Why I am a Vegan

[Billy]

I ate soup the other day where the majority of the ingredients came from my very backyard, and the feeling of 'Wow, this food that I am consuming literally was seeded and grew just a few feet from the back door' was joyous. This was food that was grown organically, done for the joy of it and not as a job ( thanks Mum ), and didn't have to travel across great distances to get to my plate.  I couldn't wrap my head around it.  It reminded me of the intense disconnect that so many of us have with our food and how much of it we take for granted.  Given the right circumstances, joy can come so naturally and spontaneously sometimes.  

On a vegan note, I have also been drinking chlorophyll on a daily basis for almost a week now and am feeling pretty good about it.  Does anyone else drink this stuff or something similar?

[Patrick]

...
On a vegan note, I have also been drinking chlorophyll on a daily basis for almost a week now and am feeling pretty good about it.  Does anyone else drink this stuff or something similar?

We juice green vegetables and drink this every week day.  Lots of chlorophyll in it.
 

[Jade]

I have a new coworker who asked me this the other day: Why are you vegan? There are three answers that seem to be able to satisfy people: For one's own health, for environmental reasons, or for compassion for the animals. I realized that when she asked me this expecting one of those responses, that the answer was not nearly that simple or compartmentalized. Initially I went vegan for health reasons, supported by a compassion for animals. But after nearly 5 years of this lifestyle, I realize that compassion for my body, compassion for animals, and compassion for the environment/planet are all the same thing. I choose every day to attempt to have a net positive impact on the whole of my environment, based on feedback that the environment gives me, such as how our increasing global desire to farm meat is destroying rainforests and other natural habitats, how much water/fuel is required to farm meat vs. vegetables, and how the livestock industry creates more green house gases than the whole of our transportation system. I just learned yesterday that shrimp has a larger bioimpact than beef! It's cues like these that help show me a better way.

[Jade]

Farmers feed cows candy unfit for human consumption as a "cheap source of carbs".

[Nía]

Farmers feed cows candy unfit for human consumption as a "cheap source of carbs".

[Nía]

In case anyone's running out of ideas.

40 sweet & savoury vegan avocado recipes

[native]

Avocados help my body with fat. Started eating almonds daily for fat and protein and they have helped a lot.

As an American I still have difficulty finding satisfying recipes and I think the key is to focus more internationally. Web searches or newer vegan cookbooks just yield chefs making stuff up or veganizing dishes. How many black bean burger recipes, vegan lasagna, or piles of random supposed vegetable goodiness must I endure?

It only makes sense to look into Indian and Asian cooking, since they've been honing cooking without meat for centuries. I bought Every Grain of Rice, Asian Tofu by Andrea Nguyen, and Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen. The books came yesterday and I made a simple spinach with sesame oil appetizer with leftover spinach and it was awesome. Mexico's culture has also had to rely on recipe's without meat and I have Bayless's Mexian Kitchen which is pretty good.

[Nía]

Hats off: Meet Dr. Heather Shenkman, Ironman Triathlete & Vegan Cardiologist

[flofrog]

Just stumbled across this image...

Such a lovely pyramid Naía, thank you ! I remember about 15 years ago a book by a Swedish scientist on the energy emitted by various foods, calculated in angstrom, (!) and the raw potato was emitting low energy, but one of the highest once baked !! Which is a good thing, since potatoes are standard food cultivated by Sweeden...!

[Nía]

I remember about 15 years ago a book by a Swedish scientist on the energy emitted by various foods, calculated in angstrom, (!) and the raw potato was emitting low energy,  but one of the highest once baked !!  Which is a good thing,  since potatoes are standard food cultivated by Sweeden...!  

Same here in Ireland! Sounds like an interesting book, as I remember vaguely to have read something similar a good while ago (I don't remember what and how they measured it, though). Will have to look up that book! (Just remembered that fried potatoes (chips/french fries and the like) do contain the highly carcinogenic acrylamide (the darker they get, the more they contain), and should ideally be fermented before being fried (if at all), or, at least be consumed with a high amounts of antioxidants (Vitamin C, superfoods...).

-`ღ´-

[Nía]

Just stumbled upon this...

[Nía]

I remember about 15 years ago a book by a Swedish scientist on the energy emitted by various foods, calculated in angstrom, (!) and the raw potato was emitting low energy,  but one of the highest once baked !!  Which is a good thing,  since potatoes are standard food cultivated by Sweeden...!  

Here is an article about The measurement of food according to Simoneton (in angstrom) - is this the guy who wrote the book? He seems to be a Frenchman, however.

-`ღ´-

[Nicholas]

Just stumbled upon this...

Ha, I am on Chris's email list! I discovered him on The Truth About Cancer documentaries 

[flofrog]

I remember about 15 years ago a book by a Swedish scientist on the energy emitted by various foods, calculated in angstrom, (!) and the raw potato was emitting low energy,  but one of the highest once baked !!  Which is a good thing,  since potatoes are standard food cultivated by Sweeden...!  

Here is an article about The measurement of food according to Simoneton (in angstrom) - is this the guy who wrote the book? He seems to be a Frenchman, however.

-`ღ´-

Nía, you work like an elf !!! It might very well be him... I thought it was a Swedish author but I might be wrong !! I can't really remember the name at all. I know I was really struck by the baked potato because I love them !! a lovely article, thank you so much, and a lovely pyramid next to it...

The funny thing is how much this article reflects identically the concepts of food seen by Ayurveda... lol
thank you Nía

[Nía]

Video: Environmental cost of eating meat (land, water, energy)

(Off topic: Has anyone else noticed it seems impossible to post Facebook videos here? Is this by design?)

[Nía]

Plant-based protein works as well for building muscle strength as meat

[Nía]

A handy guide to meat substitutes: some to make, some to buy, all totally delicious and cruelty free!

[Nía]

Murder, She Didn't Write: Why Can Only Humans be Murdered?

It's time to change the language we use for writing about killing other animals.

[Diana]

Murder, She Didn't Write: Why Can Only Humans be Murdered?

It's time to change the language we use for writing about killing other animals.

It is good when you post some of the article here, maybe just some salient points. And also, could you let me know if there are any heartbreaking photos, as I am hesitant to go to the link, but would like to read the article.

[Nía]

It is good when you post some of the article here, maybe just some salient points. And also, could you let me know if there are any heartbreaking photos, as I am hesitant to go to the link, but would like to read the article.

There's no picture at all in the article (unless they are blocked by my ad-blockers, but I don't think so), and it's mainly an argument for what the author describes as An increasing number of people agree that killing another animal should be called murder.

[Nía]

Ra have, by the way, interestingly, used the same term for the (violent/cruel) killing of animals on Earth as for 3D entities on Venus, slaughter:

Ra: I am Ra. We were, in the cautionary statement about complex protein, referring to the distortions of the animal protein which has been slaughtered and preservatives added in order to maintain the acceptability to your peoples of this non-living, physical material.

Ra: I am Ra. The technique of control over others and domination unto the physical death was used in both cases. Upon a planetary influence much unused to slaughter these entities were able to polarize by this means. Upon your third-density environment at the time of your experiencing such entities would merely be considered, shall we say, ruthless despots which waged the holy war.

-`ღ´-

[Diana]

Thanks Nia. I am going to post the opening paragraph here. The article was written by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. for Psychology Today.

Murder, She Didn't Write: Why Can Only
Humans be Murdered?

It's time to change the language we use for writing about killing other animals.

It's well known that the language we use to refer to nonhuman animals (animals) can be used to hide or sanitize the often rather egregious ways in which we use, harm, and kill them. Words such as euthanize, dispatch, harvest, and cull are frequently used to refer to instances in which people with different motivations and intentions, kill healthy animals, usually "in the name of humans." It's about time these polite words are changed to the harsher word, murder, because that's what it really is. However, time again, others and I are told that only humans can be murdered, because that's the way legal systems view killing other-than-human animals.
...

go to article

I will add that this article is not pushing vegetarianism or veganism, for those who might avoid it because of that.

[Nía]

Plant Based on a Budget: Crispy Flax Green Bean Fries

Just so I have a reason to post this!  

[Coordinate_Apotheosis]

I'll never look at a can of baked beans the same way O:

[Nía]

Well, not actually because of that, but...

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings & Dip

[Nía]

Scientists have found chickens are capable of greater logical reasoning than children, have distinct personalities, and even exhibit Machiavellian tendencies (no graphic images in this article)

-`ღ´-

[Nía]

[Jade]

[Nía]

This Avocado Took Me Only 1 Hour To Hand-Carve

[Nía]

Internal Medicine Physician Shares What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Eating Meat