…despite the nauseating attempts of new ‘single-dish’ restaurant businesses to make their ‘burger’ or ‘chicken’ seem exciting, cool and ‘urban.’
(I ain’t naming no names, but I know y’all know damn well the kind of places I’m talking about! The ones I particularly have in mind are in the UK, but this is a ‘thing’ that came here from the States, so US peeps – you know full well what I’m referrin’ to too!)
Using words like ‘honest,’ ‘gourmet,’ ‘real,’ ‘wholesome,’ ‘sustainable,’ ‘bonafide,’ ‘farm fresh,’ natural,’ ‘healthy,’ ‘traditional,’ etc etc; this crop of new, mainly meat-based restaurants are desperate to seduce you with all these self-proclaimed qualities.
A ‘wholesome hipster’ type atmosphere is also seemingly enthusiastically encouraged, and consumers are made to feel ‘in the know,’ for patronising these places.
However, it is possibly an indicator of how big vegetarianism and veganism have become.
In the dying breaths of a meat-based culture, one that is slowly realising that meat consumption is killing the planet (and us!) it is perhaps predictable that there will be more energy than ever concentrated on attempting to give meat a sexy new resonance, to try and pull people back from the overwhelming trend in the US and western Europe of reducing meat intake.
I admit it, some of these restaurants look like great fun – the decor is usually casual and cosy. Many have a bit of a rustic-y, basic-y conceit going on which is quite enticing in its own way, I suppose. People look like they’re having fun inside. Wait staff are youthful and perky. A particular ‘single-dish’ chicken restaurant I am thinking of has buff male fitties in tight t-shirts turning the big spits the chickens are roasting on.
But if I give it even one minutes thought, the fact that certain positive words are being used to manipulate consumers into believing that the food (usually meat) they are eating is associated with the way these words make them feel, makes me heave.
What the hell about a burger or roast chicken is honest? Natural? Healthy? Gourmet? Wholesome?
Let’s examine this for just a moment.
It is made a big deal of that the burgers in these restaurants are made from grass-fed beef.
The free-range chicken these places shout about using is not any better than factory farmed chicken. Customers think their chicken roamed free on a lovely grassy farm, but in fact the label free-range is just a marketing term designed to make you THINK this is the case. We know it is not.
‘Traditional’ is another word commonly used, regarding the preparation and style of the food. I find this calculating and manipulative. When we hear this word (as any good advertiser knows) it subconsciously goes beyond the description of the food, and tends to engender a positive, warm feeling in us, and conjure up images of family and celebrations. It makes us feel we are doing something intrinsically ‘right’ and ‘good.’ Er, let’s remember that ‘traditional’ isn’t always good. FGM is traditional. Slavery was traditional.
And on the health aspect? Meat, NO MATTER ITS PROVENANCE, contains saturated fat, cholesterol and hormones. SO even though you are being given the impression that the meat in these restaurants is a healthier version than a fast-food joint might sell you – it’s not, not really.
I even prefer the idea of fast-food joints to these new honest/gourmet/real heart attack emporia. At least they’re not pretending to be something other than what they are.
The only difference really is that Real Natural Honest Meat Place has pretty, rustic distressed wood tables and benches, and the staff wear cooler T-shirts and have more upmarket accents. That’s all.
Yet I’m sure the people who frequent these places are under the impression they are eating in an establishment that cares about the environment and their health.
*Sigh*
All I can say is, don’t let a marketer decide what is healthy, honest or cool for you. And if you are vegan, don’t be downhearted about this phenomena, I’m not. It’s annoying, but I truly believe it’s part of a last-ditch attempt to entice us into buying meat before vegetarianism and veganism take an even stronger hold.
I don’t know about you, but I need a little something sweet to keep me happy on a daily basis.
I’m not talking about ice-cream or chocolate cake or those things we induldge in at weekends or on holidays; I mean the times when you’re walking home, right past a shop that you know sells something that would be good to munch on while you’re walking; or when, during the week when you’ve just eaten your main dinner dish and hadn’t planned to have dessert, but just fancy a mouthful of something sweet to balance the savoury.
I’m thinking of foods that quench that desire for something sweet and lush, but don’t do too much (if any) damage health-wise, so we feel satisfied and like we’ve just had a sugary treat, but there’s no icky down side. The snacks I’m writing about are so good, I swear you’ll feel like you’ve cheated the system.
Here are my favourite cheeky bites. Some of them are products you can buy in and keep in the fridge; others are universal snacks that are easy to whip up at any time. I am not getting paid by any of the companies mentioned (I wish!) – I actually really should be, as I am sure I’m giving them enough money from my pocket for them all to retire early!
(The products I mention are UK centric, but US friends – I know you have a wealth of similar products in your lovely Whole Foods and Trader Joes. The bars are based on dates, raisins, almonds and cashews, and for the coconut yoghurt, try and find one that is naturally sweetened and with minimal ingredients).
These wee mofo’s are good, and come in a huge range of different flavours. They are made out of dates, cashews and raisins, with added natural flavours. I just discovered the rhubarb and custard, and bakewell tart flavour – both of them very evocative of those classic British desserts. I also love the cocoa orange flavour – perfect for when you don’t want to buy actual chocolate, ‘cuz you’re saving yourself for the weekend, but just really, really need a quick fix of that chocolate’y’ taste. These bars are fast becoming my new obsession. They are small, but trust me, they pack a punch.
Dates
Weirdly, considering the length of time I’ve eaten plant-based, only recently did I try some organic medjool dates. I’d only before ever tried sub-quality dates from the market, or the ones that come in a long box with a plastic fork that people buy at Christmas. I didn’t hate them, but wasn’t that fussed about them either. It really is worth spending extra for some quality organic Medjool dates. They really are nature’s candy. Two or three of these after a meal and you feel like you’ve had a lush, rich dessert. Bonus – they are ridiculously nutritious too!
The one I particularly recommend as it’s, um, the only one I’ve tried, is the acai and raspberry flavour. It tastes like a lovely sweet mixture of raspberry and almond. I just bought one to photograph for this post, and since I last had one, the bars have gotten noticeably smaller. I think a new company has bought them. I still want to include them in this post because they are a delicious cheeky treat, but given the price (99p) and the fact that they’ve shrunk, I’ll probably just buy them once in a while now.
I’ve mentioned Coyo before, but if you haven’t tried these yet, you really need to. These yoghurts made from coconut milk are just such a treat. They have several flavours, I mostly get the vanilla. They are so thick and creamy, you’d NEVER know it contained absolutely zilch dairy. OMG as I’m writing this, I just had the idea to dip a Nakd bar into Coyo, now I can’t wait to try this!
Popcorn
Don’t forget good old popcorn. Cheap, quick to make and easy to flavour, it serves as both a cheeky snack or an after dinner sweet bite. You can buy it pre-made of course, but there’s nothing like fresh popcorn, just add a sprinkle of salt, and drizzle with agave or maple syrup for a delicious sweet n’ salty flavour.
Rice Cracker PB&J
When I want a lush sweet/salty taste, but don’t want to overdo it in terms of volume to be consumed, I just grab a rice cracker and fix a peanut butter and jam slice. You could use wholemeal bread or toast instead of a rice cracker of course, but we’re talking ‘cheeky’ snacks, and a rice cracker is the appropriate ‘cheeky’ size. Didn’t you know.
I hate that I don’t like what’s become a really popular, cool holiday.
In my defence, and to prove I’m not totally boring, I really dig the idea of Dia de Los Muertos (day of the dead), celebrated in South America around the same time as Halloween – I could really get behind that. But Halloween just doesn’t do it for me.
Halloween tat
When I see plastic pumpkins and spider webs in the supermarket I just imagine them in landfill a couple of weeks after and can’t help but do the biggest, most obnoxious, attitudey eye roll ever.
More Halloween tat
I also really hate that I dislike such a beautiful (not to mention nutritious) vegetable, especially when I love all the other squashes – even the ones that look very similar to pumpkins, but I’ve just never liked actual pumpkin any way I’ve tried it.
WTF?
Perhaps it’s because my very first encounter with it was not a good memory.
I was nineteen, living in Bordeaux as an au pair, and had met some Canadian girls who invited me to a Halloween party. I was excited to go, but had no idea what to expect. At that time we didn’t really celebrate Halloween in the UK, and if anyone DID ever dress up, it was as a ghost or a witch.
I wasn’t prepared for all the Scooby Doo and Incredible Hulk costumes, and I distinctly remember one guy dressed as a shower, with the shower arm strapped over his head and the curtain surrounding him on a rail. That was hilarious, admittedly, but I never got why none of the costumes were related to Halloween. I remember wondering how it became a thing in North America to wear any old costume, and not a Halloween themed one.
At some point during this party, someone handed around a pumpkin pie. I wasn’t vegan at the time, so when it got passed to me I took a slice, looking forward to trying this strange, new (to me) treat.
It was grooooooossss! Yes, I think the cook had just screwed it up, I really don’t think it was the pumpkin’s fault, but that taste memory kind of sticks.
To try and get over my silly aversion, for the last few years I’ve bought a pumpkin around this time, planning to make a soup or stew.
Shamefully, these pumpkins have always ended up going mouldy in the fruit bowl – and that’s no small feat, do you know how frickin’ long pumpkins last?
Last year I bought a small pumpkin, determined to make myself like it.
I figured that if butternut squash wedges were good, pumpkin wedges had to be too, right?
WRONG! They were disgusting.
I’ll try again sometime. I WILL like pumpkin, I MUST like pumpkin – how can I not love something called ‘pumpkin’? That’s just ridiculous.
I love pumpkin seeds, so I’m half way there right?
Of course I feel completely hypocritical asking you to make sure you use up any pumpkins you may be carving or painting for your Halloween celebrations.
But I’m going to do it anyway.
Huge powerhouses of vitamin A, it would be a waste not to use your Halloween Jack o’lantern once it’s served its scary purpose. After carving, they can last up to five days. But what do you do with it after the big day?
Here’s an idea.
Pumpkin puree is the basis for many, MANY autumnal culinary treats. From vegan pies, to soups, to smoothies, you are gonna want some of this stuff in your freezer. The canned or jarred stuff just isn’t as good as if you make it yourself….ahem…apparently.
What you do.
– If you’ve carved your pumpkin you’ll have already scooped out the stringy innards and seeds – if not, do this now, and cut off the stem.
– To boil your pumpkin; quarter it, peel each quarter, then chop each quarter into chunks. Boil them for around twenty minutes, or until chunks are tender. Drain, let cool, then blitz chunks with a food processor/blender and transfer puree to a fridge-friendly container. It will keep in the fridge for three days or in the freezer for three months.
Or you can cut it in the same way and steam the chunks – this should take around forty – fifty minutes.
Or – and this may prove to be tastier, you can roast it.
– To roast – pre-heat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Cut pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Lay the two halves flesh side down on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray, and bake for thirty – forty-five minutes, or until you can easily insert and remove a paring knife. Test with the knife in several places, to ensure it’s roasted well all over.
– When cooled, scoop the flesh away from the skin and blitz it in a food-processor. If it’s a little thick, you can add water until it achieves puree consistency – though add a very little at a time – you don’t want it to end up too runny.
– Store the same as boiled pumpkin puree.
– Peruse vegan pumpkin recipes on the world wide web.
And do not forget to eat the seeds!
Pumpkin seeds are jam-packed with nutrients. They are an excellent source of zinc, magnesium, iron and manganese; and contain vitamin E – a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent free radicals from doing dastardly things to your body.
You’ll have noticed the seeds come out of the pumpkin looking white. The white bit is the shell, with the green seed (that you may be more used to seeing) inside.
You can hull your seeds, but it’s easier to just roast them as they are, then you can eat them whole, seed and all.
It’s SUPER easy.
Here’s how it’s done:
The seeds come out of the pumpkin covered in orange fibrous crap. Put seeds in a sieve and wash the fibrous crap away as best you can.
Boil your seeds in water for around twenty-five minutes, then strain them and lay them out on a clean tea-towel to air dry for half an hour or so.
When they’re dry, put them in a bowl. Add half a teaspoon of olive oil; salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste, and mix it all up so the seeds are well coated in oil and flavouring. Then lay them out on a baking tray and roast at 350 degrees fahrenheit for twelve minutes. You’ll know they are done when they are golden brown and they sound like they are crispy when you jiggle the tray (you’ll know what I mean when you do this!)
Once cooled, eat them fresh or keep in an air tight container and they’ll last a week or so.
Don’t *they* say, never talk about religion or politics?
Oops.
Full disclosure – I’m not remotely Bible ‘y’ or Jesus ‘y’. I believe there is beauty and truth at the heart of all religions, and they were no doubt pure at their origin, but organised religions of today leave me cold. Through the ages they became super patriarchal, and thus don’t really speak to me. They ‘other’ise women, and I don’t believe that God would want ANY living being to be seen as ‘other,’ and treated as if they were ‘less than’ because of whatever ridiculous human/social construct.
(Luckily, organised religions don’t have a monopoly on God, so we are free to believe as we choose – yay!)
I studied religion for my MA, which required the reading of lots of religious texts. One thing I learned is that they have two elements. One consists of the verses that are ‘universal’ – that is to say, they transcend era, and can apply to anyone, anywhere (these are the verses that seem to hold truths); and the other element consists of more ‘contextual’ verses. These verses are often proscriptive, relating to conditions at the time they were written, and when read with modern eyes, some are clearly outdated and unjust, and not in the spirit of the text as a whole – the verses about slavery and the uncleanness of women for example.
What point am I trying to make? This one.
I have read so many anti-vegetarian arguments that cite religion as a justification for eating animals, like – you’re not a proper (X) if you don’t eat meat. As far as many people within organised religions are concerned, being vegetarian (let alone vegan!) is almost akin to anarchy and being a ‘heathen’. Many believe it is divinely ordained that people eat meat, and if we go against this, we are disrespecting God.
When we look at any religious verse, we have to consider three things – the language (all possible translations of each word), the historical and political context in which it was written, and whether it fits into the spirit of the text as a whole.
If we focus on the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), there are verses in all the texts that would seem to promote vegetarianism, but there are also some that appear to permit eating meat.
The first peoples in the Christian and Jewish texts appear to have been vegetarian, hence Genesis 1:29-30
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
But meat-eating seems to have become permitted after the great flood (yes, the one with Noah and the ark!). See Genesis 9:2-4
The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
But this permission came with caveats. In the book of Leviticus, we are taught only certain animals are permissible, and no blood must be left in the animal to be eaten. This does not exactly suggest that eating meat is ideal, just that it is permissible. More like: ok, if you must, but do it in *this* way.
Some scholars believe that it was only permitted after the flood as there was no more vegetation left on earth, so it was, in effect, temporary permission, and made difficult, so people wouldn’t eat too much of it.
Many Christians believe Jesus was vegetarian, and Seventh Day Adventists and the Bible Christian Church are largely vegetarian.
Which verses in the Bible seem to promote vegetarianism?
This one is my favourite:
Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Ecclesiastes 3:19-2
And don’t forget:
Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. Psalms 36:6
The Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all His creatures. Psalms 145:9
A righteous person regards the life of his or her animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Luke 12:6
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. Romans 14:2
And get this, from the book of Daniel. Daniel is being held captive in the king’s court with three other guys, and he does his own dietary study!!
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed [over him and three others] “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food [rich meats and wines], and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. Daniel 1:11-17
Now of course there are verses that mention meat or fish, but often, scholars have argued that the word meat has been wrongly translated from a Greek word (broma) that actually means just ‘food.’ Similarly, it is argued that in some verses, the word fish is actually a mis-translation of the Greek word for seaweed.
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In Islam, which came five hundred years after Christianity, meat-eating is permitted, again with very strict conditions attached. When we look at the life of the Prophet however, he did not eat meat often; at a celebration maybe, or at a time when no other vegetable food was available.
Consider these verses from the Qur’an:
And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered. Al-An’am 6:38
And the earth, He has assigned it to all living creatures. Ar-Rahman 55:10
While the Qur’an is the holiest text in Islam, also holy are the Hadith, which are accounts (many first-hand) of the sayings and actions of Muhammad. Muhammad explicitly forbade hunting animals for sport and there are so many accounts of him chiding those who mistreat animals that I cannot list them all here. Here are some Hadith on that subject:
Whoever is merciful even to a sparrow, Allah will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgment. Imam Malik’s Muwatta Chapter No: 26, The Aqiqa
A good deed done to an animal is like a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as cruelty to a human being. Mishkat Al-Masabih has concluded this Hadith from Bukhari and Muslim
Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself. Narrated by Abdullah bin ‘Amr
The Companions said,”O Allah’s Messenger! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?” He replied: “There is a reward for serving any living being.” Bukhari, narrated by Abu Huraira
Many Muslims believe that though meat is permitted, healthful food is preferred. Many Sufis and Shi-ites are vegetarian, believing this to be the Islamic ideal.
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There are many Jews who also believe that a vegetarian/vegan diet is the one preferred for them by God, and that the complexity of the laws surrounding consumption of meat was explicitly intended to discourage people from eating it.
There are several Mitzvahs (commandments) that inform this belief.
One is tza’ar ba’alei hayyim, which prohibits causing pain and suffering to living creatures.
Another is bal tashchit, which is an injunction not to be wasteful. Many understand this to mean a prohibition of unnecessary environmental and animal waste. As more of the earth’s resources are used to produce animal foods, and as we don’t need animal products to thrive, it is less wasteful to be vegetarian.
Judaism also stresses the importance of health and not doing anything to harm yourself. We know beyond doubt that animal products are harmful to our health, contributing to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Many Jews believe that eating animals while knowing this is not the ideal way.
While I don’t pretend to have the answers – scholars have been arguing for hundreds of years on these subjects (I’m not gonna sort it out in a blog post!) it does seem to me that the fundamental tenets of these religions (indeed all religions) are love, compassion, justice, health and life FOR ALL, conservation of natural resources, and peace.
It is fair to say that vegetarianism and veganism is in alignment with all these teachings.
Fancy some bite-size motivation from the past? Some nuggets of wisdom to reinforce your resolve and keep you on the plant-based path?
Do you need something you can hold on to and pull to the forefront of your mind those times when you are reminded that – although interest in veganism is growing exponentially year upon year and will only ever continue to do so – there are still a lot of uninformed individuals spouting crap and reinforcing ancient myths, and that this is gonna take a long time to disappear?
Here’s a little something to remember. Being vegan, or making the move to be so, means that you are in most eminent company.
From Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci and Pythagoras, to Tolstoy and Mark Twain; a holy boatload of philosophers, writers, poets and artists – and even a polymath or three – have had words of wisdom to share on diet, health, and how we view non-human animals.
I do wish there were some quotes by women. I DID find some quotes by women but I had no idea who they were, and seeing as I’ve used quotes by VERY accomplished and well-known male figures, I didn’t want the unheard of women to seem like token female voices. We have to remember that women have traditionally had NO voice, and that their voices still don’t have the profile that men’s do. There were no doubt loads of female veggies – they probably just didn’t make a song and dance about it! 🙂
In short, a lot of bloody cool people have said a lot of bloody cool stuff about a plant-based diet. It’s good to know that these people came before us, and had the same thoughts we did about the ethical, sustainability and health issues surrounding food choices.
They would surely have been regarded as odd by many, especially as in many societies through the ages, meat and animal products have been considered indulgent luxuries, and so anyone deliberately abstaining from them would have been perceived as strange.
Thank goodness they had the courage to speak the truth!
I’ve verified from reliable sources the origin of each quote. Unfortunately some of the most well-known veggie quotes cannot actually be traced to the supposed speaker.
You may have come across some of these quotes before, but I thought I’d assemble lots of my favourites into one place for you, for maximum motivational effect.
Some are a bit long, admittedly, but there was such good stuff in them, I couldn’t bear to edit them down!
As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love ~ Pythagoras (Greek polymath, c. 570-c. 495BC)
But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy ~ Plutarch (Greek historian, c. AD46- AD120)
King of the animals–– as thou hast described him–– I should rather say king of the beasts, thou being the greatest––because thou doest only help them, in order that they give thee their children for the benefit of the gullet, of which thou hast attempted to make a sepulchre for all animals; and I would say still more, if I were allowed to speak the entire truth…now does not nature produce enough simple (vegetarian) food for thee to satisfy thyself? ~ Leonardo Da Vinci (Italian polymath, 1452-1519)
It is true that the reluctance to abstain from animal food, in those who have been long accustomed to its stimulus, is so great in some persons of weak minds, as to be scarcely overcome; but this is far from bringing any argument in its favour ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley (English romantic poet, 1792-1822)
There is no disease, bodily or mental, which adoption of vegetable diet and pure water has not infallibly mitigated, wherever the experiment has been fairly tried. Debility is gradually converted into strength, disease into healthfulness: madness, in all its hideous variety, from the ravings of the fettered maniac, to the unaccountable irrationalities of ill-temper, that make a hell of domestic life, into a calm and considerable evenness of temper, that alone might offer a certain pledge of the future moral reformation of society. On a natural system of diet, old age would be our last and our only malady ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
It is found easier, by the short-sighted victims of disease, to palliate their torments by medicine, than to prevent them by regimen ~Percy Bysshe Shelley
The most fertile districts of the habitable globe are now actually cultivated by men for animals, at a delay and waste of aliment absolutely incapable of calculation ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
NB: Yes, I like Shelley. Can you even believe that Shelley already knew that livestock farming was a completely wasteful and unsustainable way to produce food? What a dude!
Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace ~ Albert Schweitzer (French/German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician and missionary, 1875-1965)
Civilization can only revive when there shall come into being in a number of individuals a new tone of mind independent of the one prevalent among the crowd and in opposition to it, a tone of mind which will gradually win influence over the collective one, and in the end determine its character. It is only an ethical movement which can rescue us from the slough of barbarism, and the ethical comes into existence only in individuals ~ Albert Schweitzer
Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited habit. The roots of cruelty, therefore, are not so much strong as widespread. But the time must come when inhumanity protected by custom and thoughtlessness will succumb before humanity championed by thought. Let us work that this time may come ~ Albert Schweitzer
The thinking man must oppose all cruel customs no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another, even the lowliest creature; to do so is to renounce our manhood and shoulder a guilt which nothing justifies ~ Albert Schweitzer
Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation ~ Albert Schweitzer
A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral ~ Leo Tolstoy (Russian writer and philosopher, 1828-1910)
The wrongfulness, the immorality of eating animal food has been recognized by all mankind during all the conscious life of humanity. Why, then have people generally not come to acknowledge this law? The answer is that the moral progress of humanity is always slow; but that the sign of true, not casual Progress, is in uninterruptedness and its continual acceleration. And one cannot doubt that vegetarianism has been progressing in this manner ~ Leo Tolstoy
People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing to the practice. According to this logic, we should not try to prevent people from murdering other people, since this has also been done since the earliest of times ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer (Polish/American writer, Nobel prize winner, 1902-1991)
As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer
Society does not want individuals that are alert, keen, revolutionary, because such individuals will not fit into the established social pattern and they may break it up. That is why society seeks to hold your mind in its pattern and why your so called education encourages you to imitate, to follow, to conform” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti (Indian writer, speaker, philosopher, 1895-1986)
The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity ~ George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright, 1856-1950)
(On being asked why he was vegetarian) Oh, come! That boot is on the other leg. Why should you call me to account for eating decently? If I battened on the scorched corpses of animals, you might well ask me why I did that ~ George Bernard Shaw
A dinner! How horrible! I am to be made the pretext for killing all those wretched animals and birds, and fish! Thank you for nothing. Now if it were to be a fast instead of a feast; say a solemn three days’ abstention from corpses in my honour, I could at least pretend to believe that it was disinterested. Blood sacrifices are not in my line ~ George Bernard Shaw
I was told that my diet was so poor that I could not repair the bones that were broken and operated on. So I have just had an Xradiograph taken; and lo! perfectly mended solid bone so beautifully white that I have left instructions that, if I die, a glove stretcher is to be made of me and sent to you as a souvenir ~ George Bernard Shaw
(In response to author Archibald Henderson asking him how he looked so youthful) I don’t. I look my age; and I am my age. It is the other people who look older than they are. What can you expect from people who eat corpses and drink spirits? ~ George Bernard Shaw
When a man of normal habits is ill, everyone hastens to assure him that he is going to recover. When a vegetarian is ill (which fortunately very seldom happens), everyone assures him that he is going to die, and that they told him so, and that it serves him right. They implore him to take at least a little gravy, so as to give himself a chance of lasting out the night ~ George Bernard Shaw
We consume the carcasses of creatures of like appetites, passions and organs with our own, and fill the slaughterhouses daily with screams of pain and fear ~ Robert Louis Stevenson (novelist and poet, 1850-1894)
Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
One farmer says to me, ‘You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make the bones with;’ and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying himself with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle ~ Henry David Thoreau (American polymath, 1817-1862)
Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages ~ Thomas Edison (American inventor, 1847-1931)
It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind ~ Albert Einstein (German physicist and philosopher of science, 1879–1955)
So I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, but am feeling quite well this way. It always seems to me that man was not born to be a carnivore ~ Albert Einstein
You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity Ralph Waldo Emerson (American essayist, poet, Transcendentalist, 1803-1882)
I don’t know how to persuade you to watch this movie.
If the title is putting you off, I’m not a fan of it either – it sounds a bit ‘tin foil hat brigade,’ or ‘woo woo.’
I can assure you the film is neither of these things.
Kip Anderson, the film maker/narrator, is searching for answers on why, when UN and FAO research points to livestock agriculture being the prime cause of climate change (in fact you find out during the film that livestock agriculture is the biggest culprit in ALL forms of environmental degradation), the major environmental charities – Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, Amazon Watch etc., aren’t even talking about this issue.
What he discovers is shocking. I knew a lot of this info before, but it’s sobering having it all in one place, and being validated by so many eminent people like Dr Richard Oppenlander, and ‘Mad Cowboy’ Howard Lyman.
The movie is easy to watch; it’s pretty, there’s no ‘over-the-head’ science and everything is explained in a highly accessible way with fun infographics to keep you engaged. Kip is softly spoken, calm, measured and highly likeable.
I heard of this film a while back before it was made, when Kip was looking for online crowd-funding. I thought it looked interesting and even posted links to Twitter and Facebook (but wasn’t in a position to donate myself at the time).
You learn the reason why Kip had to end up getting the film crowd funded (Spoiler Alert: A major backer pulled out due to fear of reprisals from the meat industry).
At the end of the film Kip is clearly endorsed by the Bill Gates and Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter) backed company, Beyond Meat, who make meat alternatives. You know these guys are incredibly business-savvy (understatement!) and would not have anything to do with this movie if the information in it wasn’t proven and credible. And what an advertising opportunity for them too – who can blame them?
You know those dumb pictures and quotes about children that people post on Facebook saying ‘…Share (this) if you love your children/grandchildren’?
These things are way obnoxious any way you look at it; suggesting as they do that if you DON’T share the stupid thing you obviously don’t love your children or grandchildren.
Well, maybe it would be more intelligent and fruitful if we shared THIS FILM if we love our children and grandchildren. After all, they will inherit this planet, and I shudder to think what will be left if we don’t spread the word, educate ourselves and act against this.
Best thing you can do immediately? Do like Kip did at the end of the film – go vegan!
As a new vegan, or someone attempting to be more plant-based, you’re probably getting used to reading ingredients on product packaging. It can be hard enough to decipher whether some of the weirder sounding ingredients are animal, vegetable or mineral (though rest assured, this gets easier very quickly). But what do you do when you find a product that to all intents and purposes contains no animal products, but is emblazoned with the ubiquitous ‘Manufactured in a facility that also processes dairy/egg’ (or some version thereof). Actually ‘emblazoned’ is misleading – it’s usually in VERY small print somewhere completely missable (I wonder why?)
I don’t know about you, but my intentions are always just to do the best I can. I avoid animal products wherever and whenever I can; in food, clothing, footwear and personal products. But the truth is, they are used in so many areas of production (tires, glue, film roll etc.), it’s virtually impossible to avoid them altogether.
In this mostly non-vegan world, you CANNOT be a perfect vegan, nor should you attempt to be – you’ll get dispirited very quickly. I always refer to the words of vegan author Kathy Freston, who says ‘it’s about progress, not perfection.’
In any case – you probably make (or are moving towards making) most of your meals yourself with fresh ingredients, right? So it’s likely that it’s only the odd product you buy that would have this label.
In my case, I think it’s only the chocolate I buy on a regular basis that has this warning on it. Now, there IS chocolate out there made in facilities that don’t process animal products, but it’s about three times the price. The day I can afford it – I’ll buy it. But right now, my preferred chocolate is not made with animal products and it tastes great, so it’s fine.
It IS you who is in control of whether or not YOU eat animals and their products.
You are NOT responsible for the choices factory and processing plant owners make about how to optimise and get maximum revenue from their facilities.
Do what you can with the resources you have. If you can afford the vegan products that have dedicated facilities – great! If not; if the product has nothing from an animal in the ingredient list? Have at it!
We’re already making a massive difference by not contributing to global warming, animal cruelty and world hunger with our food choices, so don’t sweat something like this.
If you are allergic to dairy and/or egg? Me too! I usually do fine, however, eating products processed in facilities that also handle dairy and eggs. Occasionally I might feel a slight sensitivity, but rarely. If you are allergic and trying a new product with this labelling, just try a small piece first, wait fifteen minutes and see how you feel before deciding whether to consume the rest.
Super vegan (oh, and actor!) Alicia Silverstone writes about her love for Sunspire Grain-Sweetened Chocolate Chips. These are the healthiest vegan chocolate chips on the market as they don’t contain refined sugars – and they are made on equipment that also processes dairy. If this is OK with her, then I’m good too.
An excuse I often read for not being vegan is that it’s too expensive.
The first and, to me, obvious response to this is, as with lots of these excuses, is that it’s EXACTLY THE SAME as with a meat and dairy based diet – it’s as expensive as you make it. If you buy all your meat and dairy from the ‘value’ sections in supermarkets – it’s cheap. If you buy it from Fortnum & Masons – it’s expensive.
There are a LOT of excuses people use for not being 100% plant-based. Though none of them are valid (unless you are a lion or tiger, or you really DO live on some barren desert island where no plants grow!), I understand where lots of them come from and can feel compassion for people who, for example, truly believe they need milk for strong bones. We are fed so much erroneous information by so many seemingly authoritative parties; it can be difficult to find the truth.
As far as veganism being expensive goes? This belief I find harder to understand. You only have to be a frequent supermarket shopper (and quite frankly, who isn’t?) to see that this is not the case. In fact, it can be exactly the opposite.
Fresh Produce
You were gonna buy some of this anyway right? Even if you eat animal products, you eat some veg and fruit, so you are already aware of the prices of these. And if your budget is not the fattest, you really don’t have to buy organic. Read my post on organics to learn how to navigate the organic sections cost-effectively.
Even Asda and Lidls (UK), and Walmart (US) sell fresh produce at very competitive prices, and markets often charge rock bottom dollar, so there is no reason not to stock up on these whatever the budget.
Don’t forget, you can always buy frozen fruit and veg in bulk and stock up your freezer. Nutrient wise frozen can be even healthier than fresh produce, as it’s frozen immediately after being harvested, so the vitamins and minerals are better preserved.
Dried Goods
Wholegrain rice, pasta, lentils and beans are available in all supermarkets, and own brands are insanely cheap. If you are not ready to go wholegrain – white rices and pastas are even cheaper. Quinoa can be pricey, but I’m currently buying a supermarket own brand, which is absolutely fine.
Most Whole Foods in the US sell dried goods in bulk bins that you can purchase by weight. There are some health food shops in the UK that also offer this. It works out to be incredibly cost-effective, as you can buy it as you need it, if cash flow is an issue.
Cow’s Milk Alternatives
These are perhaps slightly more expensive than dairy milk. This is because dairy farms are often subsidised by the government. Soy or almond milk producers are not. But you may find that as you lose the taste for that creamy, mucous’y’ texture in or on everything, you don’t end up using as much plant milk as you did dairy milk. I find water is great on my muesli, as it ends up looking and tasting like oat milk anyway, so you may just need plant milk for cooking or baking. Again, supermarkets will do an own brand organic soy milk.
Sweets (Cakes, Cookies etc.)
Make your own! Or just buy pre-prepared ones occasionally as a special treat.
Treats (Chocolate etc.)
I’m gonna focus on chocolate, because, well, you know. There is plenty of cheap, amazing vegan chocolate. M&S do a creamy dark chocolate bar for around 65p. Starbucks dark chocolate is my preferred yummy treat, at the hefty price of £1 per bar!!
Meat Alternatives
These may be dear, but you don’t need these, Why are you even reading this section?
If you are transitioning and are craving the ‘meaty’ texture, then buy meat alternatives sparingly, a couple of times a week, say. Or grill a portobello mushroom and have a portobello burger!
Nuts And Seeds
These can be expensive, but again, supermarket own brands can save the day. You can totally get your omegas without breaking the bank.
The last time I looked, meat was VERY expensive. Assuming you don’t want to eat horsemeat, or the scrapings off the abattoir floor, you will be paying lots more for animal meat products than plant food. These are the typical prices for beef from Tesco (I picked Tesco because it’s an average medium to low budget supermarket). And these are the prices for chicken. I think we can all agree that these are the two most commonly consumed meat products.
How can anyone say that comparatively plant food is more expensive?
You can get 500g of organic brown rice for around £1.60. For a couple, say, you’d use this three or four times, and it has a long expiry date on it, so you can use it whenever. Stir fry some veg (if the veg is frozen this can also last a long time), with ginger and garlic, add some soy sauce, and your highly nutritious meal cost peanuts! Oooh – you can add peanuts too!
Trust me – while I absolutely feel abundant, my resources are currently limited (did you see how I tried to make my point with a positive spin there? Haha). What I’m saying is, if being vegan wasn’t an economical way to eat, I definitely couldn’t sustain it.
The truth is, unless you are buying coconut milk ice cream and kale chips every day, you will more likely than not SAVE money as a vegan.
There are those who love to chirp about how a vegan diet cannot be natural because it needs supplementing with vitamin B12.
Little do they know.
Vitamin B12 is a bacteria that used to be found naturally in soil and water. It is not PRODUCED by animals or plants. Animals can absorb vitamin B12 from their intestinal tracts. Humans also have it in their intestines but can’t absorb it efficiently from here, so they either acquire it from animal products, or preferably(!) take a supplement.
Vitamin B12 is vital for a healthy nervous system, and to ensure the proper formation of red blood cells.
In years gone by we would have obtained plenty of it from the soil our veg and fruit were grown in. Now however, our topsoil is not of the same quality and doesn’t contain the same level of nutrients; and as we sterilise everything to the max, we just can’t guarantee getting enough from plant foods without supplementation.
We would also have acquired B12 from water in the past. Excessive chlorination put paid to that, so water is no longer a source either.
Should anyone lay the old ‘it’s not natural to be vegan blah blah blah B12’ chestnut on you, you can hip them to THIS fact: Meat eaters are just as likely to be deficient in B12 as vegans these days and oftentimes more so, by virtue of the fact that someone who hasn’t questioned their diet and just eats whatever they’re given or whatever is advertised to them, is not going to be aware of their B12 needs, and even less aware of how to fulfil them. Vegans, on the other hand, tend to be well-educated folk (they have thought about how their dietary habits impact the world outside themselves) and have likely read up on how to get the nutrients they need. That’s why, these days, lots of dieticians advise meat eaters to take a B12 supplement too!
As a nutritional therapist, I would definitely advise anyone transitioning to, or already following a vegan diet, to take a quality vitamin B12 supplement daily.
It is thought that there is vitamin B12 in fermented foods such as kimchi and miso. These are great foods that are ideally part of a healthy diet anyway, but I would NOT rely on these.
You MAY be getting some on your veg and fruit, but the amount is unmeasurable and it’s unlikely that you’ll be getting enough. Better be safe than sorry – take it.
The doctors I often refer to who are experts in plant-based nutrition recommend a minimum of 250mcg per day.
There are three forms of B12. The most common – and probably the one you’ll find in your health shop is cyanocobalamin, and this is fine.
It IS important to take it. You may be fine for a very long time without taking it but the symptoms of B12 deficiency, if and when they hit, are NOT cool. They include fatigue, rapid heartbeat, uneven moods, easy bruising, bleeding gums, numbness in extremities, and sometimes even dementia.
Don’t worry about OD’ing on B12. I mean, don’t go crazy with the tablets, just take one a day, but don’t fret that you could be overdoing it if there might be any already in your food. It is very difficult to experience B12 toxicity – you’d have to take a ridiculous amount to suffer this, and your body will probably excrete what it doesn’t need anyway.
The brand I take is GNC B12 tablets. When in the US I buy Whole Foods own brand B12 sub lingual tablets. B12 is inexpensive – so there is no excuse for skipping it!
Taking your one B12 supplement every day is best practise, though if you DO forget to take it occasionally, don’t sweat it. B12 can store up in the body, so if you’ve been taking it for a while, you probably have enough to see you through. Just make sure you take it most of the time.
And if you buy organic veg and fruit from a farmers market, don’t be too fastidious about washing them. I mean, get rid of huge globs of soil and bugs of course! But don’t over scrub them. It’s always great to get a bit of B12 the way we were meant to get it!
Are you newly vegan or transitioning and wondering how you’ll feed your young nieces/nephews/grandkids/friends kids when they pay you a visit?
Afraid you’ll have to buy some chicken nuggets, fish fingers or dairy yoghurts just to get the kids to eat?
Are you scared that if you don’t buy things they know, they’ll hate you and think you’re the weird vegan person who gives them strange food?
Don’t worry. Not even a bit. And don’t underestimate kids!
(You can also get ideas from this post if you have your own small kids and are wondering how to transition them or raise them on a plant-based diet – but you may want to focus more on slightly healthier foods if the kids are yours long term! This post is more about kids that visit you for a few hours, or a few days, and about feeding them well – but incorporating plenty of treats so they have a fun impression of the way you eat).
I just had the pleasure of hosting two kids (aged seven and eleven) of a friend, for the weekend. Both are non-vegan. One eats ANYTHING (so that was easy!); the other is a slightly pickier type to say the least! A good (mini) cross section right there!
The truth is, it’s easy to nourish and satisfy even the pickiest kids on a whole-foods vegan diet, and we succeeded in keeping them well-fed and happy. They were essentially vegan for three days, and didn’t know – or even if they suspected (which they probably did – they’ve known me for a while!), they didn’t care. They were eating tasty and fun food, that’s all that mattered to them.
These kids are well-known to us and would definitely NOT have been shy about speaking up if they were unhappy or hungry.
At home they already eat lots of fruit, and have been exposed to lots of different foods, so that was a great start.
If you know the kids you’ll be hosting are adventurous and open, food-wise, then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t just eat whatever you’d be making for yourself.
Otherwise, or if you want to play it safe and include a few more treats than you’d ordinarily have in the house; I share below just what we did.
(Don’t forget to consult my previous post ‘How To Answer Questions From Other Peoples Non-Veg Kids’ if you anticipate any questions. If you don’t have time to read this, the main take away was – stay truthful, simple and kind in your explanations).
OK, let’s get to the food:
First up – Snacks
These kids were avid and enthusiastic snackers.
There are a TON of vegan snack products out there. I can only speak for UK products in this post, as I shopped for the kids here – but I know there are even more amazing vegan snacks in the US (try Whole Foods, or the health food section of any major supermarket), and no doubt in Australia too.
There are PLENTY of other options, these are just what I happened to choose.
Treats
Funnily enough, these kids were also partial to a treat or three. Here’s what I bought:
Sainsbury’s dairy-free chocolate buttons (Asda do a version of these too).
Swedish Glace ice cream (you can top it with agave nectar or maple syrup). There are other, coconut-based ice creams out there, but Swedish Glace is a good, affordable option. In the US you’re spoilt for choice – So Delicious, Coconut Bliss, Purely Decadent, Almond Dream etc – any kid should be so lucky to be visiting YOUR vegan house!
We were out and about, so treated them to Starbucks frappucinos. They come in strawberries and cream flavour, caramel or vanilla. Ask for them to be made with soy and hold the cream. This is a nice enough treat, creamy and sweet – dairy cream is not needed.
Breakfasts
These particular kids are not fond of soy or rice milk, so cereal wasn’t an option. Instead they had:
Toasted wholemeal bagels with Pure (Earth Balance) and fruit sweetened jam (or you could use peanut butter and banana)
A clementine
An apple
Breakfast of champs!
Lunches
Wholemeal pasta, and sauce made of fried onions, chopped mini red peppers and passata (salt and garlic to flavour). Fresh radishes and cooked beetroot (from a jar) on the side.
Peanut butter and jam sandwiches in wholemeal pitta pockets. Cherry tomatoes, celery and cucumber batons and hummous.
Dinners
Sumac baked potatoes (easy on the spices), chick peas, half a corn on the cob, and some lightly steamed pak choi.
Soy fruit yoghurts (these are available in pretty much any supermarket these days)
Fruit – take your pick! Apples, melon, grapes, clementines are all good!
At no point did I get any complaint about the sausages not being made of meat, or the desserts not containing dairy. I even had no complaint or comment about the wholemeal pasta (which I was expecting), even though these kids would usually eat white pasta. It even elicited the comment ‘…Mmmmm, THIS pasta is good!’
Don’t announce that any food you might make is ‘vegan.’ It’s all just FOOD, and kids know this better than most of us, why make it sound different?
And if they are up for it, get them to help you make the meals – if they’re involved in the process, they’re more invested in eating the results!
Also, don’t sweat it. If someone doesn’t like something, try something else. Remember; they wouldn’t necessarily enjoy everything that was non-vegan, so just calmly move on.
Most of all – enjoy yourself! And though it’s not ideal to eat high- sugar treats often, you now have an excuse to indulge along with the kids! It’d be rude not to!
