Mary Masterson and Emma Davis live their lives as vegetarians. Both are sophomores in college who live on campus. Masterson goes to Baldwin Wallace and Davis goes to Cleveland State University. And each one has a different story to tell about being vegetarian.

So what is a vegetarian? And how is it different from being vegan? Merriam-Webster defines vegetarian as a person who does not eat meat : someone whose diet consists wholly of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy products.

It defines vegan as a strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products) that comes from animals, also : one who abstains from using animal products (such as leather).

Masterson defines being a vegetarian by not eating any fish or meat, but I still eat dairy products and eggs. I also choose not to use animal products like leather. Basically, I try to live as peacefully as I can, and for me that includes not causing any harm to animals.

Davis said they are a vegetarian, as well as a person who tries not to use anything that isnt cruelty free in regards to beauty products.

So even to vegetarians, the line between veganism and vegetarianism is blurred.

Masterson has been a vegetarian for 8 years, since she was 12. While Davis went vegetarian about six or seven years ago.

When asked how this affects her life Masterson said, I think being vegetarian really guides a lot of my moral and ethical decisions and has really changed my viewpoint about life and how I view animals and living things. For where it affects me, I would say that whenever I go somewhere to eat, I have to factor in whether or not I can eat there or if they will be able to make accommodations to the meal so I will be able to eat it.

Davis said, it doesnt affect me particularly on a day to day basis, other than having to be slightly picky whenever there is a group dinner of some kind. It also crops up when people wish to stop for fast food in the car, because salads are not really portable foods.

Masterson added that when I go out to eat with friends or go to a family party I am not always certain that I will have something to eat, and it is frustrating sometimes when my extended family doesnt have options for me to eat anything. It is also difficult because many foods can be easily made vegetarian, but people will still make them with chicken/beef broth or put meat in a sauce dish.

Davis concurs with Masterson, but only finds it difficult because I dont wish to be an inconvenience.

The reasons behind why Davis and Masterson went vegetarian were very similar.

Davis chose this because of my deep love for animals, and prior to going fully vegetarian I didnt eat pork for about five years. I watched and read Charlottes Web as a kid and couldnt fathom eating Wilbur, so I dropped the pork.

Masterson chose to be vegetarian mainly because of the ethics and animal rights component of the lifestyle. I have always cared a lot about animals, and I eventually realized that I no longer wanted to cause harm to them by eating meat because I believe animals are complex and emotional and that they deserve to have safe and happy lives. Additionally, I chose to become vegetarian because of the environmental damage that the meat industry has done, and I believe that being vegetarian is much more sustainable than the corporate meat industry, which has become dominant over many local farmers who do use sustainable practices.

Davis and Masterson then shared some stories about being vegetarian.

Davis said, a horror story of mine is when I stopped eating pork for several years and I was a pre-teen (Im not certain the exact age) and my friends mother who knew I didnt eat pork lied to me and tricked me into consuming pork. I was devastated, and promptly felt sick.

Masterson said, one story that stands out to me is when I was first telling my mom that I wanted to be vegetarian. I remember explaining to her that I was afraid that my dad would be upset that I was going to stop eating meat because when I was at his house he would always cook meat and I remember her saying that he wouldnt be upset that I wanted to take care of animals and couldnt understand why I was worried. After a few minutes of confusion, I eventually figured out that she thought I said I wanted to be a veterinarian instead of vegetarian. After everything was cleared up, it ended up working out fine and my dad actually wasnt upset about it after all.

Surprisingly being a vegetarian doesnt affect Mastersons and Daviss daily routine all that much.

For Masterson, being vegetarian really only affects what I do at meal times because I have to make sure I am getting enough protein and other nutrients, but its not that different than when I ate meat in regards to my daily routine.

Davis said that the only time it really affected them was when I was in high school my mom would text me when dinner was almost ready and then I would make my own vegetarian dish, if whatever she made couldnt have the meat removed easily.

As to how she is coping at BW, Masterson said, it can be difficult sometimes because my options in the dining hall are a lot more limited. Usually there is always a vegetarian option but a lot of times it doesnt have enough protein in it, so I will find myself having to eat other snacks. I really like when tofu is offered as a meal choice because it is more filling and has enough nutrients. In terms of finances, I think for some it may be difficult, especially if you have to buy extra snacks to get protein, and usually those tend to be healthier so they are more expensive, but I have found that it is possible to get cheap foods that are nutritious and filling, but it requires some research and budgeting.

Davis said, in regards to dining at CSU, that being vegetarian as a college student isnt terribly hard because the dining hall always has salad, and often has pasta or tacos as well.

Masterson said, I dont think its that difficult to be vegetarian, I think at the beginning it requires some patience and discipline to keep up with a plant-based diet and not eat meat, but once you get the hang of it, its not that much difficult than any other dietary choice. You also may need to be able to plan your meals in advance in order to make sure youre getting enough vitamins/nutrients and budgeting your shopping plan, but I think that can be said for any diet.

Davis added that you have to make sure to still consume some protein.

Masterson said the benefits [of being vegetarian] are that it makes me feel good that my diet and lifestyle is reflective of the morals I want to live by, and sometimes its a lot healthier than what I ate before being vegetarian. Becoming vegetarian has been one of the most meaningful choices Ive made in my life and Im glad I decided to do it.

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A Day in the Life of a Vegetarian - The Exponent

A man eats his lunch at Holycow steak house in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 7, 2012. Reuters/Enny Nuraheni

A meat-free diet is linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety than omnivorous eating, according to a recent analysis in the journal Food Science and Nutrition.

That analysis examined 20 studies on meat consumption and mental health, and found an association between vegetarianism or veganism and poorer mental-health outcomes.

"How many people have you met that are both happy and diet all the time?" Urska Dobersek, a psychologist at the University of Southern Indiana who co-authored the analysis, told Insider. "Probably very few - and there is a strong, scientific reason for that - restrictive diets make people unhealthy and unhappy in the long term."

Any potential causal link, however, is still debated. Although some studies suggest that nutritional deficiencies associated with vegan diets can be linked to depression, it's possible that depression and anxiety may precede someone's decision to go meat-free.

"Meat avoidance may be both the 'chicken' and the 'egg' when it comes to mental illness," Dobersek said.

An employee prepares steak tips at Stew Leonard's grocery store. Taylor Rains/Insider

The research included in the new analysis spans the years from 2001 to mid-2020, and includes nearly 172,000 participants across four continents. Of that group, about 158,000 people ate meat and 13,000 did not.

All but two of the studies relied on questionnaires in which respondents self-reported whether they ate meat or not, then answered prompts about whether they experienced anxiety and depression.

The analysis concluded that "meat abstention is clearly associated with poorer mental health."

That was true regardless of a person's sex, though the researchers weren't able to see the whether other factors influence the correlation - such as a person's age, the particular types of meat they eat, their socioeconomic status, their history of mental illness, or how long they've abstained from meat.

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Still, the finding builds on previous research demonstrating similar trends, so Dobersek said she wasn't surprised. Her own team, in fact, published an analysis last year that suggested abstaining from meat is associated with a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm.

An August analysis from a team in Germany, meanwhile, also found that vegetarians were more depressed than meat eaters.

"The idea that we can become healthier, or happier, by eliminating foods and beverages is simplistic, unscientific, and not supported by valid evidence," Dobersek said.

Luhv Vegan Deli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Aleeya Mayo

However, there's no evidence a meat-free diet directly leads mental health to decline.

"We cannot say that meat-free diets cause mental illness. What we did find is that the research doesn't support the idea that eliminating meat can improve mental health," Edward Archer, who co-authored the 2020 paper with Dobersek, previously told Insider.

Although several studies have found that vegetarians are more depressed than meat-eaters, other research has shown the opposite. There's also the question of chronology: Do people stop eating meat first, then develop a higher risk of depression? Or do more people who are already depressed chose to become vegan or vegetarian? Very few studies offer answers, though research from 2012 suggested that depression may precede a switch to vegetarianism.

Other possible explanations for the link, according to Dobersek and Archer, could be that people try meat-free diets to address existing mental health issues, or people with depression may be more likely to empathize with animals and make nutritional choices based on personal ethics.

"Individuals struggling with mental illness often alter their diets as a form of self-treatment," Dobersek said. "And it appears that many people choose veganism as an ethical response to the cruelty inherent in 'nature' and human societies."

It's possible, too, that individuals who are depressed or anxious about climate change are more likely to make dietary choices that lower carbon emissions. Globally, the livestock industry is responsible for about 15% of annual emissions.

Dobersek noted, though, that strict vegan diets can sometimes lead to nutrient deficiencies, especially in pregnant women. That, in turn, can increase the risk of physical and mental illness. For example, vitamin B-12, folate, and Omega-3 fatty acids are only in animal products, and a deficit of those nutrients is linked to depression, low energy, and poor metabolism.

A steak with vegetables. BURCU ATALAY TANKUT/Getty Images

When Dobersek's 2020 analysis came out, some who read it thought it demonstrated that meat-eating improves mental health, but Archer said "that's patently false."

Additionally, critics of those same findings pointed out that Dobersek had recieved more than $10,000 in grant money from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association "to conduct a systematic review on 'Beef for a Happier and Healthier Life.'"

The new analysis, too, was funded in part by a grant through the beef association. The authors noted, however, that the sponsor did not influence the research design, data collection, or study conclusions.

Dobersek said she thinks the results could still have implications for how dietary guidelines are created and communicated.

"With each edition, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans became more restrictive," she said. (In 2020, for instance, federal recommendations suggested Americans limit their intake of red meat, whereas no such recommendation was in the 2005 version.)

"Yet the US population has become more diabetic, more anxious, and more depressed," Dobersek continued. "I do not think this is a coincidence."

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People who eat meat report lower levels of depression and anxiety than vegans do, a recent analysis suggests - Yahoo Singapore News

DADA J P VASWANI

We live in an age where eating non-vegetarian food is considered to be the ultimate gastronomic delight: trendy, exotic and energising. How can we live without meat? is the cry heard from many, even those born into vegetarian families. Despite being aware that meat-eating has been proved to be injurious to health, they continue to eat meat.

Research has proved that animal fats raise the cholesterol level of blood, while certain vegetables actually lower it. Further, the amounts of toxic wastes present in the flesh of a dead animal are very high. Thus, when we eat the flesh of animals, we are not only consuming the so-called nutritive portions but also poisonous waste products. It is not possible for the body to eliminate the poisons immediately and effectively. Vegetarianism is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts of our times. Grass eaters, salad eaters, cranks and herbivores are some of the terms used with derision and in jest to refer to vegetarians.

A vegetarian diet is simple and nutritious; it gives adequate energy and is easily digested. It is wholesome and non-toxic. It affords immense variety and is also pleasing to the eye and palate. Vegetarianism could extend your life by several years, as well as lower your risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia. It is better for the planet, reducing water usage and global warming gases. And, it certainly is good for the cow, pig, lamb or chicken that you would have otherwise devoured. Giving up meat is a humane and healthy choice.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Vegetarian and healthy - Economic Times

I get it, the whole not wanting to eat anything-with-a-face movement. Cows are cute. So are lambs. And piglets. And rabbits. And, sometimes, even chickens.

But and Lord, here comes the lightning bolt they also taste good.

I eat meat. Almost every day. I fry it, roast it, Panko-coat it, broil it and barbecue it. Beef, pork, chicken and lamb. And seafood. Oh, seafood.

Before you blow up my inbox with outrage and vitriol, yes, I am aware there can be mistreatment in the animal husbandry industry and, yes, I know that meat is murder and Earths good nature is often jeopardized in our quest to set the table.

So, spare me the lectures. And dont bother sending me photos of butchered calves or cooped-up chickens. I get it. I am not a monster. I, too, support the humane treatment of animals that are farmed for our dinner plates.

And I respect anyone who has courage of conviction whatever that may look like about the food they put in their bodies, and wouldnt dream of imposing my views on their choices.

Sometimes I wish I didnt eat meat, that I didnt have a lifelong gastronomic devotion to animal flesh, a culinary history that charts nearly seven decades of meat consumption and is clearly the legacy of choice and of having been raised in the mid-20th century when Sunday roast dinners were standard, and delicious, fare.

Sometimes, I even question how I can so cavalierly tempt coronary fate, for this is something often pondered by those of us in our late 60s, where ones health and acute sense of mortality are increasingly top of mind.

But, still, I eat meat.

Veganism isnt a new thing, of course. While the word itself is only about as old as the average baby boomer, vegetarianism (its less-restrictive cousin) can be traced to ancient cultures.

And right here in Canada, two decades ago, chef Yves Potvin created Yves Veggie Cuisine, a faux meat product offered up in burger, hotdog, deli and sausage form.

What is new, though, is the self-righteous army of the meatless that seems determined to shame the planetary masses, most of whom you guessed it eat meat.

Anyway, we can argue about who is more superior another time but, meantime, heres my question:

Why do vegans who hit maximum ire at the mere mention of a rare rib-eye want to eat things that arent meat but look, smell and taste like meat?

Exhibit A: The Impossible Burger.

Great name, and premise a plant-based meat patty that looks, cooks and smells like real hamburger and has the consistency and taste of real hamburger.

The Impossible Burger debuted in the U.S. in 2016 and was a huge hit, showing up on restaurant menus throughout the U.S. and Asia and, finally, last September in selected Canadian restaurants. Creative chefs have gone all Wolfgang Puck on the trend, even incorporating it on charcuterie menus.

And when youre riding an old wave to new heights, as Impossible Burger now is, you have to be clever. Which is why the Impossible Foods company recently released a fake meat patty that wait for it bleeds.

Just. Like. Real. Hamburger.

It is with this development that my aging protein-fuelled brain has a bone to pick. (Sorry.) Because, dear vegans, if you hate meat and feel the need to publicly excoriate those who farm meat, sell meat, cook meat and eat meat why, oh why, do you want to eat something that is meant to replicate real meat?

That bleeds like real meat?

When I ask this question of vegans, who are otherwise rather lovely and mostly tolerant of an old carnivore set in her ways, there are usually two eye-rolling answers: One, sometimes its just easier to blend into a meat-eating world.

Two, they used to eat meat and, dare we say, miss it.

I dont get it. Tofurky your heart out, but maybe pick a lane.

Shelley Fralic writes the Life in the 60s column. shelleyfralic@gmail.com

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Senior Living: To meat or not to meat? - The Kingston Whig-Standard

After 35 years in Australia, the last plates ofcheese toastwill soon be served at Sizzler's nine remaining outlets across Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.

The family-friendly restaurant, famous for the all-you-can-eat salad bar and cheesy TV ads, was once a suburban dining stalwart. But Sizzler'sclosure on November 15isn't just another consequence of COVID-19.

Australia's food values and tastes have changed since the chain's heyday of the 1990s. Today, food is much more important in our everyday lives.

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Sizzler began in the United States in the late 1950s, opening its first Australian restaurant in 1985 in the Brisbane suburb of Annerley. A novelty of the chain was its salad bar, which the Canberra Times in 1992described as:

15 metres of salad choices, two soup choices and croutons and rolls, a potato casserole, savoury rice, two types of pasta (with the usual unfortunate consequences for pasta left sitting) with meat, tomato and cream sauces, and four or five desserts.

Optional steak, seafood and chicken offerings could be served to your table. When the chain reached its Australian peak in the mid-1990s, our food culture was very different. Cuisine of the era was increasingly multicultural as food author Cherry Ripe notes in her bookGoodbye Culinary Cringe but food was more often spoken about in utilitarian terms.

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Sizzler positioned itself as food that was cheap and fast, but not "fast food". Most of those who dined there, alongside the dine-in all-you-can eat Pizza Huts,earnedunder $60,000 (approximately $110,000 today).

But over the past 25 years, the way Australian families dine hasdramatically changed. Instead of a large "family friendly" diner, we are more likely to frequent a range of small, culturally diverse eateries.

While Sizzler hasattributed the shutteringof the final nine stores to the impact of COVID-19, the brand has experienced aslow death, with19 outlets closing across Australia since 2015.

Its demise can be attributed to many factors.

Since Sizzler's peak, Australian consumers have shown greater interest infood provenance, or understanding where their food comes from.

There are growing concerns about environmental impacts of the way we eat, particularly aroundfood waste. These concerns become stark in buffet settings.

Other contemporary culinary interests include the ideals of "clean eating" and Instagrammable#foodporn Sizzler isn't entirely suited to either category.

Once considered "alternative" approaches to eating, vegetarianism and veganism are also on the rise. By 2019,more than 2.5 millionAustralians were vegan or vegetarian.

We have embraced movements likeflexitarianism(a mostly plant-based diet, with animal products eaten in moderation) andMeat Free Mondays. Sizzler is known for its salad bar, but the prominent grill offerings of steak, seafood and chicken dont necessarily align with these culinary values.

Pressure has been placed on Sizzler, too, as fast-casual diningchains gain popularity, with companies like Guzman y Gomez and Grill'd focusing on ethical and healthy choices.

The pressures faced by Sizzler can also be seen in the Australian fine-dining sector. There has beenan explosionof mid-tier, casual but trendy venues opening to accommodate diners' changing tastes. This has led to closures of both "value for money" sit-down restaurants, like Sizzler, at one end of the spectrum, and fine dining at the other end.

Our notion of what constitutes "good value" has also evolved.

Until Sunday, a standard Sizzler all-you-can-eat salad bar will cost you $27.95. You can add $4 and get a rump steak, or $2 for a "Malibu Chicken Supreme" (think parmy-meets-Chicken-Cordon-Bleu).

But "value" now lies in thequalityrather than quantity of one's meal. As Australians' idea of value is shifting, we are inclined topay morefor food we consider to be good quality so $30 for an average steak and salad now seems rather steep.

This isn't to say Australians are a bunch of food snobs.

Inmy 2014 researchinto food and food media habits, I spoke to then 38-year-old food enthusiast Melanie, who enjoyed trips to Adriano Zumbo's Sydney patisserie and celebrated her sister's 40th birthday dinner at Tom Colicchio's New York restaurant but she was not opposed to more lowbrow or fast-food offerings.

I will say I love fine dining, but if you offered me up Sizzler on a Sunday, I'm right there.

I hope Melanie got a booking at Sizzler to enjoy one last Sunday indulgence.

Katherine Kirkwood is a PhD candidate at Queensland University of Technology. This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

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Vale Sizzler: the cheese toast king couldn't keep up with dining trends - ABC News

Way back when being vegetarian was being the odd one out but now, as the movement has grown in popularity, its easier than ever to go veggie! Everywhere you go nowadays, theres a vegetarian or even vegan option to accommodate those who dont eat meat. Vegetarianism has been endorsed by celebrities from Morrissey to Natalie Portman, and more doctors than ever before are advocating for vegetarianism as the healthy choice.

It used to be that eating meat was necessary for survival. As we live in an age where meat is a commodity, consuming it is now a lifestyle choice rather than a necessity. Its also often an unhealthy lifestyle choice, contributing to health issues like obesity and heart disease.

We also live in an era of increasing animal rights and environmental concerns, wherein eschewing meat is crucial for adhering to better morals. So, whether you are turning to vegetarianism because of an animal rights movement, or simply because you want to get healthier, the benefits of going vegetarian are numerous. Its never been easier, or tastier!

Numerous studies have shown that those who eat a plant-based lifestyle live longer. One such study, in the British Medical Journal, found that vegetarians live longer than meat-eaters by an average of six years! This is because the health benefits of being veggie are huge vegetarian diets are usually rich in fiber, nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which all strengthen the immune system and slow down the aging process. It can also reverse many diseases.

Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in many societies today, and vegetarian diets are naturally lower in saturated fats and cholesterol (which cause heart disease). As well as having a lower risk of heart disease, a vegetarian diet can actually reverse coronary heart disease!

There is some evidence to suggest that vegetarians have a lower rate of cancer than others who eat meat. Meat consumption, particularly red meat, has consistently been linked to cancer as it is a carcinogenic. Eating your fruits and veggies has never been easier, or better for you!

Obesity is an epidemic sweeping the Western world, and owes to a lifestyle that does not favor health supersize meals, BBQs, and stress-eating. Simply changing our diets to one more plant-based can have huge effects on the risk of obesity, actually lowering the chance of becoming obese by 43%!

Following a vegetarian diet has been proven to make the dieter lose twice as much weight as a meat-eater. A vegetarian diet does wonders for the metabolism!

Global warming is rapidly increasing the likelihood of the end of life as we know it. By the mid-20th century, as global temperatures spike, rising sea levels, and climate crises will become the norm. You can help counter this by simply skipping the meat animal agriculture creates huge amounts of greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change.

Whatever your stance on animal emotions, theres no denying that they feel pain like any other living creature, and factory farms are inhumane and outdated places of cruelty.

Whether its from not eating our lovely feathered and furred friends, or due to the lower levels of arachidonic acid in plant-based diets, being a vegetarian is great for your mental health!

Meat is full of bad bacteria hormones, herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics. This is because theyre fed to animals like cows during the factory farming process, and become concentrated in

animal flesh.

Aside from meat costing more than your average veggie meal, youll save a bunch on healthcare costs in the future!

Katherine Rundell is a content writer at UKWritings and Academized.She enjoys hiking and traveling, as well as cooking delicious vegetarian food. Also, she blogs on the Boomessays website.

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10 Quick and Great Reasons To Go Vegetarian - Longevity LIVE - Longevity LIVE

Not much cooking, grilling or smoking going on.

After living in the same home for 20 years, we decided to take on some updates, especially in the kitchen. The end result is certainly fun to look forward to, but it has taken away our ability to cook for the last week or so.

Given this challenge, we have been eating out quite a bit. And during this time, we have stumbled across something that has us fascinated, that being ground beet meat tacos.

If you are a regular reader of this column and you have a good memory, you might recall that Liz and I decided to go vegetarian for one month earlier this year. It wasnt nearly as tough as we thought it would be and we came across some really good recipes we have used since then.

We even learned how to properly prepare tofu, although I will admit we havent made a tofu dish since our month of vegetarianism.

And now having experienced beet meat, the next time we engage in a month or so of vegetarianism, I wont have to run to Burger King to get a vegetarian Whopper when confronted with a craving for beef. And I certainly wont try to fix some bean-based burger patties on the grill. Those darn things simply taste like seasoned beans with the texture of.well...beans.

Ill just whip up something with beet meat. But it got me curious as to whether I was overly exaggerating how good this stuff was. So Liz and I decided to meet up with some friends at the restaurant where we discovered beet meat tacos and had them try them. They also thought they were eating ground beef. It really has the color, texture and flavor of beef. How in the world do they do that? Enquiring foodie minds need to know.

Story continues below video

The challenge with creating plant-based meat products that taste and feel like meat is due to the obvious differences between plants and meat. Meat is basically muscle, and muscle is springy and elastic. Plants obviously dont have muscles, so the cell structure is rigid, which gives most plants a rigid, crunchy texture when raw. So dietitians and scientists for years have been trying to mimic the springiness of meat in a vegetable product.

Voila! They have now isolated wheat and pea proteins, which duplicate the springiness of protein. Whats the second characteristic that makes a great taco or a juicy burger? Fat. Animal fat provides a mouth-coating feel.

Think of it this way. Olive oil and vegetable oil tends to be in liquid form at room temperature, whereas animal fat is not in a liquid state. The compromise at this point tends to be coconut oil, which like animal fat is not in a liquid state at room temperature.

This is an area they are continuing to improve on and perfect. And in terms of the color, beets like raw beef are naturally red. As far as flavoring, thats a closely held secret by the companies that produce these products.

Bottom line, give beet meat a try. I think you will be as pleasantly surprised as we were.

Dave Lobeck is an Edward Jones Financial Adviser in Jeffersonville, Indiana, by day and a BBQ enthusiast on nights and weekends. Liz is his wife. You can contact Dave with your BBQ, cooking or grilling questions at davelobeck@gmail.com. You can also visit their YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/BBQMyWay.

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It's time to give beet meat a chance - New Castle News

In this week's column, environmental activists Laurel Hood and Sherri Jackson encourage you to take a closer look at your meat-eating habits

This regular column on tips to live more sustainably comes from the52 Weeks Climate Action Challenge. The challenge was created by Laurel Hood and Sherri Jackson. Hood is a retired Collingwood Collegiate Institute teacher, and Jackson is a writer and speaker, and ran as the Green Partys candidate for the area in the last federal election. Both are climate activists.

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In the immortal words of Pink Floyd, how can you have any pudding if you dont eat your meat? Its a good question. Meat has been a staple in the Western diet for a really long time. It used to be a luxury. Now, its a requirement for many of us.

The debate rages on is vegetarianism better for you, or is it okay to be a carnivore? Well, Ill leave all that up to you to decide for yourself. Depending on your initial premise, you can google is vegetarianism bad or is vegetarianism good and youll get two (mostly) logical, yet opposing views. So, lets leave the ethics and the health out of it for now. Were focusing on climate change, and what we can do to counteract it. And, Im sorry to say, the target is on meat as a big player in the pollution game.

Worldwide over the past 50 years, as we have made tremendous advances in some ways, meat consumption has quadrupled to over 320 million tonnes per year! As weve discussed, meat production requires massive resources, like water, land, and feed, which has to be grown on even more land, requiring even more water.

Animal agriculture is the second-worst culprit of human-generated carbon emissions, contributing about 20 per centof the worlds greenhouse gases. Animals produce 30-40 per centof the worlds methane emissions, and much of that is in how factory farms raise their animals, the sheer number of animals raised, and the prevalence of cheaper feed (like corn) which is not a normal part of their diet. Hence, the reason cows get a bad rap. Its not their fault really they were designed properly by nature, and they were domesticated for centuries before big business figured out a way to exploit them, and it all went downhill from there.

Farming sustainably is a game changer, and animals are a big part of that cycle. If all our meat was sustainably raised, it would be a different conversation. But, right now, the majority of our meat comes from factory farms. And thats a problem.

Dont believe me, or perhaps you dont want to believe me? Then here we go.

Visit https://www.omnicalculator.com/ecology/meat-footprint.

This challenge isnt for the faint-hearted. This site calculates how much water is consumed to produce the meat you eat, and the carbon dioxide equivalency of the emissions produced from that meat. Ill level with you. Its pretty disturbing.

If that wasnt enough, it also lays it out in clear terms, like, your meat consumption is the CO2 equivalency of x number of cell phone charges, y number of litres of gas.You get the picture.

After youve recovered from your meat footprint analysis, see if you can make some changes to improve your score. See if you can go one week without beef or lamb these are the most carbon-intensive meats.

It takes over 15,000 litres of water to raise onekilogram of beef. It produces the equivalent of 85.2 kg of CO2, and needs 326 m2 of land use. For one kilogram! There are320 billion kgs of meat consumed annually. Its mind-boggling. Lamb takes 10,400 litres. So, if you can reduce your consumption of these two, youre having an impact.

If you havent watched the documentary Cowspiracy yet then watch it this week. Its available on Netflix.

If you really want to dive into some data, you can check out the Climate Change and the American Diet Report by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. It has some interesting statistics on why we eat the way we do, what our preconceived notions are, and a ton more statistics in its 44-page findings.

So, can you adopt different habits?Thats the question. Can you eat less red meat? Can you source your meat from places that farm more sustainably? Can you eat more plant-based proteins? Can you try meatless Mondays?

Again we are at the place where we have to reassess whether what weve been doing is working for us. Times are a-changin'.Maybe factory farming was sustainable for a number of years, but, were coming to the end of its feasibility. Were going to have to look at new ways of doing things if were going to survive. Yeah, I know thats a bleak statement.

There are so many ways that modern farming can become the hero in the climate change story, by adopting more sustainable farming practices, which not only help the planet, but improve the health of the farms soil, which improves yields, requires less chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and, oh, yeah, sequesters massive amounts of carbon at the same time.

Its a myth that sustainable practices arent as productive as conventional ones. Watch Kiss the Ground on Netflix, which connects the dots between healthy soil and healthy humans. Even possibly, whether there will be humans in the future.

Throughout history, agriculture has evolved to meet the needs of the planet, and the lifeforms on it. When conditions shift, farmers are ready to tackle new challenges as they arise. So here we are, in the biggest challenge of history. The fight for the survival of our planet and our species. What do we do in the face of that? Time will tell.

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OPINION: Changes to your meals can have an impact on the environment - CollingwoodToday.ca

The most inoffensive way to consume alcohol. A drinker not a thinker. A carbonated Acai bowl by any other name

Hard seltzers faced much stigma in their climb to be Americas drink of choice, with White Claw being the breakthrough basic beverage, coming to dominate the market over the past two summers.

Hard Seltzers are a type of highball drink containing carbonated water, alcohol, and often fruit flavoring. They are differentiated from a more basic premix drink by virtue of a brewed base of rice and corn, giving them a depth of flavor and viscosity vodka and neutral grain spirits dont quite have.

Moving away from the trashy connotations of other malt liquor beverages like Mikes Hard Lemonade, American hard seltzers like White Claw have used sleek, gender-neutral branding and an implied promise that its virtuous (Eater) to replace Ros as the sunny drink of choice, seen in the hands of everyone from frat boys to hipsters.

Its not just a fiscal achievement, either; even if its not indicative of super deep change, as Vox reports, hard seltzers integration into macho culture, though it was initially done ironically, is a positive sign.

Theres a performative aspect of mens somewhat ironic enthusiasm for hard seltzer In doubling down on how much they love it, men get to embrace something theyre usually discouraged from enjoying. Todays male hard seltzer drinkers are just as aware of their chosen drinks reputation as they were in the Zima days, but the difference is that in 2019, its far more culturally acceptable to embrace it.

Eater also reports on this phenomenon, remarking at the tail end of Americas 2019 summer, The success of White Claw [is] indicative of the 2019 type of hypermasculinity that is currently en vogue.

Its a drink for a more evolved bro, the type of man who isnt afraid to talk about his macros or brew kombucha. The rise of crossfit alongside paleo and keto diets gave men permission to be more publicly and proudly health and image conscious than most of their predecessors.

Which isnt to say that smart branding by powerful beverage corporations has successfully solved gender inequality, of course. Its just that hard seltzer happens to fit neatly into societys current ideas about mens consumption habits.

Speaking of consumption: hard seltzer is now poised to blow up in Australia too, with the southern hemispheres summer imminent, and the steady pssst of ice-cold VBs and Pale Ales soon to be heard all over.

That and by the looks of it the sound of hard seltzer brands like FELLR, which FELLR director and co-founder Will Morgan tells DMARGE is sold out pretty much everywhere at the moment.

Its not a carbon copy of America though; in true Aussie style FELLR (available here at Dan Murphys) is nonchalant about all this gym bro and meme culture hype and aims to neatly fit into societys current ideas about casual coastal Australians consumption habits (i.e. the majority of the population), not just F45-ers.

Mr. Morgans business partner and FELLR co-founder Andy Skora tells DMARGE: When we first started talking, the initial [Aussie] reaction was: whats a seltzer?.

Theres been a huge turnaround, however, in the last two months, where it has gone from [practically] everyone not just knowing what it is to everyone buying it.

[The trend] started in lockdown a little bit but now there are so many brands jumping on board, media getting onto it, people recognising what it is, Mr. Skora tells us.

Summer has also helped.

Key to seltzers success in Australia, should it continue to blow up, is the style of drink, people understanding what it is, as well as valuing the health trends associated (think: low sugar, gluten free, keto, all natural).

Image: FELLR

On that front, there doesnt seem to be any danger of those values changing (by our reckoning the Bondi Byron Bali triangle would sooner implode).

Mr. Morgan tells DMARGE the craft beer boom aided too, getting people trying new things; [making them] more inquisitive.

There was no craft in this space nothing youd be proud to serve, Mr. Morgan tells us.

You wouldnt take premix to nice BBQ, or a nice dinner; we saw that gap there.

It takes us four weeks to brew the alcohol we dont just buy neutral grain spirits from god knows where.

As for whether hard seltzer will become the trademark drink of Australias evolved bros like it has in America, Mr. Morgan says: Its not necessarily for guys that are counting their macros like a gym buff, its for people from all walks of life.

People have heard of White Claw but were not important [enough for] that whole Tik Tok culture yet people just see hard seltzer as a healthy alternative.

As such, FELLR is made with trending Australian lifestyle choices like vegetarianism; going organic in mind, not just gym people counting calories.

Especially in coastal areas, people are really dialling in on their health and all aspects of it.

With just about a month since Dan Murphys launched their full seltzer range, only time (and pssts per capita) will tell where the hard seltzer trend lands down under.

Just remember: though hard seltzers are lower in carbs and calories than beer, alcohol is still alcohol

More here:
The 'Evolved' American Alcohol Trend About To Blow Up In Australia - DMARGE

Yesterday (12 October), the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Akhand Bharat Morcha' (ABM) which sought a ban on halal slaughter of animals for food.

Even the European Court of Justice has ruled that 'halal' is extremely painful...there are many reports which suggest that extreme pain and suffering is inflicted on the animal in the process", the counsel for the ABM argued.

But the bench of Justices S K Kaul and Dinesh Maheshwari termed the PIL mischievous.

Halal is only a method of doing so. Different ways are possible there is 'halal', there is 'jhatka'. Some people do 'jhatka', some do 'halal', how is it a problem? Some people want to eat 'halal' meat, some want to eat 'jhatka' meat, some want to eat reptile meat, Justice Kaul said.

Tomorrow you will say nobody should eat meat? We cannot determine who should be a vegetarian and who should be a non vegetarian!", he added.

The PIL didnt seek a ban on non-vegetarianism. When the SC passed a correct judgment on the Triple Talaq case, it didnt say tomorrow you will seek a ban on divorce itself. But resorting to such logic has become a feature of the court in recent times when it is confronted with uncomfortable questions of the law.

Moreover, halal is not just a method of slaughter of animals just like jhatka, as Justice Kaul opined. Halal is one of the biggest threats to an inclusive economy, as I explained in this video.

Unlike jhatka, which is not a religious method of slaughter, halal requires that the butcher must be a Muslim, be authorised and be under the supervision of a certified Islamic organisation, and slaughter the animal according to Islamic rite including recitation of 'Bismillah Allahu-Akbar' before slaughtering each animal.

Therefore, the creation of the halal meat industry effectively means of the Muslims, by the Muslims, for everyone.

Legitimising halal meat means giving constitutional sanction to monopolising a multi-billion dollar industry by members of one religion.

Additionally, even vegetarian products can be halal. In fact, halal is not about only food either, as is generally misunderstood.

Some of the products which are given halal certification include non-alcohol beverages, raw materials needed in food processing, pharmaceutical and healthcare products, traditional herbal products, cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning products, daily consumable products and leather-made products (e.g. shoes, furniture and hand-bag).

It is understandable if the highest court of the country doesnt want to pronounce judgment on whether halal meat should be banned, for that is the domain of the executive, but the Justices have not covered themselves in glory by rejecting a PIL in this regard.

Nonetheless, the ball is in the Centres court. It can and should take on the discriminatory and exclusionary halal meat industry by making the practice illegal.

The government can justify such a move on secular grounds by making a case that barbaric methods of slaughter such as halal cannot be allowed in the 21st century. Some European countries have already implemented this.

In 2009, the European Unions Council Regulation mandated that animals should be stunned before they are slaughtered; however, these allowed member-States to carve out exceptions in case of ritual slaughter (halal, kosher, et cetera).

But five countries Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Slovenia havent done so. In Belgium, two out of three regions (Walloon and Flemish) have also taken a similar stance.

In 2014, Denmark banned kosher and non-sedated halal slaughter, though religious slaughter is allowed but only after the animal is sedated.

However, those who wish to exclusively have halal or kosher meat can do so by importing it from abroad.

Similarly, Iceland also allows for import of kosher and halal meat, but has effectively banned kosher and non-sedated halal slaughter.

Norway, too, requires all animals to be sedated before slaughtering.

All ritual slaughter has been banned in Slovenia since 2012. Sweden, whose eight per cent population subscribes to Islam, has also not carved out any exception for ritual slaughter and the country mandates that animals must be sedated before butchering.

Sixteen other European nations have made stunning a requirement before slaughter of animals, but have made exceptions in case of religiously sanctioned killing of animals.

These vary from country to country. For instance, France requires that animals must be stunned before they are killed, but those who wish to adopt halal method have to take additional permission and the slaughterhouses need to show that they have proper tools and facilities that meet hygiene requirements prescribed in French regulations.

All these countries are hailed as democracies which are secular in nature and greatly respect diversity.

Yet, they have gone to great lengths to check the ritual slaughter like halal.

They all justify it as compassion towards animals. Of course, if India does it, the same western countries, which hardly raise any voice over actions of European countries, will wax eloquent on freedom of religion, right to choice of food and what not.

When the West advocates for saving cows, it is projected as caring for the environment. When India does it, its Hindu majoritarianism.

Such double standards are all too common.

India should chart its own path without caring two hoots about what the hypocrites of the world think. Not only does it need to implement more compassionate methods of slaughtering animals, but must also have regulations on animal slaughter which are in line with the norms of the 21st century.

As I wrote earlier, even Islamic countries fare better than India in this regard.

Only humane ways of slaughtering animals (stunning them before butchering) should be allowed in the country.

Even if an exemption is made for ritual slaughter and for festivals like Bakr-Eid, they must be restricted to licensed abattoirs which strictly adhere to state regulations regarding public health, hygiene, waste disposal, et cetera.

Thats the way to go.

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Supreme Court Wont Ban Halal Slaughter But The Government Must; Many European Countries Have Already Done So - Swarajya

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In recent years, vegetarianism and veganism have become increasingly accepted as healthy alternatives to an omnivorous lifestyle. Scientific studies proclaiming the health benefits of a meatless lifestyle, as well as documentaries such as Food, Inc. that expose the moral problems of industrial meat production and consumption, have inspired many to adopt a vegetarian diet. Although, people are not only accepting plant-based diets anymore they are also evangelizing them.

I have been supportive of plant-based living for years: In middle school, I committed to eating only humanely raised meat before going fully vegetarian during high school. I was, and still am, especially influenced by the ethical ramifications of a meatless diet. American factory farming horrifies me: The enclosure of animals in small spaces without room to graze and frequent antibiotic and hormone injections that harm the health of animals are just two examples of inhumane industrial farming practices.

In addition, the environmental benefits of reducing meat consumption are enormous: Although carbon dioxide is by far the biggest culprit in global greenhouse gas emissions, methane a gas that cows produce is much more potent. Continuing factory farming at its current rate of production will only increase the amount of methane in the atmosphere.

We need to be doing what we can to phase out factory farming, to support the ethical treatment of animals and to improve the health of ourselves and our planet with plant-based food. My problem with the movement is the way this message is being conveyed.

The narrative surrounding vegetarianism, previously contained within personal conversations and doctor visits, is now publicly steeped in moral superiority. It says, If youre a good person, youll stop eating meat altogether. Dont get me wrong what we eat is political. Meat consumption has real environmental and ethical impacts beyond ourselves. In the era of COVID-19, in which the virus is severely affecting meat packing workers, shutting down industrial farming facilities and leading farmers to euthanize animals, it is clear that the American food systems current reliance on meat is damaging our communities.

Jonathan Safran Foer makes this argument in his recent New York Times op-ed, titled The End of Meat Is Here. On the whole, its a good article; I agree with his stance that the coronavirus has exposed the degree to which we seriously need to reduce our meat consumption. He advocates urgency and appeals to a world in which farmers were not myths, tortured bodies were not food and the planet was not the bill at the end of the meal. I think most of us want to live in that world. But his message that everyone needs to cut out meat completely is harmful.

First and foremost, your diet impacts your physical and mental well-being, and those who advocate a complete transition to a no-meat society do not do justice to this fact. Safran Foer addresses the health impacts of vegetarianism, writing, Dont we need animal protein? No. We can live longer, healthier lives without it. Most American adults eat roughly twice the recommended intake of protein including vegetarians, who consume 70 percent more than they need.

This is all true. What is also true and what Safran Foer fails to mention is that vegetarian diets, although beneficial for our hearts and kidneys, can lead to vitamin deficiencies that impact health. Nutrients only found in animal products, such as vitamin B-12 (cobalamin), are essential for maintaining good health. A study published in 2016 concluded that compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarians have reduced body mass index (BMI), serum cholesterol, serum glucose and blood pressure with a lower mortality rate due to ischemic heart disease. However, underestimating the correct supplementation of cobalamin (Cbl) can nullify these benefits.

In addition, vegetarianism can have a serious impact on mental health. A study published in April 2020 observed a distinct correlation between meat abstention and poor psychological health, declaring that Our study does not support meat avoidance as a strategy to benefit psychological health. And even with this new research, studies on vegetarianism and physical health still outnumber those on psychological health by a wide margin.

Claiming that vegetarianism is for everyone ignores these facts and fails to recognize the role of diet in mental health treatment. It also perpetuates the one-size-fits-all approach to health, which neglects the impact of individual circumstances like stress level, socioeconomic status and past trauma on well-being. Ignoring these factors makes it difficult for individuals to identify and seek out treatments for chronic physical and mental health issues.

When I went vegetarian, I didnt know that my new diet could cause vitamin deficiencies. I felt the impact of these deficiencies my first year of college, when I was suddenly dealing with heightened anxiety that manifested itself not only through worried thoughts, but also through other physical symptoms. I went down a frustrating path of doctor visits and medical tests in search of treatments for my new chronic health issues, and had to transition out of a vegetarian diet to start remedying the imbalance I felt in my mind and body. Now, about to enter my senior year of college, Im still dealing with these symptoms and grappling with how to eat ethically while consuming meat.

I do not share my story to scare people away from vegetarianism; rather, I want to help others reduce their meat consumption while avoiding an experience like mine. No one can responsibly recommend a vegetarian diet to others without also informing them of the potential risks.

There are ways that we can eat less meat, even forgo meat completely, while being tuned into individual health concerns. If you do want to go vegetarian, make sure you do your research on what vitamins you may have a harder time getting from your diet once you abstain from meat. Find out how you can get these nutrients in other foods, and take supplements where diet alone falls short. Adolescents and those with preexisting conditions need to be especially careful about making sure what they eat is supporting their specific needs.

That being said, transitioning to a vegetarian diet isnt for everyone, and for those who cannot fathom giving up meat, there are still ways to eat more sustainably. The Reducetarian Foundation has plenty of resources for those who want to improve the health of humans, animals and the environment without ditching meat completely. Even just skipping meat one day a week can have a beneficial impact; according to the Natural Resources Defense Council Health Campaigns Director Sujatha Bergen, the environmental impact of the average American reducing their meat intake by one hamburger per week would be equivalent to eliminating a years worth of tailpipe emissions from ten million cars.

In addition, try to buy humanely raised meat whenever you can, looking out for labels that designate animals as hormone-free, free-range, and grass-fed. These labels themselves can be misleading, so check out resources such as American Grass-Fed that have lists of certified providers of grass-fed beef in each state. And when in doubt, buy from local farms.

We need to educate ourselves about the ways that we can eat more ethically, and eating less meat is one of the best ways to do that. However, we also need to encourage plant-based eating in a way that allows individuals to best take care of themselves and their families. Physical and mental health are inseparable, and we cannot detach vegetarianism from personal well-being.

So, just as we should eat responsibly, we should also advocate responsibly. Health is personal, and when it comes to diet recommendations, no one should take the moral high ground.

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We Need To Change the Narrative Surrounding Vegetarianism - Study Breaks

AN SNP demand for a second referendum mustbe taken seriouslyif the party wins a majority at Holyrood, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

If theres a majority its got to be looked at in Westminster, the UK Labour leader said this morning ahead ofhis partys virtual autumn conference.

Polls currently predict the SNP on course for their second majority at next years election.

Sir Keirs comments on Skys Sophie Ridge on Sunday echo some he made earlier this year on STV when he argued for a new constitutional convention and enhanced devolution.

READ MORE: Scottish independence: Nicola Sturgeon looks back on 2014 result

However, his words now carry the weight of coming from the leader of the opposition and raise the question of how Labour at Westminster would react to a demand for Indyref2.

Boris Johnson has dismissed the idea out of hand, saying the No result of 2014 should be the once-in-a-generation vote Nicola Sturgeon promised on the campaign trail.

Asked if there should be another referendum if the SNP win next year, Sir Keir said: I think another independencereferendum will be divisive, and thats whyLabour will be campaigning into the May elections on the economy, rebuilding the economy, on ensuring our public services are in the right place and defeating the coronavirus.

Im frustrated that, in a sense, in the middle of a pandemic, we have the SNP talking about independence, we have the Tories talking about Brexit when in my view they should be focusing on pulling together to defeat the virus.

Sir Keir was then reminded of a statement he made on a visit to Scotland in January this year, before he became leader when he said that if the SNP won another majority they would have a mandate for another referendum.

He said at the time: I absolutely accept this is a question for Scotland and the people of Scotland. If theres a majority it has to be looked at in Westminster.

Pressed again today on whether he thought there should be a referendum or not if the SNP win a majority, he said: Look, this is a question for Scotland and the people of Scotland.

READ MORE:Andrew Marr: Impact of Scottish independence on England would be 'enormous'

If theres a majority its got to be looked at in Westminster.

But the Labour party will be campaigning into May on the basis that what we dont want is another divisive referendum.

Pressed again on whether Indyref2 should be looked at if there is an SNP majority, Sir Keir replied: Thats of course beyond May of next year. What Im focused on, and I was up in Scotland with Scottish Labour this week, talking about our priorities and our strategy for getting from here to May of next year and making the arguments that we think matter most, which are about the economy, public services and tackling the virus.

Asked what Labours position would be if the SNP won a majority, he changed the subject.

He said: Let us focus on what we need to do now, which is getting to May and those elections, dealing with the virus, and everybody in politics says things with great certainty.

Im sure back in December of last year if youd said wed be in the middle of the pandemic and we wouldnt even be able to meet for conference people would have said I dont believe thats going to happen. Lets focus on the here and now.

I honestly that across the whole of the United Kingdom and in Scotland, most people think, What are you going to bring this infection under control and deal with the pandemic.

READ MORE:'Only NHS has access': SNP insists Amazon is not getting data from a million users of Scotland's Test and Protect app

On Covid, Sir Keir said Boris Johnson should apologise for testing being "all over the place" and children should be tested as a priority to minimise disruption to schools.

Stressing his party was now under new leadership, he said he did share one thing in common with his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn - vegetarianism.

He said he had given up meat asa matter of principle years ago on the basis that it wasnt the right thing for the body and the planet.

He said he desperately missed bacon sandwiches, chicken curry, almost everything. This is hard work for me.

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Starmer: Indyref2 demand must be 'looked at in Westminster' if SNP win majority - HeraldScotland

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Until a few months ago, my husband was a committed carnivore. He loved his bacon and steak, and that love was intense and unapologetic. As far as he was concerned, one dinner without meat was one too many. Then, we happened to watch the popular Netflix documentary Game Changers. For him, it truly was game-changing, bringing to light what his precious carne was doing to his health and the environment.

My 11-year-old did not share my husbands affinity for meat. In fact, he seldom differentiated one animal from the next, complaining that we were having chicken again, when I was serving pork or beef. Of course, he had his own addictionsburgers and pepperoni pizza. Like many kids on the autism spectrum, hes a highly selective eater with definite aversions. He rarely tries anything new and will, sometimes without rhyme or reason, reject foods he once enjoyed.

So when I suggested that we give vegetarianism a shot, I was astonished when both of the men in my life agreed. (Veganism, we all felt, was a step too far. Dairy and eggs had to stay.) Even so, I expected our New Years resolution to last a week, tops. But months later, were holding strong.

The learning curve was particularly steep for me as Head Chef in our household, since I could no longer fall back on my usual meat and potatoes repertoire. In half a year, my son has tried Brussels sprouts, kale chips, not-from-a-box pasta, leeks and more. He has opened both his mind and tastebuds in a way that I never could have anticipated. Thats not to say he likes everything he trieslentils remain disgustingbut, overall, its a massive win.

There have been other wins, too. I didnt expect that our newfound vegetarianism would last, let alone that it would be a saving grace during COVID-19. When this ugly virus reared its head several weeks ago, I found an unexpected silver lining to our plant-based diet: Its a money-saver.

Meat is expensive. Last year we were averaging a weekly shop of $200, of which roughly $50 to $70 was spent on meat. Thats 25% to 35% of our total food expenditure, totalling $200 to 280 per monthor $2,400 to $3,360 per year!

I didnt realize just how much we were saving until I swapped a freezer full of meat for a larder full of canned beans and legumes. Home economist and food writer Mairlyn Smith believes there is room on our plates for all foods, and vegetarian eating doesnt need to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Smith is a big advocate of adding pulses to recipes in order to stretch your food dollar. Use half the beef and add lentils to your [pasta sauce]. Add chickpeas to a chicken curry. Add red lentils to a chicken soup. By slowly adding pulses to your diet, you wont surprise your colon, Smith says, referring to gassinessthe unwelcome side effect of pulses that routinely makes my 11-year-old giggle.

Research suggests that a staggering 50% of all food produced in this country is wasted, at a cost of $1,700 per household. Smith urges Canadians to reduce such waste by planning meals based on what you have on hand. Staples like rice, quinoa, noodles, couscous and pasta can be bought in bulk and have a generous shelf life. My family was unanimous in our dislike of tofu, which is fortunate since soy-based meat substitutes, like Beyond Meat, can be priceysometimes even more so than actual meat.

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There are many health benefits to eating eggs. Eggs are a very good source of inexpensive, high-quality protein. More than half the protein of an egg is found in the egg white, which also includes vitamin B2 and lower amounts of fat than the yolk.

Take a look at some the reasons you should be eating more eggs in your diet.

Eggs help the immune system

Fighting like soldiers on a battlefield, our immune system is the bodys defence against invading viruses, bacteria, and other illness-causing pathogens. Eggs are high in vitamin A and selenium, important nutrients for normal immune function.

Good for the eyes

Egg yolks are good for the eyes as this is the part of the egg that has lutein and zeaxanthin. These nutrients have been shown to lower the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older people.

Eggs are good for the heart

While eggs do contain cholesterol, eating eggs will not necessarily raise your cholesterol. Compared to non-egg eaters, those who eat eggs daily have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, and also a lower risk of dying from these conditions, too.

Eggs are good for muscle building

When combined with resistance (weight) training, protein provides the building blocks for muscle building and repair. Eggs are a source of high-quality protein: one large egg contains 7g of protein. In fact, eating whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise results in better muscle building than if just eating the egg white.

Eat the whole egg, not just the white

While the egg white contains protein, selenium and the B-vitamin riboflavin, there is a lot of nutrition in the egg yolk. The egg yolk contains heart healthy fats (monounsaturated fats) and half of the protein of the whole egg. If you avoid eating the egg yolk, youre missing out on vitamin D and iron, too.

Eggs help vegetarians meet their nutrient needs

Plant-based eating like vegetarianism is on the rise. Vegetarians are encouraged to supplement their diets with vitamin B12. One large egg contains almost 44 percent of our B12 needs and is high in protein to meet these nutrient needs.

Good to eat during pregnancy.

A vital nutrient for pregnant women is choline, which plays a key role in the development of a babys brain and nervous system. Eggs contain choline, making eggs a good choice as part of a healthy diet during pregnancy.

Eggs are versatile and store well.

Scrambled for breakfast, quiche for lunch, frittata for dinner or boiled as snack, eggs can be eaten at any time of the day and in so many forms. Eggs also store well in our pantries or fridges.

Eggs are good because theyre a cost-effective food.

Compared to other protein sources like meat, chicken and fish, eggs are relatively well-priced and offer an affordable source of protein.

Eggs are good to eat every day.

The Department of Healths dietary guidelines for South Africans support that we can eat eggs every day in moderation.

Originally posted here:
10 hidden health benefits of eggs you should know - IOL

During the month of October, Soleil Ho is only reviewing vegetarian restaurants. Have a suggestion? Let us know: food@sfchronicle.com

When driving through East Palo Alto, its easy to miss Chua Giac Minh, a buttercream-colored pagoda tucked into a residential street behind Ikea. The Vietnamese Buddhist temple, the oldest in Northern California, isnt much taller than the nearby houses. I showed up one Sunday based on a reader tip; until I spied the buildings curved eaves, I was worried I had wasted an afternoon on a plant-based goose chase.

I was searching for Vietnamese temple cuisine, a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that has refined its own plant-based versions of fish sauce, chicken wings, pork belly and seafood over the course of 2,000 years. As someone who didnt grow up Buddhist, I was curious about how Vietnamese food, a cuisine that is notorious for fish sauce and beefy banquets, would translate to a vegan paradigm. In the Catholic church wherein I was raised, post-service meals appeared on festival days: trays of vermillion- and green-tinted sticky rice, glazed barbecue chicken wings and spring rolls filled with pork and canned crab meat.

At Chua Giac Minh, the offerings proved to be an absolute treasure trove of delights, a must-visit for vegans, Vietnamese food lovers and anyone in between. The audience for Chua Giac Minhs meals is definitely the temples adherents, but random people who just want to eat lunch (like your intrepid food critic) are welcome to join in. The recipes are generated by the volunteers as well as the nuns, and many of the ingredients are sourced locally or grown on-site.

I have to admit, though: Religion kind of scares me. As I wandered into the temple kitchen with the tentativeness of a child looking for a midnight snack, a follower waved me down. I cringed, expecting to be asked what I was doing there or told what I was doing wrong.

But she smiled and asked if I needed help.

That question carries a lot of weight in a house of worship, but I nodded and she showed me the ropes. When I sat down with my food, she came over to talk to me. She told me that when she first visited the temple with a friend years ago, she was habitually spending her evenings partying at bars and just floating along, living for herself. But she was welcomed despite being a complete stranger and has been a loyal follower and volunteer ever since.

Until my visits to this temple, I hadnt entered a religious space for years and was a little worried Id burst into flames as soon as I crossed the threshold. But what I didnt realize going in was just how drastically my attitude toward veganism, weighted down and muddled by press releases about the Impossible Burger and pseudoscientific influencer rhetoric, would shift.

Here, everything the food, the sense of community is rooted in a culture of care.

In efforts to welcome guests of all persuasions, Buddhist missionaries and clergy have historically crafted foods that would appeal to the masses. At this temple, that tendency comes through clearly in dishes like the soy-based mock fish, which cleverly uses sheets of nori to imitate the skin of a fish filet. Strips of tofu skin, steamed together in the nori, are dead ringers for the fibrous flesh of a tilapia. The texture was, in a word, stunning.

763 Donohoe St., East Palo Alto

Hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays.

Accessibility: No steps to dining area, but entry to the temples upper level requires climbing a flight of stairs. Gendered multistall restrooms that run narrow.

Noise level: All outdoors in the courtyard; quiet, but more raucous on major holy days.

Meal for two, sans drinks: $15-$20. Donation based; cash only.

What to order: Braised tofu skin roll, spring rolls, braised fish, bao. For dessert, be sure to grab che bap ($1.50), a thick corn-and-tapioca pudding covered with a layer of coconut cream. Its sweet in the way a perfect can of corn is, with the lusciousness of a creamy corn potage.

Plant-based options: Everything is vegan except for the yogurt.

Drinks: Fresh-pressed sugar cane juice available; sometimes with additional fresh fruit juice.

Transportation: On the 281 and 296 SamTrans lines. Private parking available.

Best practices: Youre welcome to eat lunch with the temples worshipers at the communal tables. Carry-out is also an option, but go early in the day before they start running out of items.

The minced tofu and mung bean noodle chicken ($3 for 5, baked or fried), hefty and moist like thigh pieces, came complete with lemongrass bones and tofu skin. The imitations were clearly imitations, less like uncanny meat changelings and more like the Dionne Warwick impersonator at your friendly neighborhood drag bar.

For many Buddhists, the practice of eschewing meat, and sometimes alliums like onions and garlic, is an integral part of their religious lives. Onions and garlic are considered by devout followers as aphrodisiacs, making them inappropriate for temple food. Most lay followers are vegetarian on holy days, while the diet is a daily requirement for clergy. (Though I came into this with the hope that vegan Vietnamese food would be excellent in its own right, it was the exclusion of onions and garlic that really impressed. Somehow, I didnt miss them.)

While certain sects vary in their rationale, the general practice of vegetarianism in Buddhism resonates with secular environmentalism: Both are about recognizing the myriad ways our actions reverberate outside of private acts and using that knowledge to minimize harm. For them, what we eat has an inherent philosophical significance beyond its plain function. While some people may take issue with the idea of infusing food with so much meaning, I didnt pick up on much anxiety or stress while eating at the temple with its followers. They were all in this together, and it just felt normal. To that end, Chua Giac Minh also serves food to homeless people in Redwood City once a month, though the volunteers tailor the menu to their audience with a broader range of foods like spaghetti, fajitas and cookies.

Heres what it looks like in the moment: Every Sunday, a team of nuns and volunteers at Chua Giac Minh cooks food underneath the elevated temple, mainly for community members who are attending the weekly morning service. When the service ends, usually at 12:30 p.m., the temple offers each person a free bowl of noodles, vegan takes on classic soups like bun bo Hue or bun rieu. The latter is a particularly inspired rendition, and I realized how well it took to a vegan preparation: fluffy clumps of tofu absorbed the juicy sweetness of the tomato-scented broth and took on the same delicate texture of the eggy meatballs in the omnivorous version. Annatto oil and thin shreds of shiso and rau ram added so much character to the broth.

In addition to the free noodles, which change each week, the temple provides a selection of vegan dishes for people to take home in exchange for donations, in a practice that will seem familiar to anyone whos been to a church fish fry or bake sale.

When you go, head past the steps leading up into the temple and make your way into the courtyard. Youll find someone crushing fresh sugar cane for juice ($5 for a pint). Flavorings are seasonal; mine was floral and bright with kumquat juice and zest. The cane is chopped and run through a hand-cranked press. In the Caribbean, this juice would go on to become rum, but the Vietnamese way is to consume it fresh.

The kitchen, where youll actually be able to buy food, is underneath the temple in an enclosed space. In the center of the room is a stall laden with food: glistening fried tofu flavored with minced lemongrass; Styrofoam trays of chow mein; a mushroom- and taro-stuffed bao with a perfect dough-to-filling ratio; and banana leaf-wrapped banh bot loc filled with tofu, minced carrot and wood ear mushroom. The banh bot loc, a dumpling made with steamed tapioca flour, is akin to fresh-made har gow and slip-slides down your tongue.

The spread varies week by week, but the fare is always vegan and allium-free, with the exception of the yogurt, which the nuns make from cows milk and sell in plastic cups. There are about 15 savory items and five dessert items on the menu, ranging from $1 to $8. The prices are suggested minimum donations, but you are free to donate more if the spirit moves you. (Theres a lot of single-use plastic and Styrofoam in play here, but you can bring your own containers.)

The dining area includes communal tables with plastic chairs and a central hub for flatware and napkins. If you decide to eat here rather than grabbing everything to-go, a volunteer will load up a plate for you of whatever you choose. Some of the tables are reserved for worshipers who are commemorating special occasions, but the tables without settings are available.

Spring rolls ($1 for two), filled with wood ear mushroom, mung bean noodles, jicama and dried daikon radish shreds, are savory and grease-free. They somehow taste just as rich and complex as my grandmothers, and theyre well-seasoned enough to be excellent even without the customary fish sauce dip. Your order will be tucked into a brown paper bag, toasty and warm like a handful of roasted chestnuts. Theyre nice to nibble as you browse the rest of the selection.

If youre lucky, youll find a seared and soy sauce-braised tofu skin roulade ($8) filled with wood ear mushrooms and lily buds. Its a shareable, burrito-size monster that the volunteers will cut up for you. I loved the tender layers of tofu, which had absorbed the slightly sweet and five-spice-tinged braising liquid and taken on the springy texture of thin wheat noodles.

The ingredients are wholesome and clearly very local: On a recent sunny afternoon, the staff was drying bowls and trays full of jujubes, shiso leaves, lime leaves and shredded daikon in the courtyard. Around the temple grounds, you can spot dragonfruit plants, collards, pomegranates and citrus trees. This is plant-based cuisine made concrete, with dishes from plants that had absorbed the same sun and oxygen that youre enjoying in that moment.

The binary political stereotype of the liberal, hippy-dippy Californian often includes vegetarianism as a pejorative, but the religious aspect of occasional meat-free eating seems strangely distant from that conversation. In some Catholic regions, abstaining from meat on Fridays is considered a charitable or pious act. Jains have long considered food containing meat, fish or eggs as one of the religions four maha-vigai, or great perversions. Within Judaism, some have argued for pro-vegetarian interpretations of the Torah and kosher laws. The conflation of meat-free diets with morality and self-discipline has a long history.

Vegetarianism here feels less like self-discipline and more like indulgence. Its not my community or religion, but I appreciate the reminder that our actions do have an impact on our personal karmic debts and on the world at large and that we dont truly live in isolation.

Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil.ho@sfchronicle.com. Twitter @hooleil.

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Where do you find amazing vegan Vietnamese food in the Bay Area? Look for this Buddhist temple in East Palo Alto - San Francisco Chronicle

Another year, another skirmish in the culture war. The launch of Greggs latest offering, a plant-based steak bake, has revived the kerfuffle that surrounded the bakery chains vegan sausage roll. Amid a flurry of hot takes and taste tests, up popped Piers Morgan to complain: A meatless steak is not a bloody steak.

Meanwhile, some vegans have been complaining about KFC and Burger King adding plant-based burgers to their menus. One animal rights activist told the Guardian last week: Theyre trying to buy us off with these products, and pretending theyre our friends. Happy Veganuary, everyone.

This may seem a peculiarly modern obsession can science produce something that has a similar taste, appearance and texture to meat, but isnt meat? but it has been simmering for over a millennium. As early as 965, the frugal-minded Chinese magistrate Shi Ji was promoting tofu as mock lamb chops, according to William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagis study, History of Meat Alternatives.

The Chinese often used tofu (made from soya) and seitan (from wheat gluten) because of their availability and physical properties. You can manufacture them into squishy, lightly fibrous substances, says Malte Rdl, a research associate at the University of Manchesters Sustainable Consumption Institute. By the 1620s, the process was so advanced that Buddhist monks at a banquet had to be reassured: This is vegetarian food made to look like meat.

In Victorian Britain, where the first vegetarians were motivated by health concerns as well as a belief that eating animals was immoral, meat, though expensive, was central to an aspirational diet. So early vegetarian propaganda emphasised the poor quality of most cheap meat, as well as the virtues of self-denial and thrift not so different from the modern fixation with wellness and minimalism. The debate among vegetarians over how much to sacrifice their ideals in order to appeal to those still eating a mixed diet is also reminiscent of the current scepticism about fast food chains.

The Victorian vegetarians were very concerned with not wanting to be like meat-eaters, says Rdl. Some people say: We shouldnt give in, but then other people say: We need to become more popular.

But the repetitiveness and simplicity of a diet of mostly vegetables hamstrung the efforts of reformers, with the Daily News reporting in 1897 that the vegetarian movement had yet to make their fare appetising. And so, from the late 19th century, meat substitutes started to emerge, made from nuts, seeds or grains.

Many came via the Seventh Day Adventist church in the US. As director of the churchs Battle Creek Sanatarium in Michigan, Dr John Harvey Kellogg pioneered several meat substitutes, among them protose, a nut-cereal preparation which, he said, resembled meat to a considerable degree having a slight fibre like potted meat.

But in general throughout history, meat substitutes have suffered from the curse of comparison to the real thing, says Rdl as though there were even one single thing to aim for. All meat tastes differently depending on how it is cured, who manufactured it, what spices are added, he points out. There might be some meat that you like, or dont like, but you wouldnt say its not meat, because its from an animal but for meat alternatives, that argument doesnt work.

If people dont like it, theyll say its not like meat, therefore its not good. As soon as you know its not an animal that youre eating, you are immediately more critical.

The idea of meat alternatives as a second-rate option was reinforced during wartime, when consumption of less meat was either encouraged or mandated through rationing. During the first world war, nut meat was advertised in national newspapers, and even wholegrain bread was marketed as a meat alternative, on the strength of having a higher protein content than white bread. These meatless and less-meat diets predictably receded in peacetime.

During the second world war, soya was used to replace or fortify products though not very palatably. Soya was left with an image problem that persisted until the 1960s, when the US company Archer Daniels Midland developed the meal extender textured vegetable protein (TVP), offering all the protein but less of the unpleasant aftertaste.

In 1971, Frances Moore Lapps bestseller Diet for a Small Planet was credited with making vegetarianism fashionable in the US. Seth Tibbott, then a college student in Ohio, was among those to convert, although plant-based products were not widely available at the time. He recalls eating soy grit burgers: ground-up soya beans combined with wheat flour and fried: They tasted horrible, but they digested worse. I was very keen to find a soy product that digested well and tasted good.

In the 1980s, he went into business producing tempeh, made from fermented soya beans. It wasnt very profitable, he admits. It was way before there was any interest in plant-based foods, thats for sure.

Then, in 1995, spotting a gap in the market for Thanksgiving, he created a turkey substitute from wheat protein and tofu and named it Tofurky. It really hit a chord, he says. No meat alternative had caught fire in the way Tofurky did then, and in the way that Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger are catching fire now. It just became part of American culture.

But the potential of soya, and TVP in particular, was viewed with scepticism in the UK. A 1975 Guardian editorial headlined A soya point arched an eyebrow at the faux-bacon, ham and sausages on sale in the US, noting: No one has yet managed to produce a meat flavour which is totally convincing, particularly beef.

In 1960s Britain, meat alternatives had been mostly associated with the hippy movement, and the macrobiotic food trend from Japan. Gregory Sams, who is credited with inventing the veggie burger, fashioned a patty from seitan at his London restaurant Seed, which was frequented by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Later, in 1983, Sams sesame- and soya-based VegeBurger got a commercial release; an Observer report remarked on its pleasant texture and agreeable, if a little bland taste.

Then, in 1985, along came an undisputed hit in the form of Quorn, a low-cost meat substitute based on a microorganism in the fungi family and a process of fermentation. It had been 20 years in the making one decade in development, another awaiting food safety approval. Key to its popularity were the meat-free mince, sausages, patties and even pepperoni and nuggets that could be seamlessly subbed in for meat products. Today it features in Greggs sausage roll and steak bake. Rdl says people are far more receptive to plant-based proxies for processed meats than they are to, say, a soya steak (although, he adds, there are now really nice ones available).

Where we started with the Quorn pieces and vegetable pie, we now have over 120 products in the UK market, says spokesman Alex Glen. This makes it very easy for people to replicate their animal diets. Yet, until relatively recently, Quorn was mostly targeted at vegetarians and vegans, rather than meat reducers: people who have no intention of giving up meat altogether but want to eat less, typically for health reasons. That market emerged in the 1990s, says Tony Watson, who in 2012 founded the soya-based brand Meat the Alternative.

The former butcher saw the writing on the wall and switched to working on improving meat analogue technologies for the DuPont organisation. Those technologies have not changed much in the past 15 years, says Watson pea is increasingly being used as a meat substitute, but still has a long way to go with regards to texture but the market has, with phenomenal growth in the number of consumers eating less meat in the past two years.

YouGov research carried out for Waitrose last year found that a third of Britons were eating less meat and fish than two years ago, with 32% planning to reduce their consumption even further. Just about every high-street chain, including Pret a Manger and Wetherspoons, is increasing their meat-free offerings as result.

But Watson says it is frustrating to see many companies throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, being overly led by the tiny but vocal vegan community (less than 1% of the British population, he points out) and producing poor-quality products not suitable for meat-reducers. He expects many small meat-proxy producers to be driven out of business by rivals with bigger budgets for product development or marketing.

Among the biggest are Impossible Foods and Beyond Burger (which became a publicly listed company last year), both offering plant-based patties that are sweeping fast-food menus in the US and UK for their similarity to beef down to the blood. Their success and the momentum it is creating for meat alternatives has great impact for sustainability, says Rdl.

But it also highlights a strange paradox underpinning the centuries-long pursuit of the perfect meat proxy: by trying to seamlessly remove meat from our diets, we are actually reinforcing its importance. Theres this kind of association of meat and the good life a bit of luxury, a nutritious diet that means people want to replicate it in vegetarian terms, says Rdl. Because meat is so entangled with how we understand diets historically, its really hard to imagine ways outside of it.

He points to a vegetarian sausage producer he interviewed for his PhD thesis on meat alternatives. She had no desire to replicate the texture or flavour of meat in her vegetable-only products but nonetheless spoke with pride of the traditional springiness of the casing. In other words, she was congratulating herself on enveloping her meat-free product with something modelled on animal intestine.

When we successfully replace meat with a meat-free substitute, we overlook the possibility of a diet that is free of it altogether. It just kind of keeps this idea of meat-eating as the centrepiece, says Rdl of food culture, if not our diet. Counterintuitively, the strange and storied history of the hunt for the perfect proxy really proves the point: We dont have an exit strategy from meat.

Seth Tibbotts memoir, Search for the Wild Tofurky, will be published in April.

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From tofu lamb chops to vegan steak bakes: the 1,000-year history of fake meat - The Guardian