January 30, 2:03 PM
by Alice McCart, Chicago Vegan Examiner

The book is the main reason that I became a vegan. Not only did his words inspire me to live a more healthful life, but also they helped me through a tough time after my mother had passed away in April 1992. At the time, I had already been a vegan for more than a year, and I was wondering whether I was doing any good on the planet and whether being a vegan made any difference whatsoever.

I read that John Robbins was speaking at a high school auditorium in Chicago. Remembering how his words had done so much to help me decide to become a vegan, I decided to go hear him speak. He walked out on stage, turned to us, and asked, "So, where do you get your protein?"

He said that he had a few words for those of us who might be concerned that what we were doing on the planet was not important. He held his hands in a V-form with just the tips of his fingers touching and told us that our job was simply to stand and smile, that each of us who could stand and smile would be holding the wedge open for 10 more vegans behind us and 10 more behind each of them and so on until the wedge could grow big enough and strong enough to move over the face of the earth and help heal the earth. He said that we might not see results right away, that it might take 20 years for our relatives to accept the fact that we are not going to keel over dead from malnutrition, and that we needed to just stand and smile as vegans.

These words helped me through a very difficult time and helped me stay on track as a vegan. I highly recommend his book, Diet for a New America, to anyone wanting to research a vegan lifestyle.

As I was researching links, I discovered on The Vegetarian Resource Group website a link to an announcement on that John Robbins needed help at this time. Like so many others, he has apparently lost all of his life savings in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, the investment venture that turned out to be a fraud. If John Robbins has touched your life with his books or in his speeches or through EarthSave, you may want to read the story.

For more info: VegSource article; Diet for a New America on Amazon; EarthSave; VegSource

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Ellen DeGeneres is quickly becoming the poster child for all things vegan. Seriously, she is rocking the lifestyle so hard and constantly representing for all the vegans in the house. Gotta love that!

Recently Ellen celebrated her birthday by passing out delicious, yummy doughnuts from Dees Vegan Bakery and Donuts. Check out their site, ya’ll. This stuff looks killer!

On top of that she also gave everybody $200 in gift certificates to Zappos.com. True, Zappos does carry leather, but they also have an entirely eco section of their website dedicated to environmentally-rad footwear with TONS of vegan options.

This is definitely not the first time Ellen has support VEG-friendly companies. Last year she gave away Matt & Nat  gift certificates during the holidays. How badly do I wish I had been in that audience? I’d kill (not really cause that wouldn’t be vegan) for some Matt & Nat awesomeness.

Anyway, a great big Happy Birthday to our precious Ellen D. We love this new vegan side of you!!!

via: vegetarianstar.com
photo credit: prphotos.com

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 With all of the greener lifestyles that are being adapted all around the world there are tons of questions about exactly what veganism is, and exactly how it pertains to animals.  For the vast majority of people it is extremely important to realize that you simply cannot make a sudden change like shifting from eating burgers every day to living a successful vegan lifestyle overnight.  However, it is also possible to make some substantial changes that are on the path to becoming vegan and showing animals the respect that you believe they deserve.

Many people in the quest to treat animals better are appalled to learn that many countries use some rather unconventional animals as food; this for many people can be action that triggers their desire to change to a vegan lifestyle, however for others it is simply another reason in a long list of reasons.  Many countries such as China make usage of animals such as dog for their meals and many times people are unhappy to learn this, however to the Vegans in the world, using dog for food is no worse than actually using cows or even poultry.  This can create quite a controversy, but brings about many deep emotions for most people.

A vegan lifestyle involves avoiding all animal products, this includes things that are not commonly considered animal products such as gelatin, honey and even clothing that is made from wool.  While this might seem to be a huge complication, those who are devout Vegans argue that harming an animal to consume what they have to offer is even worse.  This makes it extremely important to take some time to Read the rest of this entry »

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A push towards a much healthier lifestyle has left many people looking all around for help. There are many different ways to eat, and of course, everyone has their own opinion on which methods are best but how are you really supposed to learn how to properly prepare a new diet?  The vast array of dietary choices just makes things further complicated rather than simpler and it can be extremely difficult trying to determine exactly how you should get started as well.  The average person also does not have the time to really devote to going to school to learn how to cook either, which is just another complication to the problem as well.

Vegan cooking is not so much a dietary style, but rather an entire way of life.  This means it is something that requires just a bit more information and knowledge than simply flipping through a magazine and finding a recipe that looks interesting.  Learning to properly prepare and cook a vegan meal requires a really good knowledge of the vegan concepts as well as the exact foods that are impacted. This type of knowledge means that you are going to need to seek out some help and advice in order to create dishes and meals that are not only delicious but also properly nutritious.

Many people who are turning to vegan opt to take a few cooking classes.  This is honestly an extremely wise investment not only of your time, but also your health.  Due to the large number of foods that you are omitting from your diet it can be very easy to miss out on several key nutrients that you might not even realize you are missing.  A good cooking class should teach you how to Read the rest of this entry »

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Interested in moving to a Vegan lifestyle?  Many people are really interested in the concept, but in practice, it can seem extremely scary to actually do.  In order to ensure that you are able to get the biggest benefits possible from the Vegan lifestyle it is important that you make some serious changes that are designed to last for good.  This means that it is very important to start from the beginning and begin making some small changes that you can actually sustain for a long time.

In order to really get started with Vegan cooking you need to start assessing your current eating habits.  If you normally eat meat for every meal every day you are likely to experience severe problems switching to a Vegan lifestyle immediately.  In order to get started successfully you should typically look for ways that you can start slowly.  This would mean limiting the meat that you eat slowly and incorporating additional vegetables and fruits into your diet.  To start you need to of course know how much meat you typically eat.  Using this as a starting point, you should work to omit at least two servings of meat from your diet each week.  This will allow you to slowly break your dependency for meats, without giving up on a vegan diet in the very first week.

Of course, there are some people who do feel that it is better to start a Vegan diet by simply cutting out all of the meat immediately.  If you are determined to make the change to a Vegan lifestyle this might be possible for you.  There are some people who find great success in this method; however, most people do not find this method to be ultimately successful.  In order to really reduce your intake of meat you will need to Read the rest of this entry »

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In the beginning, you might discover that Vegan cooking is more of a pain and hassle than it is a benefit.  If you discover yourself in this position, you are not alone.  However, there is help available for you.  Taking some time to really look over all of your options is best to ensure that you are able to get the biggest benefit possible from this healthier lifestyle.  Vegan cooking is something that will typically require you to think carefully as well as plan ahead, in this spirit it is extremely important to be sure that you are getting everything planned out ahead of time to ensure you have what you need.

One of the biggest suggestions to get the biggest benefit is to look into cooking with fruits and vegetables that you like the most.  If you have a serious objection to eating okra for example you should never dash out and look for a stack of okra recipes.  Instead, you need to focus on the recipes that involve ingredients that you like.  Of course, trying new foods is always good, but building a base of foods that you like is a great starting point.

To ensure that your new Vegan diet is as affordable as possible you need to Read the rest of this entry »

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Filed under: healthy living — parrish @ 1:53 pm

 I’ve got one hand in my pocket and the other one is holding some tofu!

Alanis Morissette has joined the ranks of compassionate celebrities by making public her commitment to the vegan lifestyle! HELL, YEAH!!

According to OK, Alanis turned to the vegan diet after gaining a few extra pounds and reading Eat to Live which covers the many health benefits of a vegan diet. Oh and after Alanis went vegan, guess what happened? Chick lost 20 pounds and felt better than ever!!

About her new healthy lifestyle, Morissette says, “I’m back to what I was born to be, at my best. … I feel very alive. … I have no more aches and pains, and my allergies are gone, too.”

If you’d like to lighten your footprint on the planet and lead a more compassionate life, join Alanis and make the resolution to go meat-free in 2009. YOU.CAN.DO.IT!!!!

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Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, interviews — parrish @ 11:23 am

When it comes to the vegetarian celebrity club, Heather Mills is perhaps one of the most controversial members. In the past few years, Mills has found herself in a media thunderstorm surrounding both her personal and professional life. Ecorazzi was fortunate enough to sit down with the passionate herbivore and discuss veganism, environmentalism and staying positive throughout it all.

Ecorazzi: So nice to chat with you, Heather! Let’s just jump right in. You’ve earned a lot of respect for your work with animal-rights and veganism. Why is veganism so important to you and how did you begin the journey?

Heather Mills: Well in 1993 I lost my leg in a motorcycle accident, which is quite ironic because I had been working on the frontline for a number of years in the former Yugoslavia and should have probably lost it via the landmine — which a lot of people think is the reason why I lost it. Anyway it wouldn’t heal — the infection just kept going further and further up the leg and they kept amputating more and more, and I didn’t want to lose it above the knee.

So my girlfriend came in, and said she had healed herself on this raw vegan diet. At that time I was a meat, fish, lobster-eating girl. I was 25 years old and had no idea about real health with the understanding I have now, but wanted to heal my leg. So she said, “Come out with me.” So I went to Hippocrates in West Palm Beach and they put me on a raw vegan diet and wheatgrass juice and organic juice — mainly vegetable-based — and my whole leg just closed and healed within a matter of weeks.

So then I wrote a booklet on it to help other people who were writing to me about their infection and their limbs. I met people who had lost their limbs to cancer and they tried the diet and it just seemed to heal so well. But after a year and a half of just raw vegan and doing it for my health, I was perfectly back to normal. Then I thought, “ Well I’ll just be veggie,” and I stayed veggie for a long time.

Then about four and half years ago I was backstage at a Live Aid concert talking to a friend of the young African lady who was the baby 25 years ago that they used as the symbol of hunger in Ethiopia. And I said, “How do you feel that all these people have come here to support and do this concert?” And she said, “ Oh if only they stopped drinking lattes.” And I was like, “What!” Of course I went for my latte every morning like so many people. And she said, “Two miles from where we have starving children there are fields and fields of grain that go back to Europe to feed your cattle for the dairy industry,” and I was horrified.

So I looked into it and found it to be true and went vegan the following day. Then of course once I went vegan everybody started sending me books and I met up with the guy who wrote Read the rest of this entry »

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With so many people around the world adopting a Vegan lifestyle, it is no wonder that a lot of parents are starting to ensure that their children are raised to eat a Vegan diet as well.  If you find yourself trying to determine whether a Vegan lifestyle is suitable for your children you are certainly not alone.  Each year there are thousands of people who switch to Vegan diets and children are included in this frequently.  I you are completely confused it is best to talk to your doctor but in general most children do quite well with a Vegan diet as long as a few precautions are considered.

Your first step should be taking a good look at all of your nutritional knowledge.  If you have a poor knowledge of nutrition then it will be extremely difficult for you to determine if you are capable to meet your child’s nutritional needs.  While most parents worry about giving their children adequate nutrition if you feed your child a Vegan diet, it is even more important because many nutrients can be easily overlooked if you are not meticulous in your nutritional pursuit.

If you are not certain exactly what your child needs nutritionally it is time to enroll in either a nutritional class or start looking online for some clear information on exactly what you need to focus on for your children.  A proper emphasis on nutrition will allow your children to eat a Vegan diet while still getting all of the nutrients that are needed.  It is extremely important to Read the rest of this entry »

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Trying to change your entire dietary habits might sound a bit frightening but for most people it is not that scary.  What is really scary is trying to determine which foods are acceptable to eat and which are prohibited.  Working through these issues also tends to bring up the questions about where you can even find proper vegan foods as well.  These are issues that tends to occur for everyone who is looking to switch to a Vegan lifestyle and is certainly not something that you are likely to skip over yourself.

The majority of people simply do not realize that Vegan is just a more advanced form of vegetarian eating.  This means that unlike what you are likely thinking purchasing foods that are vegan friendly is actually quite simple.  You perhaps were thinking that the local health store was going to be the only place to shop, and which this is always an option it is certainly not a requirement.  Most vegans are able to easily do their shopping at the same places that everyone else shops, the only differences are the foods in the buggy, rather than the places to actually shop.

The standard grocery store is still frequently a favorite for vegans.  Going here is great because it will allow you to quickly and easily handle the majority of your grocery shopping at an extremely affordable price.  However, you will typically find that you might be a bit tempted Read the rest of this entry »

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