Veggie Tales

By PATTY KIM pkim@tampatrib.com

Published: Aug 11, 2007

Think vegetarians are weak and timid? Try telling that to superstar singer Carrie Underwood or "Tonight Show" bandleader Kevin Eubanks. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently named them the World's Sexiest Vegetarian celebrities for 2007.

Underwood is a lifelong animal lover, often sporting "V is for Vegetarian" shirts at concerts. Eubanks keeps his body tuned with healthful vegetarian meals.

We decided to find some fit local vegetarians. (You can be the judge as to how sexy they are.)

Muscle Without Meat

Study Roger McDowell's bulging biceps and washboard abs, and you might not believe he's vegan. It takes effort to maintain his muscular 6-foot-1, 174-pound frame, and not a bit of that has come from eating filet mignon. At least not for the past 12 years.

In 1995, McDowell's cholesterol was 240 - the same as his dad's. When his father had a heart attack, McDowell decided to do something about his own health.

"I figured I'd go down the same road as him if I didn't," says McDowell, 47, a real estate investor.

He turned vegetarian and watched his cholesterol plummet 100 points. He shed 20 pounds in a year. "I started to get the pep back into my step."

So much so that he began running. He hits the treadmill at Family Fitness Center in Port Richey for a three-mile run twice a week. He'll log six or seven miles if he's feeling good.

McDowell takes weight training seriously; he lifts three times a week.

Salads aren't the source for chiseled brawn, so McDowell turns to beans such as lentils, his favorite. He'll feast on brown rice with black beans and onions, pinto beans or black-eyed peas. For extra protein, he'll blend soy-free vegan protein powder with strawberries and stevia, an all-natural sweetener. Nuts and seeds are the perfect snack.

Juicing is a quick, convenient way to drink your veggies, McDowell says. He gets omega-3 fatty acids from flax seeds and flax seed oil, which is perfect for spreading on whole-wheat toast instead of butter. To fuel his workouts, he also adds healthy fats from avocados, extra-virgin olive oil and coconut oil.

"I take a multivitamin mineral supplement. I think everyone should, even if you're not vegetarian. If you're eating meat and potatoes and french fries, minerals will be deficient in your diet, as well," McDowell says.

Petting a cow at the fair six years ago was enough to nudge McDowell into the vegan lifestyle. "It started to lick me as I pet it, and I realized it would become part of the food supply. I looked in the eyes of this cow and had an epiphany."

Now, he and his girlfriend rescue animals roaming near their rural four acres in Port Richey. The family includes eight pooches. And then there's Rooty (because he roots), the potbelly pig they found running down the road. Rooty can keep up with the dogs any day of the week, but scratch his sides and he gets wobbly and falls over into a slumber.

"That helps reinforce things. When you're outside your house and actually talking to a piglet who's listening to you as you scratch it, you never forget why you're a vegan."

Power To The People

Michelle LaFleur used to be one of them - the ones who say they don't eat meat, just chicken.

LaFleur, 36, has worked in elder care for 15 years and knows how to keep herself young. It started with going vegetarian in 1992. Today, it's vegan or bust for this animal-rights advocate.

"I can be famished and not eat meat," she says, recalling a trip she once took to upstate New York with her mom. They hadn't eaten much that day, and the only place open at the truck stop they visited was a fried chicken restaurant.

"I had a baked potato and a salad. If I were hungrier, I would have had two baked potatoes and two salads," LaFleur says. "I will not yield. It's just not an option."

LaFleur has since inspired her mom to go vegetarian.

It's no surprise that she's the founder of the Tampa Vegan Meetup group and the co-founder of the Pasco Vegetarian Society with her boyfriend, McDowell. She organizes Tampa vegetarian dinners at 5 p.m. the second Saturday of the month at Trang Viet Cuisine and Pasco dinners at 5 p.m. the third Saturday of the month at Lanna Thai.

She also co-hosted the first vegan Thanksgiving dinner in Tampa last year, which drew 150 hungry supporters.

LaFleur eats "clean," which doesn't include vegan mock meats. She focuses on raw foods such as tomato sandwiches on sprouted bread and gourmet salads, as well as plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, grains and nuts. Village Health Market is her grocery store of choice. "I'm really not eating only four things: cows, pigs, birds and fish. I eat everything else," she says.

Sweet Tomatoes and Grass Root Organic Restaurant in Tampa are her favorite places to dine out, but she says she can go anywhere. "Chefs go to culinary school, and they're thrilled to be challenged. Ask for fajitas without the chicken and with extra veggies. Most dishes can be tweaked to become vegetarian or vegan. Don't back down, just speak up."

Staying in shape doesn't end with what's on her plate. She's a member at Lifestyle Family Fitness, Shapes, Gold's Gym and yoga studios. She's a power yoga pro four times a week and also loves to spin, working out in front of the class near the instructor. "I have a point to prove. I'm very fit, and I wear my vegan T-shirts when I work out."

"My goal is to be a millionaire, but in a different sense. One person in one year [not eating meat] can save about 97 animals. I want to save a million animals, one person at a time."

A Kinder Kitchen

Lunch at Joan Zacharias' home is just like stepping into a page of Bon Appetit - minus the meat.

Crackers envelop a bowl of vegan walnut pecan pâte flanked by a dish of wasabi tamari toasted almonds and an inviting platter of cupcakes and chocolate ganache-dipped strawberries. A wheat-free vegan pot pie cools on the counter as Zacharias tends to a simmering pot of carrot coconut bisque and a pan of sauteed Swiss chard, kale and colorful bell peppers. A beautiful bowl of mixed greens is ready for a splash of homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing.

"This is nothing. I've just redone some comfort foods," Zacharias, 49, says modestly.

She carefully selects organic produce from Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, Rose Kalajian's herb farm, Wild Oats, Nutrition S'Mart, Abby's, and sometimes Sweetbay and Publix.

It's a far cry from the fast-food lifestyle of her 30s. "I was on the road to following in my mother's and sister's footsteps in terms of obesity," says the slender media researcher. But it is the realities of U.S. factory farming that changed her way of life in 1991. Three years later, she went vegan, and four years after that, she stopped eating the office birthday cake.

Now she works from her New Tampa home. Lunch is the main meal of the day, and she makes it count. So does her husband. Tom Lyons' two-minute commute to work means he has the best place in town to eat lunch every day.

"Pushing disease-promoting meat, fish, dairy and eggs off the plate leaves room for a whole world of plant-based cuisine that most people are not aware of at all," Zacharias says. "I feel like this way of eating has really saved my life."

It has also given her the fuel she needs for workouts at Lifestyle Family Fitness and bike rides at nearby Flatwoods Park.

The lack of veg groups in her area prompted Zacharias to start New Tampa Vegans nearly a year ago. It's a vegan environment that indulges in holiday parties (decadent Valentine's party, anyone?), cooking classes (an upcoming pizza and cheesecake course is sold out), open-mic nights (Zacharias is known to sing Vance Lehmkuhl's "Lips That Touch Liver [Will Never Touch Mine]") and more.

"If we see a fly swatter or glue trap in your house, we will hide it so that you never find it. Our friends and families know that we do this," she says. "We've become very skilled in the art of catch-and-release when it comes to palmetto bugs."

Veggie Resolve

Relocating from New York to New Tampa two years ago for his IT job has been an adjustment for Tom Lyons' palate. Gone are the endless vegan dining options.

Now he sticks to Chinese and Indian restaurants. But his favorite, he says, is "Joan's Kitchen," where wife Joan Zacharias whips up mean vegan gourmet meals while she works from home.

Lyons' journey started with beef. Then chicken. By his mid-20s, Lyons, 45, had cut out all meat to sustain a healthy, active, vegan lifestyle. That doesn't mean he can't enjoy himself at a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game, where he brings tofu hotdogs. Last time he didn't have buns, so collard greens had to do. He'll take veggie pepperoni and soy cheese to the pizzeria for a vegan special.

He has never lost his love for basketball, which he played in high school, and today he hangs on the court with kids half his age. He runs about three miles on the treadmill at least twice a week and lifts weights every other day at the New Tampa YMCA. He rides his bike and plays tennis, and he used to take martial arts.

"I feel like I'm racing the clock. I'm trying to fight old age," Lyons says. "I feel that the more I exercise, the more I'll slow the aging process down."

Lyons' vegan lifestyle has evolved to focus on animals. It's no surprise given the animal sanctuary he and Zacharias share with cats Mel, Micky, Moby, Brook and Lyn; rescued Labradors Theo and Nellie; and turtles Bridge Mama and Baby, who relax out by the pool.

Theo and Nellie have adapted to a mostly vegetarian diet, but the felines haven't warmed up to whole grains, lentils and meat-free options - yet.

I Can Do It; You Can Do It

You'd never guess that Trevor Chin will turn 50 in November. He has run marathons. He has done century rides (100 miles). He's a Big Brother. He's a guardian ad litem in Hillsborough County. He's a public access TV producer.

And whenever he can, the adviser and past president of Florida Voices for Animals spreads the word about veganism.

In 1991, he learned about factory farm practices, and that was enough to convince him that he didn't need meat to survive. "I like being able to survive without killing another living being," he says.

The ethical reasons go hand in hand with the health benefits for Chin. He enjoys fruits, vegetables, nuts grains, tofu, tempeh and meat substitutes. Vegan protein bars and cashews are perfect for snacking. He replaces sugar with stevia, agave nectar or maple syrup. He even indulges in a vegan chocolate pie.

His yard is filled with pineapples, lemongrass, habanero peppers, papaya and peaches. He's part of Harmony Organic Buying Club, which allows members to buy organic produce directly from Global Organics in Sarasota. He also belongs to Sweetwater Organic Community Farm.

"The more you choose organic, the less pesticides you'll have in your body," Chin says. "I'm not missing out on anything because there are so many alternatives."

Chin has been running since 1976, when he joined the Army. He usually pounds the pavement three days a week and lifts weights two days. He practices tai chi twice a week during his work lunch break and has studied martial arts. The weekends are reserved for cycling. He also works out at the YMCA through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America with his little brother, Troy, 13.

"I figure you have to use it or lose it," Chin says. "I've got only one body, and I'm the only one who can take care of it."

He promotes veganism at health fairs and every other chance he gets.

"People who are proactive in learning where food comes from can make an informed decision," he says. "You can save money in terms of doctor's bills, retain a healthier lifestyle and have a better quality of life."

GO VEGGIE

If you're considering going green, check out these local vegetarian and vegan groups:

•Florida Voices for Animals, www.geocities.com/fvaonline

•New Tampa Vegans, newtampavegans.googlepages.com

•Pasco Vegetarian/Vegan Society, pascovegetariansociety.com

•Tampa Area Animal Rights Meetup Group, animalrights.meetup.com/157

•Tampa Bay Vegetarians, tampabayvegetarians.org

•Veg Tampa Bay, www.vegtampabay.com

VEG OUT

Organic buying starts here:

•Abby's Health & Nutrition, 14374 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, (813) 265-4951

•Chuck's Natural Food Marketplace, 11301 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace, (813) 980-2005

•Harmony Organic Buying Club, Tampa, www.geocities.com/harmonyorganic/harmonyorganic.html

•Natural Health Hut Buying Club, Wesley Chapel, www.imherbalist.com

•Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N. MacDill Ave., Tampa, (813) 873-7428

•Nutrition S'Mart, 14847 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, (813) 908-9500

•Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, Tampa, www.sweetwater-organic.org

•Village Health Market, 3225 S. MacDill Ave., No. 123, Tampa, (813) 831-6065

•Wild Oats Marketplace, 1548 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, (813) 874-9435