I have a riddle for you. What do Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Leonardo da Vinci, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King–and many other free thinkers from our history, her story now forgotten, such as Anna Kingsford, Margaret Damer Dawson–all have in common?
They were all vegan/vegetarians!
With the Union of Concerned Scientists now urgently letting us know that the future for all life on Earth depends on human beings finding a way to stop destroying and live in harmony with all life, few subjects address so directly the heart of our challenge as that of veganism. For veganism is more than a diet; it is an ethic by which to live.
Vegans aim to do the least harm possible by not eating or wearing animals and not supporting companies that exploit them in laboratories, entertainment, factory farms, and the leather, fur, silk, and many other industries. This attitude of kindness extends to human beings as well and does not support sweatshops and the many other forms of human exploitation. Astrology, Native and other religious prophecies, and many futurists say that we are being given an unprecedented opportunity to evolve as a species to become a peaceful, nurturing, creative presence on the planet. Veganism, as an ideal, encompasses all creation with its awareness of the interconnected and Oneness of all. Read more
On Mother’s Day, many animal rights allies pay respects online to all the parents who had their children stolen by violent industries who don’t respect their bodily autonomy. But those social media posts are harder to find a few weeks later when Father’s Day rolls around.
I’ve talked before about how the reproductive injustice of forced breeding is not limited to only the parent who bears the child, and how semen collection is a violation of the other parent as well. But beyond the sexual violence carried out by human hands, there is a passive erasure of male relationships with their offspring that also occurs.
Father-child bonds exist throughout animal societies, but they are commonly overlooked. Western society often discourages human men from expressing complex emotions other than anger and aggression. Read more
Veterinarian and Professor Andrew Knight on the best diets for our animal companions
Meat-Based Pet Food Despite the biological evidence, millions of people cling to the belief that it is somehow natural to feed their feline or canine companions commercial diets comprised of assorted body parts from a variety of animals they would never naturally eat. To these are added abattoir products condemned as unfit for human consumption, such as ‘4-D’ meat (from animals that are disabled, diseased, dying or dead on arrival at the slaughterhouse), cleverly disguised using names like ‘meat derivatives’ or ‘by-products.’
Unfortunately, fish have not evolved mechanisms to excrete modern oceanic pollutants such as mercury and PCBs, which accumulate in their tissues. Once exposed to air, fish are particularly vulnerable to bacterial putrefaction. Damaged or spoiled fish are also added to commercial pet foods.
Brands from countries such as the US also contain rendered dog and cat carcasses sourced from animal shelters. Similarly, toxic flea collars are not always removed. Unsurprisingly, a 1998 US Food and Drug Administration study detected the euthanizing solution sodium pentobarbital, which is specifically designed to kill dogs, cats and other animals, in 43 randomly-selected varieties of dry dog food. Read more
In 2009, I was part of a UCLA study comprised of cyclists and triathletes that looked at how endurance exercise impacted bone density, testosterone and the production of inflammatory cytokines produced during long, frequent periods of exercise. Some of my cycling teammates were enticed to sign up because the tests included a free body fat percentage scan, but it turned out that the DEXA scan’s most important feature for me was its ability to measure bone density.
How well we know the stereotype of the rugged Plains Indian: killer of buffalo, dressed in quill-decorated buckskin, elaborately feathered headdress, and leather moccasins, living in an animal skin teepee, master of the dog and horse, and stranger to vegetables. But this lifestyle, once limited almost exclusively to the Apaches, flourished no more than a couple hundred years. It is not representative of most Native Americans of today or yesterday. Indeed, the “buffalo-as-lifestyle” phenomenon is a direct result of European influence, as we shall see.
Among my own people, the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi and Oklahoma, vegetables are the traditional diet mainstay. A French manuscript of the eighteenth century describes the Choctaws’ vegetarian leanings in shelter and food. The homes were constructed not of skins, but of wood, mud, bark and cane. The principal food, eaten daily from earthen pots, was a vegetarian stew containing corn, pumpkin and beans. The bread was made from corn and acorns. Other common favorites were roasted corn and corn porridge. Read more
Let’s look at the reasons behind the growth of veganism in India, as a small yet vocal section of the population turns towards this diet and lifestyle in the largest milk producing country in the world.
India is expected to produce 175 billion litres of milk in 2019, making it the largest milk producer in the world. Forecasts suggest production of this commodity will increase by 4 per cent in 2020, which equates to an additional 9.7 billion litres. Having said this, a new movement is growing in India – veganism.While absolute figures on the number of vegans aren’t available due to the sheer novelty of this dietary and lifestyle choice, there are ample grounds to show that the shift towards veganism in India is growing at an unprecedented rate.
While pollution is almost everywhere, certain communities are burdened with a disproportionate number of facilities that fill the air, soil, and water with contaminates. Typically found in black and brown communities and low-income communities, industrial polluters such as landfills, trash incinerators, coal plants, and toxic waste dumps affect the well-being of residents. Their health is also often compromised due to a lack of access to healthy foods in their neighborhoods. Those who work on environmental justice issues refer to these inequities as environmental racism.
About Nation Rising: It’s time for an agricultural revolution!
Nation Rising is a political advocacy group that is bringing together individuals and organizations across Canada who are concerned about the environment, health, and animal rights to rally on Parliament Hill to demand the government shift subsidizing away from animal agriculture and towards healthy, sustainable, organic food for the good of the planet, the people, and the animals. Read more
When Amazon.com bought Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion in 2017, some vegans assumed it would be a massive boost to veganism. It’s easy to see why: Self-described vegan CEO John Mackey remained in his position, and with such an enormous infusion of cash from Amazon’s winner-take-all Jeff Bezos, additional Whole Foods Market stores would expand public access to vegan food. More Whole Foods Market locations equal more vegans, right? Not necessarily. There’s a missing ingredient in Whole Foods’ recipe I’ll get to in a moment. Read more
My name is Sheanne Moskaluk. I live in Naramata, British Columbia, Canada, and, along with my husband Dan, we have experienced changes in our lives that we never would have believed possible. We started by changing our minds and the rest followed.
In 2010, my 14 year old son became interested in weight lifting and body building. He joined a local gym, where he was told he would never put on muscle if he did not consume protein powders and lots of meat. So, being what I thought was a good mother, off to the local health food store I went. What happened next would drastically change our lives. As I was browsing the selection of whey protein, a sales clerk inquired “was I buying this for myself?” I explained it was for my son, to which she quickly replied “you need to do some research before giving that to your kids”. Read more
This is an excerpt of “This Ban On Vegan ‘Meat’ Labeling Sets A Dangerous Precedent (It’s Also Hypocritical)” article by Katrina Fox written for FORBES magazine. For full article please click here.
This week a law came into effect in Missouri which bans the use of ‘meat’ terminology to describe any food products that haven’t come from a slaughtered animal.
It means that vegan brands could face imprisonment or a fine of up to $1,000 if they use words like ‘sausage’ or ‘hot dog’ on their packaging or describe their products as plant-based ‘meat’.
The new law was supported by the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, which earlier this year cited consumer confusion as justification for the restrictive labeling. It also admitted its support was based on “protecting the integrity of the products [my emphasis] that farm and ranch families throughout the country work hard to raise each and every day”. Read more
Having trained as a homeopath, and being a homeopath at heart, I’m always looking at things from a holistic point of view. As homeopaths, we see a patient as a whole, and disease as a result of problems at the level of body, mind, and spirit together. Homeopathy is based on Nature’s laws and requires a practitioner to have a very deep insight into everything connected with nature, the state of the human mind and, of course, medical knowledge of the human body. Homeopathy, to my mind, is a process of growth of mind and body, to reach a higher spiritual purpose. As a homeopath, I was fascinated with the connection between nature and the human mind and body. Patients would get better miraculously if their remedy were clearly found. To take a medical case and to find the right remedy was exhilarating. Read more
According to the CDC, by 2050 an astounding 1 out of 3 Americans may have diabetes. Furthermore, CDC statistics show 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the population have diabetes in the United States. This article will summarize ways to prevent and reverse diabetes type 2 and prediabetes. The tools to accomplish this are in your hands! Through dietary habits and maintaining an appropriate weight, an individual can prevent and even reverse diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is a condition of abnormal blood sugar metabolism. The word diabetes comes from greek root meaning “passing through”. The word mellitus comes from the Latin root meaning “honey-sweet”. Diabetes mellitus literally means “passing through” the urine “honey-sweet”. Indeed, in ancient times that is how physicians diagnosed diabetes, namely, by tasting the sweet urine of patients that were very sick. Read more
A doctor’s inspirational journey to veganism and fitness
“When I die, I want to leave a legacy of a plant-based doctor who actually cared about the health of her patients, and treated underlying disease with nutrition rather than pharmaceuticals.”
Cured her chronic health issues after switching to a completely vegan diet Lost 30lbs in 8 months following a healthy whole foods plant-based diet Completely transformed her life Advises her patients to adopt a vegan diet Gained confidence to compete in a fitness competition Workout routine and favorite meals revealed belowRead more
The vegan ideal embodies the highest of spiritual and ethical aspirations – non-violence, harmlessness, reverence for life, and the cultivation of compassion toward the innocent. It is cause for celebration that we are blessed with the ability to bring such noble qualities down to earth by simply eliminating from our lives the products and practices that require the exploitation of other beings.
And yet, even in a time when, more than ever, the world needs us to put these basic human values into practice, this powerful ethical stand continues to be marginalized by society. The example that is set by the increasing number of individuals who embrace these principles is too often vehemently opposed, trivialized, or simply ignored. But the effects of this paradigm shift in perception are far-reaching, and the rewards of making such a change are beyond measure. Read more
My interest in veganism began with concern for my own health and for the environment. In November 2013, as I watched my father on his deathbed, lying in excruciating pain from a long list of complications caused by Type 1 diabetes, I was struck by the truth of my own mortality and knew that I never wanted to end up in such a miserable condition.
A few months later, as I began to learn more about plant-based diets, I found out about studies showing that the casein in cow’s milk can trigger the onset of Type 1 diabetes in people who, like me, are genetically predisposed to the disease.
Once I knew this, it made it difficult to enjoy eating dairy products, wondering with each bite if I was writing my own death sentence. As I continued to research the subject, I found out about more and more health benefits to plant-based eating.
Environmental sustainability has always been of great concern to me, and that concern grows each day as the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to rise ever higher, and as I watch all the destruction we humans are wreaking on this planet. I knew that the ecological footprint of a plant-based diet was much smaller than that of a meat-based one, and this had been the catalyst for my previous forays into vegetarianism, beginning when I was in college. Read more
Personally speaking, I haven’t always loved food, and food hasn’t always loved me. I was hit with anorexia early in my teens, and I struggled for thirteen years after to regain balance and health.
In my early twenties, I put my weapons down and committed to making peace with the food on my plate. In working toward a lasting recovery, I became attuned to the suffering of animals within our food system and started to explore a vegan diet. Veganism allowed me to see that the act of eating could be more than a source of personal anguish or an outlet for self-control.
Eating can be a powerful means of doing good in the world–good for the body, good for the planet, and good for our animal neighbors.
Becoming vegan was also my introduction to the joys of cooking, which I began to explore in my tiny, postage-stamp-sized New York City kitchen. Read more
I met an old friend of mine last week in the parking lot of our local grocery store. I almost passed him by as I didn’t recognize him immediately. He had lost a lot of weight since I had last seen him. He mentioned that he had undergone gastric bypass surgery nine months earlier. I had known of his constant battle with his weight and the impact it was having on his health. I remarked that he must be feeling better. He said that while he was lighter, he was till prone to strong cravings and despite the weight loss he wasn’t any happier. Nothing had changed to improve the underlying discontent with his life.
Happiness was elusive and he was still chasing it.
Is your life still a mess despite your best intentions?
Part One:
In 2010, my 14 year old son became interested in weight lifting and body building. He joined a local gym, where he was told he would never put on muscle if he did not consume protein powders and lots of meat. So, being what I thought was a good mother, off to the local health food store I went. What happened next would drastically change our lives. As I was browsing the selection of whey protein, a sales clerk inquired “was I buying this for myself?” I explained it was for my son, to which she quickly replied “you need to do some research before giving that to your kids”. 
This week a 
Having trained as a homeopath, and being a homeopath at heart, I’m always looking at things from a holistic point of view. As homeopaths, we see a patient as a whole, and disease as a result of problems at the level of body, mind, and spirit together. Homeopathy is based on Nature’s laws and requires a practitioner to have a very deep insight into everything connected with nature, the state of the human mind and, of course, medical knowledge of the human body. Homeopathy, to my mind, is a process of growth of mind and body, to reach a higher spiritual purpose. As a homeopath, I was fascinated with the connection between nature and the human mind and body. Patients would get better miraculously if their remedy were clearly found. To take a medical case and to find the right remedy was exhilarating. 
According to the CDC, by 2050 an astounding 1 out of 3 Americans may have diabetes. Furthermore, CDC statistics show 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the population have diabetes in the United States. This article will summarize ways to prevent and reverse diabetes type 2 and prediabetes. The tools to accomplish this are in your hands! Through dietary habits and maintaining an appropriate weight, an individual can prevent and even reverse diabetes.
I met an old friend of mine last week in the parking lot of our local grocery store. I almost passed him by as I didn’t recognize him immediately. He had lost a lot of weight since I had last seen him. He mentioned that he had undergone gastric bypass surgery nine months earlier. I had known of his constant battle with his weight and the impact it was having on his health. I remarked that he must be feeling better. He said that while he was lighter, he was till prone to strong cravings and despite the weight loss he wasn’t any happier. Nothing had changed to improve the underlying discontent with his life.
