One year ago, Kaylee Carr attended herfirst Local Herbivores meeting. At the time she was not vegan or vegetarian. However, after listening to what people in club had to say, she eventually became vegan.

The Local Herbivores (TLH) is a club at the University of Idaho with the goalin mind to promote veganism and spread awareness about it. This month TLH turns two years old.

Two years ago, UI students Danielle Solberg and Josef Foote decided to start a vegan club that would spread awareness about veganism to those who are curious about it, and thats how TLH was started.

According to their website, TLH has grown into a community for vegan and veg-curious individuals. This club is tied to the University of Idaho to focus on events and meetings around the student and faculty community in Moscow.

Carr, a UI second year student studying environmental science, decided to become involved in the club because her friends asked her to come with them to a meeting, and she wanted to try something new.

I never really thought about veganism before that, but then hearing a lot of stuff in the club about the environmental impacts and the ethical concerns (about eating meat), I decided to give it a try, Carr said.

After former TLH president and founder Solberg graduated from UI, she trained Carr to take over for her. The club currently focuses on events and meetings in order to discuss and raise awareness about veganism.

Carr said the club is open to everyone regardless if they are vegan, vegetarian or otherwise. TLH Vice President Nicolas Toryanski agrees that having the club open to everyone is important.

I think its very important to have dialogue with people, Toryanski said. Like friendly conversations with people, and get to know what they believeand communicate with them what I believe and find common ground there and actually find what your beliefs are actually based upon and talk about why you do what you do.

Toryanski, a UI student studying philosophy, said he is an ethical veganand has been for the last two years. An ethical vegan means that someone is veganfor ethical reasons. This means they find it ethically wrong to consume animal products, rather than being vegan for environmental or health reasons.

Carr said this semester the club has many ideas for events, such as an event about veganism and its effects on health, an event raising awareness about spaying and neutering cats and dogs, vigils, tabling and other events.

Carr hopes that students who do fall into that veg-curious category come to their meetings.

Were a really open community and we have a lot of information and resources that we can give students who are really curious, Carr said.

On the TLH website there are resources for those who are just starting out or for those who want to learn more information.

TLH meet every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Integrated Research and Innovation Center in room 105.

The club is full of friendly people, we always love when people who arent vegan or vegetarian or people who just to even have completely opposing viewpoints to come to our meetingsand talk with us, and we find it veryproductive when people come and listen to what we have to say, and we listen to what they have to say, Toryanski said.

Nicole Hindberg can be reached atarg-life@uidaho.eduor on Twitter @HindbergNicole.

Link:
Local Herbivores share resources and information about veganism - Argonaut

New Haven, and Jovan Bloise, student ambassador for Sodexo at The University of New Haven. They are part of a trend of college campuses going vegan.

Sodexo

Like a lot of her classmates, Kirsten Gersbeck prefers a plant-based diet. But until recently, the sophomore at the University of New Haven had few vegan options on campus.

For me, I see it as a healthy food option so when its available, I choose to eat it, says Gersbeck, a criminal justice major.

But then Jovan Bloise, a liaison between the students and the universitys food service provider, Sodexo, got involved and helped persuade the college to go vegan.

I was hearing that we didnt have a lot of options for people who follow a vegan diet, he said. Students said they felt like an afterthought and not a main priority.

The University of New Haven is at the vanguard of a national trend. The latest PETA Vegan Report Card, which grades schools on plant-based dining options, found the number of vegan-friendly college campuses is at an all-time high. The number of schools that earned an A or B grade peaked at 709, compared to just 189 when the report card debuted in 2013, according to the organization.

Standouts on PETAs Deans List include MIT, the University of Florida, and the University of Colorado Denver. The animal rights organization lauded those colleges for offering diverse entrees such as vegan ravioli, mac and cheese, and waffles.

The increasing trend in plant-based foods can be seen in restaurants and food markets across the country, says Sara Patton, a clinical dietician at the Deborah Heart and Lung Center. Some of the biggest drivers for this trend include health, environmental and ethical concerns. Plant-based diets have been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity.

College students have their own reasons for adopting a vegan diet, from health concerns to recent news about the benefits of a plant-based diet. Sodexo and the University of New Haven, for example, conducted a comprehensive review of their menu before adding more plant-based food choices. But there are challenges and rewards ahead.

New Haven. Colleges are going vegan and the campus is part of a national trend.

Sodexo

Why college students are going vegan

Veganism is on the rise in the general population. The number of American consumers identifying as vegan grew from 1% to 6% between 2014 and 2017, according to GlobalData. Thats a 600% increase. A quarter of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 say they are vegans or vegetarians according to The Economist, which declared 2019 the year of the vegan.

Theres an unprecedented level of awareness around both the ethical and environmental implications of our dietary choices, says Esther Ardagh-Ptolomey, founder of Kindred Traveller, a business specializing in vegan and ethical travel.

Recent documentaries such as Game Changers, have also changed perceptions of the plant-based diet, particularly among college students.

Theyve challenged the stereotype of vegans as hemp wearing, tree-hugging hippies, instead representing the wide demographic veganism encompasses, she adds.

campus is one of hundreds in the United States that are going vegan.

Sodexo

How Sodexo helped one college go vegan

Bloise approached Sodexo about redoing its menu. It already offered vegan lunch options for one of its cafeteria stations. The choices, which rotate daily, rotate daily, range from Indian-style curries and Asian stir-frys to Mexican and Caribbean style dishes. Students could choose from a selection of plant-based meat alternatives, including seitan crumbles, tofu, beans, and legumes.

But going vegan at the university meant a full rethink of the menus. It started with breakfast, where Bloise asked Sodexo to offer omelettes made with an egg substitute.

We also added vegan bacon and sausages so vegans could have a hot, old fashioned breakfast, he says.

Sodexo also added vegan mayo and vegan cheeses to its lunch lineup, allowing students to make fully vegan sandwiches. Vegan cookie dough found its way on the dessert menu. And, of course, there were vegan chicken nuggets.

The vegans were really pleased with our changes, says Bloise, who became a vegan himself during the project . They thanked us for going above and beyond to make sure they felt heard and attended to like everyone else.

Gersbeck noticed the changes immediately. The vegan chicken nuggets were a standout.

They are definitely a fan favorite. Even people who arent vegan like them, she said.

colleges are going vegan in response to demand by students.

Getty

Students see a positive impact of a plant-based diet

Gersbeck is in good company. Bree Sheree became a vegan two years ago while she was a college student. Shed been inspired by documentaries like What the Health and Forks Over Knives, and she saw veganism as a way to improve her health. But at college, the only options for her were the salad bar an easy but boring choice with little protein.

I ended up feeling better and was able to drop 10 pounds in 3 months, she recalls. It was difficult to adjust to new foods at first, but over time my taste buds adjusted and I cant see myself ever going back to eating animal products.

Sheree also started a food blog called Brees Vegan Life, which publishes plant-based recipes.

I now see the positive impact being vegan can make on the environment, and I also consider the lives of animals. I realized that I can eat everything I want and need without causing harm to any sentient beings, she adds.

Its not as easy as it looks

At some schools, keeping a strict plant-based diet can be difficult, if not impossible. Many colleges still have traditional animal-based food offerings. And high schools are practically vegan food deserts.

At least thats the impression of Laurice Wardini, a 21-year-old writer who has been a vegan for the last three years. Shed wanted to become a vegan at 16, but found it difficult because she was surrounded by omnivores.

Her college offered few choices, she adds.

There werent many options at all, she says. It was even worse when I had tried to go vegan in high school. I absolutely think there needs to be more vegetarian and vegan options in schools.

going vegan good for customer service?

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Vegan food is good customer service and more

It turns out that adding more plant-based meals makes sense at least from a customer service perspective. A recent Nielsen study found that 39% of Americans are actively trying to eat more plant-based foods. But theyre not going for traditional plant-based options like tofu or rice. Innovation is booming in the plant-based food space, with an array of alternatives. (Did you catch the vegan pork announcement at CES this week?)

And you cant just cart in a tray of brown rice. It has to be carefully planned and implemented. A lot like what happened at the University of New Haven.

Bloise, the culinary liaison, says he didnt realize the significance of creating more vegan food choices until the University of New Haven recognized his efforts. But the best part about his college going vegan was the reaction from students, he says.

They would stop me in the halls to thank me, he says. They said Id showed them things that they never knew about being vegan.

Serving your customers plant-based foods may have other benefits beyond happier customers. If a vegan diet improves their health, then theyll be there for you in the future. And for companies and colleges that could leave a lasting legacy.

Read the rest here:
This Is The Real Reason Colleges Are Going Vegan - Forbes

Its hard to stick to a vegan lifestyle. It can be easy to be foiled by ingredients that just slip right by you, and these arent just in food. A surprising number of non-food items also contain animal-derived ingredients. Whats a wannabe vegan to do? Remember that drastically cutting down on animal consumption is good for the planet, even if you fall short of 100 percent. If you want to be as close to completely vegan as possible, heres a list of some surprising foods and other items that arent necessarily vegan.

The sugar industry uses bone char from slaughtered cattle to remove the color from sugar so it becomes a lovely, bright white. What about using brown sugar? Unfortunately, thats made of white sugar with molasses added to it. If you want to avoid bone char-processed sugar, buy organic, unrefined, beet or coconut sugar. You can also consult PETAs list of manufacturers that forego the bones.

Many condom manufacturers use the milk derivative casein for a smooth feel. If you can do without that texture, check out vegan-friendly brands.

Would you like some tendons with your fresh breath? Yep, those ubiquitous mints contain gelatin. Time for a Tic Tac instead, or opt for the Altoids labeled sugar-free smalls, which do not contain gelatin.

Related: 10 vegan myths, debunked

Charcoal can be made from plant or animal origins. But many of the black dyes used in tattooing are made with charcoal derived from animal bones. Other non-vegan ingredients in tattoo ink are glycerin (from animal fat), gelatin and shellac (made from crushed beetles). If vegan ink is important to you, consult this international list of vegan-friendly tattoo artists.

Now, its time for something really gross. Some companies use isinglass, or fish bladders, to clarify their apple juice.

Animal tendons and sinews find their way into a lot of food and non-food products. The outer layers of paintball capsules are usually made of gelatin.

Dryer sheets are designed to fight static electricity and make clothes soft and lint-resistant. But what keeps the sheets from drying out? In some cases, animal fat. Urban Vegan assembled a list of vegan alternatives, if you happen to use dryer sheets. Alternatively, you can also reduce your waste by opting to use wool dryer balls.

Artists and anybody who uses makeup might wonder, where did the hairs in my brush come from? They might be synthetic, or they might be from some poor pig, squirrel, sable or Siberian weasel. Artists, consult this list of cruelty-free brushes, and heres a list of vegan makeup brushes.

Related: The pros and cons of going vegan

In other art supply news, crayons contain stearic acid. This ingredient occurs naturally in plants and animals. But its often animal-derived, a slaughterhouse byproduct. Crayons are one of many products that contain stearic acid, including soaps, cosmetics, candles, lubricants, chewing gum and hairspray. If you prefer your crayons vegan, check out these triangular ones made by Melissa and Doug.

Newer vegans might not have realized this yet, but traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. Instead, make your own or buy this vegan, organic Worcestershire sauce from trusted brand, Annies.

If youre vegan, you probably already know that many regular cheeses arent even vegetarian, because they contain rennet, enzymes produced in bovine stomachs that help cheese curdle. But did you know many soy cheeses arent vegan? They often contain casein, which seems really weird, because why would you even want soy cheese if you werent vegan?

Vegans who live in or are visiting Britain arent thrilled to handle the 5 notes, which contain tallow, an animal fat derivative. It is used to make the bills anti-static and less slippery. British vegans and vegetarians have been protesting since the new notes were introduced in 2016. This month, a British employment judge ruled that the Equality Act should also apply to people who sincerely believe in ethical veganism. How an indirect discrimination case will affect the bank notes is still to be seen.

Could be beef tallow, could be chicken fat most plastic bags use some type of animal fat as slip agents to prevent bags from sticking together. One more good reason for banning plastic bags!

Images via Shutterstock

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12 surprising things that aren't vegan - Inhabitat

Most people in the UK are committed meat eaters but for how long? My new research into the views of meat eaters found that most respondents viewed veganism as ethical in principle and good for the environment.

It seems that practical matters of taste, price, and convenience are the main barriers preventing more people from adopting veganism not disagreement with the fundamental idea. This could have major implications for the future of the food industry as meat alternatives become tastier, cheaper and more widely available.

My survey of 1,000 UK adult men and women found that 73% of those surveyed considered veganism to be ethical, while 70% said it was good for the environment. But 61% said adopting a vegan diet was not enjoyable, 77% said it was inconvenient, and 83% said it was not easy.

Other possible barriers such as health concerns and social stigma seemed not to be as important, with 60% considering veganism to be socially acceptable, and over half saying it was healthy.

The idea that most meat eaters agree with the principles of veganism might seem surprising to some. But other research has led to similar conclusions. One study for example, found that almost half of Americans supported a ban on slaughterhouses.

The prevalence of taste, price, and convenience as barriers to change also mirrors previous findings. One British survey found that the most common reason by far people gave for not being vegetarian is simply: I like the taste of meat too much. The second and third most common reasons related to the high cost of meat substitutes and struggling for meal ideas.

These findings present climate and animal advocates with an interesting challenge. People are largely aware that there are good reasons to cut down their animal product consumption, but they are mostly not willing to bear the personal cost of doing so.

Food motivation

Decades of food behaviour research has shown us that price, taste and convenience are the three major factors driving food choices. For most people, ethics and environmental impact simply do not enter into it.

Experimental research has also shown that the act of eating meat can alter peoples views of the morality of eating animals. One study asked participants to rate their moral concern for cows. Before answering, participants were given either nuts or beef jerky to snack on.

The researchers found that eating beef jerky actually caused participants to care less about cows. People seem not to be choosing to eat meat because they think there are good reasons to do so they are choosing to think there are good reasons because they eat meat.

In this way, the default widespread (and, lets be honest, enjoyable) behaviour of meat eating can be a barrier to clear reasoning about our food systems. How can we be expected to discuss this honestly when we have such a strong interest in reaching the conclusion that eating meat is okay?

Fortunately, things are changing. The range, quality, and affordability of vegan options has exploded. My survey was conducted in September 2018, a few months before the tremendously successful release of Greggs vegan sausage roll.

Since then, we have seen an avalanche of high-quality affordable vegan options released in the British supermarkets, restaurants and even fast food outlets. These allow meat eaters to easily replace animal products one meal at a time. When Subway offers a version of its meatball marinara that is compatible with your views on ethics and the environment, why would you choose the one made from an animal if the alternative tastes the same?

The widespread availability of these options means that the growing number of vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians in the UK have more choice than ever. Not only will this entice more people to try vegan options, but it will make it far easier for aspiring vegetarians and vegans to stick to their diets.

With consumer choice comes producer competition, and here we will see the magic of the market. If you think those looking to cut down their meat consumption are spoilt for choice in 2020, just wait to see the effect of these food giants racing to make their vegan offerings better and cheaper as they compete for a rapidly growing customer segment.

We may be about to witness an explosion in research to perfect plant-based meat analogues. Meanwhile, the development of real animal meat grown from stem cells without the animals is gaining pace.

Cheaper and tastier

While these replacements get tastier, more nutritious and cheaper over the next ten years, meat from animals will largely stay the same. It is no wonder the animal farming industry is nervous. Demand for meat and dairy is falling drastically while the market for alternatives has skyrocketed.

In the US, two major dairy producers have filed for bankruptcy in recent months, while a recent report estimated that the meat and dairy industries will collapse in the next decade.

This leaves the average meat eater with a dilemma. Most agree with the reasons for being vegan but object to the price, taste, and convenience of the alternatives.

As these alternatives get cheaper, better and more widespread, meat eaters will have to ask themselves just how good the alternatives need to be before they decide to consume in line with their values. Being one of the last people to pay for needless animal slaughter because the alternative was only pretty good will not be a good look in the near future.

Chris Bryant, PhD Candidate, University of Bath

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Image: Reuters.

Read the original here:
What Meat Eaters Have to Say About Veganism (You May Be Surprised!) - The National Interest

When on Friday a court ruled that ethical veganism was akin to a religion and should be protected by law, many vegans celebrated. Yet we should be cautious about doing so.

Jordi Casamitjanas case against his employer was that he was discriminated against on the basis of his veganism he did not want his pension invested in companies linked to animal experiments.

Its been years since I ate, wore, or used animal products, so I guess that makes me an ethical vegan, too though who came up with the definition isnt clear. To me, being a dietary vegan is pretty ethical already.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

But resorting to the law to enforce ones rights is hardly the best way to promote support for ones views.

The perception of vegans as shouty turns many people off veganism; nobody likes to think something is being foisted on them, or that theyre being judged. Indeed, many people react badly to it.

The pop singer is a passionate animal rights advocate, telling Vanity Fair in 2019 that her diet also reflects her fashion choices: "Im challenging the system more than ever. Choosing to live as a sustainable vegan activist means wearing more vintage (less waste; loving pieces for longer), playing with the newest eco-materials and technology, and making custom vegan pieces with some of my favorite designers."

Getty

The Clueless star went vegan shortly after wrapping the hit 1990s film and has been a passionate campaigner for animal rights since. Speaking in a video for Compassionate Meals in 2017, she said: "Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is just so disturbing to me. Once you see it, theres no way to go back from that for me."

Getty

The music mogul revealed in a recent interview with The Sun that he decided to give up animal products earlier this year "on a whim", adding that he feels much better as a result.

Getty

"I started for health reasons," Williams told Health in 2019. "I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like Im doing the right thing for me."

Getty

The American-Israeli actor decided to go vegan eight years ago after learning more about the environmental consequences of eating animal products. Speaking at an Environmental Media Awards benefit, 2017, she said: "Factory farming is responsible for most of the air, water, and land pollution - that disproportionately affects our poor communities as well. So we get to make decisions three times a day, what we do with our planet, and you can make a difference by even once a day or once a week choosing not to eat animals or animal products."

AFP/Getty

While she chooses to refer to herself as plant-based as opposed to vegan, the 'Halo' singer underwent a 22-day vegan challenge with husband Jay-Z in 2013 and is believed to have maintained the diet ever since. Writing in the foreword of The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World by Marco Borges, the couple say: "We used to think of health as a diet some worked for us, some didnt. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible."

Getty/Coachella

The British boxer extolled the virtues of veganism in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 2016: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

Getty

The 'Dangerous Woman' singer announced she was going vegan in November 2018. Speaking to The Daily Mirror in a recent interview, she explained: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

AFP/Getty

The British singer has been toying with veganism for a while, having been a vegetarian for seven years. Speaking to The Cut in 2018, she revealed that she will "never eat fish or meat again" and eats a predominantly vegan diet.

Getty

The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed he had become vegan in 2010. "I wish I was born this way," he told Fox News in 2011. "When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years."

Getty

The Zero Dark Thirty star decided to go vegan roughly 13 years ago because of low energy. Speaking to W Magazine in 2017, she clarified: "being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me."

Getty

Mara has been vegan for eight years, telling Harper's Bazaar in 2018 "its better for your health and the environment.

Getty

Reality star Kim Kardashian West revealed that she has started eating a plant-based diet on Instagram in April 2019. Sharing two photographs of vegan dishes on her Instagram story, the 38-year-old wrote: I am eating all plant-based when I am at home.

Getty

The pop singer is a passionate animal rights advocate, telling Vanity Fair in 2019 that her diet also reflects her fashion choices: "Im challenging the system more than ever. Choosing to live as a sustainable vegan activist means wearing more vintage (less waste; loving pieces for longer), playing with the newest eco-materials and technology, and making custom vegan pieces with some of my favorite designers."

Getty

The Clueless star went vegan shortly after wrapping the hit 1990s film and has been a passionate campaigner for animal rights since. Speaking in a video for Compassionate Meals in 2017, she said: "Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is just so disturbing to me. Once you see it, theres no way to go back from that for me."

Getty

The music mogul revealed in a recent interview with The Sun that he decided to give up animal products earlier this year "on a whim", adding that he feels much better as a result.

Getty

"I started for health reasons," Williams told Health in 2019. "I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like Im doing the right thing for me."

Getty

The American-Israeli actor decided to go vegan eight years ago after learning more about the environmental consequences of eating animal products. Speaking at an Environmental Media Awards benefit, 2017, she said: "Factory farming is responsible for most of the air, water, and land pollution - that disproportionately affects our poor communities as well. So we get to make decisions three times a day, what we do with our planet, and you can make a difference by even once a day or once a week choosing not to eat animals or animal products."

AFP/Getty

While she chooses to refer to herself as plant-based as opposed to vegan, the 'Halo' singer underwent a 22-day vegan challenge with husband Jay-Z in 2013 and is believed to have maintained the diet ever since. Writing in the foreword of The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World by Marco Borges, the couple say: "We used to think of health as a diet some worked for us, some didnt. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible."

Getty/Coachella

The British boxer extolled the virtues of veganism in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 2016: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

Getty

The 'Dangerous Woman' singer announced she was going vegan in November 2018. Speaking to The Daily Mirror in a recent interview, she explained: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

AFP/Getty

The British singer has been toying with veganism for a while, having been a vegetarian for seven years. Speaking to The Cut in 2018, she revealed that she will "never eat fish or meat again" and eats a predominantly vegan diet.

Getty

The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed he had become vegan in 2010. "I wish I was born this way," he told Fox News in 2011. "When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years."

Getty

The Zero Dark Thirty star decided to go vegan roughly 13 years ago because of low energy. Speaking to W Magazine in 2017, she clarified: "being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me."

Getty

Mara has been vegan for eight years, telling Harper's Bazaar in 2018 "its better for your health and the environment.

Getty

Reality star Kim Kardashian West revealed that she has started eating a plant-based diet on Instagram in April 2019. Sharing two photographs of vegan dishes on her Instagram story, the 38-year-old wrote: I am eating all plant-based when I am at home.

Getty

You dont get people to empathise with you or like you by force, and you dont get people to tolerate your views or win them over by insisting on your rights. Who ever started liking someone because they had a gun held to their head?

Indeed, insisting punctiliously on your rights is a surefire way of getting people to dislike you. Whether in the workplace or on an international level, it causes friction. You may get your way superficially, but it sets up the type of opposition that leads to psychological, cultural and geopolitical tensions.

Even the -ism after the word vegan is a suffix some of us baulk at using suggesting, as is it does, a certain religiosity.

Mr Casamitjanas case also risks encouraging the creep of a wearisome culture of insisting on rights. Sure, human rights and religious faiths must be respected; but the idea has started to filter down through society to petty levels, such as restaurant customers demanding discounts because the menu doesnt exactly match that displayed on the website, or pool-goers complaining because of a closure on one day of the school holidays. First-world problems where a sense of perspective is required.

Greggs launches vegan steak bake

Using the law to enforce vegans rights is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut a kind of needless passive aggression.

Far better for vegans to demonstrate that we are just like everyone else; that we dont get up at 5am to knit our own hemp, pray to Buddha, perfect our yoga or devise other new ways to single ourselves out.

More effective is to get on with being vegan, showing by quiet long-term example that we are normal, too.

A lot of people who avoid consuming meat, dairy and eggs instinctively know this, which is why the tribunal result received a mixed reaction.

Showing that you dont have to undergo any kind of spiritual conversion, be indoctrinated into anything, sign any documents, have any special qualities or turn your lifestyle upside down to stop being cruel to animals is more likely to be a far more constructive and effective influence in the long run than insisting on our rights.

This tribunal victory has done little to encourage people to give up meat and animal-derived and -tested products. Its a pity the case was ever brought.

Read more from the original source:
Vegans have won this court case but they're losing hearts and minds - The Independent

Jessica Chastain

The Help star has been a vegan since 2007 and regularly uses her platform to speak openly about her lifestyle choice.

In an interview with W Magazine in 2017, the actress said she was initially a pescatarian but decided to become a vegan because she was really low on energy.

I found myself going to veganism because a friend of mine had a two-week vegan food delivery program she wasnt going to use so I used it, and immediately I just had more energy than Ive ever had in my life she told the publication. I said okay, Im going to just listen to my body now. Being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me.

A year later, she told the same publication that she was concerned her veganism would make others annoyed, especially her in-laws.

In the beginning, I would say I'm vegan, she explained. Which is like the worst thing. I don't eat 10 meals and I'm vegan. I would say, 'I'm sorry I can't eat that,' and [my mother-in-law] would say, No problem, we have fish.

See the original post:
10 Vegan Celebrities On Why They Love The Lifestyle - elle.com

In light of her upcoming contributions to Food Integrity 2020, Heather Mills, Owner of VBites Group, discusses all things vegan with New Foods Sam Mehmet.

After losing my leg in 1993, I was told I had to go vegan, Heather Mills, Founder and Owner of vegan brand, VBites, revealed.At the time, veganism was virtually unheard of, most people could not even comprehend the concept or its reasonings, Mills toldNew Food.

The advice to go vegan was given to Mills as a way to help heal the infection in her leg created by a road traffic amputation. Theres always an extreme reason for going vegan; its usually for health, animals or the planet. For me, it was health initially, she said. Back then I didnt know anything about animal cruelty or the environmental problems, I just thought, well, Ill try anything to improve my health. My diet started to include things like raw wheatgrass, ingredients that were entirely new to my palette, and within two weeks, my leg had healed.

After deciding to remain a vegan, Mills described becoming more and more frustrated with the lack of choice available on the market. She decided to take things into her own hands, going onto study food science and eventually replicating meat products such as burgers and hotdogs using plant-based ingredients.

Mills had 130 recipes by the end and started to approach large-scale companies around the world in an attempt to demonstrate that she could replicate their products without even thinking about animals.

Now its proving to be big business, the big players all want to step in and take a piece of the vegan pie

In early 2000, she toldNew Foodthat she almost came to an agreement with McDonalds but was informed the move to plant-based was too early. It was this that inspired her to open her own cafes, start producing products herself and invest in a factory.

I began producing vegan fish steaks, vegan duck, chorizo, different cheeses and so on. I knew that the meat and dairy industry would be against my developments because of the misinformation about meat and dairy alternatives, but I continued my journey, she said. I started exploring microprotein isolates from algae, mushroom protein isolates, oat protein isolates and so on.

I decided I had to go big or go home; I knew that the conglomerates would finally wake up to the plant-based movement. I was also sure that they would not invest quickly enough to have plant-based only facilities.

Mills went on to purchase a number of factories from the likes of Walkers/Pepsi-Cola and Coty. Today she has four different factories, one of which is an allergen-free environment to ensure no cross-contamination.

Theres always an extreme reason for going vegan; its usually for health, animals or the planet. For me, it was health initially.

Our facilities have always been 100 percent plant-based, but unfortunately not everyone that goes into vegan manufacturing actually cares about being vegan for the right reasons. Theyre just looking at it as profit, Mills contended.

In my opinion, the only reason for the plant-based boom is money.Now its proving to be big business, the big players all want to step in and take a piece of the vegan pie. Some of them have left it a bit late, and we have had to help out.

Although industry is witnessing a plant-based market boom, Mills said the vegan uptake is still not high enough. She vented her frustration over those who say I cant go vegan because it is now easy due to the now diverse range of great products available, such as the likes of VBites.

Mills also voiced her pride over VBites focus on attaining local procurement. We want to make each country sufficient on the plants that they have within their own countries, she said, and for those without plants, we have developed algae that we can make into supplements and then the biomass into products. The protein isolate will become the future of all plant-based product because you dont need to procure internationally. You can grow it anywhere, in any country.

Every two and a half tonnes of algae grown depletes CO2 by one and a half tonnes, Mills explained, and it is said to use just a tiny quantity of water, which is also recycled.

If everyone ate algae, it would take three years for world starvation to be eliminated, she continued. The answers are there, its just the greed of the big corporations that dont want to give simple solutions that is causing delay. They want to control the market.

She continued, We have been duped for so long with milk, being told its good for us and full of calcium, but we havent been told its full of antibiotics. We havent been told it depletes more calcium from our bones than we actually have, which is why countries that do not drink milk do not have the same osteoporosis and brittle bone problems we have in the UK.

If everyone ate algae, it would take three years for world starvation to be eliminate.

To normalise veganism, Mills states that stakeholders at every level must collaborate. It is about education and sharing knowledge and experience. The people that annoy me the most are the hierarchy vegans, who basically were not vegan but suddenly discovered veganism as a trend and are now judgemental and critical to the people that havent yet educated themselves, for one reason or another. Life is not just about being vegan, unfortunately.

We can educate people by holding their hand, and not slapping them in the face for doing the wrong thing.

If people are actively researching how to move to plant-based alternatives in a way that is best suited to them to stick to it as an individual, any changes are better than none and are making a huge difference to the animals, the environment, and to everything else. While consumers can educate themselves and their peers, Mills explained that the entire industry supply chain also has a responsibility to ensure that every step of a food products journey is completed in a way that is as optimal to the environment as possible. Its got to start from the origin supply chain into manufacturing, and then into the supermarket, she said. The supermarkets squeeze the farmers and the manufacturers so much that they are the only one stopping everything from being plastic free. All the technology is there, all the machinery is there; the consumer can still get food for a good price and the ethical ones are willing to pay a few pennies more. But right now, the pressure is all on farmers, manufacturers and consumers. The supermarkets are the ones making the humongous margins, while they shout out we plan to go plastic free by 2030, she contended.

Supermarkets squeeze the farmers and the manufacturers so much that they are the only one stopping everything from being plastic free

I have seen so many companies go under recently because of statements like that and then others that are new and excited to be working with a big supermarket then that supermarket dumps them. I have saved about five families through some horrific treatment of certain stores, where they had been supplying supermarkets for 10 years and then they just de-listed them with two weeks notice.

Mills believes veganism to have a prosperous future ahead and predicts ingredient innovation goes hand-in-hand with this increased uptake.

It will move in this order: soy first, pea protein second, and then coconut..It will then move forward with more advanced technology into mushroom based products, then oat-based and finally algae.

Mills was optimistic of algaes future, envisaging it to be the next big thing. Its literally the most ethical, sustainable and incredible product that we can use to make meat, fish and dairy alternatives. I am positive we are going to see much more of algae and very soon.

Heather Mills is the Founder of the plant based ethical Vegan food company VBites. She has encountered an unusual life of extraordinary circumstances. In 1993 Heather suffered the loss of her left leg below the knee due to an accident. To save her amputated leg from constant infection she went on a plant-based diet and subsequently created the pioneering international plant based ethical Vegan food company, VBites, which now exports to 24 countries, offers 130 plant-based products and has won 80 awards.

Heather will be speaking on day two (19 March) of Food Integrity about ethics and sustainability. To find out more about Heathers contributions, and to view the full agenda for the event, click here.

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An honest conversation on veganism with Heather Mills - New Food

There are several vegan communities today, which are building their lifestyle around the conditions that their environment allows for, especially in Havana.

By IPS-Cuba

HAVANA TIMES Being vegan might seem like an unlikely trend in Cuba, a country that is marked by its unhealthy diet and limited food variety and supply at markets, which makes it very hard to adopt this practice and life philosophy, and is experiencing a boom right now in many countries.

However, different projects, places and people are promoting a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in harmony with the environment, as they believe that this can only be done by becoming vegan and their commitment to not eating any animal-derived food or product.

Vegan since birth

Artist Yudelkis Lafuente and athlete Fernando Cardenas are a couple who have been running their project YLA&XB on Facebook, where they speak about Afro-Veganism and other matters.

These young people say that their experience as vegans in Cuba has been positive in many regards, because they have had the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with others, and to be a positive influence on some people who are open to taking up this healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Society doesnt make it easy for people to live this lifestyle, Lafuente explains, and warns that there is a lot of misinformation in Cuba about the subject. Plus, you have to deal with shortages of some key foods in this diet, such as seeds, nuts and whole grains, she goes on to say.

However, once you understand the importance of being vegan, and you commit yourself to this lifestyle, you realize that it can be done with a little bit of organization, discipline and know-how, she says.

She believes there were many different factors that led them to make this decision, and to also include their young children in switching up their lifestyle. Fernando was a vegetarian from before they met, and Yudelkis was also leaning towards this, but she was still eating animal products.

In 2016, they watched a documentary called Cowspiracy: The sustainability secret (2015), about the negative impact of the meat industry on the environment. So, they decided to go vegan for a month.

After learning about all of the cruelty and suffering that goes into a plate of food, or anything that is from an animal product; after learning that many diseases are caused by acidity and high levels of saturated fat in the body, veganism was the only path forward for us, Lafuente says.

Talking about strategies, she says that they try to make pretty much all of the products they use: from non-dairy milk to antiperspirant. So, they avoid buying in stores and can invest more in fresh fruit and vegetables, because these alternatives are eco-friendlier and more affordable.

They also exchange foods they buy via the rations booklet: eggs for beans, milk for soy yoghurt Furthermore, if they have the chance to travel, they buy nuts, seeds and quinoa, although Yudelkis says that they are able to buy many essential ingredients such as cucumber, avocado, ginger, sweet potato, tumeric, melon, coconut, to name a few.

She believes that this is all worth the while because of the changes that she has been able to see: there have been many physical, mental and spiritual benefits. They have more energy now, are in better physical shape and their bodies fight off common colds and the flu, much faster.

In the case of their children, she explains that the eldest was only a few months old when they turned vegan, and the youngest one has been vegan since birth.

The two are growing really well and the most important thing is that we have had the chance to instill really healthy eating habits, and to teach them how important it is to respect Nature and other living beings on this planet, from a very young age, she says.

Incredible wellbeing in Regla

Amberly Alene is the founder of Regla Soul, alongside activist and rapper Alexey Rodriguez. Regla Soul is an initiative that promotes comprehensive health and wellbeing for Afro-descendants.

Activities include working with vegan groups and running campaigns that promote natural health. They also focus on self-care, self-esteem, herbalists (the use of plant medicines), gardening and other plant-based diets that try to improve our health, from a very natural viewpoint.

Furthermore, they run a music get-together, once a month, for therapy in the community and different Afro-vegan cooking, reiki and meditation workshops, appointments to fight disease using medicinal plants and events with health and wellbeing experts. All of this is free in this Havana municipality.

Regla Soul was founded two years ago, in February 2018, as a result of the need to get a hold of resources and information about wellbeing and plant-based meals.

Both founders have traveled extensively in the African diaspora with their art and activism-, verifying the lack of resources in education for the wellbeing and health of families, and black and mixed-race communities, including Cuba.

The project kicked off as a series of workshops at an organic farm run by Armando Rojas in Casablanca, which is also in Regla. There, people were taught how to identify plants, herbal teas, reiki and eco-friendly practices. They later expanded to the Regla Dam, when the Casablanca farm closed in 2019.

Every month, they run workshops for the community, including a monthly hip-hop concert for wellbeing, an Afro-vegan cooking workshop, as well as ones about meditation, energy healing, art therapy, sexual wellbeing and many others.

We seek to provide assistance and resources to members from our community, with basic access to the means for them to improve their self-care, mental health, diet and their general wellbeing, Alene says.

Using our international initiatives of retreats and collaborative projects, we are encouraging Afro-descendants both on and off the island of Cuba, to help us to create a sustainable and much-needed infrastructure for a much better understanding of what wellbeing means for black people living in the Regla municipality. she explains.

With this mission in sight, they have linked up with different organizations both on and off the island, such as University of Floridas Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Howard University, Witness for Peace, Proyecto Akokan, Comuna Travel and Cuba Educational Travel.

We have two big dreams for Regla Soul: to create a community garden in Regla to grow foods and to run workshops about gardening so that residents in the community can learn how to grow food at home; and to create a local store where we can find natural products and treatments for an affordable price.

A rendez-vou with Cubavegana

CubaVegana hopes to become a place where people can find and exchange information about these food issues and alternative lifestyle. Its intention is to sign up more people who discover a new way of eating and attitude in this lifestyle, so they can build a better future for society, in harmony with Nature.

This is what Orlando Niz says. He became a vegan because of some digestion problems he suffered a couple of years ago. This young person was a little overweight, even though he had always been active and exercising. Thats when he decided to try out being a vegetarian, and he stopped eating meat for a while.

The young man from the Bejucal municipality, in the Mayabeque province, explains that the experience motivated him to carry on this work. The first meal without meat and the ones that came after, were really delicious and beneficial. So, he started to look up information, on his own, and he stumbled across a book that confirmed his decision and changed his lifestyle: The anti-diet (1985), he recalls.

Orlando believes that it could be really easy and affordable to become a vegan in Cuba because of its climate and fertile soil. We should have an abundance of quality fruit, vegetables, root vegetables and seeds. However, this isnt the case. It isnt the worst either, he explains.

According to him, this happens for different reasons, including limited variety in food culture because of shortages and misinformation. Add farmers lack of motivation into the mix, who dont have the resources they need and lack incentives.

As food production and transport is such a problem, Niz believes that farmers only choose commercial crops to grow, that are lucrative and rarely drop in demand. As a result, the Cuban people have gotten used to eating the same meals, flavors and combinations. Good eating habits are mostly cultivated in restaurants, and not everyone can go, he says.

In his experience, non-processed seeds and whole grains are the hardest things to find in the vegan diet. Brown rice, whole-wheat flour, almonds, quinoa, chia and cashews, to name a few.

Orlando believes that the greatest benefit of being a vegan is its quality of life.

There is nothing better than being in good health and full of energy. I also like to eat as much as I like, without having to give up a variety of flavors and textures that you get with plants. As a being on this Earth, the best thing is knowing that I am one more person who wants a clean planet, in harmony with Nature, he summarizes.

Restaurants

Several businesses and restaurants have also joined the vegan movement, offering an alternative to traditional Creole cuisine for tourists who follow this diet, as well as locals.

El Shamuskiao restaurant is one of these places. Located in Old Havana, it offers vegetarian and vegan options, depending on what customers choose.

Amanda Pablo, the owners daughter, tells us that the restaurant was born three years ago, with the mission of providing a different cuisine to what is typically consumed in Cuba. She says that vegan customers have been blown away by the flavor, because these meals can usually be quite tasteless, but even non-vegans and non-vegetarians eat them at our restaurant!

Until now, the young woman who has also worked as a waitress and at the bar says that favorites are the vegan burger, hummus, croquettes and juices, which can be anything, from a combination of pineapple, ginger and basil, to beetroot with lemon.

The hardest thing is trying to get a hold of some products, because even vegetables are hard to find sometimes. But you always find a way to get around it. Plus, these challenges help us to create new variations of our dishes, and we innovate the menu, Pablo says.

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How is the Vegan Movement Progressing in Cuba? - Havana Times

Being a vegan college student is easier than you think.

AMHERST Being a vegan or a vegetarian is often thought of as too difficult a lifestyle to live out in college. Dining halls typically cater to people who eat animal products, buying groceries can get expensive, and going out to eat with friends can get tricky if you dont know what youre doing.

Luckily, this is the University of Massachusetts Amherst, land of number one dining, and there are plenty of ways to keep to a low budget while buying groceries, not to mention, Amherst has a ton of vegan friendly places to eat.

1. Dining Halls

Ive been a vegan for four years now, and Ive only gotten better at it with time. Truthfully, at first I had no idea what I was doing, but by the time I had read a few articles and a book or two, the whole lifestyle had fallen into place. Although I didnt choose UMass because of its famous dining halls, its been convenient for me nonetheless because they do a great job labeling their food and having vegan options.

Personally, I think Franklin Dining Commons has the best vegan section on campus out of all the other dining halls. Almost every time I go to Frank, their vegetarian/vegan line is all vegan whereas at the other dining halls you have to double check and make sure what youre getting is what you want. Typically Ive found that their options are more appealing too, rather than steamed vegetables or salads most days.

But if were talking pizza, Worcester Dining Commons is the place to go. Hands down, they have the best vegan pizza Ive ever had, and its even better when they put all those veggies on it!

At Blue Wall there are several different meals you can get as a vegan, but the tofu pho from Star Ginger is definitely my favorite. I love their vegetarian broth, which is actually vegan, because its salty and adds a lot of flavor to the meal. Coming in at number two would be the pre-packaged meals at Harvest. Whether its the dumplings, pesto risotto or one of the pastas like the pad thai, these little meals are easy to grab on the go, fill you up and taste amazing!

2. Grocery Shopping

I live in the North Apartments on campus and am lucky enough to have a decent size kitchen that I love to use. However, one of the arguments I hear against veganism in college is that buying vegan food is expensive. Im here to say, thats not really true.

Yes, buying vegan food can get expensive if youre buying Beyond Burgers or sausages everytime you go grocery shopping. It can even get expensive if youre buying any of the bigger brand names, like JUST Egg or Daiya. Even though I really like the Beyond Burger, JUST Egg, and Daiyas vegan cheeses, I dont buy them everytime I go food shopping because I see them as more of a treat yourself kind of thing. Plus, theyre not all that healthy.

I typically buy produce from Trader Joes. If you havent been enlightened to the establishment that is Trader Joes, youre missing out. I think that Trader Joes is the best place to get groceries in the Amherst area because its way more affordable than any other grocery store Ive been to. Plus, they have a lot of their own cool little vegan snacks (my mom always gets me the Trader Joes soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies when I come home). This time of year, fruit can get very expensive even at Trader Joes, so I do my best to look for good sales and stay away from fruit such as raspberries, which are overpriced at the moment.

I always make sure to have a package of tofu or seitan in my fridge along with some lentils in the cabinet. As long as you have good spices to cook with, youre looking at a good meal. If you dont know any good vegan recipes, check out Pinterestthey have a solution for everything. Vegan pancakes? Covered. Vegan stir-fry? Covered. Vegan buffalo wings? You guessed it, covered.

3. Where to Eat Out

When you and your friends wake up on that dreary Sunday morning and everyone wants to go out to breakfast, I suggest you either go to the Lone Wolf in Amherst center, or Cushman Cafe in Amherst. Both places have an additional vegan menu, and some of the best breakfast food ever. At the Lone Wolf they have everything between vegan omelettes and a tasty french toast. My favorite sandwich to get at Cushman Cafe is the Primrose, described on their menu as; On a Roll- Fakin bacon w/hash brown patty, pepper-jack cheese, tomato and spinach on a roll.

For lunch and dinner, Ive found Pulse Cafe in Hadley to be especially vegan friendly, because theyre plant-based, and delicious. My favorite place to go for sushi with my friends is Ginger Garden in Amherst, where the sweet potato roll and crunchy tofu roll are to die for.

So when it comes down to wondering whether a vegan lifestyle is maintainable in college the answer is yes! Whether you like the dining halls, cooking at home, or going out to eat every now and again, theres always an option at a university like UMass.

Email Elisabeth Morgan at [emailprotected] and follow her on Twitter @lizziewmorgan and on Instagram @elisabethmorgan.

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Three ways to survive as a vegan at UMass - Amherst Wire

Which vegan cheese should you opt for?

Morrisons has just launched a range of vegan cheeses, including smoked, mature and jalapeno. These cheeses are fantastic, but can cause so many issues with new vegans and I just wanted to explain why and offer some advice.

Firstly, if you are reading this and you are new to veganism, or just curious, then its important not to get your hopes up to find a vegan cheese that will imitate a dairy cheese.

The new cheeses at Morrisons and other major supermarkets are based on coconut oil, which helps the cheese melt, but doesnt mimic the taste of dairy.

Brands like Violife offer a range of vegan cheese options (Photo: InstagramAlternative Stores)

Even as a lover of vegan cheese, in my opinion there is still no block that matches dairy. Dairy cheese contains casein, which is actually addictive and our brains know the difference.

Vegan cheese can match the saltiness, the fattiness and even now the meltiness, but so far we dont have anything that replaces the casein.

My thoughts are that the wizards behind the Beyond Meat burgers and Just Egg will come up with something in a lab that replicates it almost perfectly, but so far in the UK there isnt anything.

Theyve nailed plant-based meats, they are amazing and almost exactly like the real thing, but we are still searching for the holy grail when it comes to vegan cheese.

Lots of brands are making vegan cheese - but have yet to perfectly replicate dairy-based alternatives (Photo: Vitalite)

Everyday I see members of the Vegan Food UK community ask this exact question: "Is there ANY vegan cheese that doesnt taste vile?

The answer to this is yes, but in comparison to dairy, you will be quite disappointed.

My advice and model for success is to go vegan and give up all cheese for a few weeks or even months. Let the body adjust to not consuming casein and then start your dairy-free cheese journey.

First thing to do after your cold turkey (horrible expression) has been well and truly served, is to move onto a mild vegan cheese that melts.

Applewood vegan is a popular option for many plant-based eaters(Photo: Supplied to Plant Based News)

By now you will probably miss having melted cheese on food? The good news is that there are a few to choose from, but the key is to go for something neutral like Violife Original. It melts well and wont offend your taste buds too much.

Once you get used to melted Violife, you can up the ante and move onto something with a bit more flavor and depth, like the Vegan Applewood Smoky Block, which melts even better than Violife.

What about pizza? In my opinion pizza cheese needs to be light without too much flavour. A perfect cheese for this is MozzaRisella: a brown rice milk based mozzarella cheese that melts perfectly on pizza. Its so good that Zizzis, Pizza Express and even Co-op have used it for their pizzas.

Zizzi uses MozzaRisella on its vegan pizzas (Photo:Supplied to Plant Based News)

Something also worth considering from the get-go are nut-based cheeses, which I regard as some of the best cheeses in the world. Use social media to seek them out, but also your local health store should stock a few. These are cheeses to be proud of and are usually made with cashews.

If you have followed my advice and arent satisfied with any cheese that you have tasted so far, then have a go at making your own. You will be amazed with what a bag of cashews and some nutritional yeast can do.

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The Truth About Vegan Cheese: And Tips To Find The Best - Plant Based News

In the opening sequence of The Game Changers documentary, presenter James Wilks a former mixed martial arts champion explains that his interest in veganism started when he got injured and began genning up on recovery.

He claims to have spent 1,000 hours researching recovery-boosting nutrition. One thousand hours? Assuming he studied 9am to 5pm without lunch breaks, thats a full six months of solid reading. Anyway, amid these mountains of paperwork, he stumbled upon an article purporting to prove that Roman gladiators (the original professional fighters) ate a mostly plant-based diet.

Wilkss mind is blown. Over the rest of the film, he advances the case, in no uncertain terms, that eating only plant-based foods is better for recovery, health and crucially sporting performance. It was no surprise, then, The Game Changers garnered enormous attention, even among ordinarily hard-headed cyclists.

Full disclosure to kick off: I eat a mostly plant-based diet; Im not a strict vegan, but I avoid meat and dairy products most of the time (largely for ethical reasons). If my position were prone to bias, it would be skewed in favour of The Game Changers its message that veganism boosts sporting performance is good news for me. My job here, though, is to be unswervingly objective in answering this question: will going vegan make you a fitter, faster cyclist?

Adam Hansen cut animal products out of his diet three years ago

Quite early in the film, we meet Dotsie Bausch, the seven-time US national champion and Olympic silver medallist. This is the segment for the cyclists. Bausch tells us that she was in her mid-30s and ready to retire when she switched to a vegan diet, from which point she unexpectedly just kept getting better pointing out that she went from struggling to leg-sled 300lb to pushing 585lb in sets of 60 reps.

She relives the pinnacle of her career: silver in the team pursuit at the London Games, where she stood on the podium aged 39.5 years Im still the oldest person in my event to even go to the Olympic Games.

The film implies the Americans late-career improvements were the result of her switch to a vegan diet. However, it doesnt take much research to discover Bausch took up cycling relatively late, aged 26, as part of her recovery from an eating disorder. In light of which, the fact she was still improving at 35 was perhaps not so much proof of plant power as the natural development of a huge talent that for many years had lain dormant and/or been hampered by improper fuelling. Of course, this is to take nothing away from her remarkable achievements.

I contacted Bausch by email and asked what made her so confident her improvements were the result of diet over and above other factors.

Truly, this was the one thing that I changed, she replied. My coach and my training stayed consistent it was the diet change that gave me this advantage. And, lets be honest, I wasnt getting any younger when my body should have been resisting and slowing me down, I was actually getting fitter, stronger and more resilient.

Bausch is a passionate advocate of veganism, and as a plant-powered athlete has become a professional influencer on the topic (dotsiebauschusa.com). Her anecdotal evidence is compelling but is it supported by hard science?

Read the full article in this weeks Cycling Weekly magazine that includes nutritious recipes from a top cycling chef that can be made with store cupboard items, an honest look at supplements and which ones you need and how the pros used to eat. You can take out a subscription to Cycling Weekly or its available in supermarkets and newsagents.

Link:
The truth about veganism and cycling - Cycling Weekly

As more and more people are cutting down meat from their diet, the interest in plant-based diet is on an all-time high. Your favourite stars are turning vegetarian, 70 percent of Oscar's after-party menu of vegan, the Golden Globes also decided to reduce the amount of meat and poultry this year in its after-party. While what you eat is completely your choice, but it is important to know about your diet fully well. Many a times people confuse terms like plant-based diet, vegetarian diet and vegan diet, and even use them interchangeably while talking. But there are stark differences betweeneach of these that you should be aware of before making the switch.

(Also Read:11 Vegetarian Recipes That Leave You Wanting More | Popular Vegetarian Recipes)

Contrary to popular perception, not all people who follow a plant-based diet eat only broccoli, kale and spinach for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some people include a small quantum of animal-based products in their diet too, but stick mostly to eating plant-based foods. Vegans, on the other hand, rule out all animal products from their diet. Additionally, vegans also tend to shape their lifestyle in a way to avoid animal cruelty and suffering at all costs. In other words, vegans could be apprehensive buying leather, or beauty products that are made by harming animals. Vegans are also wary of the adverse environmental effects of animal products.

(Also Read:7 Things You Should Know Before Switching to Veganism)

In the United States, the plant-based food industry saw a $3.3 billion sales increase in 2018 alone. So the next time you are thinking about your diet, and the ratio of food on your plate- make sure you are well-versed with the facts.

(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)

About Sushmita SenguptaSharing a strong penchant for food, Sushmita loves all things good, cheesy and greasy. Her other favourite pastime activities other than discussing food includes, reading, watching movies and binge-watching TV shows.

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Plant-Based Diet Is Not The Same As Vegan Diet, Key Differences You Must Know! - NDTV Food

Whether youre consideringswitching to a plant-based diet or youve just recently made the decision to go vegan, its easy to feel a little lost or stuck with all of the information thats available out there. From endless advice articles online to stacks of books on the subject, how can you decide if and why its right for you? One easy way to ease yourself into veganism is to simply watch a movie or two.

Conveniently, Netflix has a nice selection of vegan-related films for you to stream right now from the comfort of your home. Depending on your motivation for pursuing this lifestyle change, you may find yourself more drawn to one movie over another, but theres bound to be at least one that whets your appetite. Grab some popcorn, get cozy, and press play on one of these movies on Netflixor keep them going for a mini-movie marathonso you can get a better idea of what being vegan is all about.

For those who: are curious about how diet affects disease management.

You should set aside: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Taking a close look at the idea of food as medicine, Forks Over Knives (directed by Lee Fulkerson) promotes eating a whole-food, plant-based diet as the solution for reversing certain chronic diseases. Much of the movie centers on the work of two scientists, nutritional biochemist Dr. T. Colin Campbell and physician Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Using the fact that health issues like obesity and diabetes affect a significant portion of the countrys population, this documentary wants viewers to see that theres a clear path toward a healthier tomorrow: leaving behind the consumption of animal products and processed foods.

For those who: want to understand how diet relates to health and the healthcare industry.

You should set aside: 1 hour and 37 minutes

Co-directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, What the Health takes a look at how consuming animal products correlates to various health issues, such as diabetes and cancer. Taking things a step further, the investigative documentary explores how big industries (like food and pharmaceutical companies), as well as the government, might be invested in people eating meat and dairy. This approach is what gives the movie its sensational tagline: The Health Film That Health Organizations Don't Want You To See. Overall, What the Health is an invitation to reassess what you eat in light of alarming chronic diseases sweeping the country and the major players who are involved.

For those who: are interested in sustainability and environmental concerns.

You should set aside: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Cowspiracy also comes from the same director team behind What the Health (Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn). With this documentary though, the focus isnt on the health implications of eating animal products, but the impact farming animals has on the environment. Touching on deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and other important environmental concerns, Cowspiracy argues the devastating extent of destruction caused by the animal agriculture industry. It also investigates what environmental organizations, such as Greenpeace and Sierra Club, might be sidestepping or trying to cover up about the issue and how we can create a more sustainable future.

For those who: want to see veganisms relation to human performance and strength.

You should set aside: 1 hour and 48 minutes

The Game Changers is the work of Louie Psihoyos, the director behind the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove, and it was an official selection at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Mainly following UFC fighter James Wilks journey of recovery, this film zeroes in on top athletes who have found benefits in plant-based eating. As a whole, it challenges the common misconception that consuming animal protein is needed to have elite physical performance. The film features a number of high-profile individuals, including one youre sure to recognize: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

For those who: want to watch something thats not a documentary.

You should set aside: 2 hours

Documentaries arent the only way to explore veganism through film. A Netflix original film and official selection of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Okja tells the story of young Mijas fight to save her best friend Okja, a genetically modified super pig that was created by a powerful corporation to fight world hunger and given to her family to raise. The movie is a star-studded affair with a cast that includes Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal. Its also important to note that its directed by Bong Joon-ho, who recently won multiple Academy Awards for his hit film Parasite. With its heartfelt story and harsh portrayal of the meat industry, Okja effectively incites a conversation on going vegan.

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These 5 Documentaries and Films Will Inspire You to Go Vegan - The Beet

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A recent market research report from P&S Intelligence has stated that one of the biggest trends currently being witnessed in the omega-3 market is the growth of veganism and the resultant consumption of plant-based supplements.

The report states that in 2019, the global omega-3 market size (containing fish oil) generated revenue of $19.7 billion, and is further expected to reach $49.7 billion by 2030. Transparency Market Research released a different report that specifically examines the plant-based omega 3 market; that report estimated that the fish-free Omega 3 market is expected to reach almost US$ 1.3 billion by 2029.

The interest is shifting from the type to the source of omega fatty acids across the health-aware consumers around the world, meaning that the demand for plant-based supplements will witness a massive surge over the next decade. Consumers are increasingly concerned over the safeguarding of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Fish obtain omega-3 by consuming algae, so it seems logical to bypass fish and go straight to the original plant source. As such, the usage of algae as a new alternative source to fish is therefore anticipated to grow rapidly in the plant-based omega-3 ingredients market. As well as algal oil, manufactures are developing products from chia seeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, hemp seeds, walnuts, and others, which are also growing as fish-free omega-3 ingredients.

The Transparency Market report says, Stakeholders are expected to continue to bank on the growing population of vegan consumers and preference for algae or plant-based omega-3 ingredients to maintain the momentum. However, slow regulatory approvals will remain a primary challenge for market players, as they will continue to make it difficult for manufacturers to offer competitive prices and delay their products from reaching the fish-free omega-3 ingredients market.

Nevertheless, the ongoing trend of substituting krill oil in omega-3 dietary supplements with vegetarian algae oil will continue to support the growth of the fish-free omega-3 ingredients landscape in the foreseeable future.

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Demand for Plant-Based Omega 3 Set to Soar - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

Animal Crossing, as games go, is very non-brutal.

The deadliest weapon you own in the game is an axe, and even that can only be used to chop down trees or hit rocks in search of precious iron nuggets. GTA it isn't.

But according to animal rights organisation PETA, there's a way to make the game even more gentle by playing it like a vegan. The organisation has just written a blog post outlining exactly how to play the game with animal rights in mind.

As you might expect, they're not a big fan of fishing, which will disappoint you if you're after some Nook Miles from catching ten in a row.

They also caution against catching bugs and giving them to Blathers in the museum: "Your island should be a place where wild animals are free to live without being captured and exploited," they write.

Eating fruit, however, is okay. "The whole world knows the answer to the eternal question of what a vegan would eat on a desert island: fruit! In the game, it makes you strong," PETA writes.

As for Tom Nook and his extortionate payment plans? "Tom Nook is a tanuki, or a raccoon dog, who are often killed for their fur. Others like him in the real world are beaten, gassed or skinned alive. Cut him some slack." You can't really argue with that.

To be fair to PETA, the post is very lighthearted it's less an attack and more a topical way to get information out there about animal abuse and veganism.

"PETA hopes the game will encourage people to feel closer to the animals we share our planet with," they say and when you look at the huge success of the game's gloriously cute world, it's easy to see it's succeeded.

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Vitamin B12 deficiency can have severe consequences (Adobe. Do not use without permission)

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an essential vitamin, which means we cannot live without it and have to obtain it through diet.

It is needed for nerve cells maintenance, DNA formation and red blood cell production.

We only need a tiny amount but its crucial that we do get it. In the UK, the recommended intake is 1.5 g (micrograms) of B12 daily, in the US its 2.4 g and the European Food Safety Authority suggests an adequate intake of 4 g.

The liver stores B12 and this stock lasts up to three years. Therefore, you cannot become deficient in a week or even a month but theres no point in risking a deficiency.

When it develops, it can have severe consequences so its important to ensure regular B12 intake.

The main symptoms of B12 deficiency include fatigue, lack of energy, muscle weakness, pins and needles sensation, depression and cognitive problems (trouble remembering things, understanding and decision making).

Deficiency can also result in raised levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

At the other end of the spectrum are high B12 intakes you can take a high daily dose of this vitamin without any side effects but it shouldnt be more than 2,000 g (2 mg), according to the NHS (2017).

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria in the soil and water. Before sanitation, we used to get it from contaminated fruit and vegetables, and other plant foods.

Not only do we wash produce nowadays (and for good reasons), but most fruit and vegetables are pre-washed anyway so there's not a trace of B12 left. In addition, thanks to intensive farming practices, even the soil is depleted and lacking in these bacteria.

Some foods like nutritional yeast are fortified withVitamin B12(Adobe. Do not use without permission)

Animal products contain Vitamin B12, whilst most plants do not, and some people use this as an argument against veganism - but things are not so clear cut.

Farmed animals are given vitamins with their feed, which is why their flesh and secretions contain B12. People who consume animal foods effectively consume recycled B12. Isn't it better to go straight to the source and just take the supplement?

Studies show that insufficient B12 intake is a worldwide problem, with some populations having 30-40 percent of people with inadequate B12 levels (Allen et al., 2018). *

The truth is, its hard to get enough vitamin B12 from foods alone, even if you eat animal products.

For us, vegans, there are two options fortified foods or supplements. Vitamin B12 is produced by growing bacterial cultures and extracting it from them (Fang et al., 2017). The process is the same whether its B12 for supplements or food fortification.

Fortified foods include some breakfast cereals (check the ingredients label), yeast extracts (eg Marmite or Meridian Yeast Extract), nutritional yeast with B12, vegetable margarines, some meat alternatives and plant milks and yogurts.

If you have these foods on a daily basis, it may be sufficient but taking a supplement is a safer bet. You can take it daily, every other day or a larger dose once a week. B12 supplements usually come with much higher amounts than the 4g we need so its easy to get enough.

Some vegans opt to take vitamin B12 in droplets form, which you can buy here(Adobe. Do not use without permission)

There are several forms of B12 and the debate over which is the best is rife. The most common forms are cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin.

Cyanocobalamin is the inactive form of B12, which needs to be activated in the stomach by binding with a compound called intrinsic factor. Thats a natural process and most people can rely on cyanocobalamin to cover their B12 needs. Cyanocobalamin is used in the more affordable supplements and fortified foods.

Methylcobalamin is the active form of Vitamin B12 and doesnt require any activation. However, its less stable and more expensive.

Then, there are two other forms of active Vitamin B12 adenosylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin.

All four forms of B12 are effective at topping-up your stores. If you are healthy, cyanocobalamin (the cheap one) is perfectly sufficient (Obeid et al., 2015). Some people prefer to take one of the active forms, as they are ready-to-use by your body and thats perfectly fine.

However, its best to combine them with cyanocobalamin once in a while your body can make any form it needs from cyanocobalamin, which is not the case with the active forms (Thakkar and Billa, 2015).

If you have a B12 deficiency, then a combination of cyanocobalamin with one of the active forms is advisable to increase your levels quickly (Obeid et al., 2015; Thakkar and Billa, 2015) and the same applies if you have a specific condition affecting your B12 metabolism (Paul and Brady, 2017).

Absorption of B12 may be hindered by several factors - tobacco smoking, kidney disease, older age, general anaesthesia, some medications - Metformin (for diabetes), anticonvulsants, antacids and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

In these cases, its best to take methylcobalamin and cyanocobalamin but your doctor may also suggest B12 injections. As for the age question, if youre over 50, you need some extra B12 as our bodies are simply not as efficient at extracting it from foods alone.

Heating food and drinks in a microwave or longer-than-very-brief cooking can also reduce the amount of vitamin B12 available from them.

For example, if you always heat your fortified plant milk in a microwave before using it, you may not be getting enough B12 if that's your only source of it. Its a good idea to supplement your B12 a couple of times a week if you normally only rely on fortified foods.

It is a type of B12-related anaemia, where the body doesnt have enough vitamin B12 to make red blood cells. It is not caused by a lack of B12 but rather by a deficiency of the intrinsic factor in the stomach needed for B12 to be activated.

This can happen if your stomach lining is weakened due to a condition like gastritis, autoimmune disease or when you have had a procedure that removed a part of the stomach.

In these cases, B12 injections or sublingual methylcobalamin sprays/powders are recommended to avoid deficiency.

The bacteria in our guts actually produce Vitamin B12 but unfortunately, its of no use to us.

These bacteria live in the colon, which is too far down the digestive tract for us to be able to absorb the vitamin.

There are lots of myths about seaweed and Vitamin B12(Adobe. Do not use without permission)

There is a lot of (mis)information about food containing Vitamin B12. There have been claims that certain seaweeds contain it as well as fermented foods such as miso, tempeh, kombucha and sauerkraut.

Spirulina - a popular green algae powder claimed to be bursting with nutrients. Thats true but it has one big problem - it contains something called B12 analogues. They are compounds with a structure similar to Vitamin B12 so they bind to B12 receptors in the human body but do nothing and block access for the real B12. It can become an issue if you have spirulina every day, as it can have a negative impact on your B12 levels.

Nori - seaweed that comes in sheets or as flakes to be sprinkled on meals. Research shows it may be the only non-animal source of Vitamin B12 (Watanabe et al., 2014) but more data are needed to confirm this.

Fermented foods - this is a broad category including tempeh, miso, natto, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut and more. Its true that the bacteria used for fermentation do produce some B12 so these foods may provide tiny amounts. However, the amounts can be so negligible that it is advised not to rely solely on these products for vitamin B12.

There are some emerging foods that may be natural B12 sources, such as a specific type of duckweed. However, they arent mass-produced yet and there isnt enough data confirming we can truly obtain enough of the vitamin from them.

The awareness of the need to watch Vitamin B12 in our diet is increasing. If youre worried about your intake, you can ask your GP for a blood test. Its nothing uncommon and when you mention that youre vegan, they wont object.

A varied vegan diet supplies almost all we need but theres no getting around the B12 issue we do need a little extra help from supplements or fortified foods. We are not alone, many other population groups have low intakes and the elderly may be deficient even if they eat meat three times a day.

As our food production systems change, so do our lifestyle habits and theres nothing wrong with accepting that we need to add a tiny amount of a bacteria-produced vitamin to our diets.

Allen LH, Miller JW, de Groot L, et al. 2018. Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND): Vitamin B-12 Review. Journal of Nutrition. 148(suppl_4):1995S2027S.

Fang H, Kang J, Zhang D. 2017. Microbial production of vitamin B12: a review and future perspectives. Microbial Cell Factories. 16(1):15.

NHS. 2017. Vitamins and minerals B vitamins and folic acid [online]. Available from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/

Obeid R, Fedosov SN, Nexo E. 2015. Cobalamin coenzyme forms are not likely to be superior to cyano- and hydroxyl-cobalamin in prevention or treatment of cobalamin deficiency. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 59(7):13641372.

Paul C, Brady DM. 2017. Comparative Bioavailability and Utilization of Particular Forms of B12 Supplements With Potential to Mitigate B12-related Genetic Polymorphisms. Integrative Medicine (Encinitas). 16(1):4249.

Thakkar K, Billa G. 2015. Treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency-methylcobalamine? Cyancobalamine? Hydroxocobalamin?-clearing the confusion. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 69(1):12.

Watanabe F, Yabuta Y, Bito T and Teng F. 2014. Vitamin B12-containing plant food sources for vegetarians. Nutrients. 6 (5) 1861-1873.

*This article contains affiliate links. Find out about our affiliate policy here.

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Vegans & Vitamin B12: Everything You Wanted To Know (But Were Afraid To Ask) - Plant Based News

Vegan food has changed a lot in the past 30 years, but The Dish at White Star Market has still found something new to servemodern vegan food that tastes familiar.

Co-owners Domini Bradford and Jessica Kisling launched the all-vegan concept in September, in a whirlwind three days after being offered the space. Barely six months later, the female entrepreneurs say theyre busting at the seams.

The pair span two generations, Bradford with a 30-year career in vegan cooking, and Kisling with a brief background in engineering, yoga and a taste of running a vegan cafe out of the former Yoga Bliss. Thats where the two met, operating the small cafe at the studio, before quickly linking up to launch the new ventureequipped with a Walmart grill and all.

Bradford, as the sole chef at the restaurant, leads the menu research and development side of the business.

Domini is an incredible cook, Kisling says, adding her skills make The Dish what it is.

Kisling credits her first culinary job at the vegan cafe for taking that first chance on her, with no real culinary background to speak of.

When The Dish launched last year thats exactly what it was: just one (vegan) dish a day. Avid followers turned to the restaurants Instagram page every day to see what was being served up. But that concept took a heck of a lot of planningboth on the business side and the consumers. So The Dish launched a standing menu with rotating daily specials, including gluten-free pastries.

Yet the original new-dish-every-day concept is part of what helped The Dish grow its big online following. That, and their presence on the vegan website and app, Happy Cow, which helps vegans far and wide find places to eat at home and on the road.

At the end of February, they launched an app for mobile ordering; theyre staying out of the delivery game for now.

Bradford and Kisling say they want to expand beyond White Star, too and are now looking at brick and mortar optionspotentially following in the footsteps of White Star staple Chow Yum Phator other shared space locations, remote kitchens and the like.

I really hope that this is this restaurant that we can make into something really big, it feels that way, just because of the understanding that in the general world right now, even in the South, Bradford says.

Like any business, they want to maximize output. Sharing a kitchen space with all the other White Star vendors (not to mention the steps for preventing nonvegan cross-contamination) can limit that output. Bradford says the only thing really stopping them is a staffing need. Shed love to get another chef in the kitchen with vegan experience, but thats harder to find than meat substitutes.

Circling back to her roots in Jackson, Mississippi, Bradford says her dream is to turn The Dish into a co-op, where employees own the business. She stayed at the vegan restaurant in Jackson for 13 years in part because of the co-op atmosphere. Since she left, Bradford says shes been waiting to get back into that community atmosphere.

When employees have a stake in the business, it makes everybody put their heart into it at the best, Bradford says. Youve got people who really care, or they wouldnt be here.

While veganism, vegetarianism, pescetarianism and general plant-based eating are on the rise, The Dish is still reaching a niche market in Baton Rouge. Everybody knows a vegan, the duo says.

Their customer base is broad, they say, and bolstered by the food hall, divide-and-conquer atmosphere. Reflecting on her own struggles with wanting to be vegan as a teenager, Kisling says they now see a constant flow of families coming to White Star, giving kids the chance to split off and ascribe to a diet different from their parents.

Bradford has seen a lot in her roughly 30 years in the vegan culinary world. But the biggest difference has been in the availability of vegan products.

Products like Beyond Burger have completely changed the vegan game, she says. When she entered the vegan culinary world in Mississippi she was working at a cafe that followed a macrobiotic dietoften associated with Japanese cuisine and that some claim can treat cancer.

Her focus on making food that feels familiar, but is vegan goes back to the simple idea that being vegan isnt a massive sacrifice.

Read more about plant-based food in Baton Rouge from inRegisters March cover story.

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Meet two Baton Rouge women who are transforming the vegan menu - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

In the fall of 2019, Taco Bell announced the addition of a vegetarian menu to their already veg-friendly standard menu that includes the ability to order an item as Fresco which removes the dairy products and adds a fresh pico de gallo in its place.

In early January of this year, Taco Bell said they were going to be providing the most vegetarian choices which involves changes to their menu and app that makes it even easier for customers to order vegan and vegetarian options.

As plant-based diets and veganism skyrocket in popularity setting both consumer demands, expectations and predicting where this new decade is headed Taco bell is embracing the meat alternatives as their new chief executive officer (CEO) announces their new plans.

The Yum! Brands Inc. owned company is adding plant-based vegan proteins in the next year said Taco Bell CEO Mark King in an interview with Bloomberg.

Thats a huge reversal from Taco Bells previous management strategy earlier that revolved around sticking to a vegetarian-only marketing strategy.

We definitely see that plant-based protein has a place on the menu, King said.

King has taken meetings with plant-based vegan meat manufacturers Beyond Meat Inc. and Impossible Foods in the past few months.

King and the company have yet to make a decision on what mock meat will be featured on the menu he explained in the interview.

Yum Brands is placing a lot of importance on Taco Bells growth as they are struggling to revive brands like Pizza Hut with store remodeling that focuses on takeout.

They also are looking to make Pizza Hut carbon neutral and dairy-free in the UK by 2030 they recently announced.

Along with capitalizing on delivery through apps, Taco Bell has also recently begun to use many more digital options to entice their customers.

That has helped the chain widen their customer base in the highly competitive fast-food industry with store sales jumping up 4% in their last quarter.

While Taco Bell weighs their decision on which alternative meat to choose competitors are also racing into the new exploding plant-based market as consumers choose more cruelty-free, healthier, and environmentally friendly options at the drive-thru.

McDonalds is testing their PLT Beyond Meat burger in Canada as is Wendys, while Burger King already had a blowout success last year when testing their Impossible Whopper.

So much so that Burger King launched it nationally in the U.S. at their more than 7,000 location to even more success.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is also getting in on the action with more than 70 cities in the U.S. testing their Beyond Meat Beyond Fried Chicken, followed by many restaurants like Dennys carrying Beyond Burgers.

King said he sampled Beyond Meats items just last week and hes a fan.

I tried all the food which was really exciting, and way beyond my expectation, said King, the former Adidas CEO who took over at Taco Bell back in August.

Monthly average searches for the word vegan with the name of a major fast-food chain included alongside it rose 12 percent from 2018 to 2019 according to Fast Company.

Checking Google stats show that the search term Vegan Taco Bell is ranked number one with 456,500 total searches from January 2018 to August 2019.

In comparison Vegan Starbucks came in second with 216,500 total searches, and Vegan Burger King came in third with 127,700.

Taco Bell bringing plant-based vegan meats to the U.S. comes hot on the heels of their Oatrageous Taco launch in Finland, Spain and other countries throughout Europe which actually came as quite a surprise after the company said they wouldnt be adding vegan meats to their menu.

The Oatrageous Taco is made from oats and beans with a marination in a sauce of secret Taco Bell spices. The oat meat can be substituted in place of any of the traditional animal flesh-based menu items.

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Women have long been the heart and soul of the animal rights movement and a huge catalyst for the shift to mainstream veganism, and these brilliant and brave women-identified activists continue to make veganism more accessible, widespread, and approachable. From literary theorists to undercover investigators, and so much more, these fifteen incredible vegan activists are proving that in order to make history, you must first disrupt the status quo.

1. Aph KoDecolonial theorist, independent digital media producer, author, and public speaker are just a few of the many roles Ko holds. She founded Black Vegans Rock in 2015 to spotlight the voices and experiences of Black vegans after writing the first article that listed 100 Black Vegans, and she is a founding member of the North American Association for Critical Animal Studieswhich is a conference that takes place every other year for anti-speciesist research in human-animal relations. Her newest book, Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out (a combination of critical race theory, social commentary, veganism, and gender analysis), was published late last year.

2. Rubaiya AhmadThis Bangladesh-based animal activist was spurred to action more than a decade ago, after one of the dogs she cared for was killed by government cullers as part of an ineffective effort to control the countrys rabies problem. In 2009, she founded the countrys first animal welfare organization, Obhoyaronno (meaning Sanctuary), and started a program to sterilize and vaccinate free-roaming dogs against rabieseventually petitioning Dhaka city to end dog culling, which is now nearly nonexistent across the country. The organization has spayed or neutered more than 16,000 dogs to date. She also works continuously to help local schools adopt Meatless Monday and to get giant grocery chains to install vegan sections, and plans to focus on legislative reforms in the future.

3. Angela DavisBest known for her racial justice and human rights activism, Davis is also a longtime vegan, saying in a 2012 interview with Grace Lee Boggs:

Her long history of social justice works includes being the author of over ten books on class, feminism, and the US prison system; co-founding Critical Resistance, an organization working to abolish the prisonindustrial complex; and working as the department director of the feminist studies department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

4. lauren OrnelasAn animal rights advocate for more than 30 years, Ornelas is the founder and executive director of the Food Empowerment Project (FEP), a non-profit food justice organization that encourages consumers to choose compassionate food choicesboth for human workers in the food system, and for the animals. Shes been credited with making Whole Foods CEO John Mackey go vegan, and has campaigns against chocolate produced by labor of West African slavescreating a list of approved, vegan, truly cruelty-free chocolate. Through FEP, Ornelas also helps organize an annual school supply drive for the children of farm workers, as well as a food drive.

5. Aryenish BirdieBirdie is currently the founder and executive director of Encompass, an organization that works to foster greater racial equity and inclusion in the animal rights movement and support activists of color. She previously worked as the Research Outreach and Legislative Policy Manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), promoting human-relevant alternatives to the use of animals in testing procedures, and helped secure legislative victories for lab animals. While part of PCRM, she was part of a four-woman team that worked to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, ensuring that animal protection language was integrated into the law.

6. Dr. Amie Breeze HarperWith over 15 years of experience as a diversity, equity, and inclusion expertworking on everything from conference planning and publishing books and articles, to workshop design and facilitationHarpers experience is vast. Her work creating and editing Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak On Food, Identity, Health, and Society, a series of literary reflections from North American black-identified vegans, brought to the forefront a diversity of voices not previously given a platform by the vegan community. Harper currently gives talks that encourage literacy around how systemic racism operates in even the most ethical spaces, and offers consultancy services to help organizations with inclusion, diversity, and equity.

7. Michelle CarreraThis queer Puerto Rican vegan food justice activist founded NYCs Chilis on Wheels, an organization that works to make veganism accessible to communities in need by offering free plant-based meals, and the organization has since grown to 14 chapters in various cities. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, Carrera traveled there to provide food relief through Chilis on Wheels and helped serve over 15,000 meals in nursing homes, orphanages, domestic violence shelters, and other institutions. But Carrera didnt stop there! In 2018, she also founded Casa Vegana de la Comunidad in Puerto Rico, a permanent headquarters for Chilis on Wheels, and a vegan sustainability-focused house which hosts a micro-sanctuary for rescued animals.

8. Brenda SandersSanders is the founder and president of Afro-Vegan Society, a non-profit organization that makes the vegan lifestyle accessible and approachable in predominantly Black areas and neighborhoods, and is also co-founder and co-coordinator of Thrive Baltimore, a community resource center that provides education and support to those interested in adopting a healthier lifestyle. Sanders also helped organize and start the first Vegan SoulFest, an annual festival that celebrates culture and veganism. She is a founding member of PEP Foods, now called A Greener Kitchen, a collective of vegan food activists who aim to produce healthy foods that offer an affordable alternative to animal products in the Baltimore area. And thats just a few of Sanderss many accomplishments.

9. Jaya BhumitraWith nearly 20 years of experience with campaigns and public affairs, Bhumitras work for animals is multifaceted. From serving as Director of Corporate Outreach for Mercy for Animals and Director of Campaigns for Compassion Over Killing (now called Animal Outlook), to her current role as the Managing Director for Animal Charity Evaluators, a non-profit whose mission is to find and promote the most effective ways to help animals, she has worn many hats. In 2016, Bhumitra also established the corporate outreach department at Animal Equality, and in just three years, led 24 people across eight countries to achieve 120 animal welfare policies from the worlds largest food companies. She currently also serves as an Advisory Council Member for Encompass, an organization focused on racial equity in the animal rights movement.

10. Toni OkamotoThis multi-time cookbook author, former Food and Lifestyle Coordinator for Vegan Outreach, and founder of Plant Based on a Budgeta website that creates free and low-cost resources for individuals on a budget that demonstrates easy, affordable, plant-based eatingis on a mission to make veganism accessible for everyone. Okamoto created the Plant-Based on a Budget Meal Plans, which have helped thousands of people greatly reduce the costs of their grocery bills. She currently co-hosts The Plant-Powered People Podcast and regularly speaks at institutions and conferences about ways to make a plant-based diet healthy and affordable.

11. Dulce RamrezIn 2013, the Mexico chapter of Igualdad Animal (Animal Equality) was founded, with Ramrez leading the charge. In the seven years since its founding, she has worked with her team to end the use of animals in circuses in the state of Jalisco, develop educational programs, petition for legislative changes, and work with companies encouraging them to adopt policies that benefit animalssuch as offering more vegan options. Ramrez is one of only a few female investigators in Mexico working to document the lives of animals on factory farms, turning that footage into public campaigns.

12. Pei-Feng SuSu is the Executive Director and co-founder of ACTAsia, an organization dedicated to humane education in Asia, who puts her focus on educating young people to help them understand the interdependence of all living things. Since the organization was founded in 2006, they have taught more than 65,000 students and trained over 1,000 teachers, in addition to having more than six years worth of humane curriculum being taught in 130 schools. In 2011 the organization launched Fur Free Life, an anti-fur campaign that has recruited 30 retailers in Asia to commit to using ethical alternatives to fur.

13. Dr. Charu ChandrasekeraDirector of laboratory science with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, Chandrasekera is working towards a future without animal testing. Her early-on first hand experience in labs showed her how animals are ineffective as models for human disease and now she works on biomedical research, regulatory testing, and developing courses and degrees focused on shifting away from the use of animals in labs and finding human-relevant alternatives.

14. Sneha ShresthaSnehas Care is the shelter for Nepals street dogs that Shrestha founded in 2014 and runs outside of Kathmandu with a team of veterinarians and technicians, caring for more than a hundred dogs with varying degrees of medical issues such as paralyzation and missing limbs. Since she cant buy dog wheelchairs in the country, she imports them for dogs in need and works to educate the public and improve the perception of street dogs in their community, who are often subject to horrific abuse. Her work with street dogs encouraged her to adopt a vegan lifestyle and she has campaigned for many animal rights causes, such as getting the Nepalese government to adopt the countrys first ever animal protection law.

15. Seble NebiyeloulNebiyeloul co-founded International Fund for Africa (IFA) in her native Ethiopia, an organization that has a large vegan food and health program for school children which serves two vegan meals a day to hundreds of children, works to improve sanitation in schools, helps girls make reusable menstrual pads, provides mobile clinics for sterilization and vaccinations for street dogs, and so much more. Today the organization works with A Well Fed World, a food security and environmental advocacy organization, to continue their sustainability focused work. She hopes to expand her activism to one day open a vegan restaurant and a sanctuary for unwanted and abused donkeys and horses.

Sarah McLaughlin is the New Products Editor at VegNews who is endlessly inspired by these incredible activists.

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15 Vegan Women Activists of Color You Need to Know About - VegNews

A British Airways passenger who requested a special vegan meal was served it with butter and cheese.

Markwas travelling on British Airways flight BA288 on 1 March from Phoenix, US, to London Heathrow.

He tweeted a picture of his VGML vegan meal, which had a special meal sticker on it, next to a butter sachet and cheddar cheese triangle.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

He captioned the image: 15 years ago I would have expected it, but youre *still* serving cheese and butter with VGMLs at a time when veganism has never been so popular and well catered for elsewhere.

What happened to quality control and crew awareness?

A cockroach was found in an Air India breakfast meal.

Twitter/Manoj Khandekar

Avianca's idea of a vegetarian meal was an apple and a pear on board one flight.

Twitter/Steve Hogarty

Emirates served this disappointing Cajun chicken and cheese sandwich on a flight to Dubai

Paul Carlin

Martin Pavelka was handed this banana, complete with "gluten-free" label, as his inflight meal on an ANA service from Tokyo to Sydney.

Martin Pavelka/Evening Standard

Oman Air's finest: presenting something approximating a mushroom sandwich on a flight to Heathrow.

Nick Boulos

Aegean Airways served up some raw pepper and carrot sticks as its veggie option on one flight.

musterknabe

An Air India passenger wasn't impressed when she found this in the business class lounge.

Twitter/Harinder Baweja

Not everyone turns their nose up at plane food - this Urumqi flight attendant was suspended after a video of her eating leftovers went viral.

Viral Press

A cockroach was found in an Air India breakfast meal.

Twitter/Manoj Khandekar

Avianca's idea of a vegetarian meal was an apple and a pear on board one flight.

Twitter/Steve Hogarty

Emirates served this disappointing Cajun chicken and cheese sandwich on a flight to Dubai

Paul Carlin

Martin Pavelka was handed this banana, complete with "gluten-free" label, as his inflight meal on an ANA service from Tokyo to Sydney.

Martin Pavelka/Evening Standard

Oman Air's finest: presenting something approximating a mushroom sandwich on a flight to Heathrow.

Nick Boulos

Aegean Airways served up some raw pepper and carrot sticks as its veggie option on one flight.

musterknabe

An Air India passenger wasn't impressed when she found this in the business class lounge.

Twitter/Harinder Baweja

Not everyone turns their nose up at plane food - this Urumqi flight attendant was suspended after a video of her eating leftovers went viral.

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British Airways responded: Were sorry you were given dairy products with your vegan meal, Mark. Were grateful youve made us aware of this.

A British Airways spokesperson told The Independent: We take pride in delivering thousands of special meals daily to our customers across the globe to the highest of standards. We are extremely sorry that our customer has had a negative experience. The reported issue is being investigated with our catering partner and we will take action to ensure this does not occur in the future.

Veganism is not just a diet, but a deeply held ethical conviction that harming animals is wrong, so it can be really upsetting for a vegan to be given animal products when they have specifically ordered a vegan option, Matt Turner, spokesperson for The Vegan Society, told The Independent.

Vegan meals often have to be ordered in advance and sometimes dont make it on board the plane. We are campaigning to see a vegan option added to standard inflight menus across the board so that everyone has the choice to order them.

Vegan passengers should always be able to fly with ease and confidence that they will be catered for.

Its not the first time a passenger with dietary requirements has been served an inadequate inflight meal.

Last November, a newlywed returning from his honeymoon was left hungry and disappointed after Tui failed to provide a gluten-free meal for him on the 10-hour flight home.

James Howe had paid for premium seats and pre-booked special meals as he suffers from coeliac disease, meaning he cant process gluten.

However, the 39-year-old from Watford was given just popcorn and crisps to survive the long-haul flight from Cancun, Mexico to Gatwick airport on 18 October.

In 2018, a vegan passenger was left feeling distressed and humiliated after it transpired there were no vegan meals available onboard her flight from Manchester to New Yorks John F Kennedy airport.

Trilby Harrison, 54, was given nothing but nuts and crisps to eat during the seven-hour Thomas Cook flight on 15 October, despite having prebooked a vegan meal through tour operator Gotogate.

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What happened to quality control?' Vegan passenger served butter and cheese on British Airways flight - The Independent