October and November are important months for the vegan community as this is when we celebrate and promote veganism. This week specifically is WORLD GO VEGAN WEEK (25-31 October, thanks to an initiative by San Francisco-based advocacy group In Defence of Animals) and it’s meant to send out a message to people urging them, well, to go vegan.A famous supporter is actor Woody Harrelson, who’s been a vegan for many, many years. Said Harrelson: “I chose to be vegan initially as an energetic pursuit, as meat and dairy slowed me down, but have since become convinced that it is not only the most healthy way to live, but also the most compassionate and ecologically responsible way.”Another famous supporter of veganism is comedienne and TV hostess Ellen DeGeneres who invited her personal chef to cook a vegan meal on air. So in case you missed this segment, I’ve added it below. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate WORLD GO VEGAN WEEK than actually cooking a vegan meal.Veganism is an ethical choice meant to mitigate the suffering we cause to animals. So-called ‘food animals’ account for 98% of all animal suffering. The world kills upwards of 50 billion animals every year (not to mention water animals), who live in appaling conditions before being sent to slaughter. Veganism is also recognized as greener than a meat-based diet and it helps prevent certain diseases such as diabetes and some types of cancer.ENJOY THE RECIPE AND GO VEGAN!
I’m not a fan of the Meatless Monday initiative as I don’t see how cutting out meat once a week will actually lead anyone to vegetarianism, let alone veganism. But I do support mentored vegan introductions carried out over a continuous period of time. The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine is launching a 21-day program designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. The program is based on research by PCRM’s president, Neal Barnard. That is the kind of initiative that I think can attract people to veganism on a permanent basis, perhaps not every single person who may use the service but certainly a proportion of them.
And what will subscribers get?
Daily e-tips that will put you on the path to weight loss, better health, and greater well-being; A delicious, easy, and satisfying recipe sent every day that will help you break your cravings for unhealthy foods; Weekly motivational nutrition webcasts featuring Dr. Barnard; Social support of other Kickstart participants through a message board where nutrition professionals answer your health and diet questions.
Great, eh? Besides, the service is free. Go on, give it a go – turning to veganism is the best way to help animals and it’s also beneficial to your health and the environment. Extend veganism to your clothes by excluding leather, silk and wool, cleaning and hygiene products (get ones without animal products and not tested on animals), and never support any service that exploits an animal, be it a horse-drawn carriage, a circus or anything else. Animals have the right to be free and have their physical integrity respected, just like we do.
There’s a great article on Fox News today promoting a couple of vegan books. I particularly like the intro to the article, which says: “If you still think vegetarian food is all bland brown rice and beans you suffer from a serious culinary time warp.” That’s so true. It’s interesting, though, that although the journalist used the word vegetarian, the focus really is on vegan food. I guess the word vegetarian is more familiar to readers, so it’s used as a king of draw before the word vegan is finally served up. Apparently, an interest in ethnic food is giving vegan cuisine a boost, since many ethnic dishes are naturally vegan. I can attest to that as a Brazilian - plant foods are an integral part of your diet down there so becoming a fully-fledged vegan is easier, I guess, than in the animal-protein-obsessed ‘developed’ world.
Fresh news about a new vegan cooking book arrived today and I’m very happy to share it. Penned by Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral, The Best of Vegan Cooking includes 84 recipes, 17 illustrations, representing cuisines from around the planet. The book starts shipping in March so pre-order now.
You’ll find cooking for every occasion, from easy, everyday meals to festive, elegant dining. The Best of Vegan Cooking is a cornucopia for all seasons – soups . . . salads . . . pastas . . . vegetables and side dishes . . . breads and muffins . . . desserts . . . with special sections on delicious ice creams and sorbets and classic risottos.
November 27th is Thanksgiving Day, a day of celebration of our life, health, and happiness. Sadly, there’s a very dark side to this otherwise beautiful date: the gargantuan slaughter of turkeys that accompanies the holiday. Nearly 300 million turkeys are killed each year in the U.S. The birds, who are native to this country, spend their entire lives crammed in large sheds with little room to move. Artificially inseminated and selectively bred to gain enormous amounts of weight, they suffer heart attacks, broken limbs, lameness, and death from their genetically-induced accelerated growth rate. Factory farm conditions are so harsh that the turkeys must be pumped full of antibiotics just to stay alive. Shortly after birth, they have their snoods and parts of their toes and beaks cut off with hot blades, without the use of anesthetic, to reduce damage from stress-induced aggression. They are then delivered by conveyer belt to a carousel where they get a power injection, usually of an antibiotic, whacked into the back of their necks.
For the rest of their lives they are forced to endure crowding, living in their own waste, and ravaging diseases. As many as 25,000 birds may be housed in a single shed. Their eyes and lungs are burned by toxic fumes emanating from their excrement. Conditions are so severe that about 9% of turkeys raised for food (or over 26 million) don’t survive long enough to make it to the slaughterhouse. After 16 weeks of misery, they are hung on a conveyer belt, their throats are cut, and they are dumped - sometimes still fully conscious - into scalding water to strip their feathers.
Do you want all this suffering to be the main menu on a day of gratitude? If you are one of the many compassionate people who see no sense in linking celebration and cruelty, try out vegetarian substitutes on Thanksgiving Day. Check out the Gentle Thanksgiving website for recipes and lots more information. And use the opportunity to reflect on your year-round food as well. The gruesome farming conditions described above are true of every other type of animal farming. Going vegan is the most effective way to stop the massacre.
I love the new image produced by PeTA India using national celebrity Rajneesh Duggal to advocate a vegetarian lifestyle mainly because it uses okra as part of it. My mother always cooked okra for us back home and the habit stayed with me. I eat it every week and simply can’t do without it. Here you can find a very simple recipe of fried okra. It’s very nutritious, too. According to Vegparadise, “Okra has abundant vitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and folacin. Its other nutritional attributes include impressive potassium content, providing 257 mg. and calcium content supplying 50 mg. for 1/2 cup cooked”. Go get it.
I saw this great blog at the super website called SuperVegan. If, like me, you live by, and has to cook for, yourself, then click on and enjoy the delicious recipes mentioned here.Elsewhere, one of England’s leading animal rights/vegan charities, Animal Aid, has put together this fabulous website with a 21-day program of vegan recipes. Really, there is no excuse to not give it a go when everything is put on a plate for you. The website is even divided into breakfast, lunch and dinner sections and besides being vegan, it is also eco-friendly.
It’s a vegan success story: Vegan Lunch Box is a very popular web destination (over two and a half million visitors!) and now a best-selling book that makes veganism for kids sound and taste fun. Written by Jennifer McCann, Vegan Lunch Box comprises 130 meat-free, egg-free and dairy-free meals and snacks. All the recipes are organized into menus “to help parents pack quick, nutritious, and irresistible vegan lunches”. It also includes allergen-free indexes identifying wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free recipes, and product recommendations.
Eric at An Animal Friendly Life just loved the book and wished he was a kid again. Well, we can always cater for our inner vegan child…
Before I pack up for the weekend, I’ll point you to this informative, fun article by Wendy Rosenfeld about her experience as a vegan. “These days, going vegan requires almost no planning and, better yet, no dreadlocks. With the spread of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, and the mainstreaming of the health-food ethos, delicious vegan choices are so plentiful that maintaining a “teeny-tiny” vegan physique is as tough as maintaining an omnivorous one,” says Rosenfeld. Quite right. She also provides the recipe for a delicious-sounding vegan truffled macaroni gratin. Enjoy it and have a great weekend.
I love the new image produced by 
I saw this great blog at the super website called SuperVegan. If, like me, you live by, and has to cook for, yourself, then click on and enjoy the delicious recipes mentioned
It’s a vegan success story: Vegan Lunch Box is a very popular 