World Go Vegan Week

"I chose to be vegan initially as an energetic pursuit, as meat and dairy slowed me down, but have since become convinced that it is not only the most healthy way to live, but also the most compassionate and ecologically responsible way."
-Woody Harrelson, World Go Vegan Week Supporter

World GO VEGAN Week

Celebrate Compassion...

The 4th annual World GO VEGAN Week is taking place this year from October 25 through 31. This week is a celebration of compassion and a time to take action for animals, the environment and everyone's well-being. We encourage people to use this week to use this week to educate their community about the vegan lifestyle as a compassionate, sustainable, and healthy way of eating and living. Promoting veganism through outreach events and the media, we know that our annual World GO VEGAN Week is helping make the word "vegan" a household word, universally recognized as meaning love and compassion for all living beings.

World GO VEGAN Week is also about celebrating what it means to be vegan. Veganism enables people to live in balance with all of Earth's creatures and promote freedom from exploitation for animals as part of their everyday lives. Modern animal agriculture is cruel and violent toward the chickens, cows, pigs and other creatures used to make meat, milk and eggs. During World GO VEGAN Week, we encourage people to become conscious of what - and who - they are eating, the effect it has on the world, and that a non-violent alternative exists.

We urge people to recognize the effects their actions have on the world, and our ability to actually avert some impending disasters such as global warming.

For the health of people, the environment, and farmed animals, veganism is the best choice. World GO VEGAN Week embodies this idea. As an international campaign, it encourages people around the world to experience the benefits and joys of a more compassionate way of life.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.worldgoveganweek.com/

FAMOUS AUSSIES PLEDGE TO TRY VEG TO HELP SAVE THE BARRIER REEF

National Vegetarian Week, 28 September - 4 October 2009

An impressive line-up of celebrities are supporting the third annual National Vegetarian Week by making a 'Pledge to Try Veg' to boost awareness of the effect of meat consumption on our health and the environment, and to raise vital funds to help save the Great Barrier Reef from destruction due to climate change.

Cricket legend Brett Lee, world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore and head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri are among those who have made a pledge to support National Vegetarian Week, with television and radio personality Sami Lukis leading the charge as this year's campaign ambassador.

Pledge to Try Veg is the theme of this year's National Vegetarian Week (28 September - 4 October 2009) and Australians are encouraged to make a pledge either to try a plant-based meal, increase their plant based meals or commit to eating vegetarian for the week by visiting www.vegetarianweek.com.au. For every pledge, one dollar will be donated to the Great Barrier Reef Foundationi to help fund research into protecting the national icon and tourism drawcard from environmental threats such as rising water temperatures and water acidification. If left unchecked, such issues could cause major problems such as coral bleaching and damage to reef ecosystems.

Sami Lukis, a vegetarian since the age of nine, said the purpose of National Vegetarian Week is to demonstrate that eating too much meat may have an impact on our health and a very real impact on the environment, and to inspire people to make small adjustments to their diet.
"We are not asking people to make a complete switch to a meat-free diet. Rather, we are encouraging them to consider how they can make a difference globally and within the skin they're in, by eating more vegetarian meals. We need as many people as possible to make a pledge so we can help save our Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and improve everyone's health," said Ms Lukis.

According to new Newspoll research commissioned by Sanitarium Health Food Company, seven out of 10 Australians are now eating plant-based meals. The national survey of 1200 adults also showed a continuing trend in the belief that eating less meat and more plant-based foods improves overall health.

Sanitarium Accredited Practising Dietitian, Angela Saunders, said, "Including more plant based foods provides a number of health benefits including protection from common lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers."

"People on plant-based diets eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes which are naturally low in fat, and so manage their weight more easily. These foods also contribute more fibre, helping us feel full and reducing the need for snacking," she added.

Part of National Vegetarian Week this year is to also raise awareness of how meat production negatively impacts the environment.

Livestock activity such as agriculture involving cattle and sheep is responsible for more than a third of all human-produced methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. While methane breaks down in less than 20 years, carbon dioxide stays around for 100 years or more. Cutting carbon dioxide emissions will have no effect on global warming for decades, but reducing methane by restricting our meat intake will make a difference very quickly.

For more information visit: www.vegetarianweek.com.au

UN International Day of Peace on September 21st

Peace begins on our Plate



For more information, please visit:
http://meatfreemovement.org/peace-day

'Whale Wars' Capt. Paul Watson's vegan vessel -- with recipes!

Article from Los Angeles Times

Here's a tasty tidbit for fans of activist/conservationist Capt. Paul Watson and his acclaimed Animal Planet series "Whale Wars."

The exciting new season (airs at 9 p.m. Fridays) just started last week.

But we found out from Paul that everyone on board the Sea Shepherd, eats vegan. No fish. Ever.

DR: Tell me what you and the crew of the Sea Shepherd eat?

PW: I run my ship as a vegan vessel. It's not for animal rights reasons but to set an example and to try and get people to think about the connection between what they eat and what we're doing to the oceans, because it's quite simple, really. I personally feel that it's the most important cause on the planet; more important than anything else for the simple reason as this – if the oceans die then we all die. And we've removed 90% of the fish from the oceans. Marine ecosystems are in serious situation and it could collapse. Two weeks ago the world's experts on coral reefs met at an international conference. The conclusion of that conference is that coral reef ecosystems will be gone, worldwide, in 20 years, and it's irreversible. Nothing can be done now to stop that. That's the first major collapse of a large ecosystem on the planet and that's the first of many. This is something people have got to be very concerned and involved with because if too many ecosystems collapse, the whole structure comes down. That is going to bode very ill for all of us."

Read more

21-Day Vegan Kickstart

By Eccentric Vegan on August 9th, 2009

PCRM launches a new program to help people go vegan.

Here's their description of the program:

Whether you're drawn to chocolate, cookies, potato chips, cheese, or burgers and fries, we all have foods we can't seem to resist-foods that sabotage our best efforts to lose weight and improve our health. But PCRM's Vegan Kickstart will help you win the food fight.

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., PCRM president and one of America's leading health advocates, this 21-day program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet.

During these three weeks you will have an all-access pass to:

*Daily e-tips that will put you on the path to weight loss, better health, and greater well-being
*Delicious, easy, and satisfying recipes that will help you break your cravings for unhealthy foods *Weekly motivational nutrition webcasts featuring Dr. Barnard
*Social support of other Kickstart participants through a message board where nutrition
*Professionals answer your health and diet questions

Curious? Sign up here >>

Veggie Queen Is Planning to Open a Worldwide Chain of Vegetarian Restaurants

Devout vegetarian Radhika Oswal doesn't squirm at the thought of meat - in fact, she still remembers how tasty chicken legs are.

But the wife of fertiliser billionaire Pankaj Oswal has vowed not to eat meat again because of the damage it does to the environment.

Mrs Oswal hit back at criticisms this week after she made a 40-minute presentation on the benefits of vegetarianism on global sustainability at the Oswals' annual ball last weekend.

She told The West Australian that she had nothing against meat-eaters but believed we could help reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by going vegetarian one day a week.

"I don't have a problem with people eating meat," she said. "I think people don't understand the impact of eating meat. I have learnt that vegetarianism is one of the most important and absolutely most ignored concepts relevant to the sustainability of our species, to this planet's ecosystems and to humanity.

"I'm just putting my views out there because I want to show my face to my great-grandchildren and my grandchildren and be able to tell them that I did try. Vegetarianism is something you can do at your own home. All I ever quoted and all I say today, and I say it today again, is try one vegetarian day a week. I've never said stop eating meat."

Mrs Oswal stood by her comments that "we are covering the world in s..." because of the livestock excrement that was clogging the world's rivers and forests. But she had tried meat, having rebelled from her vegetarian family in her teens and eating meat at boarding school.

"Here when you rebel you become vegetarian, but in India it's the opposite. So I rebelled and my friends were all eating these chicken legs and I have to say, it's really sad but they were tasty," she said.

"I started realising the benefits of vegetarianism when someone told me about these benefits less from the angle of religion and more from the angle of sustainability and environmental impact and kindness towards animals. That's when I really understood the importance."

Mrs Oswal is busy with plans to open a worldwide chain of vegetarian restaurants called Otarian. Flagship stores are due to open in Britain and the US this year.


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Maybe J.C. (was a vegetarian)

Song and video by songwriter Paul Seymour, about how some of the greatest people throughout history have been ethical vegetarians, maybe even Jesus?!

Belgian City First In World To Go Vegetarian At Least Once A Week

Starting this week there will be a regular weekly meatless day, in which civil servants and elected councillors will opt for vegetarian meals.

Ghent means to recognise the impact of livestock on the environment.

Read the whole story: BBC

Vegan Food Coming to Murdoch University

One World Cuisine restaurant has started to provide delicious vegan meals in the canteen of Murdoch University since May 11.

Thanks to Laura Williams, the sustainability representative of Murdoch Guild of Students, we had the chance to meet Cheryl, the manager of Walters Café in Murdoch University, and provide vegan meals to the students. It turned out that the vegan meals such as sweet & sour veggie pork with fried rice, curry and Vietnamese rice rolls were so popular that they were sold out in no time.

We deeply appreciate Laura's help and Cheryl's support for promoting and providing eco-friendly meals at the café.

SOLUTIONS for the PLANET from Supreme Master Ching Hai

SupremeMasterTV.com

SIMPLE STEPS FOR SAVING THE WORLD
It's very easy to change the climate warming, and to save the world.
Just Be Veg, Go Green and do good deeds.
Telephone interview with Supreme Master Master Ching Hai by James Bean of Spiritual Awakening Radio July 29, 2008 – USA

read more

Smart children "more likely to become vegetarians"

The British Medical Journal reports that the more smart you are, the more likely you'd be vegetarian
(vegan)!

In a research that followed 8,000 people from birth, scientists discovered that those with an IQ five points above the average had become vegetarian (vegan) by the time they were 30 years old.

Trish Kennett, chief executive of the international high-IQ society Mensa explains: "Smart people consider all aspects of their life very, very carefully.
People who think about the ethics of killing animals will naturally choose vegetarianism(veganism) more often."

BE A VEGETARIAN (VEGAN): BECAUSE IT IS SMART

Smart children "more likely to become vegetarians"

Vegetarian and Vegan Elite of the World :
Philosophers, Spiritual Leaders
Paramahansa Yogananda (Indian Spiritual Teacher), Socrates (Greek philosopher), Jesus Christ & early Christians, Confucius (Chinese philosopher), Shakyamuni Buddha, Lao Tzu (Chinese Philosopher), St. Francis of Assisi (Italian Christian Saint), Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist monk\writer), Yogi Maharishi Mahesh (Indian writer, philosopher, leader of Transcendental Meditation), Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian philosopher), Pythagoras (Greek mathematician/philosopher), Zoroaster (Iranian - Founder of Zoroastrianism), Muhammad Al-Ghazali (Iranian Islamic scholar and Sufi Saint), Muhammad Rahiim Bawa Muhaiyadeen (Sri Lankan Islamic author and Sufi Saint), Bulleh Shah (Muslim Sufi Saint), Etc.

Writers, Artists & Painters
Leonardo Da Vinci (Italian painter), Ralph Waldo Emerson (US essayist, and poet), George Bernard Shaw (Irish writer), John Robbins (US writer), Mark Twain (US writer), Albert Schweitzer (German philosopher, physician, musician), Plutarch (Greek writer), Voltaire (French writer), Sadegh Hedayat (Iranian novelist), Etc.

Scientists, Inventors & Engineers
Charles Darwin (British naturalist), Albert Einstein (German Scientist), Thomas Edison (US scientist/inventor), Sir Isaac Newton (British scientist), Nikola Tesla (Serbian-American scientist/inventor), Henry Ford (US Founder of Ford Motors), Etc.

Politicians, Statespersons and Activists
Susan B. Anthony (US leader of Woman's Suffrage movement), Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Civil Rights leader), Coretta Scott King (American Civil Rights activist and leader, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), Dr. Janez Drnovsek (2nd President of Slovenia), Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (President of India), Dr. Manmohan Singh (Prime Minister of India), Dennis J. Kucinich (US Congressman), Etc.

Actors, Film stars & TV Stars
Pamela Anderson (US actress), Ashley Judd (US actress), Brigitte Bardot (French actress), John Cleese (British actor), David Duchovny (US actor), Danny Devito (US actor), Cameron Diaz (US actress), Richard Gere (US actor), Daryl Hannah (US actress), Dustin Hoffman (US actor), Katie Holmes (US actress), Steve Martin (US actor), Demi Moore (US actress), Ian McKellen (British actor), Tobey Maguire (US actor), Paul Newman (US actor), Gwyneth Paltrow (US actress), Joaquin Phoenix (US actor), Steven Seagal (US actor), Brooke Shields (US model/actress), Jerry Seinfeld (US actor), Naomi Watts (US actress), Kate Winslet (British actress), Etc.

Pop stars & Musicians
Joan Baez (US folk singer), George Harrison (British musician, member of the Beatles), Paul McCartney (British musician, member of the Beatles), Ringo Starr (British musician, member of the Beatles), Bob Dylan (US musician), Michael Jackson (US pop star), Morrissey (British singer), Olivia Newton John (British-Australian singer), Sinead O'Connor (Irish singer), Pink (US singer), Prince (US pop star),Justin Timberlake (US pop singer), Tina Turner (US pop star), Shania Twain (Canadian singer),Vanessa Williams (US pop singer), Etc.

Sports Personalities
Billie Jean King (US Tennis champion), Bill Walton (US Basketball player), Carl Lewis (US 9-time Olympic Gold-Medalist in Track & Field), Edwin C. Moses (US 2-time Gold-Medalist in Track & Field), Elena Walendzik (German Boxing champion), Alexander Dargatz (German Athlete, Body-building champion, physician), Etc.

Models
Christie Brinkley (US supermodel), Christy Turlington (US supermodel), Etc.

And the list goes on…http://AL.Godsdirectcontact.org.tw/vg-vip

Vegetarians Live Longer

SupremeMasterTV.com

Vegetarian men
early death risk
reduction:50%
source: The German Cancer Research Center

Vegetarian women
early death risk
reduction:30%
source: The German Cancer Research Center

LIVE LONG!
LIVE HEALTHY
LIVE VEG!

"Just one ounce of processed meat per day increases your risk of stomach cancer by 15 percent to 38 percent."
Source: Larsson SC, Orsini N, Wolk A. Processed meat consumption and stomach cancer risk: a meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Aug 2;98(15):1078-1087.

Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed per day raises colorectal cancer risk 21 percent.
Source: World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. Washington, DC: AICR, 2007.

A Harvard study of more than 40,000 health professionals showed that those who ate hot dogs, salami, bacon, or sausages two to four times per week increased their risk of diabetes by 35 percent. Those who ate these products five or more times per week experienced 50 percent increased risk.
Source: Van Dam RM, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB. Dietary fat and meat intake in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in men.

Australian New "Cruelty Free" Food Policy

SYDNEY (AFP) – Red meat, eggs and Australia's favourite biscuit have been banned from Sydney council events under a new "cruelty free" food policy, a spokesman said Wednesday.

"The first sign of this crazy policy came to my attention when the Tim Tams disappeared from the council meeting," said conservative councillor Shayne Mallard.

"When I made inquiries the staff said 'oh no, we've taken Tim Tams out of council because the chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast where there's child labour issues'," he told AFP.

Under the new "sustainable, healthy and cruelty free" catering policy, Mallard said eggs and red meat were forbidden, threatening the great Australian tradition of the barbeque.

Fish was still on the menu, he said, but only species considered "appropriate for catching and consumption" by marine conservationists, while produce had to be grown in the Sydney area.
read more

Veggie Garden Coming to White House Lawn

by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 03.18.09

Food writer Eddie Gehman Kohan has the scoop (or shall we say shovel) on the April issue of Oprah's Magazine interview featuring a cover-story interview with Michelle Obama revealing the exciting plans for a White House vegetable garden. But will this newest shovel-ready project from the Obama administration be an organic undertaking?

The First Lady, now The First Locavore, chats with Oprah:

Michelle Obama: We're also working on a wonderful new garden project.

Oprah: Will kids get to visit the garden?

Michelle Obama: We want to use it as a point of education, to talk about health and how delicious it is to eat fresh food, and how you can take that food and make it part of a healthy diet. You know, the tomato that's from your garden tastes very different from one that isn't. And peas - what is it like to eat peas in season? So we want the White House to be a place of education and awareness. And hopefully kids will be interested because there are kids living here.
(read more)

The Vegan Food Pyramid

Click the picture to enlarge it.

2009 Food Trend: Flexitarianism

By: Jessica Vandelay
According to a recent study by the American Dietetic Association, already a quarter of Americans fit the description of a flexitarian, eating meatless meals at least four days a week. A flexitarian diet is exactly what doctors, nutritionists, dieticians and public health advocates have been recommending for many years because the emphasis of the eating trend is on produce rather than protein consumption. Most flexitarians meet the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, whereas meat-eaters do not.

There are many reasons why people choose to be flexitarians rather than vegetarians. Some of the most popular reasons are social, pragmatic, cultural ore nutritional. Like most diets, there is a wide range in the circumstances of flexitarian dietary practices.

Futhermore, studies show that people who follow the flexitarian approach to eating generally weigh less and have lower rates of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and prostate and colon cancer.

Flexitarian diets, just like vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key, as in any diet, is to consume a variety of foods and the right amount of those foods to meet your calorie needs. Nutrients that flexatarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12. You should consult the food pyramid for the correct amount of calories for your age group, height and weight.

Flexetarians can get enough protein as long as the variety and amounts of foods selected are adequate. Protein sources from the Meat and Beans group for vegetarians include beans, nuts, nut butters, peas, and soy products like tofu, tempeh and veggie burgers.

There are many resources for people considering vegetarian or flexitarian lifestyles, especially in cooking and food magazines. Among the top food magazines is Vegetarian Times magazine. Vegetarian Times magazine is published nine times a year and provides readers with information, news and trends on the forefront of the vegetarian-eating movement. The magazine also provides delicious recipes, wellness tips, environmentally-friendly lifestyle solutions and health and nutrition advice from nutritionists and doctors.

Other food magazine with plenty of vegetarian and flexitarian recipes and meal-planning ideas are Cooking Light, Gourmet, Cook's Illustrated, Bon Appetit and Food and Wine. These magazines also offer advice and lists on which chain and local restaurants best accommodate vegetarian diners and modifications to menu items by providing meatless alternatives. The magazines also provide readers with which cuisines, like Indian and Chinese, are most vegetarian-friendly. (read more)

Vegetarianism in Religion

French Get a Sober Warning to Give Up Wine for Their Health

From The Times
February 20, 2009

Charles Bremner in Paris
With gloom all around, President Sarkozy's Government might have chosen another moment for its latest campaign. This one tells the French people to stop drinking wine.

To the anger of the drinks industry and disbelief of many patriots, the Ministry of Health has made alcohol one of the chief villains in a drive against cancer.

"The consumption of alcohol, and especially wine, is discouraged," say guidelines that are drawn from the findings of the National Cancer Institute (INCA). A single glass of wine per day will raise the chance of contracting cancer by up to 168 per cent, claims the ministry's brochure.

Forget those 1980s findings that antioxidants in wine were good for health, said the French experts. "Small daily doses of alcohol are the most harmful. There is no amount, however small, which is good for you," said Dominique Maraninchi, INCA's president.

Authorities elsewhere have been telling people in recent years to go dry if they want to stay healthy. But the advice was especially sobering, coming from the Government of France, a country where wine is part of life and the national heritage.

The pleasantly illustrated ministry brochure makes grim reading. The INCA collated hundreds of international studies and summarised the relation between types of cancer with food, drink and lifestyle. Apart from wine, the dangerous stuff is red meat, charcuterie and salt. A pavé de rum-steakmight not sound so mouth-watering after reading: "The risk of colon-rectal cancer rises by 29 per cent per 100-gramme portion of red meat per day and 21 per cent per 50-gramme portion of charcuterie."

Alcohol facilitates cancers of the mouth, larynx, oesophagus, colon-rec-tum and breast, say the guidelines.

The wine producers are crying foul, accusing the health lobby of trying to kill one of the glories of the nation. They note the suspicious coincidence that France now has its first teetotal President. Mr Sarkozy sips mineral water and orange juice when all around him are knocking back the champagne and burgundy.

"This persecution of wine has to stop," said the General Association of Wine Producers. The growers say that the scientific evidence is contradictory and they point to a World Health Organisation study which found that moderate consumption helped to prevent cancer.

Xavier de Volontat, president of the wine producers' assocation in the southwestern Languedoc region, said: "The extremists must not be allowed to take consumers hostage... Wine consumption has dropped by 50 per cent over the last 20 years in France but cancer has increased. You have to admit, that's a paradox." (read more)

Eating greens 'makes you greener'

VEGETARIANS save 20 per cent at the checkout and have sixfold lower greenhouse gas emissions than carnivores, a new study shows.

Research comparing diets heavy, light and free of meat has found that vegetarianism is cheaper, healthier and easier on the environment.

But dieticians urge caution with the study, produced by the manufacturer Sanitarium, which is owned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, saying going meat-free is not necessarily better.

The findings show it costs $508 a week to feed four adults on a traditional meat diet. A reduced meat diet costs $418 a week, while a vegetarian diet costs $394.

"A massive 20 per cent reduction in costs can be achieved by maintaining the vegetarian diet," the company said in a statement.

The analysis also showed the plant-based diet used 50 per cent less water, led to 12 times less land being cleared and had six times lower greenhouse gas emissions than a meat rich diet similar to the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet.

It also contained almost 50 per cent lower saturated fat and 25 per cent more fibre and folate.
"The findings will shock most Australians and should cause a rethink about what we eat every day," Sanitarium said.

But Dr Manny Noakes, a weight loss scientist and co-author of the CSIRO diet, said while vegetarian diets could be beneficial, they could also be unhealthy.

"We have to be fairly careful about painting all vegetarian diets with the same healthy brush because there are many things, like doughnuts for instance, that are very unhealthy but could be part of such a diet," Dr Noakes said.

"The most important thing to remember is that some of the benefits of vegetarianism are not just due to the diet but the lifestyle, like not smoking, not drinking much and doing lots of physical activity."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24384992-12377,00.html