Time was definitely NO issue…no excuses…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZVFVDXjv-0

Day or Night….still gotta get it in!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_cI5Q1j4nE

SCARYYYYYYYYYY!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfmVdl6TMw0

VFG Member-Tanjareen meets up with a few of her girls to hike Runyon Canyon…but who let the dogs out?? Watch these ladies get their reggae on, share panties and run into the local “wildlife”…while two of them are forced to revisit their real life episodes of  “When Animals Attack!!!”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PnmRdkhLqk

Today’s hike started off as normal as any.  Who would have thought that the VFGs would be recognized  by a successful photographer and a prominent director…

Bernie clowns Tanjareen about her parking….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=95zEqlZ9aFA

Tanjareen explains why….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fSiomqsMXk

Who’s down with the VFGs for the Guest Hike???

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUslMRVSIFg

Tanjareen & Bernie continued to walk the trail…and surprisingly, someone said “Hi Valleywood!”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nMEuKtzqcI

Thanks for the love, Charles Hopkins, check out his photography work at www.charleshopkins.com

Guess who else we bumped in to? Director Jeff Byrd!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iRuU7P6g2Y

Dear Vita-Searcher,

Good for you for combining diet & exercise to reach your weight loss goals!  As far as vitamins go, there aren’t any that I specifically recommend.  Most bottled vitamins are not as good for us as they appear.  (Refer to my article on this site: “VEGGIE VIXEN VISION: Supplement Schmupplement” for more details.)  As the vegetarian VFG of the bunch, my advice is to eat a variety of fruits & veggies to ensure you get all the nutrients your body needs.  The great thing about produce is, we can eat as much of it as we like & still lose weight! (As long as we don’t beer-batter it & smother it in cheese)

Please keep us posted on your progress,
VFG Tanjareen
“Too Vain To Gain”

Since I’m a big advocate for holistic health, I’m a huge antagonist for drugs.  So when it comes to taking vitamins &/or supplements, my solution is simple; Don’t!  At least not the traditional type you buy from the corner drug store.  Those are manufactured in a chemist’s lab & are synthetic to our bodies.  Which is why they don’t usually improve things very much with our health.  And studies show when taken in large dosages, they actually cause more harm than good (perhaps because they’re man-made.)  God, in her Divine wisdom, already gave us every vitamin & mineral we need via fruits, vegetables, nuts, & legumes.  The secret is to eat a variety.  Skittles got it right when they coined the phrase – “TASTE THE RAINBOW”.  If we make it a habit to eat plenty of organic produce in every color of the rainbow, we’ll give ourselves all the nutrients we need, including protein. Then we won’t need a supplement.  So practice a little ‘variety-ism’.  Don’t just keep eating spinach, string beans, & rice with each meal.  Venture out!  Try purple potatoes, violet eggplant, blue corn, green avocados, dark green kale, sweet red peppers, red onions, pink beans, butternut squash, yellow squash, orange sweet potatoes, orange pumpkin, beige whole grains, & as many deep-colored fruits as you can gather.  FYI-there are lots of tasty recipes online to help you figure out what to do with these once you get ‘em.  But if eating this way is just impossible for you, you have my permission to visit a health food store & purchase your choice of PhytoVitamins (derived from plants.)

**NOTE – Keep in mind that I’m not in the medical profession, I’m an actor!  So PLEASE consult your doctor before making any health decisions.

Health is Wealth
VFG Tanjareen
“Too Vain To Gain”

Wanna lose weight but you’re too lazy to work-out ?  The easiest solution is to KILL WHITEY!  No, not white PEOPLE.  (I love them.  They’re the homies.)  I mean eliminate white foods from your diet.  Say no to white salt, white sugar, white potatoes, white bread, white pasta, & white rice.  The really nutritious foods in the Kingdom are colorful. Most white foods have been processed, bleached, & do not digest well in our system.  (Hence, the muffin top.)  For maximum health & digestion, try to eat vegetables from every single color of the rainbow each week.  And when you get the urge to have some white starch or bleached chemical seasoning, consider these alternatives.

white salt –-> coarse sea salt or black salt (FYI Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is not ur friend)
white sugar –-> real maple syrup or agave nectar
white potatoes -–> red potatoes, purple/blue potatoes, or sqaush
white bread –-> whole multi-grain bread (not fake wheat-colored bread), or chapati
white pasta –->kamut pasta, quinoa pasta, or whole grain pasta
white rice –-> jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, or cous cous

‘Kill whitey’ for 2 weeks & watch the inches from your waste fade away!

You’re welcome,  :-) 
VFG Tanjareen
“Too Vain To Gain”

Whenever I tell someone I’m a vegan vegetarian they respond with, “OK, but you eat chicken, right?” No, I reply.  I don’t eat animal products.  I’m a vegetarian.  They say “Oh, but you eat fish at least, right?” NO!  I’m a vegetarian.  I eat VEGE-tation.  Defeated they then ask, “Umph, then what DO you eat?” So here are examples of what I may eat in a day:

BREAKFAST – an organic fruit & juice smoothie (no ice cream, yogurt, or chemical powders added. I use bananas to make it creamy & sweeter) – or a bowl of naturally sweetened cereal w/ vanilla almond milk – or tofu scramble w/ veggie bacon & naturally sweetened waffles w/ REAL maple syrup (not maple flavored corn syrup)

LUNCH – an avocado sandwich w/ plenty of organic lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, & sprouts w/ a bag of kettle chips – or a large fresh salad of lots of chopped organic produce w/ homemade vinaigrette dressing or non-dairy Goddess dressing – or a Portobello mushroom burger w/ a side salad – or veggie chili soy cheese french fries

SNACKS – unsalted almonds, unsalted raw cashews, organic unsulfered raisins, any unsulfered dried fruit w/ no sugar added – fresh organic fruit, jarred fruit in fruit juice (not canned fruit cocktail soaking in corn syrup) – lightly salted kettle chips – popcorn seasoned w/ sea salt – naturally sweetened granola bars w/ non dairy chocolate chips

DINNER – stir fried organic vegetables w/ homemade teriyaki sauce over brown jasmine rice – or same veggies & rice w/ curry sauce – or soy meat tacos w/ a side of Spanish rice, & vegetarian refried beans (no lard) –  or whole grain penne pasta under roasted veggies in marinara sauce w/ soy italian sausage – or my favorite meal: vegan BBQ ribs, maple candied yams, vegan mac & cheese, curry black-eyed peas, stir fried collard greens w/ bits of seiten “meat” & vegan blueberry corn bread

DESSERT – soy cookies n cream ice cream – or vegan chocolate chip cookies – or vegan oatmeal raisin cookies – or vegan carrot cake – or vegan lemon cake – or fruit sorbet – or a chocolate almond-milk shake – or vegan brownies w/ chocolate chips

*NOTE:  Fake meats, like soy burgers & veggie bacon, are processed food.  I call them “transition foods” because it makes the shift from a carnivorous diet to a vegan one easier.  But keep in mind, its healthier to eat organic produce, legumes, & grains in their most natural unprocessed state.

**TJ’s VEGAN TIP: You can use avocado in place of cow cheese on salads, sandwiches, & burgers.

Hope this helps,
VFG Tanjareen
“Too Vain To Gain”

Hi Tanjareen,

A long time ago, L. Marie had shared that U got facials @ Burke Williams to maintain your beautiful skin and facial complexion.
At times, I have minor acne breakouts. What treatment(s) do you get @ Burke Williams or have U moved on to a another place that gives awesome facials to maintain great skin?
Congrats on being able to help the sisters with their diet regiment and being a role model!  All the best on your endeavors!!!

Happy Wednesday!
-Seeking Skincare

Dear Seeking,

Awww, how sweet of u to compliment my skin. I have skin challenges too. I haven’t gotten a facial at Burke in a while. But when I did, I got the organic enzyme one. Now I usually go to Simply Nature Day Spa on Riverside Dr in Toluca Lake. The owner (Denuta) does an amazing facial with with natural products & she does extractions. Love her!
I also use Derma Doctor’s Ain’t Misbehaving cleanser,  Dermalogica’s Multivitamin Thermafoliant & organic natural soap bars from a health grocer.  (I probably shouldn’t mention actual brand names since they’re not sponsoring us, but hey maybe they will soon!)  I also do microdermabrasion at home from time to time.  Keep in mind that I’m not a professional, so please consult a dermatologist to be sure you’re making the best decisions for your skin.

Hope this helps.
VFG Tanjareen

As a sistah from Inglewood, I’m often asked how I can dare pass up fried chicken, neck bones, or that plump turkey on the holidays.  I’ve been hesitant to post this because there’s no quick way to answer.  So alas here’s the story…

When I was 7 years old my mom’s friend was a vegetarian & she seemed super cool to me.  Years later, my 9^th grade health teacher was vegetarian & she was extremely energetic.  Because of these 2 women, I’ve been very interested in the importance of maintaining optimal health.  So at the age of 14, I stopped eating red meat.  Like many American, I really thought a diet of poultry & seafood was Oh So Healthy, so I ate this way for years.  But for some reason I couldn’t get rid of a lil pouch on my belly no matter how much I exercised. In 1999, as I began to study holistic healing, I learned some amazing facts.  Even chicken & fish are harmful because human beings were not designed to be carnivores.  Our teeth & intestines prove that.  And our poor health confirms it! Did you know: More Black people have died from degenerative dis-eases than were killed during the entire slave trade?!?  We have gotten too comfortable with losing our elders to health problems & mistakenly calling it “old age”.  Heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetics, hypertension, osteoporosis, gingivitis, obesity, dementia, high cholesterol, fatigue, pneumonia, the flu – ALL dis-eases are preventable!  We give ourselves these dis-eases with what we put in & on our bodies.  Animal flesh, animal secretions (dairy), chemicals, & negative thoughts are what create disharmony in our bodies.  We’re the only animal in the kingdom that drinks the milk of another species.  WTH?!? We eat mostly chemicals.  No wonder 1 in 3 Americans will acquire some form of cancer in their lifetime.

My grandparents on both sides are no longer living.  Most of my aunts and uncles are gone.  My cousins are sick.  My own father was on dialysis for 10 years before his recent kidney transplant.  Dis-ease.  Dis-ease.  Dis-ease.  I’m sure you have some relatives that were on 12 different medications for several years before they suffered some slow unsightly death.  It’s the American way!  So I’ve decided to break the cycle.  In August of 2000 I did the Master Cleanse (only cayenne-maple-lemonade) for 10 days.  And when I ended my fast, I decided to only fill my Temple with foods that would edify me.  I’ve been a vegan vegetarian ever since. Afterall was there an ice cream parlor, steak house, or mini bar in the Garden of Eden? I believe health is wealth.  What good is a trillion dollars if you can’t get out of bed to enjoy it?

Trust me: I was raised on eating everything ‘from the roota to the toota’, so I know what I’m missing.  I love food that tastes great just like you do.  But I’ve found delicious vegan substitutes so that I can still eat what I was raised on.  There are vegan versions of bacon, sausage patties, hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian sausage, cheese, milk, butter, taco meat, pate, chicken nuggets, sliced lunch meat, Turkey roast, even BBQ ribs.  My favorite meal is vegan soul food.  Just switch the ingredients of YOUR favorite recipes & enjoy!

VFG Tanjareen
“I don’t eat meat…unless it just got out of the shower”

OK, a few weeks ago, while my fellow VFGs were doing their pescatarian challenge, I posted this on our Facebook fan page:

“Whussup y’all! It’s Tanjareen-The Veggie Queen. I have a question; Since the rest of the Valleywood Girls are doing a pescatarian diet this week, & I don’t eat animal flesh, what should my challenge be?”

And here were some of the responses: 
Blanca Estela Green-Santin – Become Vegan for a week
Lyric Ramsey – Do you eat after 7 o clock?
(Me) – I’m already a vegan. I don’t eat flesh, or eggs, or dairy, or drink liquor or soda, or eat processed sugar. What the heck is left for me to say no to??!!  (Tanjareen)
Angel Christmas –
1. No eating after 7
2. NO DAIRY,  SALT OR SUGAR
3. A gallon of water a day.
All of the above or select one.  
(Me) - Yes, I do eat after 7pm, Lyric.  I pass up so many foods, I figure I can eat however late I like. Gotta have SOME fun. (Tanjareen)
Angel Christmas – oooh or only raw vegetables and fruit. That’s what I did.
Kenneth Johnson – Do a homemade health smoothies for a week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner..including snack…just fruit and veggie blends, all do it yourself smoothies for a week.
(Me) – LOL @ Gregory! Stay off the pole for a whole week? I dunno if I can do that, G.
(Me) – Hmm, I’ve done raw food fasts before. In fact, I did one again in February while one of my guyfriends & I were on an herbal detox. Perhaps, that can be my challenge, Angel. Any other suggestions from anyone else? (Tanjareen)
(Me) – You tryin’ to give me the “runs”, Kenneth?  
j/k I’m down with smoothies. I have a bomb VitaMix blender too. (Tanjareen) 
Kenneth Johnson – lol…nope, wouldn’t do that. But, because it’s already broken down..it’s easier for your body to digest and absorb…plus it does a body good. 
Gregory Brown – Well you know that [pole] takes a lot of skillz. You certainly can’t do it if you sitting up eating steak every night. I was going to challenge you then I realized I only have one back.
(Me) – Kenneth, I concur.  Gregory, you’re a mess!  (Tanjareen)

John P. Rutledge – Do the Ironman, Tanj. And raise money for your favorite charity in the process. It’s a life-changing accomplishment, I promise. And I don’t use that description lightly… 
Gregory Brown – Whoa whoa now. U gotten all of this feedback. U got to tell us what the decision is…right people?Divine Love – Try a liquid diet of only 100% fruit or vegetable juice.
(Kam Horne-VFG) – okay Tanj, since you already eat very very healthy why not try something that will challenge your body, heart and mind…….THE MC DONALD”S DIET CHALLENGE…the hardest one yet…and the fries, gurrrrrrl…betcha can’t eat just one! LMAO!!!——–Kam
Tanya Sloan – Try the rice diet. It is mainly vegetarian and works like a charm everytime.

(Me) – Kam, I KNOW you didn’t suggest the McDonald’s diet for me! Ha haaa! You’re right; that WOULD be a challenge for me!
**dead after Quarter Ponder with cheese**  (Tanjareen) 
(Me) – John, what’s the Ironman? Sounds like a triatholon of some sort. 
Sloan, what exactly is the rice diet? I may already be on it by accident. I have sauteed veggies w/ brown rice or jasmine rice a lot. (Tanjareen)
(Me) – Ok, y’all sounds like I should end the week out with a raw foods diet. Smoothies, juices, salads, nuts, raisins, raw pastries, raw pizzas, raw pastas, etc. It’ll be fun! Yeah?  (Tanjareen)
Farrah Foster – ok Tanj, you have went raw crazy. Where are raw pastries?

So here’s my confession:
After all of that, I didn’t do anything!  I was so gung-ho at first to join my girls in a diet challenge.  Then I thought, “Hey, they’re already 4 days into a 7-day challenge.  I’ll just start next week when they begin some new quest.  Plus that’ll give me some time to go to the store & get plenty of fresh organic produce for my raw foods meals.” Then I began looking at all the weight I’ve lost from all these work-outs and welp, I re-‘nigged’.  I apologize for letting y’all down.  But my butt is getting flat.  :-/

VFG Tanjareen
“Too Vain To Lose Weight”