Purely vegan

One of the many things we love about living in Los Angeles is the incredible vegan food scene.

We knew about many of the amazing vegan establishments before moving here, yet I don't think we had a grasp on how far-stretching the food scene was, and how we would just love being right in the middle of it.

We have literally had dozens, if not over 100, vegan meals in a restaurant or at a food truck since moving here last July.

I bring all of this up as recently in LA there has been news that the owners of some of the more popular vegan restaurants here have decided to slaughter animals at their farm and to sell the animal flesh.

I am definitely disappointed.

I have believed for a long time that if a person decides to become vegan for animal rights/animal cruelty issues, they will most likely always be vegan. I personally can never imagine not being vegan.

I don't expect every vegan I know or hear of to always be vegan.

I digress. I call myself vegan. I'm not sure I am purely vegan, or a pure vegan. I suppose these terms mean different things to different people. I have not purposefully consumed animal products in over 20 years.

There is a lot to think about in regards to whether or not I continue to eat at their establishments.  Their chefs, especially those at Gracias Madre, do an impeccable job at showing the world how delicious vegan food is, and that makes a difference to me as someone who fights for the voiceless animals.

What I keep coming back to while paying attention to this news are the vegan places I love that are vegan because of the animals, because of compassion. First on the list are my friends at One Veg World in Pasadena. Compassion hits you like a loving embrace when you walk in, and it continues through their wonderful staff sharing and preparing incredible vegan food. I am grateful for places like One Veg World that add so much to my life.

I was at One Veg World today and will be back soon.

I also have  a few places we have found in LA that are not entirely vegan but do have amazing vegan dishes. I will continue to go dine with them too. As some in the discussion of the recent news have pointed out, and I understand, restaurants like these have never purported to be vegan or having a food vision based on compassion or animal rights.

More to come on this.

Thanks for reading.

A 20-year vegan

In simple terms, if one becomes vegan and doesn't die, eventually they will be vegan for 20 years.

That's the case in my life. January of 2016 marks 20 years of being vegan. I have honestly never looked back and never considered not being vegan since that first day.

I became vegan because I no longer wanted to be part of animal cruelty. I no longer wanted to think that my taste buds trumped the life of an animal who wanted to live.

A lot has changed. There are more vegans. A ton more vegan products. More people today get that animals are tortured and live in fear just to become someones meal.

Many restaurants at least have a vegan option.

Activism has grown too. I was involved in human rights work when I became vegan and now am happily also part of the animal rights movement.

Like many of us, I have passions in other areas, specifically trans equality, liberation, homelessness and poverty.

Being vegan is easy. Becoming vegan is easy. There is so much I don't know so I have a bunch of web links on the main page of my blog which can be helpful for those wanting to learn more.

Newly vegan? Considering veganism? Go easy on yourself. Learn all about food and what foods bring what nutrients to your body. Be kind to yourself and others. Life, veganism and activism are all paths and we each walk them a little differently.

Thank you for reading!

Today is World Vegan Day

Lucy, who lives at Rooterville animal sanctuary.

We have our own day.

Having a blog that includes veganism, I get to interact with folks about veganism every day. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative.

I still get surprised when someone attacks my veganism, which is ultimately a very personal decision for me, one made because I did not want to be part of cruelty and torture that happens so to appease taste buds.

In January I will celebrate 20 years of being 100% vegan which means for 20 years I have consumed no meat, dairy, eggs, honey or any other by-product from animals. Yes, this also means that my belts and dress shoes are not leather and my ties to not contain silk.

As every human my age and up knows, life goes by very fast. It's difficult to grasp that I have been vegan that long. Although I became vegan for animal cruelty issues, the benefits of being vegan as I get older include being healthier. At 47 I ran my first half marathon. Looking forward to my third next May at age 50.

I know many who read my blog are not vegan. I hope I am able to provide here information (see all of the links) and life experience (read the posts) that show how easy being vegan is and how it is available to anyone. Myths around veganism and protein and cost are just those, myths. The benefits around being vegan, to you, the environment and to the animals, are endless.

So happy World Vegan Day.

I will #FastAgainstSlaughter this Friday

After much prayer and meditation I have decided to do the #FastAgainstSlaughter which is this Friday. Friday is World Day for Farmed Animals, the day after World Vegetarian Day and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. This fast will be part of a world-wide fast on the same day.

If you know me, you know I am vegan and that I am vegan so that I cause as little harm as possible to animals during my time on earth. I abhor violence and almost 20 years ago committed to being vegan so my dinner plate reflected more of who I am as a human being and did not include any animal products.

So Friday I will fast for 24 hours, for the animals.

From Farm Animal Rights Movement:

"Each day, 160 million farmed animals are transported to meet their gruesome end at slaughterhouses throughout the world. These caring, sensitive individuals are denied food, water, and rest on their journeys for several hours, up to days. They are scared. They are starving. And their suffering is silenced by an industry that doesn’t want us to know the truth."

In their name I will not eat for 24 hours. I will only drink liquids. I share this with you because I am fearful of this. I eat at least seven times a day. I love food. I love eating. I will do it for the beautiful animals who are beaten, tortured, and killed just for someone's taste buds.

I could really use your support. Please send love. And if you pray, meditate or just are in silence on Friday, please think of me and those I am fasting for.

Thank you!

Being a voice for the voiceless

Many times while expressing my viewpoint or speaking up for something or against something, I look inside myself to see if the action I am taking is truly honoring the voiceless, whichever voiceless I am trying to be a voice for at the moment.

How is my action or behavior actually helping the voiceless? Is it viewed positively or negatively. Would folks not necessarily in agreement with me at least ponder what I am talking about or will they just blow me off as crazy, rude, etc?

This topic is huge for me. I seldom lose sight of why I am an activist, why I think it is so important to be  a voice for the voiceless. To continually speak out against animal cruelty, bigotry, violence and recently just basic unkindness. To be a voice for liberation.

I became vegan for one reason: animal cruelty. I didn't become vegan because someone yelled at me or threatened me. It was a very personal decision based on the person I wanted to be. I loved animals. Why in the world would I want to do anything that would harm them? Although I would have picked up a stray dog or stopped someone from abusing an animal in front of me, what was on my dinner plate did not reflect my values when it came to animals.

I know that some will disagree with me, that we must do everything in our power to stop the violence and to fight for total liberation.

I would rather invite those opposed to my ideas or my way of thinking for a coffee and actually talk. This of course is not always possible. I would rather disrupt in a calm, kind voice. I have seen this in action and smiled.

I remember one day standing outside a Baptist church during a silent protest against the church taking out a full-page ad in the local paper to denounce homosexuality and make clear their stance against it. Chatting with a family on their way out I said that we all have more in common than not. We had a wonderful conversation. I am not sure if they would stand on the side of liberation and equality, yet I am pretty sure they would not demonize gay people. Perhaps that's a start.

Thanks for reading.

Time to ditch dairy

Watching another video come out showing clear violence and abuse towards cows on a dairy farm in Fort Morgan, Colorado, is sickening.

The video shows dairy employees, who to me are cowards and monsters, doing what has become common in animal production: simple animal cruelty. If you care about any animal, this video will sicken you.

I am very grateful to Mercy For Animals for their undercover work.

The owners of the cows are horrified. The folks from the dairy cooperative that the dairy farm belongs to put the blame on Mercy For Animals. Both groups are pathetic.

Cruelty is inherent in these places.

It's time to ditch dairy.

There are so many other products out there that don't include inherent cruelty. And that don't financially support individuals who look at the animals suffering in the video simply as product, not as living, breathing beings.

In Colorado, all of the cowards shown in the video can be charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

I hope the Fort Morgan Sheriff does this.

And I hope dairy milk sales continue to go down.

If you would like to watch the Mercy For Animals click here.

If you would like to read the Denver Post article click here.

Thanks for reading!

Whole Foods sells rabbit meat

If you like eating rabbits, this post might be informative to you.

If you do not eat rabbits, and you like living rabbits, I hope you take action after reading this post.

Meet Clover. She is a family member of one of our best friends. Family. Our friend has been educating us about Whole Foods selling rabbit meat in some stores, I think they are testing the market for rabbit meat. She has stopped shopping at Whole Foods because of this and is working to get Whole Foods to stop selling rabbit meat.

I understand where she is coming from. Whenever I see or read about chinchilla fur coats, I think of the chins who are part of our family. It hits hard. The same is for our friend seeing rabbit meat sold.

I didn't think the whole rabbit meat at Whole Foods, a place where many vegans and vegetarians and animal lovers shop, would last. It didn't make sense for them to create controversy amongst loyal customers. It's been several months now and I don't think they are considering stopping the sale of rabbit meat. In fact, they are even trying to be "cute" with the sale of rabbit meat. The picture here is of a sign in a Whole Foods above a picture of rabbits who will become rabbit meat.

This photo is a combination of two photos: top is from a Whole Foods store selling rabbit meat. Bottom is from a rabbit slaughterhouse in Iowa.
 

"Come hop down the bunny trail"? Seriously?

I have to say that I like Whole Foods a little less now because of this sign. I also will clarify that a rabbit is a cow is a chicken is a fish is a rat to me. I believe in being a voice for all animals. At first I thought Whole Foods was just selling another animal. But for me, rabbits are different as they are family just like chins are my family. Folks who have rabbits as part of their family don't want to see body parts of an animal that is part of their family while they grocery shop just as I don't want to see chinchilla throws while shopping.

I know Whole Foods is getting taken to the carpet by activists around the country for many reasons. Their "humane meat" promotion is ridiculous. And hurtful. Even with all of that plus the selling of rabbit meat, we still shop there. Their selection of vegan items makes shopping easier for us.

But we shop there less. And have talked about not shopping there at all.

I have read all sorts of comments around this national campaign to get Whole Foods to stop selling rabbit meat.  There are definitely a lot of opinions. Now you know mine.

If you think Whole Foods should stop selling rabbit meat, please leave a comment at your local Whole Foods. I have always believed that we have the power to make change, and I certainly believe that Whole Foods can be convinced to stop selling rabbit meat. It takes a community of people, but it can be done.

Protests will be nationwide this coming week. Here is the Facebook event page for the Boulder Whole Foods protest against the selling of rabbit meat:

We love rabbits!


Thanks for reading.

One step against animal cruelty

I recently had a conversation with someone who found our blog while looking for information on becoming vegan.

I was super stoked to welcome them. As I typically do, I mentioned that I try to keep a good list of links of informative websites that might be of help.

It can be overwhelming when coming to the conclusion that one no longer wants to support animal cruelty that is inherent in a meat/ animal by-product meal.

Rather than being overwhelmed, I like to let folks know that they can take it easy, give themselves a break in that they will not know all about veganism overnight, and just give up one item.

For instance, dairy. No milk or cheese. That automatically is a step against animal cruelty.

People tend to freak out over not eating cheese so if that is the case, then how about eggs as the first step. Or cow, or pig. Seriously, the non-plant based food plate is so chuck full of animal cruelty that taking just one item off the list will be a good step.

Of course some will jump in and go 100% plant-based right away. That's perfectly fine. I am writing this post to simply say that any step against animal cruelty in what you eat is a step in the right direction and that becoming vegan does not have to be crazy stressful.

This is a perfect place to remind you that I became vegan for the animals. I did not want to be part of the cruelty, and decided I would do all I can to do the least harm as possible to all living beings while I am on this earth.

When one puts that ahead of taste buds or convenience, the whole process becomes so much easier.

If considering veganism or are newly vegan, I invite you to check out some of the websites we have links to on the main blog page. We keep the list updated.

Thanks for reading!

The 19-year vegan

19 years!

Holy cow!

This month, 19 years ago, I decided to go vegan.

My decision was based on the animals. I had the information and it was time to take action.

In no way does my veganism stop cruelty completely. My being vegan is a way to do the least harm possible to all living beings while I am on this earth.

I realized that my passion and compassion could go beyond my taste buds.

I realized that my passion and compassion could extend from human suffering and take a look at my dinner plate.

I love animals. If I have any control in it, I don't want them to be harmed. I certainly don't want to be  a part of paying others to kill and torture animals so I can eat.

Now 48 (49 next month), I am super grateful that I am vegan. It is definitely the way for me.

It's not enough. But that is for another post!

If you have any interest in veganism, we have links to websites that we feel are helpful.

Thanks for reading!

Forgiveness rocks

As we are fortunate to have readers from all over, we get to hear about what is going on in activist, especially animal rights activist, communities around the country and around the world.

Unfortunately the news isn't always good. We often here of communities that are fractured because one person doesn't get along with another, then terrible things are said, and done, people take sides and before the community knows it they have one big mess. She said that. He did that. I can't believe that they are like that. Those others are truly crazy and this is why.

Whew.

It's a shame for sure. The focus is more on fighting each other rather than on fighting those who do disgusting things to animals. Billions are suffering. The fight against that suffering is how many of us met. For the animals.

I wish this could stop.

I have issues with folks too. Recently I forgave a person who approached me and apologized for some things she had said about my sexuality several years ago. I accepted her apology. I won't be hanging out with her, but I forgive her.

I haven't ever slammed someone or been critical of them because of their sexuality (well, I might have been just a tad harsh once with a friend in the Navy who just wasn't gay, no matter how much I wanted him to be!) but I for sure have said things that I later regret.

Forgiveness is powerful stuff.

I know a lot of these issues that people have with each other are not necessarily simple to resolve. Yet they have to be resolved.

In the late '80's and early '90's 40+ thousand people were dying every year of HIV/AIDS. It was a battle to not only stop the disease but to care for our friends and family and community. I remember those days well. Not everyone always agreed or got along. That's an understatement. People were dying every day. Some days all we could do was try to make them comfortable. And there were all the attacks coming from outside of our community by the right wingers. My goodness.

If what was going on now in some animal rights communities was allowed to happen then, I know the epidemic would have been much worse. More suffering. More death. Total disruption of community.

It doesn't have to be like that.

We can reach our hands out in peace. We can gather as a community to fight animal cruelty. We can apologize. And we can forgive.

Thanks for reading!

My 14 faves of '14: #5

I am vegan because of animals. I love animals, and do all I can in my life to do no harm to them and to create a safer, more kind and compassionate world for them.

This year I met, via Facebook, Lucy the pig.

Lucy is my #5 fave of 2014.

This photo is Lucy now. After a few months of being loved and nurtured back to health by the wonderful folks at Rooterville sanctuary in Florida. I met Lucy through my sweet friend at Indiana Pig Save and for me it was love at first site. This next photo is how I first saw Lucy.

She was in super bad shape. Brought to Rooterville after being found, whoever brought her knew what they were doing and saved Lucy's precious life. It has not been an easy road this this sweet being, but with the folks at Rooterville being her voice and loving on her so much, she has a chance that most farmed animals will never even come close to.

For more information on Rooterville or to donate to their crazy awesome work, go here: www.rooterville.org

Thanks for reading!

Happy World Vegan Day

I had no idea today was World Vegan Day!

I started the day by making brunch for friends, including my favorite French toast recipe and sausage. Then later today Mike is making his famous enchiladas as we have a couple of friends coming over for dinner.

My favorite things about being vegan are that I contribute less to suffering on this earth and that I get to eat incredibly delicious food.

There's a lot to celebrate. And the more I read about World Vegan Day the more I learn. Like, this is even World Vegan Month!

So spread the word. Have a potluck. Or a small dinner party. Let friends and family know why you're vegan. Bring a vegan delight to the office.

We are becoming a huge, diverse community. Let's embrace it. And let's celebrate.

I wish you a very happy World Vegan Day!

Thanks for reading!

Your bacon had a face and so much more

Everyone seems to love bacon.

When some folks find out that I am vegan they make sure they let me know how much they love bacon.

I became vegan because I do not want to do harm to any living beings, including pigs. I haven't had bacon for over 18 years.

When I see or smell bacon, I think about pigs and how awesome they are. I don't think about missing bacon or wishing I could eat it.

I think about torture, abuse, cruelty, sadness, intelligence, and squealing.

While considering this post I read articles on pigs. I could have spent months on this. Pigs are quite the intelligent beings. There is plenty of data online if you'd like to learn about that.

For me though, pigs could be the dumbest creation on earth and I would still not want to kill them. I firmly believe that if given a choice, a pig would run away from a dude about to slit her throat. She wouldn't want to die. She wouldn't want to live her life in a gestation crate, unable to turn around and unable to truly care for her piglets.

Pigs are product to those who make money off of them. Pure and simple money.

As I write this I am thinking of a little pig named Lucy. This past week she was found by neighbors of a woman who rocks compassion in my book. I found out about Lucy from friends on Facebook and immediately donated to her care. She is so young and so sick, and so precious. I am grateful that she got in the hands of humans who give a crap.

I'm not sure about Lucy's story, or where she was born. Not sure if her mom was bred so Lucy could be bacon or not. Regardless, she's in great hands now and I hope that with her illnesses she come through everything OK.

If you would like to donate to Lucy's care, click here.  We donated not only because Lucy touched us, but also because we believe that as animal-loving folk, we have to support those who go out on a financial limb to help animals that are suffering when possible for us to do so.

Every time someone buys bacon they support the maltreatment of living, feeling, intelligent beings. They pay someone to inflict harm and cruelty on that same being.

It's totally not worth it.

On our blogs main page we have several links that could be supportive of you if you would like to consider going vegan.

Thanks for reading.

Coming out: I am vegan

I know, you're not surprised. After all, it's in the title of my blog.

I have been vegan for 18 years and am still surprised by the reaction I get. Most notably, that people have to make a point to tell me how delicious their non-vegan meal is, how much they love meat or how they could never go vegan.

Before I proceed, please remember that I believe that everyone is on their own path. I always try to be there to support folks wanting to become vegan or even give it a try, but I am not standing in judgement to anyone who is not vegan.

I didn't become vegan because I didn't like animal meat or dairy cheese or dairy milk. I didn't become vegan to lose weight or try to be healthier.

I became vegan because I want to do the least harm possible while on this earth and did not want any living being to suffer to become my meal. Since then, I have stayed vegan because I decided that I do not have the right to take the life of another living being, whether I actually kill the animal or pay someone else to do so. I have also been able to enjoy the health benefits, of which there are many, of being vegan.

It's definitely a path for me. I learn new things about veganism, animal rights, animal welfare, health, nutrition and fitness practically every day. I pay more attention to what I eat. My body tells me when I am not eating enough of something or too much of something else.

My struggle is always with sugar. Since coming back from vacation a couple of weeks ago I decided (again) to cut sugar as much as possible. I've only had two desserts since and hope to keep limiting my sugar.

I love so many vegetables that I had never really tried before becoming vegan: kale, Swiss chard, dates, collard greens and well over a dozen types of peppers. My food intake is more diverse than any animal meat eater I know.

It is certainly not difficult to be vegan. One makes a decision that they do not want to be part of the inevitable torture, cruelty and fear that animals go through to become food and the culinary adventure begins.

I have some links on the main page of our blog site that can be helpful to folks new to veganism. Nutrition and fitness are very important in my vegan life.

Thanks for reading.

Be kind to animals

Videos of animal cruelty are a dime a dozen these days.

So are videos of the aftermath of such cruelty.

Even if one takes out the inevitable maltreatment of animals that become food, that are used in entertainment and that are tested on, horrific acts against animals happen so frequently that it can become overwhelming when I think about it.

And then I see a video like I recently saw.

No need to go into it. It was from overseas. I suppose it doesn't even matter where the video was from. It could have easily been from here in the U.S.

I was disgusted.

There is no way the question "why" can be answered. I have no clue why people torture animals. Perhaps it's because they can. They have the power.

It's easy to feel powerless. Yet allowing so much cruelty to make us powerless does no good for anyone, certainly not the animals.

We can promote simple kindness to animals. We can speak out against cruelty towards animals.

We can teach our children to be kind to animals.

We can make animal cruelty so unacceptable that people begin to think twice about inflicting harm on an animal.

Kindness rules. Just as I write about being kind to other humans, we can take the lead on getting more and more people to think about animal cruelty.

The more noise we make against cruelty to animals, the more change happens.

The animals in those videos can't be saved. The once about to be video taped tomorrow can.

Thanks for reading!

Support the newly vegan

Vegans are everywhere these day.

There is diversity in why one is vegan and and how individual vegans feel they can make change.

Go onto a local vegan Facebook page and you can see this.

I recently saw an instance, one of many recently, in which someone was asking for help/support and instead of that got a huge helping of judgment.

I get passion. My passion gets me in trouble sometimes. Passion that turns negative, especially towards folks who are trying to do the right thing, is no good in my book.

Thousands of people get some kind of information about veganism or animal rights every day. Whether it's a pamphlet, an undercover video, watching Ellen or tasting a new vegan food product, the opportunities are out there and people are coming head to head with veganism.

Many start questioning themselves and their own, very personal, ethics.

This is when we as a community can either be there to support them in any way or let our personal piousness get in the way.

This is where we can pass on our experience from when we were first considering veganism or our first weeks of being vegan or we can tell the person they need to get it right now or they are simply just a piece of shit.

These opportunities happen every day.

Each one of us has the power to be the voice for the voiceless animals who suffer.

What does your voice sound like?

Thank you for reading.

Your Easter ham

I seldom click on videos showing animal cruelty. It's actually been a long time since I have watched one of those undercover videos showing animals being treated in ways that I honestly cannot believe anyone would support.

That changed today. I don't know why, but I clicked on a video from Mercy For Animals showing men torturing, beating and killing pigs. The men work for a pig factory that supplies Walmart.

On our blog and on all of our social media we do not post videos of animal cruelty. We do offer links to animal rights groups we support that have those videos on their sites.

I believe this type of cruelty happens everywhere animals are produced for food. It happens because there is little regard for the life of these animals and also, in a very simple way, because they can. They have the power to do terrible things to these animals and they do it.

I unequivocally support any group that does these undercover investigations. People need to see what happens to animals in order for them to become their dinner.

Or their Easter ham.

I cannot stop thinking about the video I watched earlier. These workers were hell bent on inflicting fear, terror and pain on these pigs. Nothing was going to stop them.

The only thing that can stop them is the consumer.

If you eat meat, in this case pork, you have the power to stop the cruelty. The video I watched is only the tip of the iceberg of what happens to pigs on a daily basis throughout the country.

Although I haven't looked into the purpose of the video, I am pretty sure it was part of Mercy For Animals campaign to get Walmart to stop using certain suppliers, including the one in the video.

We have the power to stop it. We can be a voice for these voiceless creatures who are treated in such a pathetically terrible way.

If you would like to see the video you can go to the Mercy For Animals website here: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/

The only way to not support animal cruelty like that shown in the video I saw is to go vegan. Don't support the inherent cruelty that is part of taking animals that are living and breathing and feeling to create your steak, pork chop or lamb chop.

Thanks for reading.

We must take action. Now!

I have written many blog posts encouraging our readers and supporters to get active, to take action in making the world a better place for all living beings.

We can't wait.

There is a lot going on in our local community. Our local school board has a majority of folks who seem to not want to invest in our schools and look to be part of a seemingly national movement to privatize public schools.

We have an anti-gay and in my opinion anti-poor and anti-woman guy running for US Senate against a guy who has been incredibly supportive of the LGBTQ communities and whom I truly believe understands poverty. I will be voting for Mark Udall in November.

Hundreds of pit bulls continue to be killed in the city of Denver (one city east of us) each year without little public outrage.

These are just three of the issues I am passionate about in my community.

What are your three? And what can you and your friends do about it? Right now.

As you might have guessed, especially if you have read past posts, I am going to ask that you register to vote, that you vote, and that you personally make a connection with those who represent you on city council, in the state house, and at the US Capitol.

If you don't have children, that is not a free pass to not care about your local school board. Want to look at extremism in America, check out your school board.

Taking action can mean voting. It can mean writing a letter to the editor. It can mean deciding to go vegan. It can mean calling your state representative and giving them a piece of your mind.

It means saying enough is enough.

Nothing will ever change if good people don't demand it.

Believe me, those who profit from animal cruelty are taking action. Those who want to deny marriage equality are taking action. Those who don't give a shit about the poor and those living in poverty are taking action.

They are counting on us not not to do so.

No way.

Join us. Take action. We have the power.

Thanks for reading.

Don't fear the vegans

Having been vegan for 18 years, I have been fortunate to see the world change in regards to veganism and animal rights.

Many of these changes are good: Vegan ice cream, vegan mac n cheese, felony animal cruelty laws, etc.

I digress.

If you are not vegan, you have nothing to fear from me or my kind.

I do not hate humans. I actually spend a good deal of my life trying to help humans.

I do not hate you. You might "like" meat and to that I say that we are all on our own path. If you ask me about why I am vegan I will certainly tell you. If you don't want to know, don't ask.

No, you cannot visit me and eat meat in our home. Our home is a sacred place to us. You can dine on my husbands delicious cooking, but it doesn't include meat. You can go out for that if you really have to.

We have more in common with what you eat than you might think. Consider that vegans and non vegans eat black beans, broccoli, carrots, Navy beans, spaghetti, linguine, stuffed peppers, kale, Swiss chard, beets, bread, crackers, cookies, ice cream, potatoes, rice, cauliflower, brownies, doughnuts, cereal, oatmeal, apples, oranges, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, tofu, strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadamia nuts, celery, peppers, lentils, parsley, sweet potatoes, yams, soup, spinach, tomatoes, dates, figs, Popsicles,  pinto beans, guacamole, avocados, onions, etc. Whew, so many things in common.

OK, I admit it. I snuck in tofu knowing many people haven't had the pleasure of creating a delicious tofu dish.

We eat "real food". I have heard from folks who do not want to visit us because they can't eat real food. Seriously, you will get plenty of real food from a vegan.

People choose to be vegan for a variety of reasons. Mine is that I love animals and want to live my life in a way that does least harm to all living beings. The only ones who need to fear that are the ones who profit from killing and torturing animals. And that fear is really only around money.

We go to work, plant our gardens, volunteer, and try to add to our communities. Nothing to fear there.

We want a world similar to the world you want.

And just like that world, we are as diverse in our beliefs and how to make change than any other community.

If you would like more information on veganism in its many forms, check out any of the links on our main blog page.

Thank you for reading!

Silk (milk) is now animal-cruelty free?

I was pretty thrilled this week to get an email from a public relations person who wanted me to know about the new TCBY vegan Silk yogurt (fro-yo) made from almond milk responding to a concern I had about Silk being a product of WhiteWave which is owned by Dean Foods, one of the largest killer of pigs in the country (and maybe other animals).

She was kind enough to approach Silk, who in turn sent her this:

"Silk is actually owned by WhiteWave Foods and their spin-off from Dean Foods was completed last year. WhiteWave is now a stand-alone, publicly traded company."

Why did I not know this? Is this true? It seems it is. 

I am still asking around just to make sure that there is absolutely no connection between White Wave and Dean Foods. As you might know, several years ago Dean Foods, not making great profit from killing animals, bought a vegan friendly company, WhiteWave. Although I have a lot of disgust for Dean Foods, this purchase showed that in the big world of business and money-making, companies that sell vegan products can be profitable. I had pretty much stopped buying WhiteWave products, except for that amazing yogurt, because of this. Now it seems I can go back to buying their products.

WhiteWave still makes Horizon Organic milk and a couple of other non-vegan products. We all know what that means in regards to calves and the veal industry, plus the inherent cruelty that shows up in dairy farms. So the company itself is still not cruelty-free, just not part of a huge, animal production company anymore.

It's tough to find the perfect, all-vegan company. WhiteWave being separated from Dean Foods is a huge step for me.

They no longer make tofu, but their line of non-dairy milks and yogurts is wonderful. And have you seen the super-cute almond milk commercial they produced?

Another great thing about WhiteWave, being that we live in Colorado, is that they are a Colorado-based company.

I have been vegan for 18 years and have been writing this blog for 2 1/2, so I am completely aware that in the vegan community there are a zillion opinions. And that is the main reason I wanted to write this blog post. I would love your thoughts on all of this. And if you know something about WhiteWave being on their own now that I am unaware of, please do tell!

Through all of this I have not lost sight of TCBY and their huge step to make a vegan frozen yogurt. More to come on that.

Thanks for reading!