Gluten Free, Not Gluten Freaky: Got it? Get it? Good.

 So here you sit, with something funky called gluten intolerance.  You know it's serious because you feel like you've been run over by a train most days... and because your doc just told you, "Look, get off the gluten or die," in so many words. You certainly understand the need to stay away from the Scary Four: Wheat, (non-gf) Oats, Rye, Barley - but how do you communicate that need effectively to your family and friends?

Some of them look at you like you've got a highly contagious virus that you're just waiting to pass on. Some of them snort and laugh it off with an asinine comment or 10 about you and your freaky diet fads. Some of them pat you on the back and make mac and cheese, 'because it's made with white flour, not wheat.' And some just stare in horror - after all, everyone knows that they always bring the peach pie to the picnic. And they have to bring the peach pie! And the peach pie is your favorite. You always eat peach pie!  YOU DON'T LOVE MY PEACH PIE!???! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME???

ahem.

If you're wondering why people seem to freak out about this new disease you've got, and you're wondering how to help them help you, you've come to the right place.

The truth is, your loved ones are grieving the loss of their former lives just as much as you did when you were first diagnosed. In fact, you might still be grieving yourself.  Never being able to eat gluten again may not seem as big a deal as losing a pet or a loved one... but in reality, it is.  Our culture intertwines food and love so tightly into tradition and memory that the thought of changing is horrifying.

The Curious Vegan: Cut it Out! Seriously...

Forty years of preaching the gospel of vegan for health, wealth, and happiness is finally making a mark on Americans. Or starting too, anyway.

Almost a third of Americans have reduced the meat they eat
By Sarah E White

Cultivate Research, a market research company that works with the vegetarian food industry, has released the results of a survey on American meat consumption that shows at least some of us are cutting back on animal products.

They found that while just 1 percent of Americans surveyed said they never ate meat, 13 percent said they ate meat less than half the time. Twenty-five percent said they had meat at half of their meals, while 47 ate it at most meals and 14 percent at every meal.

But they also found that 26 percent of Americans can be defined as meat reducers, people who are now eating less meat than they used to. About 62 percent of the population has had stable meat consumption, while 9 percent has increased consumption over the past year. [READ MORE]

The Design Lounge

Hello Planet Earth! Katy here, Pizza Fusion's resident creative maiden // design guru // color enthusiast extraordinaire. I am staking my turf here in the P-fuzz blogosphere by bringing to you The Design Lounge, your source for all things green and design-y. I spend most of my days scouring the internet for interesting new trends in green design. While I personally tend towards the 2-dimensional, I will be featuring all types of design including architecture, industrial, graphic, art - anything and everything that is remotely creative and eco-friendly that I find personally enjoyable. So sit back, relax and enjoy the organic hookah here in The Design Lounge!

I thought I would make my first post here short and sweet, but leave you with some of my favorite things to have spawned from the  eco-design world. Hopefully this will whet your appetite for future posts. Stay tuned!

Organic Bedding

Studio 804

Tree Prints from Bryan Nash Gill

Sprial Jetty by Robert Smithson

Gi and Pindo Jewelry

How we roll on Earth Day here at Pizza Fusion...

The mothership's (corporate) family came out and did a number on some garbage. I must say that Mark Begelman, our fearless CEO gets the award for, well, being fearless with some of the items he actually found and picked up. Pound for pound he was the winner and wins this year's green shovel! (Which won Vaughan an award for most re-usable find).

As you will see, we left behind a few "reminders' for the beach goers. All in all it was a great event and a great feeling to start the day off this way.



HAPPY EARTH DAY TEAM!!!

See more @Flickr

Eaten Alive: Truly Yummy Raw Pizza

One thing that can put a newbie off of raw food is the funky tasting recipes that sometimes are offered for our favorite cooked foods. I've eaten some bizarre foods during my journeys through raw-ville. And while I can see how some of the interesting tastes and textures might appeal to a long-term raw foodist, for a newbie like me it was not particularly encouraging at the time.

I'm a food scientist by education, and I've got a super picky Carnivore hubby; so if I'm going to serve a raw entree in our home, it's going to have to taste good.  I developed this recipe (and several variations) last summer in a fever of pizza-craving madness. To my surprise (and pleasure), it not only became a huge hit in the established raw community, it was approved for use with non Raw-nivores.

Feel free to serve this as a quirky little appetizer to your Cooked Friends, or make enough for a full meal, if you're so inclined.

Warning for newbies (like you, Vaughan!!) - this kind of raw cuisine is considered 'gourmet' in the raw food community. "Gourmet' in the raw mind means 'this takes a ton of time to make.'

{Go to the Recipe!}