Category: compassion/non-violence

I was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the Dallas sniper shootings during Black Lives Matter protest last night. I was upset that human beings (police officers) were murdered and also at the potential social impact of such violence (in maligning the Black Lives Matter movement, though I was glad that leaders of that movement have quickly denounced the shootings).

I would never condone that kind of violence, but I can somewhat understand what might have driven someone to that extreme. The rash of killings by police and the general lack of accountability could drive some to rage and despair.  How would it feel to realize that you might be murdered by a police officer at a routine traffic stop?  I’m white, so that’s very unlikely for me, but not so for many Americans of color; I can imagine living with that prospect could be so devastating as to feel completely adrift and hopeless. Continue reading “stepping sideways from police violence”

or Why vegans should come out of the “veg” closet and stop claiming parity with vegetarians.

When I was a child, I loved animals and dreamed of becoming vegetarian, though my parents forbade it. I knew that vegetarians were peaceful folks who lived in harmony with animals. Eventually, I was able to realize this dream, at 16 (on my first day of college). I was a typical lacto-ovo-vegetarian (I ate milk, egg and plant products, but no “meat”), thought nothing of animal parts used in non-food materials. Gradually, my childhood dream dissipated as I began to realize that my limited steps did not entirely coincide with a peaceful world.

While shopping one school break, I bought a real pair of blue suede shoes at a thrift store, but my middle sister pointed out that leather, like beef, comes from slaughtered cows (and I sadly returned them). Not long after, I asked a vegan friend in college why she didn’t eat eggs or dairy & she patiently explained her reasons. This got me to thinking, but I wasn’t sure I could make such radical changes; I did some experimenting and ended up going vegan some time later. Yet I still considered myself vegetarian, albeit a “pure” or “100%” vegetarian. I felt myself to be part of the larger family of vegetarians, including all who declined to eat animal flesh. Continue reading “Veg, Vegetarian, Veg*n VS. Vegan”

To the best of my knowledge, there are 2 major vegan magazines, available at Whole Foods and some newsstands, Vegan Health & Fitness (VHF) and VegNews (VN); I am going to do a little comparison of the two.

Disclaimers: I used to be a subscriber to VegNews, so I’m basing my knowledge of VegNews on the memory of the many issues I read some years back (so some of the items I mention may have changed); I started reading Vegan Health & Fitness more recently (last year), so the comparison may be a bit unbalanced.  Also, I’m considering only print content, not online content.

Appeal

• VN has a relatively wide appeal, to many with an interest in vegan, vegetarian or “veg” lifestyle, even those with no interest in health.
  Content spans recipes, food product reviews, nutrition, travel tips, animal news, celebrity news, veg weddings/relationships, humor and occasional social issues, all with a “veg” spin.
  Target audience seems to be primarily white, well-to-do vegetarians and vegans with disposable income (e.g., to travel).
• VHF has a relatively narrow appeal, to those with an interest in physical fitness [exercise], health and veganism.
  Content is mainly interviews with and articles on health-conscious vegans and fitness professionals, along with some recipes, nutrition info and occasional other tidbits.
  Target audience seems to be health-conscious vegans of all backgrounds, but primarily those in “prime” of life (20s-40s).

Continue reading “Vegan Mags: VH&F VS VN”

Generally speaking, plant foods are less “calorie dense” than animal foods and if you’re trying to lose weight, reducing animal products can help.  Recently, I’d tried pointing this out to a friend who is trying to lose weight and they said something along the lines that “seitan” is roughly the same as “steak” (in terms of calories).  This got me wondering about the nutritional comparison of meat substitutes and other vegan “faux” products with the various animal products they’re meant to mimic, so I did a little research:

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Seitan vs. Steak

• • Seitan  (3 oz) , Michael’s Savory, uncooked  {source}
    • Calories: 70 (may be more after cooking)
      • Cal. from fat: 0
    • Protein: 10g
    • Fat: 0
      • Saturated fat: 0
    • Cholesterol: 0
  • Sirloin Steak (3 oz), cooked   {source}
    • Calories: 210
      • Cal. from fat: 130
    • Protein: 20g
    • Fat: 14g
      • Saturated fat: 6g
    • Cholesterol: 70mg

Continue reading ““Faux” Plant products are better for diet”

This was a blog entry I posted in a work community forum (Smarter Eating), and I thought it was worth sharing on my regular, public blog:

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Many of us tend to conceive of issues like health at the microscopic level, that is, what effects do particular substances have on us, specifically on our cells and tissues?  For example, how does a diet high in cholesterol affect our blood vessels (answer: atherosclerosis) or why do we need Vitamin A (answer: eyesight/immune function)?   These are certainly valid considerations and a good understanding of nutrition has led many to conclude that most of us humans need a diet primarily sourced from plants, including a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and grains.

However, if you consider “health” from a macroscopic level, expanding our consideration outside of our bodies and immediate circle of friends and family, to include the well-being of human beings across the globe, plants, animals and the environment, the case for a plant-based diet is even more compelling.

1. Plant agriculture is much more efficient than animal agriculture.  Most farmed animals simply convert plant energy into their own energy (for moving or reproduction), just as humans do when they eat plants. After significant quantities of plants are eaten, to then convert the animals (or their reproductive fluids) into human food products, requires a lot more energy and resources (to grow the plants, to store and transport the plants, not to mention the significantly larger quantity of plants & plant energy compared to the relatively little animal energy available for animal agriculture).  This wasn’t such a problem 100 years ago, but with 7 billion humans on the planet (and expected to keep growing), animal agriculture is completely unsustainable. Continue reading “Smarter Eating: Micro vs. Macro”