of the first names that come to mind when we think of great role models from the Bible. However, there are also many great women in the Bible who demonstrate the character traits we strive to develop and employ in our own lives. Take a closer look at Mary and four other female characters to discover what makes them good role models.

Mary demonstrates bravery and a servant heart (Luke 1:26-56).
Initially troubled by the angel Gabriel’s greeting from the Lord, Mary took his advice to be unafraid as she received the news that she would give birth to the Son of God. Though the news would have been particularly hard to swallow as a young, engaged woman, Mary embraced it as a servant of the Lord and sent her praises to God.

Rebekah demonstrates hospitality and a desire to fulfill God’s will (Genesis 24).
Abraham’s senior servant encountered Rebekah at a well while searching his master’s homeland to find a bride for Isaac. When asked, she immediately put the needs of the man and his camels first by offering them water and a place to stay. Rebekah was also eager to fulfill the Lord’s will when it became clear that He intended for her to become Isaac’s bride. Though her family requested more time with Rebekah, she willingly went with the servant right away to meet and marry her groom.

Ruth demonstrates loyalty (Ruth 1-4).
After the death of her father-in-law, husband, and brother-in-law, Ruth insistently clung to her mother-in-law Naomi’s side instead of returning to her own family and homeland. Together they made the journey to Naomi’s homeland where Ruth married a relative of Naomi’s husband and bore a son to carry on the family name.

Hannah demonstrates great faith, prayer, and praise (1 Samuel 1-2:11).
Though she struggled with grief and bitterness as the result of being barren, Hannah exhibited great faith by continually taking her infertility to the Lord in prayer. After the long-awaited birth of her son Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord, Hannah praised God in prayer for his gift.

Abigail demonstrates wisdom and compassion (1 Samuel 25).
When Abigail’s husband refused to show kindness and generosity to David and his men, she bravely stepped up to create peace between the two parties. Her quick, kindhearted offering of food and drink to David and his men saved the lives of many in her community.

I can't say exactly when it happened or at what post it happened, but it definitely happened. I no longer wanted to read or post anything to Facebook! Maybe it was a slow and steady buildup. Like when you get diagnosed with a cavity. You don't know exactly when you got it, but you aren't really surprised because you know what you eat.
The whole idea of logging-in all of the sudden seems to have more negatives than positives. In the beginning you feel good about something and you want to share it, but now you want to log on to feel good about something. Therein lies the problem. What you may be looking for to make you feel good may not even be true at all! At best, someone's post is stretch of the truth. While at worst, it's a total fabrication. On average, I've found that the truth is usually somewhere in between.
With over a billion users and more posts per day, I'm not writing this to compete with or destroy Facebook. Instead, I'm thinking about that person who is starting to wonder like me about the whole Facebook phenomena but may be worried that they are the only one. If that's you, keep calm - nobody's life is as good as it looks on Facebook. I know this is true because it's true for me. Not to sound absolutist, but what I think matters, because at the heart of who drives Facebook are people just like me. The tool is an extension of a vast mass. So as a member of that mass, I reflect the common man in a technology designed to connect just that - the common person.
For example, the workout posts. The friends and folks posting workout pictures usually show their pics before or after the workout. Just like my wife just "loves" to hug me after 55 minutes of plyo-cardio, I'm just as excited to see how you look after 3 rounds of kickboxing...nooo! It's not just the sweat factor, but you miss the very essence of fitness and what created that sweat - the workout! The steps and not the selfie. True health, whole health, is a lifestyle. It's not a point, but a process! By not highlighting the entire experience that gets you there, you only really serve to pseudo-educate on health with the focus becoming the adulation of your body or the eventual loathing of the fact that as I see you crushing it, I realize how pathetic I am and I need to get up and do something! Remember, losing weight is not necessarily health! In fact, most health involves what you can't see. Since most people are willing to live with the person in the mirror, constant workout posts don't inspire as much as they ultimately conspire a surface appreciation for the idea of exercise, but not truly being healthy and whole (to be one with God, our Creator, mind, soul, and BODY).
A post never tells the whole story! In a Facebook feud, only one side of the story is told. In a post where congrats are in order (a new job, baby birth, or anniversary, etc.), that's only one part of life. Grant it, good news is good news, but that's not the stuff of real friendships. If I only know the good in you and none of the bad, than I really don't know you. So I can only "like" what you post, but it's nearly impossible for me to love who you are - because I don't know all of you! For example, I've seen folks on Facebook constantly posting the good news of their travels, financial blessings, something or someone new in their life. But these same people have been through divorces, layoffs, breakups, firings, illnesses, accidents, fall-outs, bailouts, depressions, failures, unplanned pregnancies, and drama with a capital D. God loves us and can work through all of this (Romans 8:28) but I very rarely see or hear those posts! And in the rare case it is posted, the effect is more like highway rubbernecking than really caring. "Wow, I'm glad that ain't me. (scroll...)" or "Ughhh, they get on my nerves (jealous scroll)...." There's a misfire because we aren't designed to connect through posts, we are made to connect to people personally - words, tears, frustrations, loud-talking, hugs, tickles, smiles, frowns, yawns, and all. The Facebook face is not real life! It's like eating sugar all day, every day. If that was God's intention, He wouldn't have given us a tongue that also tastes bitter, sour, salty, and umami (yes, the newest taste that covers all the tastes that don't fit the other categories. For example, savory stuff. Yummm). But the processed timeline of life highlights lacks the organic realities of life, making it a dish low on substance and nutrients, but high in saccharine appearances and fatty illusions.
Super-users of Facebook may argue that FB is a great way to "stay in touch". But are we really "in touch"? Again, if all I see from you is good, how can I touch the real you? We may get close to seeing the struggles of others in the "pray for me" or "need prayers now" post. But shouldn't friends pray for one another always? Prayer is not a fire extinguisher, it's an oxygen mask at the heart of a growing relationship with Christ and it's our privilege to put folks before the Lord constantly. Be careful that your intercession is not just based on getting out of jams; but rather, keeping us on the road!
Before you say I'm just being the grumpy-get-off-my-lawn-guy, please note that I have a Facebook account. But the reason I continue to use my Facebook account is not because of what it is; rather, it's because I know what Facebook is not. I know I don't want to know what you had for lunch today. When I was in college and had roommates, not once in five years (yes, I was a super senior), if we didn't eat at the same time, did I ask my friends what they had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Why? Because either I didn't care, it was none of my business, or both! So what makes us think that now that we are 1,500 miles apart from friends who are married, with children, and a job(s), that we need to know what you are eating at this very moment? Why?
What about Facebook love? I tread softly because love in every relationship is indeed to be cherished. It's a dying commodity in a cold world. So praise God for real love wherever it is found! But an all too forgotten aspect of love is intimacy. Is it possible that the sweetness of your kiss pic is lost when it's splattered on over 500 digital pages of people whose last name you don't even know? Remember when to kiss & tell wasn't cool?! Yes, we are all glad you love your wife, your husband, your child, your grandchildren, your sweetheart, etc. But at the end of the day, THEY are the ones that need to know that! That's called intimacy. Others can know, but the loved ones need to know. Maybe this is where Jesus was headed when He taught on prayer and said, "enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:6). Closing the door encourages focus and creates intimacy. The seeing is in secret (intimacy), and the reward is openly (testimony). We see the love in your life, not your posts. Because while they are precious words, they are still, just words.
I know Facebook is not the stuff of friendships. It's digital voyeurism of the highest order because you have to choose to be ogled. In other words, all participants on FB are willing so you lose the specter (and shame) of prying. We all chose to be friended - but why? Are we really friends or co-dependents? One thriving off of the rush of likes, views, and friend requests? Or the other thriving off of the rush of new content and giving likes, views, and friend requests? At least there is some symbioses there; some give and take. But if that's the extent of it, then the relationship is actually a cycle driven by narcissism. Is it the drive to be heard, recognized, adored, or even...worshiped (also known as liked and followed)? Or, the lack of being heard, recognized, adored, or worshiped? It's a frailty of human nature, but it becomes an emotionally lethal force when it's the centerpiece of any relationship. It's inevitable for people to get hurt and abused, or broken and bullied, because when the screen dims and real life begins, only love can fill the void.
Love doesn't like or dislike - it loves (thumbs up or down). Love doesn't just comment, it commits. Love is not in the before and after picture, love invests in the person in the picture. Love doesn't log off, it lives on - because it's source and originator, Jesus Christ, is not interested in our profiles while He sees us from the inside out! I know what Facebook is and isn't. It's a phenomenal tool to share information (much like the internet at large) and it's power should absolutely be harnessed to share the ultimate news - the Good News of salvation through faith in the love of Jesus Christ! But FB is a poor, poor medium for a real relationship. Thank God I'm old enough to have friends that were friends before Facebook came along. And for those friends that I have found after the advent of the blue F, we aren't bound by Facebook posts. So whether we talk three times a week or once every few years, we connect because love connects. It's not about what I can get in the moment, but it's about what we have and still want to give to keep it.

And now for some totally unsolicited Facebook advice...

• For every love post comment or picture, be sure you tell that person personally how you feel or what you think about them (Matthew 5:24).
• For all the FB preachers, make sure your posts enlighten and not just enrage. Rightly divide the Word, and not the saints (2 Timothy 2:15).
• And remember, just because it's viral, doesn't mean it's virtuous (Philippians 4:8).

I'm glad Jesus doesn't have a Facebook page, Twitter account, or email address. We can just THINK about Him in prayer and He's there before the thought is finished (Hebrews 4:16). Don't wait to look up from the screen and realize that the best relationships are in front of your face and outside the very door of your heart.