The National Organics Standards Board on Wednesday opened public hearings in Denver to gauge whether producers of organic meat and poultry should be held to higher animal welfare standards.

Anew Consumer Reports surveystrongly suggests that the issue is important to consumers. About86 percent of consumers who buy organic food said they strongly cared thatthe animal farms their food was raised on were held to high standards. About a quarter of American shoppers always or often buy food labeled organic.

Consumers expect organic farms to adhere to strong and consistent standards, including high standards for animal welfare, said Charlotte Vallaeys, a senior policy analyst with Consumer Reports who will testify at the U.S. Department of Agricultures organic standards meeting Wednesday. That includes letting chickens outdoors where they can move around freely, rather than continually cooped up indoors.

The USDA in Januaryissued a final rule for livestock and poultry producers that, among other things, added requirements for organic animal living conditions, transportation and slaughter. It set standards, for example, for minimum indoor and outdoor pace for organic chickens and requires soil and vegetation for outdoor poultry spaces. The intent, the agency said, was to boost consumer confidence in the products sold under the USDA organic seal.

Eighty-three percent of consumers thought it was highly important that organic eggs come from hens who are able to go outdoors, the Consumer Reports survey said.

But a strong push back from some agriculture businesses prevented the new rules from taking effect in March.

Powerful agricultural interests, especially organic egg producers who raise hens in indoor confinement with no meaningful outdoor space, oppose the rule, a release from Consumer Reports said.

The USDA should make the organic animal welfare rule effective without further delay, Vallaeys said. Producers shouldnt be allowed to pick and choose which organic requirements they will meet. This new rule for organics makes clear that outdoor access for animals is not negotiable.

The NOSB meets twice a year to hear from the public anddiscuss regulation issues. Meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Fridayat the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel with a public hearing from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday.

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86 percent of shoppers care about animal welfare in organic meats and poultry, Consumer Reports says - The Denver Post

Were living and working during some pretty challenging times. In our culture, stress is the norm. Too often, our working lives are typified by long days, late-night emails, and unused vacation time. But, more and more, were beginning to understand the positive impact of wellness and mindfulness practices. It seems that an awful lot of successful folks make some kind of mindfulness practice a part of their daily routine.

Meditation, one of the most popular of these practices, has many benefits. Maybe thats why 8 percent of adults in the U.S. are meditating these days. Incorporating a daily meditation practice into your routine could make a big difference in your life and your career.

There are proven health benefits of meditation. Researchers have found that it reduces existing stress, helps us better deal with new stressors, manages pain, and helps us sleep better. Meditation has also been found to be associated with fewer sick days and fewer doctors visits. When we meditate, we give our bodies, and our minds, a chance to rejuvenate and heal.

The body is either in fight or flight or rest and digest, said Keina Bryant Worrell, bodymind practitioner and owner of Thoughtful Therapy in Jacksonville Florida, which offers meditation instruction, massage therapy, body talk, and hypnosis, and the exercise of meditation puts the body in the habit of rest and digest where healing and restoration happen.

We all have so many tasks to manage in our chaotic lives. Meditation gives us some practice with doing just one thing at a time. The effects last beyond the act of meditation itself, improving the way our brains process information, focus, and solve problems. Also, researchers are yet to find any negative side effects of meditation. How often do you land on a therapy or treatment these days thats totally risk-free?!

Meditation supports our happiness and can improve our mood. It shifts our perspective. With less stress, and more calm, focused, attention, were allowed more of a birds eye perspective. Its something that takes time, yes, but meditation also saves time down the road.

You can make better decisions for yourself and for someone else. And, you can respond more appropriately to anything that comes up, good or bad. We can be less impulsive or reactionary because were better balanced with our mood, Worrell told me. The improved mood and focus allows you to make better decisions. When youre working from a less stressed or anxious place youll make better decisions because youre not just acting from that moment, you really do have a better big picture understanding of the situation.

Meditation gives us the ability to step back and see the bigger picture, so were less attached to our own perspective, or even our own negative emotions like anger. When these thoughts and feeling are kept more appropriately in their place, were better able to access information about the best course of action going forward. Once that balance and stability is achieved, it allows for a different kind of clarity. And, that leads to actions that are based more in intuition and in a wiser, more balanced perspective.

The balance is being in the present moment. Thats the only place where you can effect change on the future and not be holding on to the past, Worrell said. You learn from the past to make better decisions in the present. And you plan in the present so as to not be worried about the future.

Our brains are actually capable of changing and learning new things when we meditate. The practice supports something scientists call whole brain thinking. Meditation, it turns out, is sort of like exercise for the brain. Because of this, a daily practice can also make it easier to achieve flow state, which in turn allows you to be your most creative and innovative.

Do you have 10 minutes a day that you can sit still and think? In those 10 minutes the brain has neuroplasticity. It can grow and it can change and it can learn new things, Worrell said. So, in that 10 minutes you spend each day, your creating new neural structures that allow you to live a better life in the long term.

Has meditation helped you in your career? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.

creativity innovation meditation problem solving productivity

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5 Ways Meditation Can Help Your Career - PayScale Career News (blog)

Mediation is an amazing thing. It lowers blood pressure, decreases stress, improves relationships, and so much more. If all these benefits are true, why do we have such a hard time getting started? Its like anything else. We know exercise is good for us, but we dont do it nearly as much as we should. We know we shouldnt smoke, yet so many people do. Fried foods, too much drinking, drugs, etc. there are so many things that we do which are bad for us. Im here to tell you how to do something good. Its easy to start and you dont have to be a monk or in any weird cult.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I meditate I am less irritable. I feel a state of calm throughout most of the day. I let frustration and anger go a lost easier and I deal with stress more gracefully. I usually meditate in the early morning and when I have a client or teach a class later in the evening, I still feel relaxed if Ive meditated. Its a subtle difference, but a profound difference. My main reason for meditating is to stay calm and relaxed. Here are a few ways I get there without the rigamarole of sitting cross legged with my fingers in a mudra.

Take a deep breath. Thats it. Just stopping what youre doing and taking a deep breath is going to give you pause. Its going to allow you to focus for a moment. And that moment is really all you need to feel better and reset your mental attitude.

Close your eyes. Dont do this if youre driving, but a simple moment with your eyes closed and a deep breath brings you a sigh of relief. Go ahead, do it now. Feel what I mean. Its amazing, right?

Pinch somebody. Or yourself. This is the easiest way to get present and after all, meditation is about being present and in the moment. Were distracted when were thinking of too many things at once. One of the best ways to get present is to feel whats around you. Touch your desk, pinch your own arm. Jolt yourself, in a loving way, out of the moment and into the present. This is just another technique to help you become more present.

Clap. A loud clap is another way to shock yourself into the present or out of confusion. When were thinking too much and stressing out over what may or may not happen, a loud noise is a perfect way to bring us back.

Nap. One of the best ways to find that sense of peace and calm is to take a nap. Seriously. You know when you really allow yourself an afternoon nap. If youre a regular person who works during the week, do this on the weekend. Notice how you feel just as you nod off. Its quite a freeing feeling to be completely relaxed. No meditation needed, just a simple shut eye.

Obviously, these are simple techniques to bring you into the moment. Once you have enough self control, youll actually find way more benefits in extended meditation. When you get there follow three simple fundamentals. Sit up with a straight spine, have a smooth even breath, and a single pointed focus. Thats all there is too it. The mind is always the toughest thing to wrangle which is why I teach people to pick a place that is peaceful like the beach or the top of a mountain. Focus on that point and when youre mind is distracted, accept the distraction, and come back to your focal point. Its that simple. You will experience benefits and I look forward to hearing how. You can always reach me @teddymcdonald. Until then, may you have inner peace my friends.

Originally published on the authors website.

Ted McDonald is a yoga teacher, fitness trainer, endurance athlete, entrepreneur, philanthropist and modern day adventurer. A former Lacrosse player at UCLA and Elite Adventure Racer, he has been an athlete his entire life. He began teaching yoga and meditation over 14 years ago while he continues to compete in marathons, triathlons, endurance mountain bike races and ultra marathons.

He is the founder of Adventure Yoga Retreats, a company that organizes premium travel adventures that enrich lives and inspire people to live life at their highest level. Ted co-created Tony Hortons p90x:2 yoga DVD and is featured in p90x:3 Yoga, p90x:3 Isometrix as well as Tonys yoga expert for his one-on-one video series. He is a long time lululemon ambassador and is the designated yoga teacher for the Tour de France winning pro cycling BMC Racing Team. He is a featured teacher on YogaVibes.com , Curious.com and created the yoga program at The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu which was named in Travel & Leisures Worlds Best Spas for 2012 & 2013.

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5 Easy Ways to Feel the Benefits of Meditation - The Good Men Project (blog)

VAIL Your brain is complex, but meditation makes it work better, says neuroscientist, Marjorie Hines Woollacott, Ph.D.

Woollacott is a research scientist and university professor who was certain that the brain was a purely physical entity controlled by chemicals and electrical pulses. Consciousness, she used to assert, was what she and her highly trained brain could perceive.

Meditation taught her to think outside the box, and the box is our bodies and physical perceptions. Her scientific research about meditation found that consciousness extends beyond the brain.

brain activity

She has been conducting scientific research for 10 years.

Her sister meditated and introduced her to it. Woollacott loves her, but dismissed her was one of those "Woo-woo" people.

"My boyfriend called her a bubblehead," Woollacott said.

Her sister invited her to a meditation confab in upstate New York. Woollacott was skeptical but wanted to visit my sister, so she went. The yogi touched Woollacott's head and she felt an energy flow through her head and down to heart. She was amazed, but still a scientist.

"There were no scientific findings about this," Woollacott said, so she started her own study. "The scientific mind in me thought this was too way out there."

'neurons in your brain'

In a controlled laboratory setting, people strapped on gear that attached 256 electrodes on their heads. Woollacott measured the amount of attention they were giving complex tasks, and found that meditators had twice the mental acuity of sedentary adults. Meditation quiets the mind and trains the brain to focus on the task at hand, she said.

"When your mind is quiet and it's not distracted by a million thoughts," Woollacott said.

"As a scientist, consciousness is solely the product of neurons in my brain," Woollacott said. "But because I've had experiences in meditation that tell me otherwise, I've now done research to say it's much more, and that consciousness can exist without the activity of neurons in my brain and that we have a connection with a vast consciousness that we are part of. That more vast consciousness contracts down into our own awareness. In certain moments, it can expand back outward that connects us with other parts of reality."

Woollacott herself meditates, which is how she started down this road. She will speak about her findings in a Vail Symposium Consciousness Series program today at Colorado Mountain College in Edwards. She's also conducting a workshop Friday morning.

The Friday morning workshop will be less of a lecture and more experiential, as Woollacott leads participants in an in-depth exploration of the nature of consciousness from both the scientific perspective and that of direct experience, discussing how each contributes to a complete understanding of the topic.

Woollacott has been a neuroscience professor at the University of Oregon for more than three decades and a meditator for almost four. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. She has written more than 180 peer-reviewed research articles, several about meditation

Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.

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Neuroscience proves meditation makes your brain work better - Vail Daily News

News By Ashley Gibbard | April 18, 2017

Information provided by Allison Abrams

Information provided by Allison Abrams

When thinking of meditation people usually imagine sitting with their legs crossed, eyes closed and humming. Depending on the type of meditation, that may still ring true, but meditation has come a long way and is now being used as a natural treatment for ailments.

Psychotherapist Allison Abrams said there are more and more people out there turning to meditation instead of medication.

Numerous studies over the years have shown the positive effects of meditation on pain and anxiety among other ailments, Abrams said. There are no side effects, it is usually more cost effective and it doesnt lose its effects over time like medication can.

A study conducted by National Institute of Health in 2016, reported that individuals suffering from chronic pain who practiced meditation reported 50 percent fewer symptoms than those who did not.

Meditation is about focusing on your breath and not being overwhelmed by the thoughts in your head. A person can direct their own meditation, follow a guided meditation or take a class if they have a specific need they are focusing on.

Susan Fraser deals with chronic back painand recently completed an eight-week meditation course to see if it would help.

I was tired of the side effects from my medications and having to keep changing them, Fraser said. I wanted to try meditation to see if I could get some relief without causing other problems.

Information provided by Allison Abrams

Abrams said that ultimately meditation cannot be a substitute when medical treatment is necessary, but it does help you become more aware of the present situation and what you are feeling.

Despite its many positive effects, meditation is not a cure-all and should not be used as a replacement for professional medical care when needed, Abrams said.Meditation does help in moments of high stress or anxiety. What it does is shift your focus to the present moment, as most forms of mental suffering, such as anxiety and depression, are brought on by our thoughts- thoughts of the past or worries about the future.

After her class, Fraser intends to keep going with it.

Im looking forward to sticking with the program they taught me, it did actually help, Fraser said. It has helped me to focus on what is in front of me and not dwell on my pain.

We may be Americans, Michiganders and Spartans but what does that really mean? The Spartan Newsroom special projects team takes a look at some of the characteristics that shape our community and make us who we are.

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Meditation is growing in popularity as a pain killer - Spartan Newsroom

When she was in college, Kristen Radtkes uncle died suddenly, from what she describes as an inscrutable heart defect that threaded though [her] family.

Her relatives moved on, reminiscing about her Uncle Dan at holidays. But Radtke found herself fixating on her own health, on the particularities of the gene mutation that ran in her family, on the heart palpitations she sometimes got, and on death more generally the way its acknowledged, celebrated or ignored in different societies.

The resulting story part travelogue, part memoir is told in Radtkes book Imagine Wanting Only This, out this month. In turns personal and expansive, its a visual and written exploration of loss, and how it resonates through our public and private lives.

The first pieces ofImagine Wanting Only Thisbegan as a handful of disparate prose essays, Radtke told The Huffington Post. It took me a long time to realize that they were a part of the same project, and longer still to realize that the project would be graphic.

But shes long been a fan of the medium; she says her book wouldnt have been written if it werent for Alison Bechdels Fun Homeand cites a slew of other recent favorites in the genre, including Tom Harts Rosalie Lightning, Amy Kurzweils Flying Couch, Ellen Forneys Marbles, and Mira Jacobs forthcomingGood Talk: Conversations Im Still Confused About.

The author also loves superhero comics, which introduced her to certain graphic storytelling conventions.

There is a different set of rules for a graphic memoir or literary graphic novel, Radtke said. Visual literature offers an immediate grounding that can be helpful for a narrative that may jump around in time and space. We can convey certain things to the reader very quickly the age of a character, the way she may change through time, the particular and specific elements of place.

Plotting and structure is the hardest part of any project for me, she continued. In the end it all feels like magic that it comes together at all.

Magic or not, Radtkes book is enchanting. Read a chapter-long excerpt below:

You can buy the book on Amazon or at your local indie bookstore.

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This New Graphic Novel Is A Stunning, Honest Meditation On Loss - Huffington Post

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 7 a.m.

Adam Tendler lives in New York City and serves on the faculty of Third Street Music School Settlement, the countrys first community music school.

Photo by Ben Tran

Pianist Adam Tendler doesn't just play the instrument he manipulates it. True to form, Thursday's upcoming performance at the Rothko Chapel won't be a run-of-the-mill concert. Instead, the musical mastermind's selections will require active listening, audience participation and maybe even some meditation.

For this show, Tendler plans to manipulate the very conventional piano to produce music and sounds in a nonconventional way.

"One of the pieces that starts the show requires a manipulation of the keys...Its all about fingertips tapping the keyboard. In terms of sound, its almost microscopic," says Tendler. "Another piece of the program requires the piano lid to be closed, and it has music boxes tapping on the piano."

Other twists come throughout the show. One piece will featurepre-recorded elements on tape, while another will feature the piano as a soloist against the sound of drones.The audience participation comes during an Earle Brown composition via cell phones.

Regarding the Brown piece, Tendler says, "There are four parts, and Ill be playing one of them. Im going to make it so people in the audience can trigger the other piano parts. They can choose which part they want to play using their phones. Well have several sounds floating around the room depending on where you sit."

Tendler has worked with the Rothko Chapel for nearly two years to plan this event, and the music selected was chosen to reflect the space in which it will be performed.

"The space totally formed the program...It fits emotionally and acoustically," he says. "I wanted to create [a] program that was rather still, almost like a prayer program. Something very meditative that would not be super-extroverted."

The full program includesBrown's"Forgotten Piece" (1954) and "Home Burial" (1949),Nico Muhly's"Drones & Piano" (2010),Marina Poleukhina's "for thing" (2013),Morton Feldman's "Palais De Mari" (1981) andPhilip Glass' "Two Pages" (1968).Though the event starts at 7 p.m., Tendler recommends people arrive early for the pre-show performance of Charlie Sdraulig's "collector" (2014-15).

Tendler describes the music as a mix of experiences. He says it will be subdued yet intense. The quietness of the music coupled with the required attention to the smallest of details will make each individual's experience as different as the black and white keys he'll be playing.

"It requires your attention at all time, but not in a bombastic way. Its a lot like a meditation. One piece is 30 minutes long, and its quiet and slow," said Tendler. "Its like having someone give a powerful speech in their quietest voice. It can be kind of overwhelming."

Previous recordings provide a glimpse into the abstract, artful type of music of which Tendler has come to associate himself. The handsome maestro, wearing a sleeveless shirt that highlights his nicely toned arms and shoulders, shows us his emotional as well as analyticside while also fully committing to the music and the journey it explores. At times the music is nuanced and incongruent; at others it shows beautiful combinations of chords and musical phrases.

Tendler is no stranger to the Rothko Chapel. He played a sold-out show there five years ago, and his connection with Houston goes back even further. While on a 50-state tour, he played at MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts), where his presence made an impact. Listeners in the audience fromHoustons Foundation for Modern Musicwere so impressed they gave him a position asartistic director.

He also spent almost two years working as an announcer at KUHF now part of Houston Public Media and his taste in music was sometimes a hit, other times a miss.

"It was definitely a cool experience," Tendler says. "I would tend to get complaints from listeners because some of the music I was playing, they would think something was broken."

Although playing in Houston is not a first for him, this will be Tendler's first time to perform a selection of contemporary pieces meant to be a trippy and meditative experience on 4/20.

Is the date a coincidence? It seems the answer falls somewhere between a "yes" and a "no."

"We were looking at April dates, and because of scheduling, 4/20 looked like the one," he says. "We immediately started making jokes about it, but really, its kind of perfect. [The show] is about surrendering and leaving expectations at the door...Its ironic, but it actually kind of works."

And there you have it, pot smokers, music lovers and meditation enthusiasts. Here's your chance to unite during your favorite hobby - whichever it may be - while also supporting the arts.

"If [people] come totally high, theyll have the best time. This program, in a funny way, really fits that situation," he said.

Adam Tendler plays the Rothko Chapel (3900 Yupon)at 7 p.m. with a pre-show performance beforehand. Tickets are a suggested $10 donation and can be purchased at rothkochapel.org.

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Pianist Adam Tendler Mixes Music And Meditation In Rothko Performance - Houston Press

Maribel Trujillo Diaz, the Butler County mother of four who'd been battling an imminent deportation order, has been sent back to her native Mexico.

Attorney Emily Brown with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) says Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials notified her about the move late Wednesday morning.

ICE, in a statement to WVXU, confirms the deportation was carried out.

"We had filed one last request for prosecutorial discretion from ICE," says Brown. "Many community members, faith leaders, (and) elected officials had also contacted ICE asking for them to exercise discretion in this case. And, unfortunately, ICE decided not to do so."

Brown says she and ABLE are outraged by ICE's actions. "If they are willing to separate a mother with no criminal record from her four American-born children, then it appears that ICE will just target anyone and everyone that they can."

ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls says the agency did excercise discretion by allowing Trujillo Diaz "to remain free from custody with periodic reporting, while her immigration case was pending."

He adds that her "immigration case underwent review at multiple levels of our nations legal system and the courts uniformly held that she had no legal basis to remain in the United States. In 2014, the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed her legal appeals and she became subject to a final order of deportation."

Trujillo Diaz still has a pending asylum request and Brown says she and others will continue working on that motion before the Board of Immigration Appeals.

"We will continue to litigate that motion, and depending on the result, possibly appeal that as well. If she does succeed in getting her case reopened then we would be strongly urging ICE to allow her to come back to the United States at that point. Although, there is no guarantee that they would have to do that."

Brown says it could be up to several months before the board makes a decision.

Through their attorneys, the Trujillo Diaz family is thanking those who have advocated on their behalf. "Maribel and her family and all of us have been incredibly heartened by the outpouring of support by the community, from faith leaders, from people in Southwest Ohio but also around the country who have really stood up and said that this case is an example of the misguided and cruel nature of Trump's immigration policies."

Maribel Trujillo Diaz came to the U.S. without documents in 2002. She'd been meeting regularly with ICE officials since being caught up in a raid on a food plant where she worked. A final deportation order was issued in 2014, but under the previous presidential administration, officials had not moved forward.

Her case garnered widespread attention after she was picked up by ICE officials unexpectedly two weeks ago and scheduled to be deported. Last week, a three-judge panel of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled her emergency appeal for a stay of deportation was moot, effectively clearing the way for the deportation to move ahead.

While awaiting a decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Trujillo Diaz was moved from Butler County to Morrow County in central Ohio; and then to a federal detention center in Louisiana. She was in Louisiana when sent back to Mexico.

As for her four children, ICE previously told WVXU:

For parents who are ordered removed, it is their decision whether or not to relocate their children with them. If parents choose to have their U.S. citizen child(ren) accompany them, ICE accommodates, to the extent practicable, the parents efforts to make provisions for their child(ren). As practicable, ICE will coordinate to afford detained parents or legal guardians access to counsel, consulates and consular officials, courts, and/or family members in the weeks preceding removal in order to execute documents (e.g., powers of attorney, passport applications), purchase airline tickets, and make other necessary arrangements prior to travel.

Both of Ohio's senators advocated on Trujillo Diaz' behalf.

Following her deportation, Sen. Rob Portman says in a statement, "We explored every avenue and worked to find a solution, including getting the facts fromher attorneys and presenting relevant information toImmigrationand Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Immigration Appeals. I'm disappointed that the case could not have been resolved in a manner that keeps this family together."

Sen. Sherrod Brown told WVXU last week he personally called ICE asking the agency to reconsider her case. On Wednesday, he decried the situation again saying, "Leaving four innocent children without their mother is not the way to fix our broken immigration system."

See more here:

Maribel Trujillo Diaz Deported - WVXU

MUMBAI: The Aam Aadmi Party has demanded that the Maharashtra government immediately releases funds for the ashram shalas meant for the Scheduled Caste community in Mumbai. An AAP press release said there are 322 such ashramshalas in Mumbai with a staff of around 4,000 and 50,000 students. These are currently being run with aid from local non-governmental organisations. "Till date, they have been subjected to numerous inspections but have not been allotted the funds which they were promised. It is shocking how governments after governments launch schemes to supposedly uplift the poor but after the launch these schemes are abandoned," said the AAP press release. In 2003 Ashramshalas were started across Maharashtra for children belonging to scheduled castes. These were to be funded by the Central Government. In 2010 it was decided that these will be funded by the state government. However, it has been 14 years but these ashramshalas have not received any funds - and the BJP government that is building statues, sanctioning funds for large scale infrastructure projects, building smart cities claims it has no money to support these ashramshalas. "Around 300 members of the 'Kendriya Anusuchit Jaati Nivaasi Ashramshala Shikshak v Shikshakitar Karamchari Sangh' are protesting in Azad Maidan since April 14. The government has turned a deaf ear to their demands. Also three persons are on a fast unto death but they have received no attention or assurance from the anti-Dalit BJP government," said an AAP press release. A delegation on Wednesday met minister for social justice Rajkumar Badole. Though it is well within his purview, Badole has claimed helplessness, added the press release.

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AAP demands immediate release of funds for SC Ashram Shalas in ... - Times of India

Our love for cheese has been a lifelong affair. We dont think were wrong when we say that for many of us, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was one of our staple foods. We reveled in mac and cheese dinners and in college, a carton of Kraft Easy Mac was stashed under our dorm room bed or at least, we might have known someone like that.When youre cutting back on dairy, the iconic

When youre cutting back on dairy, the iconiccblue box of noodles and powdered neon orange cheese sauce may be out of the picture, but it certainly doesnt mean that mac and cheese is off the table. Companies like Annies, Daiya, and others make the same kind of product, only without the dairy. If youre interested in homemade recipes, there are over one hundred different ways to make a plant-based mac and cheesefrom classic roux-based sauces, sauces made from nuts, or cheese sauces made just from vegetables. But in the busy day-to-day of life, sometimes we just dont have the energy to whip up abatch ofdairy-freehomemade cheesy sauce or even a box of vegan mac and cheese. Thankfully, Uptons Naturals and Field Roast Grain Meat Co. just released ready-made dairy-free mac and cheese!

Hungry? So are we. Keep an eye out for Field Roasts Mac nChao in the frozen aisle of your local grocery store and look for Uptons rendition of the cheesy classic in the same aisle as boxed mac and cheese if you find it, please mail it to us. Its amazing that were living at a time where four new vegan macaroni and cheese products are hitting the market at the same time. With more people than ever cutting back on dairy, its just further proof that the future of food is here and its plant-based.

And if you love mac and cheese or just food in general, check out theFood Monster App(available for bothiPhone and Android). The Food Monster App featuresover 8,000 vegan recipes vegan mac and cheese included and over 10 recipes are added daily! The days of but what about cheese?! are over. Go ahead indulge!

Lead image source: Field Roast

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4 New Vegan Ready-Made Mac and Cheeses Just Hit the Market! - One Green Planet