VALA: animal liberation = earth liberation = people liberation
vegan screams (tumblr)
Workers World news online Animals Australia The Institute for Critical Animal Studies Ink Rebels Rocking the Suburbs: An animal/human/earth liberation blog. Storybook Living: Meredith Simonds @greenat15 The Tasty Vegan Vegina Lorna at WAAR OC Veganista Vegans Of Color blackfellas sydney homeless
Vegan Bloggers Unite is a blog that brings to together guest bloggers on a range of topics – as long as they are vegan.
My recipe for Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake – (most definitely vegan) was recently featured.
Here is the direct link
Vegan Bloggers Unite: Decadent Triple Chocolate Cake
Even the post looks indulgent!
| Sí, se puede |
I don’t think any one event, or any one day, or any one action,
or any one confrontation wins or loses a battle. You keep that
in mind and be practical about it. It’s foolish then to try and
gamble everything on one roll of the dice—which is what violence
really gets down to.
I think the practical person has a better chance of dealing with
nonviolence than people who tend to be dreamers or who are
impractical. We’re not nonviolent because we want to save our
souls. We’re nonviolent because we want to get some social
justice for the workers.
If all you’re interested in is going around being nonviolent and so
concerned about saving yourself, at some point the whole thing
breaks down—you say to yourself,
‘Well, let them be violent, as long as I’m nonviolent.’
Or you begin to think it’s okay to lose the battle as long as you
remain nonviolent, the idea is that you have to win and be
nonviolent. That’s extremely important! You’ve got to be
nonviolent—and you’ve got to win with nonviolence! What do
the poor care about strange philosophies of nonviolence if it
doesn’t mean bread for them?
~ Cesar Chavez
| “We know we cannot be kind to animals until we stop exploiting them — exploiting animals in the name of science, exploiting animals in the name of sport, exploiting animals in the name of fashion, and yes, exploiting animals in the name of food.” César Chávez |
César Chávez a farm worker in California, who became a community organiser, labour leader and civil rights activist, and inspiration in non-violent campaigning for change.
Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, established the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers (UFW), and in the process showed what non-violent, compassionate, passionate activism can achieve.
In fighting for the rights of farm workers, the UFW was fighting for work place rights on behalf of a group of workers who had / have working conditions that very few other work places would find acceptable. As the recent death of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez due to heat stroke shows.
However, a family member says that Chávez was vegan. Camila Chavez, his niece, said: Cesar was a vegan. He didn’t eat any animal products. He was a vegan because he believed in animal rights but also for his health
Building on those who went before, Mexican Revolutionary – Emiliano Zapata, Martin Luther King, and Indian revolutionaries Nehru and Gandhi, he used as many tools as he could to gain rights for farm labourers.
| “There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.” César Chávez |
31 March, César Chávez’s birthday, is a state holiday in California, in honour of his community service.
And in the way that Chávez was inspired by those who went before him, maybe he can inspire a new generation of animal rights activists, inspired by his slogan “Yes, you can” (Sí, se puede).
Perhaps, vegans could adopt that day also, for a day of Animal Rights activism, non-violent acts of Revolution and community vegan activism?
| “I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom. It was my dog Boycott who led me to question the right of humans to eat other sentient beings.” César Chávez |
This video examines the legacy of Chávez, his fight for justice, human rights, work place safety, and even environmental protections with his attention to the use of pesticides in food production. Among those paying tribute are Robert Kennedy and Martin Sheen.
| Yes, you can. |
Based on Classic Cupcakes, with a Maple Twist! by The Tasty Vegan
This is my version of that recipe:
from the Vegan Cupcake archives: photo by RedGlitterX
INGREDIENTS
275g white flour, self raising
150g brown sugar – char-free
1-1.5C shredded / desiccated coconut
125ml oil of your choice (eg sunflower, macadamia)
100ml milk of your choice (eg almond, rice)
2tbl golden syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (= 180°C not fan-forced = 320°F)
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, coconut) in a large bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients.
Add the golden syrup.
Stir til all ingredients mixed well.
Pour into paper-lined cupcake or muffin trays.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, or until a wooden toothpick comes out cleanly when inserted.
The Tasty Vegan says DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN – It’s a crime against cupcakes, my oven is fan-forced, so I spin the cupcakes tray around half way through the cooking time, so they cook evenly.
Icing / frosting optional, they are sweet enough as it is.
These are moist, and don’t rise too much. Can be stored in the fridge – they will go cold, but unlike egg/dairy cakes which go stale, they maintain their freshness in the fridge.
Visit, the Tasty Vegan’s Classic Cupcakes, with a Maple Twist! and check out the original recipe.
Because I believe “there are no stupid questions, it’s those who don’t ask that remain stupid”.
So, what is it that people ask me – not of vegans in general, I’m sure other vegans get asked different questions.
Depends what kind of animal rights you are into – if you are abolitionist, they generally have “abolitionist” in their bio. If you are Liberationist maybe look for specific people. Search for the hashtag #vegan or #AnimalRights and you will find people you want to follow.
People who have forums, blogs, nings or facebuck sometimes include their twitter @name, if you find a blog you like, look for that.
Beauty products that test on animals are not beautiful.
It is NOT necessary. Why they test is because they are using combinations of chemicals that might cause death, disfigurement, and long lasting health side-effects. These chemicals enter the blood stream and nobody knows what effect they will have on the body. Do we even know that BSE (mad cow disease) can’t be spread via cosmetics?
Now, isn’t it better to use healthy ingredients in the first place than take the risk with these dangerous products that “only” kill 50% of the lab rats they test on.
As this piece here Animal Testing: Pass or Fail explores, reasons for testing aren’t always about consumer health.
I’m generally reluctant to mention Nazis but Noam Chomksy said it first:
Non-violent resistance activities cannot succeed against an enemy that is able freely to use violence. That’s pretty obvious. You can’t have non-violent resistance against the Nazis in a concentration camp, to take an extreme case…
The Real History of Capitalism
I don’t know what “Veggie” means. Seriously, I don’t.
Does it mean Vegan or does it mean Vegetarian? Is it meant to be a combination of both?
Does it mean “vegetable”? I’m in Australia, we spell it “vegie”.
This Ⓥ is a symbol some vegans use on social network sites.
It should be, yes.
But people will always find a way to shove animal products into any food. However, it does contain oil instead of eggs, and is not low fat, but is vegan.
This recipe contains fruits and vegetable, and is very easy to make, and non-vegans will love it, I mean, if they like carrot cake:
LINK >> Animal Liberation Carrot Cake – vegan recipe
Maybe that was “WHAT does Jolie eat?”
I’m going to guess not a lot of vegetables, she thinks eating a vegan diet (“strict vegetarian”, because she continues to wear animal products) nearly killed her. She says “I joke that a big juicy steak is my beauty secret. But seriously, I love red meat.”
Wow, there is a lot of interest in these two. And often people are interested in CamilleMarinoAndSteveBest, as if it is one word, almost like they have morphed into one person with one brain. But no, they appear to be two separate people.
Best and Marino are USAmerican animal rights advocates. Best is from The Institute for Critical Animal Studies and has his own personal blog and together they are Negotiation Is Over.
Their use of a match as their symbol is problematic for me, since matches are an animal product, but no more problematic than PeTA using naked women and leather-wearing celebrities.
Do you need to follow their every word in order to be a good little MDA (Militant Direct Action) activist?
That’s a personal choice. Some people say NO.
Shayna Steele, who also provided the female vocals. This is the video in which the chicken gets revenge on a KFC-inspired Colonel.
Who is Benjamin Zephaniah, and where can I find a copy of his poem “Vegan Delight“?
Zephaniah is a British poet who has written and spoken about veganism. Some of his work is featured in this post on him Vegan Delight, Benjamin Zephaniah (plus vegan onion bhajji recipe).
Vegan Delight (and not Onion Delight) – is a poem that answers the question “What do vegans eat?”. When omnivores say that all vegans eat is tofu and broccoli, this poem would set them straight. With the exception of “omelettes” – I don’t know why that is listed in the poem.
VEGAN DELIGHT
Ackeess, chapatties, Dumplins an nan, Channa an rotis, Onion uttapam,
Masala dosa, Green callaloo, Bhel an samosa, Corn an aloo.
Yam an cassava, Pepperpot stew, Rotlo an guava, Rice an tofu,
Puri, paratha, Sesame casserole, Brown eggless pasta, An brown bread rolls.Soya milked muesli, Soya bean curd, Soya sweet sweeties, Soya’s de word,
Soya bean margarine, Soya bean sauce, What can mek medicine?
Soya of course.Soya meks yoghurt, Soya ice-cream, Or soya sorbet, Soya reigns supreme,
Soya sticks liquoriced, Soya salads, Try any soya dish
Soya is bad.Plantain an tabouli, Cornmeal pudding, Onion bhajee, With plenty cumin,
Breadfruit an coconuts, Molasses tea, Dairy free omelettes, Very chilli.
Ginger bread, nut roast, Sorell, paw paw, Cocoa an rye toast, I tek dem on tour,
Drinking cool maubi, Meks me feel sweet,What was dat question now?
WHAT DO WE EAT?
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
People who eat meat will say just about anything to themselves and to others so they do not have to face the reality of what it is they are actually eating.
For a start, they call it “meat”, rather than what it was before slaughter, a cow, calf, sheep, lamb, pig, fish, chicken. “Meat” puts some distance between what they are eating and the life their dinner used to have previously.
But the latest I was told recently was so bizarre, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
This person justified their eating animals this way….
A wise native person told me that we honour animals by eating them. They give up their lives for us. It’s the circle of life. When we eat animals, we gain nourishment, then when we die, we go into the ground and animals eat us
Oh.Your.God.
Where does a sensible person start with all the things so very wrong with that response.
For a start, the person telling me that was not a “native person”. So, my thought, is “so what?”. Maybe that is how things are for anonymous wise native people, but not for a white guy in the suburbs.
And we “honour” them? I honour my grandparents too, I respect them for what they have done for me. But, ah, I wouldn’t honour them by eating them.
I don’t see what is “honourable” with wantonly slaughtering a defenceless animal that has never had a chance to live and then eat it.
Want to know what is more honourable – Not eating dead animals!
After all, a dead animal is a corpse. If the idea of eating roadkill is so disgusting to people, what’s the difference between that and what is on their plate.
from the RoadKill archives
What about the whole “they give up their lives for us” – much like the similar “they sacrifice their lives”. Doesn’t this imply that the animals being eaten have some kind of CHOICE? That they have the option to live or be eaten, and choose to end their lives on someone’s plate?
No animal gives up their life. It is taken from them.
Now, about that “circle of life” – the whole circle of life has been severely disrupted over the past couple of hundred years. Industrialisation has changed things. Whereas previously people had to go out and hunt, and see for themselves the animal in their natural habitat, and watch as the life was drained from their bodies.
Modern industrial slaughter processes remove the killing part for consumers, so they don’t see the life and death.
This is an example of “cognitive dissonance”, where the mind denies what it already knows. People know where their food comes from, this is why they get squeamish if a vegan talks about “slaughter”. They don’t want to hear it, because then then would have to acknowledge what they are eating. They know, but the avoid, so can pretend they don’t know.
Humans have removed themselves from the “circle”, we are at the edge.
And as for our bodies providing nourishment for other animals – the animals that people tend to eat the most are not carnivores, they are placid herbivores.
I’ve never seen a cow chose to eat a dead human. I have never seen a lamb choose to eat a dead human.
Or a chicken, or a pig.
People eat far more animals, which necessitates the killing of huge numbers of animals, way more than their corpses would ever feed.
The excuses people make to continue their selfish greed of eating dead animals never ceases. They eat animals because they think it is their right.
*Oh, and, I know that all animal products involve cruelty and death, I am not saying that milk is harmless or eggs are harmless, because this post is in response to a comment someone made to justify their eating of meat.
Editted to add:
A comment on here, which I marked as spam, for it seemed like straight up trolling, criticised me for giving vegans a bad name for being militant. Um, moron, what exactly is militant about laughing at meat eaters. Seriously, dude, get a life, if you think that this post is militant, you clearly cannot be a vegan in the traditional Donald Watson Vegan Society definition of the word.
If you are a vegetarian, and would like to be vegan, my question for you is… what are you waiting for?
Vegetarians know the reality of where there food comes from – or rather WHO their food use to be, and it does not seem to bother them.
A lot of vegans, probably have at some point meet someone who says that they are “almost vegan” or “90% vegan – except for cheese”, or,
They may say something like – “oh I could Never be vegan, I love cheese too much” or maybe they do actually call themselves Vegan, yet has an occasional slip up, if they are at a party, and someone offers them some cheese, then they might “cheat” on their vegan diet
I met a “vegan” recently, who lectured me about how I was a “fake vegan” because I didn’t hate on ALF – animal liberation front – yet, this same person didn’t know that their morning protein shake made with whey wasn’t actually vegan.
Oh how I laughed!
Dairy is not benign, dairy involves huge amounts of cruelty and exploitation and DEATH.
And then these cheese-eaters pat themselves on the back, thinking that Vegan is just a different form of Vegetarian. I mean, we all love animals, right? It’s not like the animal has to DIE or anything, right?
Oh, but I never buy cheese myself! they protest. If someone offers it to me, or there is a pizza, or I’m hungry, or [insert excuse here]. That would be like someone saying “oh but I don’t smoke, I never buy cigarettes myself, I mean, if someone offers me one, or I get them off a friend when I’m at the pub after a late night, but, no, I’m not a smoker or anything”.
How is this any different? Just because you don’t buy it, does that mean it stops being cheese?
Here is my opinion… You know those old sayings “Milk – is liquid Meat” or “There is veal floating invisibly in every bottle of milk” or “Meat is murder, milk is rape” … vegans (by that I mean actual vegans, not faux cheeseatarian vegans) chose to not consume dairy in all its forms, because…
nothing could taste so good that it justifies rape and torture and slavery and murder.
That is what it comes down to:
If you consume dairy this is what you support
This PeTA video, shows the reality of the Land O’ Lakes dairy factory in Pennsylvania USA.
This is not an exception.
And don’t kid yourself – if you consume dairy products, and you haven’t personally met the cow, there is a very good chance that what you are eating came from cows just like this portrayed in the video.
And just why is that cow generously giving us her milk? Well she isn’t. Milk is meant for baby cows… it is baby food, for HER babies.
Like any mammal, she produces milk only to feed her babies.
Which means, she is forced to become pregnant against her will in order to create the baby that will get her body producing the milk.
And if people are stealing her milk (the cow doesn’t GIVE away anything), then there are babies out there, that are not drinking it.
So, what happens to those baby cows, which are surplus to requirements – if they survive the high infant mortality rate, they get sold into slavery, and become either milk cows or veal calves or pet food.
Pet food? Seriously, imagine telling that to a baby – your life is nothing, you are worth more to me dead.
or, Some may be shipped off to cosmetics companies to be turned into face creams or diet pills, because in some markets, it is illegal to use cows that are older than 30-months old in order to reduce the risk of spreading Mad Cow Disease (BSE – bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
Beauty products that are stuffed full with animal products are not beautiful. Nope, I do not want to be slapping dead calf on my face.
And this is a side effect of societies cheese-addiction.
Not much of a life, is it?
Then, what happens when the dairy cow gets too old?
After years of slavery, of being treated like a machine….
Cows that have been bred for maximum milk production, are unable to sustain the weight of their udders, which may be infected with mastitis, then what?
Is there a pension plan, and she goes off to a farm in the country to wander the hills and pastures and frolic in the clover… hell no, if she survives a couple of years of relentless torture in the dairy factory, she is shipped off to slaughter as soon as the milk production begins to slow up.
Thanks for the all milk, my dear, and don’t let the barn door hit you on the way out.
And then there is RENNET
Unless the label states “non animal rennet” – that cheese the vegan is eating, it isn’t even vegetarian.
Rennet is an enzyme used in cheese making, that is naturally present in the stomach of calves in order to digest the milk they are drinking.
Animal Rennet is taken from the lining of calves stomachs, and is often a by-product of the veal industry.
So when Vegetarians justify their continued animal consumption because “the animal doesn’t have to die”, What exactly do they mean? The baby cows that don’t survive to adulthood, the veal calves, the petfood calves or the cosmetics calves, the sick and dying milk cows, the retired cows who are sent to slaughter at 4 or 5 years old instead of well into their 20s which is the natural life expectancy of a cow.
Yummy.
This isn’t even going to go near the substances actually in the milk – pus, blood, leukemia cells, bovine growth hormone, anti-biotics, pesticides, herbicides, possibility of BSE prions, excessive amounts of protein and lots and lots of saturated fat.
Cheese eaters – what is the difference between that and eating meat for all the misery the production of milk entails.
And don’t get me started on vegans who eat HONEY……
Further reading
IVU: What’s wrong with dairy products?
Describing Some of the things wrong with dairy.
Vegina >> dairy is a feminist issue.
A look at dairy from a feminist perspective
NEGOTIATION IS OVER – Conklin’s Sadism
Yet another example of what is standard business practice for dairy, at an Ohio dairy factory.
“Jack LaLanne Said We Don’t Need Meat And Dairy” (vegetarianstar.com)
Del and RedGlitter
Feedback welcome
EDITTED TO ADD: There had been a MFA (Mercy for Animals) video in this piece, somehow it has been removed, and the link has been removed, without my knowledge. Even the text surrounding the video.
Is wordpress censoring vegan blogs now?
John Safran, shows us all how to cook a “delicious” Jamaican stew.
Ingredients
Onion
Green Chilli
Garlic
Thyme
Tomatoes, sauteed
High grade Beef
And then Safran takes us to a slaughterhouse, and shows us how “cow” becomes “beef”.
I get a lot of flak when I point out that many of the people the vegan community holds up as heroes aren’t actually vegan.
I am told that they do more for veganism that I ever will (yeah, maybe, but at least I don’t eat animals!)
I am told that nobody is perfect, and then my critics trawl through my life trying to find somewhere that I’m not perfect either (yeah, maybe, but at least I still don’t eat animals).
Cover via Amazon
Here is Ms Not So Perfect Vegan Alicia Silverstone advocating CHEESE – again.
Alicia Silverstone Confesses: I Cheat on Vegan Diet!
Even a proud vegan like Alicia Silverestone gives in to temptation once in a while.
The actress and author of The Kind Diet confessed that sometimes she slips up — and dairy is her downfall.
“If I was at a party and there was a tray of cheese sitting there and I had had drinks, then I might have a bite,” Silverstone confessed to UsMagazine.com at an EcoTools event in NYC on Wednesday.
Silverstone doesn’t let her momentary lapse get to her, though. “It’s human,” she said. “It’s a really good reminder that sometimes you need to have what you remember is this good thing. Because then you have it, and you’re like, ‘Actually that wasn’t better than the recipes in my book,’” Silverstone told Us.
“Being flexible that way makes more people comfortable,” she said. “If I’m rigid about it and I’m perfect, then no one is going to be able to be like me because I’ll be this icey, rigid thing.”
Silverstone credits the vegan diet with better health. “I haven’t been to a doctor in 13 years,” she told Us. “I don’t have to worry about calories, I don’t have to worry about how I look because I know that what I do makes me look my best.”
For a start, I’m not sure there is such a concept as “cheating on a vegan diet” that would make it… um – not vegan!!
Like a virgin who cheats on virginity, gets pregnant and says, but I’m still a virgin, I only cheated a little!
Once we start having the concept of cheese-eating vegans, its a slippery slope til the word “vegan” means anything that people want it to mean.
There already is a perfectly valid word for someone who avoids meat but eats cheese….. VEGETARIAN!
Ever tried to define vegetarian?
A coworker told me once there are two types of vegetarian, those who eat meat and those who don’t, no matter how much I tried to tell her that a vegetarian who eats meat is not a vegetarian in any sense of the word, she would not be swayed…
there is the fish-eating-vegetarians, the fur-wearing-vegetarians, the chicken-and-bacon-eating-vegetarians, the vegetarian-3-days-a-week-and-steak-on-the-rest… the word “vegetarian” has become pretty much useless.
I was out to lunch with friends recently, one who is a vegetarian told the wait staff “I’m a vegetarian, no meat in the stir fry vegetables” it came loaded with prawns. She sent it back.
One of the reasons that the word / concept “vegan” was invented in World War 2 was that vegetarians on got rations for cheese and eggs as replacements for meat, and so began a campaign to be recognised as not consuming animals products. There are many other reasons too, but this was one of the earliest fights for recognition, that a vegan was something separate to vegetarian.
No one stands up when people assume that meat=cow/lamb but not meat=fish/chicken/pig.
The amount of vegetarians who eat fish or chicken or pork/ham/bacon is so strange. And people just accept that it is a sub-set of vegetarian.
So, when people praise Alicia Silverstone for her veganism, do we accept it, and think, but she does so much for her diet book, oops I mean veganism – or do we go, “yes, she might do a lot for animals but she really isn’t vegan herself”.
If it is okay for celebrities to cheat – how big of a celebrity does one have to be? Movies? Magazine covers? Is there like, a slide scale of celebrity A-list and B-list can eat cheese, maybe C-list – but once we hit the D-list celebrities they can’t get away with calling themselves “vegan who eats cheese”? When was vegan redefined as – something you do only when you are a commoner?
And as for Alicia’s comment that she eats cheese when she has a drink… Really, when was vegan redefined as – something you do only when sober?
Then there are instances of people who identify as “vegan” (such as this brainless moronic post: Alicia Silverstone cheats on vegan diet with dairy as her downfall which says sometimes a little egg and dairy are good, because it shows others we are flexible, and that the author herself “I end up having bit of dairy or a baked good with some egg in it” – hun, you ain’t vegan!!) complaining about those who forgo all cheese as being “militant”, I beg your pardon – not eating cheese is not being “militant”, it’s actually just plain Vegan.
I respect what Alicia has done for animals, and if people go vegan because they read her book, good for her, but people also go vegan when they visit PETA websites too, and many, many vegans don’t like PETA, and compare that to the hatred directed at Sea Shepherd for not being vegan, and people change because of SS too, so why the double standards? I really hope it isn’t because she is young, blond, white and famous.
How many vegans out there don’t eat cheese, or any other dairy, and find ways to get alternatives.
In this post Alicia Silverstone goes Vegetarian, Alicia describes her eating of BK Veggie Burger, its “yummie”, that Burger King burger also contains egg and milk.
That original twitter comment is found here http://twitter.com/AliciaSilv.
Why do people go through all sorts of contortions to redefine vegan. It is simple – not animal products. Not just sometimes, all the times. If you accidently eat something, then you move on, but for Alicia, it doesn’t seem to be an accident, it seems to be a pattern.
Take a look at her answer here:
What do you do when you crave non-vegan foods?
Alicia Silverstone.: Well, I never crave non-vegan foods, because vegan foods are so delicious. When I’m out and there are no vegetarian foods available, then I just make the best choices I can. Sometimes, it’s to eat nothing at all, or I’ll have the least offensive thing. Maybe there’s a salad with goat cheese, or potato salad with a little mayo. That’s what it’s about — making the best choices under all circumstances.
Alicia Silverstone Quit Counting Calories – With Her “Kind Diet”
Actually… NO, veganism isn’t defined as “making the best choices” – it is In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.: Vegan
But, at what point do we stop watering down what “vegan” actually means, people call Bill Clinton vegan in the exact same interview he discusses eating fish (He actually seems to be making a lot of changes to his dies, it is “almost vegan”) – vegan has a meaning, do some people want that label so badly that they will ignore its meaning? I could call myself anything I want, doesn’t make it true, calling yourself “vegan” when you clearly aren’t doesn’t make veganism flexible, it totally strips all value and meaning from a word that has a specific definition.
… how would ordinary (by that I mean, Non celebrity) vegans who don’t “cheat” (which I find a silly word, its not “cheating” its eating cheese) feel going to a vegan restaurant being served cheese, honey, eggs, once that happens, the people who actually are vegan might have to explore a new word.
Meanwhile comments such as:
Brent Phillips (on facebook): Someone call the vegan police! Revoke her vegan powers
People who make comments like that, are they vegan themselves? I know how hard it is for me and vegans I know to live a vegan life, someone who doesn’t encounter difficulties occasionally, maybe there is a reason.
And as for “revoke her vegan powers”…. um, do you consider cheese and egg to be vegan? If you think there is something wrong with pointing out that Alicia Silverstone is a vegetarian, not a vegan, then there is definitely something wrong with your definition of vegan.
Image by Pulicciano via Flickr
I had no appetite for meat sauce. Giving up beef wasn’t just some fleeting idea. Over the next year, I stopped eating all animals and animal products. I always thought going vegan would be difficult, but I genuinely don’t crave meat or cheese. And I feel happier, like I’m contributing to making the world a less violent place. Before that morning on the farm, I ranked an animal’s value based on how “human” it was. Now I don’t judge other beings that way—every animal has its own intelligence and sensitivities. They’re all lovely, worthwhile, and deserving of our respect.
Comparing the words used by both Alicia and Portia, and how they see veganism:
Alicia uses words like: “recipes”, “calories”, “look my best” and the words “Losing Weight” are in the title of her diet book
………. compare that to Portia de Rossi : “intelligence”, “sensitivities”, “respect”, “deserving”, “worthwhile”, “contributing to… the world”
And yet, Alicia is seen as a true champion of kindness and veganism, and Portia is just a bimbo lesbian.
Portia de Rossi, probably doesn’t get enough respect for her awareness.
For more on this topic – whether it is a good thing for vegans to expand the definition to include cheese and eggs like Alicia Silverstone does
What Lines Do You Cross on an ETHICAL Vegan Diet?
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Articles copyright 2010 ‘Vegan Animal Liberation Alliance’. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Written by RedGlitter of VALA http://redglitterx.wordpress.com/
Feedback welcome.
This does not apply to all vegans, but is my personal story of what happens why B12 levels become critical.
I assume that I am no different to most vegans, in that I read about nutrition and food widely. I think vegans probably read more books about food than most other people.
So I knew that B12 (cobalamin) of all the vitamins and minerals was the most important one, being sourced via animal products.
Image via Wikipedia: vegan breakfast
It is produced by bacteria – so if it is found in plant food, it is in foods such as mushrooms which may have come in contact with dirt, or if it is found in animal products it is still the result of bacteria production.
Which is why, unless vegans pay attention, it can be overlooked.
There is a common idea on vegan websites and books, that there is enough B12 in the body to last five years or so, so when someone first goes vegan there is enough still in their system to last.
Last year, several things happened to me all at once, I got a really bad case of flu, and was not eating, this came after several weeks of dental treatment, where I hadn’t eaten, which came after a personal thing, in which I’d lost my enjoyment of food.
As a result, my weight had dropped by almost 10 kilos. My diet was shocking, I knew there was chance I would be low in some nutrients.
But I had begun to get strange symptoms.
My feet had started to get permanent pins-and-needles, then my hands. And then what was really scary, my memory was being affected.
Several instances stand out:
I was with a group of friends discussion how long we had known each other. I looked at one of my closet friends who I met in 2000 and the word that formed in my mind was 1990, when I spoke it, it came out as “1900″. No, that’s wrong, I mean 1990. My friend wasn’t born til 1991, so I wrote on a piece of paper 2000, which my hand wrote as 1880.
Another, I was with the same friends, trying to find something on a map, I pointed to the red section, the word that formed in my brain was “orange” even though I knew it was red, I told myself “it’s red” but again the word “orange” took the place of red. And as I spoke, the words that came out of my mouth were “I think it’s that purple section”
… So not only did I know that it was red as a colour, yet the letters in my mind were “orange”, my mouth said purple.
I was losing my nouns. I couldn’t remember the names of things, even though I could describe them.
I couldn’t remember the world “Cucumber”, and I was trying to describe it to my dining companion, “it’s long, and round, and hard…” (no, I am not flirting with you) “it’s cold, you eat it in salad, it had a dark green skin…”
It was time for action, this wasn’t a hold over of my flu or dental work.
I have occasional blood tests as part of my job, so during one routine blood test, I asked for my Iron and B12 to be also checked. We discussed my dental work, the flu I’d had and my lose of appetite, so I expected some of my readings to be a little low.
When the results came back, my doctor said my B12 was fine, but my iron was low.
I’d read in several places that low iron can mask a B12 deficiency, so while I expected my iron to be low, but Not out of range, I really thought my B12 would be low too.
pills and medications
I knew these results had to be wrong.
I occasionally take a vitamin supplement that has a B12 component, and I read the instructions: Take 2 every day with food.
I probably would have been taking not even 2 a week. But I made sure I took the recommended dosage.
And within a week and half, or so, the numbness in my hands and feet went, my memory returned. I don’t know that it was B12 deficiency, but I really, sincerely believe that it was. I don’t believe the blood tests told the wole story.
There are four foods I consume regularly that are fortified with B12, and I try to eat them often. And I try to get motivated to take vitamin supplements.
And if anyone wants to say, “but that just shows the inadequacies of being vegan”, take a look around your kitchen/bathroom, at how many pills and medications you take. I only take B12 occasionally, and that is it, that is all.
mmmm toast
What happened to me was not just because I am vegan, it happened because there were 3 things in my life at the same time, that occurred one after the other, which meant I was barely eating…
and even having barely eaten in the 6 weeks or so before the medical tests, I still had an Iron level that was in the normal range (allbeit, the low end of normal)… and of all the people I know who have ever been prescribed iron tablets, they have been meat eaters, so I got a smile out of that result.
This is not medical advice, this is my personal story, I don’t blame it on being vegan, I chalk it down to being a young woman, who sometimes has changing life circumstances.
Being vegan is not hard, being a person is.
Edited to add:
Recommended Supplements for Vegans: by Ginny Messina RD
29 November 2010
Scones are a traditional English favourite, (similar to what is known in the USA as biscuits) often eaten warm with lashings of butter or cold with cream and jam.
This simple recipe is a vegan version, fast to make and fast to cook. The use of brown sugar rather than white, and dates gives a slightly caramel taste.
Ingredients
3 cups of self raising flour
80 grams vegan margarine
brown sugar (non bone char)
1/2-3/4 cup soy milk, or other plant milk
1/4 cup dried dates, chopped and soaked in a little hot water for 10 minutes
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
In a large mixing bowl add the flour, well sifted.
Add sugar, depending on taste. Stir through.
Add the dates, reserve the liquid. Mix well.
Add milk to the reserved date soaking water, until it reaches half a cup. Add to the flour mix and combine.
The dough should not be sticky to touch. If the mix is too dry add more milk, a tablespoon at a time.
When combined, roll the dough out on a floured board and break out small balls of dough. (Or leave in the mixing bowl and scoop them out)
Place these on a greased baking tray.
Bake for 10 minutes or until brown and a wooden toothpick comes up clean.
