Tuesday, August 11, 2009

there's nothing sexier than a girl in an air cast

My latest fashion statement

Last Thursday, I fractured the 5th metatarsal on my right foot. I wish I had an interesting story to tell you about how this came about. I'd like to be able to say "I broke it while skydiving," or "A herd of elephants escaped from the zoo and ran over it." But the fact is, I simply mis-stepped while crossing the street and that's what did the damage.

So, it looks like 4-8 weeks of R & R and an air cast for me. No yoga, running or dancing. Very minimal walking, as my body allows. I believe there is a lesson in everything. We'll see what I learn from my fracture. It's been an interesting year, to say the least.

In the meantime, please check out the following:
  • I published a recipe for Pasta with Kalamata Olives, Spinach and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in this month's issue of GRID. (See page 26)
  • UrbanVegan.net was named by Blogging Health Careers as one of the top 50 blogs for healthy eating and nutrition.
  • VegNews magazine featured my upcoming cookbook in their online newsletter. [Please note: The actual book will not be wire-bound! The book they photographed is a review copy, for members of the press only, hence the funky binding.]





29 comments:

keri said...

I don't usually comment on blogs, but I had to say - I totally did that a few years ago! Coming home from dinner, I stepped funny and went down, and broke my metatarsal just the same way. Just so you know you're not the only one in the world who's just plain clumsy!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oh no!! Sending major hugs and good health vibes your way.

julie hasson said...

I hope you're up and feeling better in no time! That's a bummer for an active person, forced R & R.

Can you still cook is the question;-)?

Peach said...

Hi,
Sorry about your toe. Ouch. Congrats on your cookbook! Woo hoo! I'll look forward to checking it out. You mentioned the break from your yoga practice, and, as a veggie lover who also lives in Philly and does yoga, I clicked the book cover for a closer look at you to see if I recognize you from class. You look familiar, but maybe that's from the press I've seen with pics of you...what looked even more familiar was the background...I may be mistaken, but it sure looks like the WF at 20th & Callowhill/Hamilton....? Whether it is or not, it's a lovely shot (made extra cool by the fact that it appears that it was taken just a few blocks from my house)! Warm wishes and thanks for all you do on the vegan front!

Anonymous said...

Your pasta/olive recipe, for 4 servings, not counting the possible oil with the olives, contains 96 grams of fat from the 8 TBLs of olive oil.

That comes to 24 grams of fat per serving (4 grams of saturated fat per serving). About one-third of the daily fat the Feds recommend, pretty much a whole day's worth of fat from the Ornish, Esselstyn perspective (the guys who've reversed heart disease, in theory, prevent same).

One serving of your entree has roughly half the fat of the entire Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast.

IMHO, hardly "heathy eating" and "nutritional."

FYI, Mark

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Oh my! Here's wishing you a speedy recovery!

Anonymous said...

@soulveggie

No disrespect, but why does it matter? This isn't a low fat cooking site.

A few years ago I lost almost 50 lbs counting calories, which was really just about avoiding overeating.

I was never able to do that with a the very low fat diet and I've seen a number of HEAVY low fat vegan dieters.

I would rather eat a small amount of something rich that satisfies me then eat a pile of low fat cellulose which leaves me "full" but hungry.

Again, no disrespect, just offering a different point of view

urban vegan said...

Well, Mark. 4 helpings for a pound of pasta is simply exaggerated spin on your part. I would probably serve 6-8 people with this dish and not 4.

And comparing my food to Denny's Grand Slam breakfast, which is laden with meat and sat fat, is also spin and is not fair.

I must say, I really find it amusing when someone blasts one recipe and assumes I eat every meal that way. Seems a bit reactionary to me. I never said anyone should eat this way all the time, but once in a while won't kill you. And if you are fat-averse, by god, stop complaining. Just modify the recipe and use less oil! I am NOT fat averse.

I'm a skinny girl and healthy, too. I eat whatever vegan food I want...I just enjoy small portions, exercise regularly, etc. And once in a while. I enjoy a decadent meal. Moderation in all things, including moderation. That's how I live my life.

And by the way. I just did research ...1 serving of Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast :

Calories 795 Calories from Fat 450
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 50g 77%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Cholesterol 460mg 153%
Sodium 2237mg 93%
Total Carbohydrate 65g 22%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 4g
Protein 34g 68%
Vitamin A 33%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 16%
Iron 19%
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 56.6% Carbs 32.7%
Protein 17.1%

I did the nutritional calc on my recipe, using a more realistic 6 servings (giving you the benefit of the doubt, even though I would probably call this more like 8 servinfg) and got:


6 Servings


Amount Per Serving

Calories 483.7

Total Fat 22.5 g

Saturated Fat 2.9 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g

Monounsaturated Fat 15.4 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 401.6 mg

Potassium 303.5 mg

Total Carbohydrate 63.2 g

Dietary Fiber 5.0 g

Sugars 1.5 g

Protein 11.3 g

Vitamin A 66.3 %

Vitamin B-12 0.0 %

Vitamin B-6 8.0 %

Vitamin C 26.0 %

Vitamin D 0.0 %

Vitamin E 21.1 %

Calcium 8.1 %

Copper 9.3 %

Folate 56.6 %

Iron 27.7 %

Magnesium 8.2 %

Manganese 20.9 %

Niacin 22.9 %

Pantothenic Acid 1.8 %

Phosphorus 3.6 %

Riboflavin 25.1 %

Selenium 2.2 %

Thiamin 50.9 %

Zinc 2.4 %

There is no comparison, esp when you look at the overall caloric (795 vs, 484) cholesterol (460 mg vs 0); sodium (2237 vs 401 mg), fiber (2 vs 5 g) and sat fat (14 vs 2.9 g) counts, not to mention the vitamin counts from the large quantities of veggies I used in the recipe.

Anonymous said...

I stand corrected in that one pound of pasta is 4 to 6 servings, although even at 6, that's over 22 grams of pure fat per serving (as you pointed out). That's two grams less than I estimated, so I don't think it's significant.

Didn't want to belabor this, but yes, ONE fatty meal CAN be deleterious to your health and it's illusionary to believe otherwise. Check this link out:

http://www.theengine2diet.com/the-blog/can-one-high-fat-meal-cause-damage-big-time/

Anyway, this all was an FYI and I won't be posting any more comments for this post.

BTW: I didn't "blast" your recipe. I pointed out the fat content, contrasted that with the fat content of said Denny's meal, and noted that it didn't seem healthy and nutritious (to me at least).

Do sincerely hope, however, that your foot gets better.

Regards, Mark

Andrea said...

another foot comment: I did the same thing a few years ago to my left foot (on the last hike on the last day of an Oregon Coast trip. I even had the same sexy boot. It's no fun going through airport security in a wheel chair. They remove the boot AND pat you down. Yuck.

vegan.in.brighton said...

Awww poor you, really hope the foot gets better soon.

buffalodick said...

Nothing sexier than a chick in a cast with painted toe nails... Hope you heal quickly, dear!

Anonymous said...

It is interesting that this has happened to other people. Is it osteoporosis or just a weird leverage thing that breaks that foot bone?

urban vegan said...

Well, Anonymouse, osteoporosis can surely weaken your bones, leading to fracture. Women don't typically experience osteoporosis until after menopause... But I don't think it's the case here.

My sports medicine doctor said this is an "extremely" common fracture that happens to men and women alike. He said that tons of people come in after tripping on tree roots that buckle the city pavements or on uneven curbs (like me). It happened to my sister, too. She accidentally dropped a can of tomatoes on her foot and broke 2 metatarsals. As you can imagine, this injury is also very common in soccer players and in construction workers. So why did it have to happen to me?!

Vaala ◪ said...

Oh no! I hope it heals fast :)

Blogger V said...

Oh, you might love my story as to how I did my break....

It was a particularly hard workout in karate class. Kyoshi made us go full throttle.

That day was also his birthday and the day to pay for next month. After training, I was talking to one of my classmates and we were walking toward the door of the dojo. I remember that were talking about South Park.

When I turned around to bow out, I felt that crack in my right foot and I knew I couldn't stand on it.

Worse yet, everybody wanted to go and celebrate my teachers birthday and I had to drive myself 10 miles to the hospital!

I don't practice that form of martial arts any longer!

lee ann said...

I'm glad that you're going with the new book cover and hope you heal up soon.

kim said...

last summer i fractured my ankle in three places while simply walking on grass after some rain! it happens to the best of us... ;) on the bright side, enjoy and take advantage of the downtime that you otherwise wouldn't have!

yari said...

Well, a few years ago I simply misstepped on the staircase while hurrying up to get on time for the cinema... Result: I had my ankle fractured. Now I'm very careful when running downstairs!

Eating Consciously said...

oh no! Does this mean you're not coming to Vegan Drinks this month?? ;)

mags said...

sorry to hear about that fracture... =(
maybe I can cheer you up a little: i just have to get out that your blog makes me plain happy. =) I found it recently when I was searching for a veggie saltimbocca recipe. When I read your posts and see all those fantastic city and food shots it makes me feel good about life and everything in general. ^^ I don't know why. Positive vibes probably. Also makes me want to go all the way and become vegan instead of "just" vegetarian. but I know I won't be able to resist the CHEESE. Plus it's just too damn expensive sometimes... (me = student with little money)
But your recipes are very inspiring. I think I'll really need your cookbook, even though I'm German and will probably understand very little. ;)
whatever.
keep on rockin' and cookin'.
and adopt me. ;)

enough of the stalking already!
greetings and get-well-wishes from Germany. <3

nikki jo said...

i just did the same thing walking my dog this past april! i wore a hard cast for 4 weeks, a boot for 6 and now have a brace... i feel your pain - hope you heal quickly!

My Year Without said...

I just found your blog and I was excited about the vegan aspect, but in learning about your little toe injury, I felt compelled to comment...

Even though it's such a tiny part of our foot, have you considered seeing a massage therapist? Gentle massage/physical therapy can help in the healing of your toe and keep your tissues mobile, flexible and allow plenty of circulation.

I don't mean to preach and I'm sure you're taking care of it just fine, I have just seen phenomenal recoveries involving massage therapy and bone injuries in my 7 years as an LMT.

Can't wait to explore more of your blog and look at your book!!

Millie said...

I truly know how you feel. Two years ago I had a whole new ankle replaced and it took 1 year to recuperate. I had that same cast put on for 6 months after they took off my hard cast. I am well now but it was miserable in the summer. BTW...I put your blog on my blogroll.

http://nuestracena-vegancuisine.blogspot.com

jordan 6 rings said...

would rather eat a small amount of something rich that satisfies me then eat a pile of low fat cellulose which leaves me "full" but hungry.

Jackie said...

Sorry to hear about the fracture, did the same thing to myself 5 years ago....can't remember which metatarsal but do remember the 6 weeks I had to rely on others for lifts to works. Poor you :(((

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mamapasta said...

and, do not forget to say , végétarien magazine, (the french one )published some of your recipes this month .....
bravo !

Yolanda said...

Hi, vegangirl, I am vegan and I also have fractured a metatarsal and I would like to ask you something. Please, send me an email to urpicg@hotmail.com
Thank you