Most folks read food labels for calorie counts and fat gram information, but vegans need to be mindful of so much more. Unless the packaging on a product specifically says “vegan,” we can’t assume anything. Even a “non- dairy” or “lactose-free” label isn’t foolproof. Here’s a shortcut: Look at the end of the ingredient list. This is where commons allergens like dairy, corn, wheat, nuts and soy are listed. If milk is there, you know right off the food isn’t vegan. Even if milk isn’t listed, there are still many other ingredients that could be derived from animals. Here are some more tips on how to stay cruelty-free in the grocery aisle… >> Continue reading at earthbalancenatural.com

My mother is a great cook, and because I am not that interested in the culinary arts, she finds my kitchen woefully inadequate when she cooks one of her delicious meals at my house. There is one thing in my kitchen that impresses Mom, however: my extra-powerful blender. It’s a Vitamix brand, and, like other high-end blenders made by companies such as Omega and Blendtec, is chock-full of horsepower and can churn ingredients in ways that everyday blenders cannot. >> Continue reading at earthbalancenatural.com

I have written another short blog for www.madejustright.com called “3 Tips for a Healthier You”. Check it out and let me know what you think!

People usually switch to a plant based life style for 3 reasons: to become healthier, for the environment, or for the rights and welfare of animals.   For me, the catalyst that made me vegetarian in one fell swoop was reading  Diet for a Small Planet   and learning how ecologically  wasteful it was to eat meat: It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of hamburger, but only 250 gallons of water to make 1 pound of whole wheat flour.  The fecal waste of farm animals in the United States is so extensive farmers do not know what to do with it, so it ends up polluting rivers and aquifers. 16 pounds of grain go into the cow to make 1 pound of meat.  As a budding environmentalist and a rebellious 14 year old, quitting chicken, meat and fish was easy. The next year, I did a book report on Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation, and animal rights became a strong reason for me to give up leather, wool and silk and to purchase cruelty free products. But I still ate dairy, even though I was fully aware of the horrors of the dairy industry .  I was in awe … Continue reading →

This blog appeared on the Center for the Advancement of a Steady State Economy’s website www.SteadyState.org Maybe It’s Time to Offend a Few Folks by Alexandra Paul Speaking out about human overpopulation is not an easy thing, as I have been told that people get offended. I have not personally experienced offending anyone, but perhaps those folks have been too polite to tell me. I have not read any studies that prove people are offended, but perhaps I have missed them. If I offend you in this video, please let me know. I once asked the executive director of the Rainforest Action Network why RAN didn’t discuss the huge number of people on the planet as a factor in rainforest devastation and encourage smaller human families, as everyone in that nonprofit organization probably understands that the demand for resources from 7 billion people on the planet is causing extensive damage to the earth. They know that if the UN projection of 10 billion people on the planet by 2050 is right, it will be disastrous for forests everywhere. She admitted, abashedly, that she did not want to alienate donors. RAN is an organization whose members break into corporate offices and … Continue reading →

1) Sometime in the late 90s there was a small news item in a free newspaper back here that said that Alexandra Paul will be starring in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. “Perfect choice!” I thought. Unfortunately it didn’t happen…as a matter of fact the movie has not been made even to this day. Any thoughts on being Wonder Woman? I think you would have been far better as WW than any other of the women that have been mentioned since then…and that’s my completely unbiased opinion. I even remember seeing a rather good photo manipulation of you as Wonder Woman which would prove my point, if I only could find it. J-E Lindqvist Hi J-E, I know that at some point in the late 90s there was talk in the media that I was the top choice to play Wonder Woman in the movie version – my sister heard it on radio in San Francisco, Ain’t It Cool News posted it also, and another friend read about it in a newspaper. I was never formally offered the part, and in the end the movie was never made. I really do not know how that rumour got started, so perhaps … Continue reading →

Alexandra arrives at FOX Winter TCA 2013 All-Star Party on Jan 8, 2013.