THE VEGETARIAN BLOG

An article in the National Catholic Reporter, a weekly Catholic publication, says that vegetarianism is “a key ingredient in the new life of peace, compassion and nonviolence”. The article was written by John Dear S.J., author of the book A Persistent Peace.

I couldn’t agree more. How can we even begin to talk about peace if our meals are the result of a vicious cycle of genetic manipulation, confinement, often lethal transportation and brutal slaughter? We simply can’t. Besides, while people are starving in many parts of the world, food is diverted to feed an excessive population of animals, who are bred solely for the purpose of being exterminated, who are then fed to affluent, over-eating westerners. There’s no logic or justice in that.

(Via Animal Person): So you want to do your bit to further the vegan cause and help the animals? Fret not. The lovely blogger and abolitionist Joey, from Canada, whose blog is called Animal Emancipation, has done an amazing job to help you do that. She made this beautiful pamphlet which you can embed on your own site, print and distribute. What’s more, the pamphlet is bilingual - English and French. Thank you Joey.

For further information on animal abolitionism, click here.

There is compelling evidence that a balanced plant-based diet is good for the health, especially in the cases of heart diseases as well as in the prevention of obesity. And here’s the good news for men: a new research indicates that a vegan diet combined with yoga and exercise can help prevent and even reverse prostate cancer. Wrote the London Daily Telegraph:

“Researchers found that combining a diet low in fat and rich in fruit and vegetables with regular moderate exercise seems to switch on genes that fight disease, while effectively turning off others that can promote cancer.”

This is an amazing finding which gives meat-eaters good food for thought. The source of information was Dr Dean Ornish, founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. In fact, the institute’s website is well worth a visit as it contains a wealth of information for those who are interested in exploring more wholesome, organic ways to achieve well-being.

One of the most glamorous and vocal vegetarian and animal rights activists in showbiz, Pamela Anderson Lee, unleashes her reality TV series Pam: Girl on the Loose on August 3 on E!. Pamela is a long-time supporter of Peta and recently auctioned off household goods from her Malibu residence to raise funds for the organization. That’s where the show kicks from and I’m sure we can expect lots of talking about her chosen cause.

It sounds great, but behind the headlines, lies a very inconvenient truth about the dairy industry and dairy consumption

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I’ll inaugurate this blog with a post that sums up what this is all about: persuading people to drop animal products from their diet. Becoming a vegetarian is a lot easier than most people think. Come to think of it, most of our food comes from plants. Becoming a vegetarian in 2008 doesn’t mean joining a hippie commune. It means adopting an ethical, compassionate stance towards animals and the planet.

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