NewMexicoVegan Jan 2020
We say Goodbye to Arwen. For Vegans, Vegetarians, and the Veg Curious
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The views and opinions, expressed by contributing-authors, in the New Mexico Vegan Magazine; may, or may not, represent the views and opinions, of New Mexico Vegan.
Veganism Is Not About Vegans (Advertisement)
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Inside
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Editor’s Note
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Assistant Editor’s Note
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Our Beckoning Future
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Social Justice: Revealing Hidden Connections(Advertisement)
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Star Light…Star Bright (Advertisement)
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New Mexico Facts & Trivia
Contributor
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Elysabeth Alfano
17-18
Nancy Arenas
16;24;38
Melissa Brandenburg
13-14
Tammy Fiebelkorn
39-40
Jacquie Lewis
33-34
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Tom Linney
27-28
It Only Makes Sense For You…(Advertisement)
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Carlyn Montes De Oca
25-26
Some 2019 Headlines
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John Price
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After a Few Years of Slumber, Food Not Bombs Awakening Again
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The Gentlest Animals Are…(Advertisement)
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Vegan Vision Board
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How Did I Get Here?
17-18
Thank You For Being Vegan (Advertisement)
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Quick Vegan
20-21
When It Comes To Animal Abuse…(Advertisement)
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Photo Collage
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Have I Told You Lately
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Vegan Rising: Hope, Activism, and The Power of Community
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Looking to the Future
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Are Plant-Based Diets Really a “Game Changer”?
29-30
Rights for Nonhuman Animals
31-32
HeartnSole in the Community
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Has Veganism Reached a Tipping Point?
33-34
Veganize It!
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Resources
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Veganic Agriculture
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Everyday
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It’s Not About You
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Meet Our Extended Family
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Recipe: Healthy Vegan Broccoli Soup
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Vegan Grocery List
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Cashew Cream Cheese
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Join Us!
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Vegan Ice Cream – Vegan Cookies
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Being A Thin Vegan Does Not Guarantee Your Health
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Advertising with NM Vegan
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There Will Never Be Any Peace…(Advertisement)
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New Mexico Vegan Volume 6 – Issue 1 Tony Quintana 29-30 January 2020 Editor: Nancy Arenas Kevin Schneider 31-32 NMV Photographer: N. Arenas
A HeartnSole, LLC publication Will Tuttle 5-7
Kelly Weichsel-Arya
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As we start the New Year, I wish for all --living beings on earth-- to have, and hold dear:
Respect; freedom; love; compassion; and justice… Yes, all this. In a word… we only want that which is… “right.” “Right” is true… that is why I fight. I fight for right; so, I won’t die for a lie.
Livegan, -- Nancy
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It is with great sadness that I report, we said goodbye to Arwen on Tuesday November 19, 2019. She died in my arms surrounded by us, who loved her and whom she lived with. She is deeply missed.
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Our Beckoning Future Dr. Will Tuttle In contemplating our global problems, we tend to look for causes in the past to help us understand how to effectively respond to them. This can be helpful, to the degree we can actually understand our apparent past, realizing that our conception of it is based on memories and narratives that may not be completely accurate. A complimentary approach is to imagine a positive future we’d like to move toward, and let it attract us forward. We can learn to act in the present so that this future is more likely to manifest.
For me, one of the most uplifting things to imagine, and work toward, is humanity’s beckoning future beyond herderism. Herderism, the practice and mentality of exploiting animals for food and other products, is the living, churning core of our current culture, now not just consuming untold billions of animals on an industrial scale, but the Earth as well, and through it all, suppressing our essential capacities of awareness and empathy. As we awaken out of the imposed cultural trance of herderism, it seems undeniable that enormous healing forces will be unleashed in virtually every area of our individual and collective lives. Questioning the narrative of eating animal foods and moving to plant-based ways of eating and living, we will no longer need to imprison and kill animals for food and other products. We will no longer breed them against their will, and we’ll no longer need to feed them. These millions of acres of grains and legumes, no longer needed for meat, dairy, and egg production, could easily feed the nearly one billion malnourished and starving people in our world, effectively ending hunger and thus one of the primary drivers of conflict, war, and injustice. It’s inspiring to contemplate and savor the collective joy we as a human family will experience when all of us are properly fed. As the National Academy of Sciences and other researchers have conservatively estimated, we can feed about twelve people a plant-based diet on the amount of land required to feed one person the current meat-based Western diet, and thus we’d be able to feed our current population on much less land than we’re currently using. This would radically reduce water depletion and pollution, rainforest destruction, ocean devastation, air pollution, soil erosion, habitat loss, species extinction, and fossil fuel usage. We could shift away from harmful agricultural technologies like GMO’s, chemical fertilizers, and toxic pesticides, and adopt plant-based (vegan, stock-free) organic agriculture that builds the soil and liberates animals, allowing us to return vast areas of land to nature to become rich forest, wetland, and grassland habitat again. There’s nothing objectively stopping us as a society from moving rapidly in this direction, except fear and inertia, which stifle our intelligence and creativity. As we question the many delusions inherent in herderism, we can savor an infinite stream of images of a positive future with clean-running streams, flourishing forests, abundant food, clean air and water, and birds, fish, and other animals celebrating their lives, with we humans also living in harmony with nature, each other, and ourselves. Transitioning to plant-based ways of eating and living, oceans, rivers, and lakes would become more abundantly filled with fish and marine life as we stopped attacking them with nets, traps, and hooks, and aquifers would be replenished, bringing back springs and rejuvenating riparian habitats. With more trees, a healthier hydrology would naturally be returned to beleaguered landscapes, and thriving climates, forests, and wildlife habitat would be restored.
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Our Beckoning Future – Cont’d Dr. Will Tuttle All the animal species we currently imprison for food, except for one, are currently also living freely in nature, and in a post-herding world can continue doing so: wild chickens are today thriving in the jungles of southeast Asia, as do turkeys in the forests of North America, and free-living pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, geese, and fishes are enjoying their lives in the many relevant ecological niches to which they are suited. Only cows no longer live freely in nature—the last wild cow (aurochs) being killed in what is today Poland in the mid-seventeenth century—but these bovines could certainly be reintroduced into the central Asian grasslands and African savannahs where they traditionally thrived. As we imagine our beckoning positive future, it’s important to bear in mind that this healing of our Earth is absolutely possible once we stop the wastefulness, violence, and ecological destruction inherent in animal agriculture, and return to the plant-based foods for which we’re designed. Concomitant with this natural ecological healing that would take place, and woven completely into it, would be the healing of our social relationships and cultural institutions, as well as the healing of our individual bodies and psyches. This is in many ways even more inspiring to contemplate. Imagining a vegan world is imagining an entirely different world; a world literally beyond our imaginations to fully conceive, like caterpillars trying to imagine themselves as they would be beyond the chrysalis. As we free ourselves from the unspeakably deep and embodied violence of herderism and discover, demonstrate, and teach our children about the remarkable abundance of our beautiful Earth and develop and instill in children our respect for all other forms of life, we will begin to comprehend our role on this Earth. We’ll naturally begin to heal the physical and attitudinal disease that permeates our collective life. It has become so widespread and deeplyrooted that it’s invisible. Our materialist science, education, economics, and religion, which work together in many ways to keep us disconnected, unaware, and deluded, will transform. When we no longer imprison animals, we’ll begin to naturally awaken to the obvious truth that what we all are is, essentially, eternal awareness. The networks of oppression—both the external ones and those that have been internalized—will gradually and organically evaporate. Prisons, mental institutions, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, industrial factories and offices will all fade away as obsolete manifestations of ignorance. Liberating animals is the portal to human liberation. It is the doorway staring us collectively right in the face, and each and every one of us can move toward and through this door, helping our entire culture to take this essential evolutionary step, and when we get through this portal of conscious eating and respect for animals and each other, many more doorways will emerge into view that we are not as yet equipped to contemplate or envision. No longer sexually abusing and objectifying females for food, and dominating the sacred feminine dimension of life, we will naturally have more respect and sensitivity for the human birthing process, and for the vital role that the feminine aspect of nurturing and caring plays in our collective life. No longer exploiting newly-born and young animals, we will regain our love and respect for our children, and create ways for them to grow and learn without being stifled, exploited, and groomed for competitive advantage and economic servitude. No longer eating dominated and abused babies, we will begin to co-create economic, governmental, and social relationships based on mutual respect, freedom, and cooperation. No longer engaging in daily meal rituals that numb our feelings and deaden our cognitive intelligence and capacity to make relevant connections, we’ll naturally explore meditative awareness, and discover many latent capacities awakening within us.
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Our Beckoning Future – Cont’d Dr. Will Tuttle New dimensions of science, religion, education, economics, and governance will evolve that under the current materialist delusion imposed by herderism we can barely begin to imagine. Nicola Tesla hinted about an aspect of this when he wrote, “The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” Freeing ourselves from our overdependence on technocracy, we will discover abilities to communicate, create, travel, understand, learn, and thrive in harmony with nature, animals, and each other that we at this point have no idea we possess. The free-living animals of the world will no longer be merely objects to be tolerated, killed, marveled at, used, or possessed, but will also begin to reveal themselves to us, and when we respect and relate to them as sovereign beings, we will find extraordinary companions with whom to share this Earth, and new doorways of joy, love, and abundance opening to us. For now, it is essential to remember that we’ve internalized herderism’s toxic mentalities of domination, categorization, and competition, and besides changing our outer patterns of consumption to show respect to animals, nature, and each other, we are called to do the inner work of healing our culturally-inflicted wounds, and of awakening to our original nature of clear and unobstructed awareness. From this foundation, we are increasingly able to co-create and build a harmonious future for our children and the children of all beings. As we hold this image of a positive future in our consciousness and commit every day to savoring the beauty of nature and life around us and within us, and doing the best we can to engage authentically in actions, projects, and relationships that respect and celebrate this beauty, we are building the positive future of our inspiring visions. We are living in alignment with our purpose. When it is our time to leave this Earth, we will have contributed our unique and positive song and perspective, and encouraged others to do the same. Continuing our journey of ever greater awakening, our life on this Earth will have fulfilled a web of purposes radiating into uncountable dimensions, encouraging and helping others in ways we can never imagine.
As we sow, we reap, and the web of relations includes all living beings: all of us. No seed is ever lost. We can savor each day as a new opportunity to water and tend the seeds of our imaginations, and of our actions.
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1. More chili peppers are born in New Mexico than all other states combined. 2. Modern day New Mexico wine can be traced back to the early 1600s, making it the oldest known wine production in North America. 3. Carlsbad Caverns are truly massive, with one chamber alone stretching over 3,000 feet with a height at some places of 22 stories. 4. One of the reasons the Yucca is New Mexico’s state flower is due to its high level of utility, functioning as a material for baskets, ropes, and footwear. 5. The first town in New Mexico was Elizabethtown, which has since become a ghost town in Colfax County. 6. Next time you stay at a Hilton, remember that Conrad Hilton, the founder of the hotel chain, was born in San Antonio, N.M. 7. In 1607, roughly 13 years before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Santa Fe was founded, making it the second oldest town in current day America. It was originally founded as La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis, but its name was changed in 1610. 8.
Bandera Ice Cave is believed to be over 3,000 years old, dating back to 1100 B.C.
9. The lowest temperature ever recorded in New Mexico was -50 degrees, while the highest was 122, making it one of the largest ranges in any state.
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10. The actor who plays the womanizing Barney Stinson, Neil Patrick Harris, is an Albuquerquean.
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Albuquerque is excited to announce the reestablishment of the local Food Not Bombs chapter! The efforts made in prior years had a huge impact on our community, and a committed and passionate group of new volunteers are ready to plant fresh seeds, so as to sprout new social justice initiatives during a relevant time when there are many people in our city and state still in need. Albuquerque is in the midst of an ongoing struggle to meet the current needs and urgency of local homelessness. Furthermore, New Mexico is known as having one of the highest rates of poverty in the country – and we are often ranking in the number one spot. Children suffering from poverty and homelessness are some of the highest numbers statistically in our state. Intersectional activism can be a contentious subject of discussion, but the truth of the matter is that: 'every-One' and 'everything' matters! Single-issue advocacy, whether it be for social justice, human and/or animal rights, environmentalism, oppression in all its various forms, (I must say, with sadness and remorse) is inherently stifled by the inability to create common ground - to resonate with other citizens and community members legitimately concerned with our social and political climate, who are immediately faced with injustices and prejudice. There is a need for solidarity, finding a path to Universal justice and advocacy. Some of us are seeking this opportunity now... Food Not Bombs first started in 1980, with anti-nuclear activists in Cambridge, Massachusetts – an all-volunteer based movement dedicated to nonviolent social change. From their main website, it is stated: “Food Not Bombs has no formal leaders and strives to include everyone in its decision-making process. Each group recovers food that would otherwise be thrown out and makes fresh hot vegan and vegetarian meals that are served outside in public spaces to anyone without restriction. Many Food Not Bombs groups also share groceries and organize other efforts to support their communities. Each independent group also serves free meals at protests and other events”. There have been various circumstances when FNB has been actively involved in crisis relief, including incidents of natural disaster, not limited to the United States. “Food Not Bombs works in coalition with groups like Earth First!, The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, Anarchist Black Cross, the IWW, Homes Not Jails, Anti-Racist Action, Farm Animal Rights Movement, In Defense of Animals, the Free Radio Movement and other organizations on the cutting edge of positive social change and resistance to the new global austerity program. Food Not Bombs is now preparing for the economic crash organizing Food Not Lawns community gardens, housing the homeless with Homes Not Jails, organizing additional meals each week while starting new Food Not Bombs chapters in as many communities as possible.” On December 15th, 2019, the owners, Stephanie and Francisco of Wanderlust Vegan Eatery here in Albuquerque hosted their first Holiday Party and Dinner for patrons of the community, and additionally provided a valuable platform to the new Abq chapter of Food Not Bombs with a donation drive and raffle. We acquired dozens of bags, full of non-perishable vegan food items as well as warm clothing and hygiene products intended for homeless community members and others in need. The event was ultimately a huge success and has allowed our group to confidently move forward with supplies and resources to reach as many people as we can.
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As a newly re-formed chapter, we are starting our first season of food distribution/serving with additional services and resources provided this January 2020, and plan to hold at least one formal event monthly as we build momentum - gathering continual support from our community, collecting donations ongoing, and raising funds. Anyone who is interested in providing donations or would like to volunteer with our group, please contact us directly, and we will enthusiastically invite you to get involved. We are excited to move forward in a meaningful way, as conscious Vegan activists in our community – and look forward to the growth and expansion of this inclusive movement. We plan to designate high profile locations/areas of town for our monthly events in order to offer fully vegan meals to the public – free of charge. We are also hoping to provide various services that empower everyday citizens, including but not limited to: clothing, hygiene products, contact information for local non profits that facilitate outreach programs to individuals and families in need or experiencing crisis, as well as providing other goods and resources acquired at any given time. As we grow, we hope to expand our capabilities and the scope of free services we consciously and voluntarily give which is intended to always be diverse, intersectional, and inclusive. For more information, please visit www.foodnotbombs.net
Our local Abq Chapter information: foodnotbombs505@gmail.com General Information: 505-410-6883 / 505-610-3993 Donations Liaison: Yvonne Gonzales 505-615-3874 Instagram: fnb_abq (Keep an eye out, we are working to get Facebook page going again!) Thank you to anyone and everyone excited to support our worthy cause.
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You’ve heard about the art and law of “attraction,” yes? Simply stated, the Law Of Attraction is the ability to attract any intended thing(s) --attitudes; experiences; objects; etc.-- into our lives, by focusing our attention on those things. The Law Of Attraction, which uses the mind, translates our thoughts, into material reality. All thoughts, turn into things, eventually… that is the thesis of the article: ‘What Is The Law Of Attraction? Open Your Eyes To A World Of Endless Possibilities’. Vision-Board = a collage of photos, art, symbols, power-words, quotes, etc.; that can help you: create anything you can envision. Recently, I read some “Vision-Board Testimonials” and I got a mental picture of vegans, around the world, assembling a Global-community Vegan Vision Board. That vision is awe-inspiring to envision; and, I’m making it a reality. I am creating a “Vision Board” Page, to be featured in (every issue of…) this magazine. It will display all the Vision Board Photographs, digitally-uploaded to NM Vegan. I’m encouraging you -everyone- to make a Vegan Vision Board …for the world… because, I believe it will be positively effective, at further-uniting the planet’s compassionate intentions; bringing us closer and faster to a vegan world… also, creating your own Vision Board, is personally satisfying. Using vision-boards (building it, is “using” it) serves several purposes, by helping you to: identify your vision; give clarity to your vision; reinforce your daily affirmations; and, keep your attention on your intentions. People employ vision boards for dream vacations, home ownership, etc.; well, why not for a vegan world? “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead – ----- Logistics ----Cut & paste method (traditional), requires: a board; pictures [magazines are full of possibilities]; cutting tool; writing tools; glue or tape (push-pins for certain boards); and, blank paper for hand-written/drawn portions, {such as headings, affirmations, quotes, art, graphics, etc.}. Internet methods: (A. Cell Phone) Download an app for your phone and make your Vision Board there; (B. Computer) Go to PicMonkey and/or https://bit.ly/2DRyxL7 to design one, with a desk-top or lap-top. Whatever the method, it does not matter. Once you have made a Vision Board, send us a digital-picture of it, at (heartnsole3@yahoo.com); and, it will be posted (signed or anonymous), in an upcoming issue, of New Mexico Vegan.
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One of my favorite songs of all time is Same As It Ever Was by the Talking Heads. One line from this famous song echoes in my mind often: “And you may ask yourself, ‘Well…How did I get here?” So, how did I get here? As a child, I couldn’t eat meat. I couldn’t chew it. I hated the feel of muscle in my mouth. It made me sad. It made me uncomfortable and it made me sick. My parents (beautiful, wonderful people who love me and I love them back) were panicked that I wasn’t going to get enough protein, so they punished me pretty severely to try to get me to eat meat. I sat for hours alone at the table by myself, not allowed to go anywhere until I finished my food. When I couldn’t do it, I was sent to my room not allowed to be with friends, family or my favorite TV specials. I soon started hiding meat all over the house: in my pants pockets, under the table legs, deep at the bottom of the garbage, so that I could get up from the table. When they inevitably found the meat scraps, they punished me for lying. Fast forward into adulthood and I believed I had to eat meat. Eating meat, I believed, is just something that people do, even though we all know factory farms are wrong. We do it anyway and are supposed to live with the cognitive dissonance, never questioning why our actions aren’t reconciling with our beliefs. According to Josh Balk, VP of Farmed Animals at the Humane Society of the United States and recent guest on my podcast Awesome Vegans, people on all sides of the political aisle don’t want animals to suffer. However, feeling sometimes small and unable to rage against the machine, we accept the status quo and don’t make waves. So, we continue to eat meat all the while inconsistently saying we don’t want animals to suffer. Still unable to chew meat as an adult, I sometimes had deli slices, but overall, I remained silent about my vegetarian choices at restaurants and in my kitchen, feigning excuses for why I wasn’t eating meat. I would see images of how dairy cows are treated and I would think to myself, “This is God-Awful. It’s awful. I can’t be a part of this. How am I going to stop eating dairy? It’s everywhere.” Month after month I would think, I can’t be a part of this, but felt stuck in the circle of defeated habituation. And then I finally got the ‘permission’ I had been waiting for ever since childhood. My nephew, who is an athlete, came back from the University of Oregon for Thanksgiving and announced, “My athletic coach told me, no meat and no dairy. It’s not healthy.” BOOM! I was vegan mid-sentence. Finally, an authority figure had given me permission to do what I always knew was right and confirmed my sinking feeling that meat and dairy weren’t good for me!! I am embarrassed to say that this was only four years ago. It is ridiculous that as an adult I was still waiting for permission from my childhood days. However, I had been waiting for so long, that when I heard those words, ‘My coach said No Meat, No Dairy,’ I was empowered like I had never been before. Not only did I finally breakout of a pattern that was holding me back in my life, but I felt, for the first time, the power of being true to my beliefs and living in alignment with my values. I figured I would feel better and maybe shed some pounds when I fully gave up meat and dairy, but I never imagined the energy boost and the relief I would get from no longer having to carry around the burden of living with that which I knew wasn’t right.
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I immediately moved not only away from animal products, but I decided to use my skill set for animals, the environment and people, as well. I didn’t ever want to feel silenced again and I immediately shifted my journalism and media work from celebrity interviews to plant-based reporting, plant-based guest commentary for radio and TV, and hosting my podcast, Awesome Vegans. I am also excited to announce – for the first time in public, so please spread the word! – that I am launching/hosting the first ever nationally syndicated plant-based radio show, The Elysabeth Alfano Show, Plant-based Food, News and Interviews. It will debut on a small station in Chicago on January 12, but is available on Alexa worldwide. Once the show has its rhythm, come Spring we will be syndicating it to stations across the country. (If you know any radio station Programming Directors interested in getting Plant-based Food, News and Interviews, I would be so grateful for any introductions. ) In addition, I am becoming certified in Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Nutrition Studies Program at Cornell University, have built out a section of my website for Whole Food Plant-based recipes, created a 5-Day Challenge for newcomers to test the water, do cooking demos on TV and at events, and started coaching people on how to transition to a Plant-based Diet. In short, I went all in. So, as I share this story of empowerment and the joy of coming into one’s own with a sense of purpose and alignment, I want to remind everyone (and myself) that we all have a voice. And that voice is powerful. That voice can’t be silenced. That voice does make a difference. And that voice coupled with our purchasing dollars moves mountains. Shifting our purchasing dollars to align with our values truly does change the world. While I love the protestors on the street, we don’t have to hold signs on a street corner. We make our voices heard loud and clear every time we take our money away from what we don’t believe in and put it in what we do believe. We empower ourselves, we empower our health, we empower change and we empower the planet when we don’t buy meat or dairy. To everyone reading this, thank you for all you do. Whether you are only starting to think about Meatless Mondays or you are already fully vegan, thank you for caring and thank you for thinking about how to make a difference for yourself, for others, for the planet and for animals. Every dollar spent matters and every bite counts. And if you know of anyone just starting on their journey, please have them reach out to me as I am happy to help anyone make the transition to living their best life. The new year is here and it’s time to spread the joy.
For more information or to reach Elysabeth, go to http://ElysabethAlfano.com and Elysabeth@ElysabethAlfano.com
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Are you amazed and inspired by our extraordinary vegan movement? From Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meat expanding into fast-food restaurants, plant-based cheeses appearing on grocery store shelves, the remarkable success of the Netflix documentary Gamechangers, to carnivores considering meatless Mondays - I am hopeful for the future. But hope, I am reminded by my vegan activist friends, is not something that we can settle on and call it a day. As vegans who care about the health of our planet, animals in factory farms, and our own wellbeing, we cannot sit on our laurels and just rely on hope. We need to fuel our momentum, feed our enthusiasm, and nurture our resolve to create the vegan world we want to see in our future. I’ve always wanted to help animals in need but was never certain how to have the most powerful impact. I’ve jumped out of planes, traveled solo through the Middle East, and hitchhiked through the Spanish countryside, but when I would see images of animal cruelty and read about animal suffering, my confidence would turn to overwhelm and often to hopelessness. “Who am I to make a difference? What can I really do? I’m just one person.” These limiting thoughts nagged me for decades. Years ago, I attended a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) conference and watched a film documenting the cruelty inflicted on circus animals. After the film was over, I saw Ingrid Newkirk, the president of PETA, standing in the lobby. “What did you think,” she asked me. “Awful…brutal. It hurt me just to watch it,” I said. “Right. Now imagine how the animals feel.” Her words hit my heart and they have been a powerful guiding principle for me ever since. Whenever I feel small or insignificant or ask myself, “who am I to make a difference?” I think of Ingrid’s words and remember that any discomfort I am experiencing is a pittance compared to what circus or farm animals endure every single day. Many of us feel powerless. Our upbringing, culture, and life experiences make us hold tight to our comfort zones. But, “life begins outside your comfort zone,” Neale Donald Walsch tells us. To step out of your comfort zone means doing things you might feel uncomfortable with. But if we always stay inside of our safety net, we can never experience the magnitude of who we can ultimately become. And if we love animals as much as we say that we do, and we want to see a better world for them, then we need to step out of our comfort zones and take it to the next level on their behalf. If you are already on a vegan journey, that is awesome! Now, how about raising the bar a notch or two? You can do this by embracing your genius and doing what you do best.
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Six Ways to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone 1. Do you like to write? A book may be in your future, as it was for me. Until then, how about writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper? Letters to the editor are powerful agents for change. 2. Do you dream of inspiring others as a speaker but are terrified at the thought? I was petrified of public speaking. Toastmasters, a public speaking club, helped me overcome my fear. Last year, I even gave a TEDx talk – The Life-Changing Power of the Animal-Human Health Connection. If you want to speak, I encourage you to join a Toastmasters group in your area. 3. Do you love photography or making videos? If you have a cell phone, you can do both and share your message through social media. 4. Did you know volunteering is good for your health? New Mexico has many animal organizations eager for your help. Animal Protection of New Mexico, a champion for all animals, welcomes your unique skills. 5. Do you need support, community or want to brainstorm with like-minded peeps? If so, join a vegan meetup. I didn’t have any friends when I moved here from California. After joining a local meetup, I now have several encouraging, inspiring, and passionate vegan friends. 6. For other great suggestions read the book Plant Peace Daily – everyday outreach for people who care by Rae Sikora and Jim Corcoran. New Mexico vegans are a mighty group and growing mightier by the day. I am honored to be part of this burgeoning community. Caring about animals unites us, owning our power makes us stronger, and together we are unstoppable. The Chinese Zodiac says 2020 is the Year of the Rat. Aligning with the power of the rat, helps us reach our goals. If you are hesitant to step out of your comfort zone if you are still playing small, and wondering, “what can I do to make a difference?” then think of our rat friends. These determined creatures show us the power of a pack. Together they survive, thrive, and prosper…and so can we.
CARLYN MONTES DE OCA is a #1 Amazon bestselling and multi-award-winning author, international speaker and animal advocate. Carlyn lives in Santa Fe with her husband, Ken Fischer, an award-winning sound editor.
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Looking to the Future Tom Linney Looking to the Future: Cultivated Meat
As someone who cares about both animals and animal agriculture’s devastating impacts on the environment and climate change, I’m excited about upcoming innovations that promise to reshape animal agriculture as we know it. In the near future, consumers will be able to purchase meat and other animal-derived foods without supporting cruel, unsanitary, and unsafe factory farms and slaughterhouses. Cultivated meat — also referred to as slaughter-free meat or cell-based meat, is just that — animal meat produced from animals’ cells, without having to raise and kill living, feeling beings. While cultivated meat isn’t here yet, delicious plant-based foods are already on the market. Choosing these products is the best way to opt out of the inhumane factory farming industry, but cultivated meat offers tremendous potential for the future. Better for animals, the environment, and consumers Animal agriculture causes immense animal suffering, pollutes the environment, and threatens human health and welfare. We do not need to rely on this flawed industrial system. Cultivated meat production will remove the need to crowd thousands of animals into cages and cramped barns, and of course would not require billions of animals to be slaughtered each year. The cell culturing process — similar to those used in making beer and cheese — can replace factory farms and eliminate the need to slaughter animals. Not only will cultivated meat production cut out the cruelty and suffering inherent in industrial factory farming, it promises to dramatically reduce environmental impacts. Factory farms necessitate the disposal of animal waste, drugs, and chemicals. They place these dangerous substances in massive “lagoons” that dot the American landscape. These manure lagoons threaten public health and often spill over to pollute miles of waterways and kill countless wild animals. These lagoons are entirely absent from cultivated meat production. Absent too would be the noxious odors and other harmful air pollutants local communities have to endure thanks to factory farms. And whereas factory farms have to use huge amounts of antibiotics and other drugs to prevent and control disease as a result of crowding stressed, suffering animals together by the thousands into filthy warehouses — cultivated meat production facilities will be safe, clean, and controlled environments. Every year more and more consumers are rejecting cruel and unsustainable factory-farmed products and demanding something better. We have seen dramatic growth in the demand for plant-based meats and plantbased milks over the past several years, and that trend is only gaining momentum. As interest in healthier and more sustainable options to slaughtered meat increases, cultivated meat can step in to help meet this burgeoning demand.
“We have seen dramatic growth in the demand for plantbased meats and plant-based milks over the past several years, and that trend is only gaining momentum”. NM Vegan | 27
Looking to the Future – Cont’d Tom Linney Federal Regulators Must Encourage, Not Hamper, the Transition to These New Production Method
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, where I work as the director of the pro bono program, has been at the forefront of demanding fair and efficient oversight of cultivated meat products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fair and efficient federal oversight—along clear paths to market entry—will help encourage innovation and ensure consumer trust. We have called on these federal agencies to reject the animal agricultural industry’s demands that are designed to undermine the ability of cultivated meat producers to access markets and advertise their beneficial qualities. The Animal Legal Defense Fund has strenuously opposed the animal agricultural industry’s demands for burdensome, irrational, and potentially dangerous regulation of cultivated meat production and labeling. These interests seek to enlist the federal government to safeguard the animal agricultural industry’s inhumane and unsafe products’ market share in the face of something better, at the expense of consumer choice. Where factory farming voices demand that cultivated meats alone disclose their production methods on their labels, we call for cruelly-produced products to be required to disclose their production methods, such as confining egg-laying hens to battery cages and feeding non-therapeutic antibiotics to farmed animals. State Attempts to Ban Labeling Terms Are Illegal and Anti-Competitive In addition to their anti-competitive federal lobbying, factory farming interests have also aggressively pushed state lawmakers to pass several state laws designed to hamper innovative cultivated meat products. These laws prohibit plant- and cultivated-based meat products from using terms like “meat,” “sausage,” and other commonly understood terms in their marketing and packaging. These attempts to restrict the terminology that cultivated meat products can employ on a state-by-state basis are unconstitutional and anti-competitive. The Animal Legal Defense Fund currently represents the interests of both plant- and cultivated-meat producers in lawsuits in Missouri and Arkansas that challenge unconstitutional product labeling restrictions. We’re working to ensure these unconstitutional laws are struck down and that plant- and cell-based products have equal footing in the marketplace. Between new and innovative products in the marketplace, including both plant-based and cultivated meats, as well as growing recognition of the link between the environment and factory farming, animal agriculture will look very different soon. And that’s something we can all look forward to.
Bio – As Director of the Pro Bono Program for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Tom Linney oversees the nation’s largest pro bono network for animal protection. He collaborates with the Litigation, Legislative and Criminal Justice programs to secure pro bono counsel for cases, recruiting interested attorneys and law firms from around the country.
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With the release of the new documentary The Game Changers, some may be wondering whether plant-based diets actually do improve athletes’ performance and if there is research to support the claims made by the film. While there is not definitive research showing that plant-based is the ideal diet for all athletes, there is a compelling body of research supporting all of the claims made by The Game Changers. We know from research that whole food, plant-based diets have certainly been shown to promote general health benefits such as improved heart health and prevention and management of a variety of health conditions including diabetes, auto-immune diseases, and even cancer. Furthermore, research suggests that plant-based diets can improve athletic performance in a wide variety of ways. Whether you’re an athlete, a fitness professional, or just someone looking to better fuel your exercise routine, you’ll definitely want to read on as we explore in a little more detail just some of the ways that a plant-based diet can change the game. Increased Energy: If you’re looking to increase your energy, look no further than your garden. A study on endurance sports1 found that plant-based diets may increase energy expenditure after eating, meaning the best pre-performance meal is a plant-based meal. Plant-based diets have also been shown to improve VO2 Max (an indicator of cardiovascular fitness, VO2 Max is a measure of the amount of oxygen a person can utilize during intense exercise), and when they include adequate complex carbohydrates, plant-based diets can improve glycogen storage—which means more energy for those longer workouts or events. Improved Strength:
If you’re looking to build muscle, there is a good chance you might be focusing too much on protein supplements, and not focusing enough on vegetables. Contrary to popular belief, vegetables and other plantbased foods are essential for muscle growth. Vegetables provide the proteins needed and the antioxidants that prevent oxidative damage and preserve muscle tissue. It is also important to note that overconsuming particular amino acids in an attempt to grow muscle (which are often found in concentrated amounts in protein powders) may actually inhibit muscle growth as it may block the absorption of other amino acids that are also essential for muscle growth. Improved Recovery Time: Every serious athlete’s dream is to be able to spend less time resting and more time training. While rest and recovery are absolutely essential components of any exercise regimen, you might be able to reduce the amount of time you spend recovering by swapping animal protein for plant protein. Plant-based eaters have increased antioxidant activity which improves recovery. Additionally, plant-based protein decreases inflammation and oxidative stress. Supplements don’t appear to have the same effect in reducing oxidative stress. Additionally, plant-based eaters have reduced exercise-induced immunosuppression and improved immune system functioning, which translates to fewer missed training days.
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Weight Management: Plant-based diets have been shown to support weight management, which can clearly be beneficial to athletic performance. Multiple studies have found an association between meat consumption and obesity, and epidemiological evidence shows lower obesity rates among populations that consume fewer calories from protein. For athletes who need increased protein intake for muscle growth, it is important to note that replacing animal protein with plant protein has been shown to have numerous health benefits including reducing inflammation and improving glycemic control in diabetics. Side Effects: As with any nutrition program, one of the first questions that comes to mind is, what are the possible side effects? The good news is, there is not any research that shows any negative side effects of well-planned plant-based diets. While there are no potential side effects to your health, eating a plant-based diet for your fitness performance comes with the added side effects of benefitting the environment, helping protect animals, and supporting human rights issues. You may also experience savings to your grocery bill. Any negative side effects of plant-based diets that you may have heard about have been widely debunked by quality research2. With all of this good news in mind, it is always important to consult a doctor and/or dietitian when making significant changes to your diet. Learn more: These are just some of the ways that plant-based diets can improve your health and enhance athletic performance. To learn more about plant-based sports nutrition, contact Tony Quintana at plantbased@apnm.org to attend or host one of our plant-based nutrition courses. You can also find more information on our website at apnm.org/plantbased.
1. Barnard, N., Goldman, D., Loomis, J., Kahleova, H., Levin, S., Neabore, S., & Batts, T. (2019). Plant-Based Diets for Cardiovascular Safety and Performance in Endurance Sports. Nutrients, 11(1), 130. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11010130 2. American, Dietetic Association. (2009). Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(7), 1266-1282. Retrieved from https://jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(09)00700-7/pdf
Tony Quintana is the Plant-Based Eating Program Manager for Animal Protection of New Mexico. He has worked in the field of Health Education for over 9 years, and has managed health promotion programs focusing on a wide variety of topics including nutrition, fitness, diabetes, obesity, and HIV. He is also an experienced fitness instructor and has led fitness programs in a variety of settings. Tony earned his master’s degree in Health Education from the University of New Mexico and holds three fitness certifications from the American Council on Exercise. Tony has been vegetarian since 2007, has been vegan since 2016, and enjoys sharing information on the many benefits of a plant-based diet.
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Today perhaps more than ever, people around the world are awakening to the vast abuses we inflict on nonhuman animals. More people are aware, for example, that we kill trillions of nonhuman animals each and every year in the service of industry, including food, fiber, and fashion. I deliberately use the term “nonhuman animals” not just as a nod to the organization I work for—the Nonhuman Rights Project—but because it is a much-needed reminder that we too are animals, and that the fate of the rest of the world’s inhabitants is intertwined with our own. The paths that lead people to a concern for the lives and interests of nonhuman animals are many and varied. For me, the seeds were in my upbringing, with pets around the house and feed for the birds in the backyard. Over time this appreciation grew into an intellectual interest, and then one night, with the chance watching of a gruesome undercover slaughterhouse video online, turned into a moral and professional commitment. I was at this moment, it hit me that the utter helplessness and sheer scale of the suffering of animals at the hands of humans was so vast that I felt compelled to devote my career to working to change that, even if all I could hope to do was chip away at, if lucky, in my lifetime. But these days it feels the world is more ready than ever to fundamentally reevaluate our relationship with the nonhuman world. The Nonhuman Rights Project has been working for decades to lay the foundation for at least some nonhuman animals to move from being seen as “things” under the law (incapable of rights, property like a chair or car) to “persons” with at least one right (corporations and nonprofit associations have been persons for hundreds of years, as have ships). We see the legal thinghood as the foundational issue that makes possible (and legal) their widescale exploitation. We began filing our first cases in December 2013, and so far have brought suit on behalf of chimpanzees and elephants in New York and Connecticut, with cases to come soon in Colorado and California. Given the many wide-scale industrial abuses facing nonhuman animals, we are sometimes asked if we only care about “human-like” or intelligent species of nonhuman animals. Definitely not! We’re as troubled as anyone by the systemic suffering of individual nonhuman animals all over the planet and the many threats they face because of human actions. However, as an organization, we’re committed to working within our existing legal systems and pursuing the strategies we deem most likely to succeed in courts and legislatures based on the values and principles courts and legislatures say they believe in, such as liberty, autonomy, equality, and fairness. Great apes, elephants, dolphins, and whales are not the only animals who are suffering. But they are the species we consider most likely to be the first to break through the “legal wall” that separates all nonhuman animals from all human beings. That is just our strategy though, and we have been surprised before by the rapid and unexpected ways in which change can occur.
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At the same time, great apes, elephants, dolphins, and whales surely aren’t the only nonhuman animals whom scientists will be able to demonstrate are self-aware and autonomous; and while we argue that self-awareness and autonomy are sufficient for recognition of rights, they’re not necessary. It’s certainly possible that powerful legal arguments can be made based on other criteria. We’ll continue to follow the science and the law wherever they lead us and develop and refine our arguments accordingly. In the meantime, technology and culture change will do more to ease the stresses on industrially abused animals, in the form of plant-based and non-animal alternatives, while great apes, elephants, whales, and other species will begin to be seen as having legal rights, and not just welfare protections. The process of finally bringing rights to the first nonhuman animals through fights in the courts and legislatures will serve an enlightening and educating function in itself for judges and lawmakers around the world and help support the foundation for future reforms. And more and more, the Earth itself will likewise be seen not just as our property or domain, but rather a rights-bearer in itself, worthy of protecting for its own sake, not to mention our own self-interest. .
Kevin Schneider is the Executive Director of the Nonhuman Rights Project and an attorney. The NhRP is the only civil rights organization in the United States working to change the common law legal status of at least some nonhuman animals from “things” which cannot possess rights to “persons” who possess those rights fundamental to them
HeartnSole LLC in the Community
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Probably nothing got the attention of mainstream media more last year, with regards to American culture, than the issue of veganism. An article in December 2018 in The Economist predicted that 2019 would be “The Year of the Vegan.” It stated that 25% of millennials (ages 25-34) are now veg*n (vegetarian or vegan) and the age of veganism has arrived. Other publications reported similar trends. The New Jersey Monthly related figures from Global Data, an analytics company, which found that from 2014 to 2017 American vegans have blossomed from 3 million to 19 million. Meanwhile The Conversation reported that Google searches for “vegan” had quadrupled since 2012 and that Twitter comments, as stated in Forbes, have increased by 136% since 2012. Vegans should be encouraged that there were more than 11 million Twitter mentions of “vegan” in 2019 alone. Since 2019 was professed to be a banner year for vegans I was curious to know what mainstream media was saying about veganism over the course of the year. I Googled to find out and reviewed twenty-five articles with “vegan” in the title. Although my investigation is by no means a scientific review, or even an exhaustive list of articles on the topic, it does tell vegans something about how we are viewed, what mainstream media is interested in, and how journalists think veganism is a pertinent story topic.
Not long ago one would have been hard-pressed to find a single article on veganism in any mainstream American publication. However, British newspapers have been publishing vegan messages for quite some time. As a result English consciousness about veganism has changed dramatically. So much so that I just read today (12-10-19) in the email newsletter, One Green Planet, that 40% of Brits won’t be having the traditional turkey with their Christmas dinners. While here in the U.S., according to a 2018 Gallup poll, only 3% of Americans say they are vegan. However, I wondered if all this recent media attention could contribute to a shift in American consciousness as well? Could Tofurkey, or other equally delicious vegan roasts, be on the horizon for 40% of American Thanksgiving dinners in 2020?
Some of the vegan articles I examined were in: Newsweek, The New York Times, Market Watch, Forbes (yes, Forbes), the Atlantic, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New Jersey Monthly, USA Today , Huffington Post, CNN, and The Conversation. Let’s examine what these publications are saying and the messages they give their readers. A host of topics were covered and a number of articles covered more than one aspect of veganism. Not surprisingly the most salient issue was the meatless fast food invasion, ringing in at six articles. Many fast food chains now carry meatless burgers, chicken, tacos, etc. This was followed by the sales figures of meatless alternatives in grocery stores (five articles). And an issue too long ignored, environmental concerns of a meat based diet, five articles. This was followed by health, four articles, and vegan profiles, also at four. Vegan profiles refer to gender differences (79% of American vegans are women); what door vegans come through when becoming vegan, i.e., health, environment, or because of the animals; and other demographic information such as socio economic class.
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The categories of health and vegan profiles necessitate more explanation. In respect to health I noticed when reporters stick to facts such as quoting scientific studies they are on fertile ground and report positively on veganism. But where things get hairy is when they interview so called experts or individuals who are new to veganism. For example, in an article in the Chicago Tribune Penny Shack, a woman who was a raw vegan for a couple years, was interviewed. The article maintains, “But that experiment didn’t go well; she gained 40 pounds and developed a thyroid problem ….” Whether this wording is the ignorance of the reporter, Nara Schoenberg, or the naivety of Shack is unclear. But it leads the uninformed reader to believe that raw veganism can cause weight gain, and a thyroid condition, rather than an understanding that an underactive thyroid causes weight gain and can occur in anyone, vegan and non-vegan alike. In another article in USA Today the Director at Duke Diet and Fitness Center, Elisabetta Politi, was interviewed. Her lack of knowledge, as a so-called expert, reaffirms that vegans still have to defend themselves when it comes to the protein issue. Politi asserted, “It’s very hard to eat enough protein when going vegan.” Interview responses like this, from a professed authority, reinforce vegan myths in the American mind, which are downright exasperating to individual vegans and discourage those thinking of becoming vegan. The most distressing thing I noticed is that I found only two articles which addressed the impact on farmed animals. And both articles devoted only two short paragraphs to the topic. There is a long held belief in the vegan community that those who come to veganism through the animal door (as opposed to the health or environmental doors) are more likely to remain vegan, not view it as fad, and adopt it as a lifestyle because there is an emotional investment in other species. If one has any doubts that the meat eating public engages in cognitive dissonance in terms of their diet one has only to look at mainstream articles to get a sense of the American zeitgeist on the lack of interest around factory farming issues. I also found that the articles I reviewed were written by various departments of the publications. Some are not surprising such as; “Health,” “Self Care,” Living,” and “Food and Drink.” However, I also read articles from less obvious departments, such as; “Consumer Reviews,” “Sports” (well before the release of the movie “Game Changers”). “Nation Now,” Arts and Culture,” “Ideas,” and the “Money” section. What can we conjecture from this? It tells us that there are many different perspectives to approach the topic of veganism and that many different journalists demonstrate an interest. Is veganism at a tipping point? One thing is clear veganism has arrived and is here to stay. We have made many inroads already so let us hope that the numbers of Americans who decide to become vegan will continue to increase and they will adopt it as a permanent lifestyle rather than just another diet. And the next time we attend a family gathering someone else in the family will be vegan too!
Jacquie Lewis is a retired psychology professor who has been vegan since 1990. She lives in Santa Fe with her partner Joe and Pandora the box turtle, who she’s had since 1984.
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ABQ Vegan: http://www.meetup.com/ABQVEG/ Albuquerque Vegan and Vegetarian Parents: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323534174705753/ HeartnSole Spiritual Community: https://heartnsolerevna.wordpress.com/ Leaf: Taos Vegan Society: http://www.meetup.com/Taos-Vegan/ New Mexico Vegan: https://newmexicovegan.wordpress.com/ Plant-Based Eating New Mexico: https://www.facebook.com/PBENM/?rc=p Positive Links http://www.thelinknm.com/ Red & Green VegFest Albuquerque: https://redandgreenvegfestabq.wordpress.com/ Santa Fe Vegan: http://www.meetup.com/Santa-FeVeg/photos/4704212/445478790/ VIP (Vegans in the Park): https://www.facebook.com/events/363650444507091/
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If you have an article that deals with veganism and would like to submit it for possible inclusion in an upcoming NM Vegan Magazine, please email us at welcome22day@gmail.com, on the subject line please write NMV Article.
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My journey into farming and veganism has shown me that sustainability is a lifestyle not a destination and we can always go deeper and make changes that better support life on Earth. Trying to live a life that causes the least harm to others and follows my values requires that I am constantly examining my actions and seeing how they affect life as a whole. Not eating animal products was a huge first step for me but as I learn more about farming I can see that not eating animals is only the tip of the iceberg. I believe that how we treat the soil and grow food will ultimately determine the fate of life on this blue ball we call home. Many of todays farming practices are quite destructive and also support animal agriculture by buying the waste products of industrial livestock operations such as; ground up fish, excrement and bone meal from industrial animal operations. The traditional way of farming also combats insects with insecticides and kills native animals that are seen to be pests such as gophers, deer, mice, birds, etc.. Fortunately tradition is not the only way to do things and there is a small minority of farmers that are growing food veganically and showing that regenerative agriculture does not have to include the exploitation of animals. Veganic agriculture follows organic principals while excluding animal derived inputs such as the ones I mentioned above. In essence Veganic farms are complex systems that aim to minimize harm to all living beings while increasing the bio-diversity of life. Instead of relying on inputs from animals a veganic farmer uses plant based composts and grows green manures for fertility, cover crops and mulches to protect the soil while relying on biological control of insect and disease pests by creating or maintaining habitat for pest-eating birds, bats, insects, fungi, bacteria and soil microorganisms. Now that organics is becoming normalized and accepted, the time is ripe to move forward with veganic systems that truly respect the land and our fellow animals. There are many resources online for anyone wanting to grow food in this way including; (www.goveganic.net and www.stockfreeorganic.net). If you don’t grow food start a conversation with someone that does and plant a seed that food can be grown without exploiting animals, ask for veganically grown produce and create a demand for this practice. Help create the shift in mindset from; “ this land and these animals are mine to do with what I please” to “ How can I best fit into this complex web of life?”
My name is John Price and I have been vegan for 3 years. My journey began about 4 years ago when I started looking into how my food was being grown and am now a strong believer that small scale diversified veganic farming is the best option for the future of life on Earth.
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Animal Agriculture is having devastating consequences, for: biological beings, who desire for plant-animal-human life to continue, with healthy & happy lives, on Planet Earth… everyday. There are some people, who do not… desire… any future, for Planet Earth… they are unconcerned. Anyhow… moving on. The truth is, we all do succumb to death, anyway; we also succumb to sufferings, along the way. So, what matters? Why do I act for the future… for any reason, whatsoever? Because, I feel something… “loving.” Does this formula inspire you?: Unconditional love + intelligent actions (prevent the “wrong action/{person}” …furthermore, not as a vigilante; but, using our country’s legal system [freedom of speech; safety first, for all; etc.]) = proper vegan activism.
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I’ve seen and heard a lot of conversations lately about cross-contamination and the “ick” factor of eating vegan food at non-vegan restaurants. I get it. It creeps me out to think that my food ever rubbed up against someone’s rotting corpse. But, it’s not about me. And, it’s not about you. I’m a vegan for the animals: I’ve been a vegan for many years because I don’t support animal cruelty. This isn’t just about my personal choice; I have a moral imperative to try to reduce the demand for animal products by others as well. I try to choose the most impactful ways possible to reduce society’s demand for animals. I’m a vegan for the environment: I was a vegan before I was an environmentalist. But now I realize just how important fighting climate change is and how vital it is that we reduce animal agriculture’s negative impacts on the earth. This is an absolutely essential fight that everyone needs to join to ensure that the earth remains habitable long term for all animals. Again, it’s not enough for me to just not eat animal products. I need to take other actions to reduce the overall demand for these products by society as a whole. Whether it’s for the animals or the environment, vegans should be working to reduce suffering and violence by 1) turning as many people as possible vegan by sharing the benefits of a vegan diet with them, 2) encouraging people who will not go vegan to reduce their demand for animals and 3) actively supporting regulations and policies that will reduce the overall supply of animal products. Rather than eating a plant-based diet and stopping there, we must go beyond just personal actions to have a broader impact on the animal agriculture industry. The only way we are going to impact the amount of animal products supplied to the market is to encourage people to reduce their demand via personal choices and to implement regulations and policies that result in less supply. Period. Those are our only options. Reducing Demand for Animal Products: There are sadly more people who don’t care about animal cruelty or climate change than that, that do. We have to think of ways to change their behavior. It’s not enough to simply tell people about the inherent cruelty to animals in animal agriculture or the impending climate catastrophe. We have to make non-vegans see that vegan food options are easy to get, good to eat and don’t change their current lifestyle if we want to see a reduction in demand for cruelty. •
Support vegan options in grocery stores and restaurants. We need tons of vegan options available at the grocery store and at every restaurant. We might not, but most folks buy processed food at the grocery store without thinking through ingredients so vegan products have to be similar in look to what they currently eat. Same with restaurants: People eat processed food at fast food joints and chain restaurants. We are not going to get them to switch to fully vegan health food restaurants. Rather, all grocery stores and restaurants need to have vegan foods that are readily available and easy to order.
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Make veganism look easy. When people hear vegans ordering at restaurants, it can sometimes turn people off veganism. It seems too hard for them to even consider. They don’t want to inquire about shared grills or know the details about the preparation surfaces in the kitchen. They just want to order some food. I’ve been at restaurants with nonvegans who are shocked that I can order quickly at almost any restaurant. They have been with other vegans who made the staff bring out labels for their inspection and questioned shared grills, fryers, etc. It had them totally freaked out - convinced they could never be vegan and act in this manner. When they see me order easily, they start to see how they could do this “vegan thing” too.
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Support a middle ground for people who aren’t going to turn vegan – yet. This is where weird developments like fast food chains that sell Impossible burgers on non-vegan buns or Beyond Burgers on cow’s cheese laden burgers come in. No, these options aren’t vegan. But, yes, they do offer a substantial reduction in demand for animal products (and animal suffering) compared to the other choices on the menu.
The goal of veganism is clear. We need to reduce demand for animal products, which will lead to a reduction in supply of animal products, which will result in few animals being bred and killed for food and a reduction in emissions that are causing climate change. To do this, we need to worry more about reducing the demand for animal products by others than our own personal purity. The animals don’t care about your squeamishness, nor do the people being displaced and dying from the effects of climate change. It’s about something bigger than ourselves. We have to start acting like it’s important because it is!
Tammy Fiebelkorn is a long-time vegan animal rights activist. She is an environmental economist and energy efficiency lobbyist. She is also the founder of Positive Links, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing all forms of family violence – animal abuse, child abuse, intimate partner violence and elder abuse. She lives with her partner Paul, her elder and special needs mutts Ruby, Frida, Cinderella and Queenie, and a 67-year-old paralyzed amazon parrot – Mr. T in Albuquerque.
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Animals can feel empathy just like humans do. Empathy for each other, for us, and even for other species.
Rats 1. Rats are found in nearly all areas of Earth which are inhabited by human beings. The only rat-free continent is Antarctica. 2. Rats are some of the most social rodents of all. They live in large, cooperative communities. 3. Rats become attached to one another, love their families, enjoy playing, wrestling, and sleeping curled up together. 4. Rats will take care of injured or sick rats in their family. 5. Rats have numerous ways of communicating with each other, the most common being body language. They have excellent hearing, and they communicate with each other by producing and recognizing meaningful ultrasound frequencies that humans cannot hear. They also communicate by touch, by smell, and by sound at frequencies that we can’t hear. 6. Rats are expert at navigating the world in the dark using their sense of touch. They rhythmically brush and tap about 60 large vibrissae (whiskers) against objects to determine object size, shape, orientation, and texture. This behavior is called “whisking.” 7. Rats get a bad rap for being, dirty and mean animals, but they’re actually quite clean and caring animals. They can spend several hours a day cleaning and grooming themselves. In fact, rats are less likely than dogs or cats to catch and transmit parasites and viruses.
8. Rats may grind their teeth when stressed or in pain, but tooth-grinding is typically a rat’s way of expressing contentment and relaxation. This behavior is known as bruxing. 9. Rats, like hamsters and other rodents, are food hoarders. That means they’ll take more food than they can eat so they can hold on to it for later. 10. Rats laugh when you tickle them. A study found that rats not only enjoy being tickled, but high frequency recordings showed that they make the same ‘laughing’ sounds during tickling that they do when they play together
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Ingredients •1 cup cashews (soaked 30–60 minutes in warm water) •6 cups chopped broccoli •1 cup chopped onion •3 Tbsp avocado oil •4 Tbsp nutritional yeast •1/2 tsp chili flakes •1 tsp garlic powder •salt and pepper to taste •2 cups spinach •3 cups vegetable broth
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Yield: 4 servings
Instructions 1.Preheat the oven to 400F. Add your cashews to a contain and fill to cover with warm water. Let sit 30-60 minutes to soften. 2.While the cashews are soaks, chop the broccoli and onion and add it to a sheet pan. Toss with the avocado oil, 2 Tbsp of the nutritional yeast, chili flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 3.Add the pan of vegetables to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. 4.While the vegetables are cooking, strain the cashews and add them to the blender along with the vegetable broth. Turn to the blender to a medium setting and blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Next, add in the vegetables, spinach, and 2 Tbsp left of nutritional yeast. Blend for another 2 minutes until a thick green soup forms. 5.Remove the soup from the blender and add it to a pot. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the soup is hot. Serve and top with your choice of toppings!
Notes For toppings, I recommend salted roasted pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, coconut cream, chili oil, broccoli, fresh greens, and vegan parmesan cheese For more recipes go to: https://shortgirltallorder.com/recipes
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Being A Thin Vegan Does Not Guarantee Your Health Kelly Weichsel-Arya We all know someone who is really thin compared to us and we think “wow, they must be so healthy. I wish I were that thin and healthy”. Well, it’s impossible to see what’s really going on on the inside of them, but I’ll bet you also know many people who appear thin but also have been diagnosed with some of the most prolific chronic diseases we have these days. Haven’t you heard of people just shockingly keeling over from a heart attack (men and women) who seem to look just fine? In other words, from the looks of them, you would never have suspected that they had THAT kind of problem… Pretty much any diet will take off pounds. Even if you eat just a (I’m dating myself) few Twinkies a day, you’ll lose weight. But what’s going on inside your body is a Whole. Other. Thing. It's all the difference in the world, actually. You can pretty much simplify it like this: Food choices either build you up or break you down. Now, that’s not very eloquently said, but what I’m trying to say is that foods that do not promote health, promote the opposite of health, which are things like internal inflammation, insulin resistance and other bodily reactions that lead to chronic disease, which, in turn, leads to…yeah, you guessed it, premature disability and death. Ok, you’ve heard it all before, but what you probably haven’t heard about before is something called “intramyocellular lipids”. Yes, that. Wait, what? Ok, let’s break it down: Intra=In the myo=muscle cellular=cells and lipid= fat So: “fat that resides inside muscle cells”
Now, this is really interesting because it is a big part of what explains thin people becoming diabetic, etc. Too many fat droplets lodge themselves within muscle cells and cause insulin resistance which leads eventually to full-blown type II diabetes. There’s plenty of debate within science circles about which came first, the disease or the intracellular lipids, etc. But, the esteemed scientists whom I follow like this explanation. This kind of situation is also related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease if you’ve ever heard of that. It’s also related to insulin resistance. Well, enough of the science. What I’m trying to say is that plenty of slender looking people can have either of these issues lurking within them without even knowing it until they become fully-blown diagnosable and discovered by their doctor.
The good news is that a whole food plant-based diet and lifestyle can reverse this trend and that’s what I like to preach about even though I’m in it for the animals. You can literally Plant Yourself Healthy! For those of us who are doing this for the animals, first and foremost, it doesn’t matter what you call it (vegan, plant-based, etc.)! You are still saving the lives of countless animals. You are, by popular consumer vote, slowly helping to eliminate factory farms and other cruel methods of production and animal exploitation.
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Being A Thin Vegan Does Not Guarantee Your Health – Cont’d Kelly Weichsel-Arya So, what can an empathic person do to help themselves live well and full without hurting animals or themselves? First, understand that not all calories are equal. In other words, a calorie is NOT a calorie! You’ve heard before by some well-meaning people that it’s all about calories-in and calories-out which determines your weight and health. It’s not that simple. And until recently, we did not know that eating certain types of foods can literally turn on and off genes that contribute to some of the most onerous chronic diseases we know. For instance, eating a whole fruit, unprocessed, can actually turn on genes that assist your DNA in your health and longevity. On the other hand, eating a bag of fried, salted, processed veggies can contribute to exactly the opposite result. We have genes that can be turned on by eating highly processed foods. Remember, if it doesn’t “remember” where it came from, namely the earth, it is probably not the best choice. That’s not to say that people should never, ever eat anything processed, because, after all, what constitutes ‘processing’? Is it the peeling of an orange? Yes, and no! Actually, orange peels that are not laden with pesticides are great for you! Yeah, they’re bitter and all, but if you’re inspired to include them in something you’re eating they’re loaded with hesperidin, a flavonoid that can boost your immune system and is an antiinflammatory, just to start! So, yeah, you can say a peeled orange is minimally processed and go right on ahead and enjoy it without worrying that it’s over-processed. On the other hand, there are newer products out there like plant burgers and fake meat analogs, which sounds great for people who need help transitioning to veganism, but in reality, these products are ultra-processed and haven’t proven to be health-promoting in any way. A better (even if less meat-imitating) choice would be a regular old veggie burger made with whole peas instead of pea protein extract. You can pretty much apply these couple of examples of processed/unprocessed to any kind of vegan food and you’ll find that, though the processed foods made with refined sugar, salt, and oil are much more addictive and elicit a much bigger pleasure response, they eventually wreak havoc on your long-term health. Remember: health doesn’t deteriorate overnight by way of nutrition. It takes decades of repeated less-than-stellar choices to join the rest of the Standard American Diet (SAD) eating folks in developing chronic disease. The plant-based way of life is a trifecta: Good for the animals, good for the earth, and good for you!! So, go for it!
I’m Kelly Weichsel-Arya, RN, and I’m a Plant-Based Nurse Educator who found out very early on in my training what great lifestyle/nutritional education can do to totally transform anyone’s health to wellness. My vegan journey began almost 12 years ago in California with many bumps in the road and has given me great experience in the challenges of transitioning. I am a member of The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and consult for a physician in another state. When I can make time from my duties as mother to four kids and wife, I love to sing, grow organic vegetables, cook Indian food for my busy Indian husband as well as teach anyone and everyone who will listen about the virtues of a plant based existence! So, along with my business partner and friend, Florence Hovy, we have launched a consultancy program in New York called Plant Yourself Healthy, offering free plant based seminars to multiple sectors of the community, including our local ambulance corps, with which we both also volunteer as first responders/EMTs. NM Vegan | 48
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