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Tag: Vegan Lifestyle - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Tag: Vegan Lifestyle - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Is going vegan the best thing for the environment?

Animal agriculture is the second-largest contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gases, making up 42% of all emissions after fossil fuels. More people than ever before are cutting back on their meat and dairy consumption, advocating for things like “Meatless Monday” and “Veganuary”, while vegan and vegetarian diets are becoming more and more popular.

This begs the question, what would happen if the entire world went vegan? What does that mean not only for the environment but for our health? 

The Case For Going Vegan

On average, producing a pound of beef requires upwards of 1,800 gallons of water. Similarly, a gallon of milk requires 2000 gallons of water to produce. However, only around 900 gallons of water are used during the production process for a gallon of almond milk. Studies show that anywhere from 40-50% of the water used in the United States is used for animal agriculture. A vegan diet, on average, requires 300 gallons of water a day compared to a meat-eating diet requiring 4,000 gallons of water a day. In addition to the massive amounts of water, studies show than anywhere between 30 and 50% of Earth’s habitable land is used for animal agriculture (this includes crops grown to feed livestock). Research shows that if everyone went vegan we could reduce global farmland by as much as 75%, and on an individual level, going vegan could reduce your carbon footprint by 73%. 

There are several problems with the animal agriculture industry. Animals are commonly packed together in tight spaces without room to move around. Due to their close living quarters, animals are sick or prone to sickness and are often preemptively pumped full of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is an epidemic in our country currently with 80% of all our antibiotics being given to animals. CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operations) Animals are usually injected with animal growth hormones and fed diets designed to increase their size, so they produce as much meat as possible. For years “cage-free” or “free-range” products have been marketed as a better, more humane alternative but in reality, these terms have little to no regulation and oftentimes these animals are still stored in inhumane environments.

Problems With Going Vegan

Many popular vegan foods are not as healthy as advertised. Take the “Impossible burger” for example. The Impossible Burger is a processed “veggie burger” well known for its’s meat-like texture, however, the burger is made with GMO’s and has tested positive for Glyphosate, “…levels of glyphosate were 11x that of the Beyond Meat burger.”

Being vegan doesn’t necessarily mean you’re eating healthily. You can chow down on junk food – and miss out on vital nutrients – whether you eat meat or not. For example, vegan diets are naturally low in calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids.

What would happen if everyone went vegan?

It’s a common misconception that going vegan is healthier than eating meat; there are lots of “junk food vegans.” But a vegan who eats processed foods daily would benefit from switching to a diet of unprocessed foods with locally sourced grass-fed organic beef.

Some studies indicate that we could improve the environment by going vegan, but that human health would suffer. Vegans are often nutrient deficient in B12’s, Iron, Omega-3’s a and other nutrients found in meat and dairy products.

Fair Trade Issues

You may be surprised to know that many of your favorite vegan foods are leaving behind a larger negative impact than originally thought. Foods such as cashews, avocados, bananas, and chocolate have many fair trade issues associated with them. Additionally, many popular vegan foods leave behind a significant carbon footprint during manufacturing and transit. In fact, in some cases, foods shipped across the world leaves behind a larger carbon footprint than buying meat locally and sustainably. 

Avocado imports have doubled over the last decade, with more than 2.2 billion pounds of avocados imported in 2018. The U.S gets 87% of avocado imports from Mexico, however many of the people in Mexico can’t afford to buy avocados because of the high demand in the U.S. Producing one pound of avocados uses 72 gallons of water. Over 20,000 hectares of land are converted into avocado farmland each year, including land which is designated for the Monarch Butterfly biosphere reserve. In addition to all the environmental impacts, criminal gangs have taken to stealing avocados and taking over farms when things slow down in the drug trafficking business.

Cashews are one of the most popular nuts in America and are popular amongst vegans due to their texture, flavor, and protein content. Cashews are commonly made into vegan cheese and other similar vegan dairy alternatives. India produces 60% of the Cashews the world consumes, however in India they are considered a luxury, so much so that workers are often checked to make sure they are not smuggling cashews outside of factories. Factory workers often suffer back and joint pain and have a difficult time-saving money due to low wages and were only recently allowed restroom breaks while working. Additionally, during the deshelling process workers suffer chemical burns to the skin and often are not provided with proper supplies to protect their skin and often times cannot afford to buy supplies themselves. 

The Case For Omnivores Eating

Instead of getting rid of meat altogether, studies show that alternative practices such as regenerative agriculture may actually be the key to fixing the problem. The goal of regenerative agriculture is achieving a carbon negative footprint, through carbon sequestration by a variety of different methods such as no-tilling, or minimum tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, composting, and providing their pasture-raised animals with healthy and diverse diets. In some studies, regenerative agriculture is shown to leave less of a carbon footprint than meatless alternatives such as the impossible burger.

Regenerative Agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services.

Regenerative Agriculture – The Definition of Regenerative Agriculture

What if farming was done right?

Studies show that cows can help with carbon sequestration through proper grazing. Plants absorb CO2, and then CO2 is pushed through the roots into the ground and stored there. When animals (mainly cows) are able to graze on the land enough to promote healthy plant growth but not so much that they kill the plants, more carbon is sequestered through the earth thus making cattle that are raised in regenerative agriculture settings, carbon-neutral and in some cases carbon negative. 

Look for meat that is “Pastured” or “pasture-raised”, this is meat that has been raised in a pasture, and best emulates natural behaviors. Pasture-raised animals can also help contribute to healthy soil, through animal waste and regenerative agriculture. When buying meat look for antibiotic-free meat labeled Organic, or raised without antibiotics. These are the only labels promising antibiotic-free meat. Shop for beef that is grass-fed and avoid beef that is grass-fed grain-finished. Grain finished beef is beef that is fed a lot of grain in a short amount of time to fatten them up. Animals that are fed proper diets are better for your health. Buy meat that is sourced locally from smaller-scale farms. You’ll find that the animals are generally treated better promoting natural habits and behaviors in the animals, your carbon footprint will be lessened, and you’ll have the opportunity to support small and local businesses.  

Just like in humans, grain-fed animals have an extremely high amount of inflammation. This inflammation leads to a high amount of inflammatory omega-6 fats in the tissues of the animals, and these fats are transferred to us when we eat them. When animals eat the things they are supposed to, like grass, clovers, shrubs, and other colorful things, (how many colorful grains can you think of?) they end up with a much higher level and density of nutrients.

Source Matters: A Guide to Buying Healthy Meats

How to eat green

Can going vegan help reduce your carbon footprint? The simple answer is, yes, it can. To do it right, eat unprocessed whole foods, and reap the biggest benefit both for your health and for the climate. On a global scale, many studies show that the best thing we can do right now is to grow our own food if possible, shop for local food, radically reduce meat intake, and eat sustainable meat.

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7 Days of Meatless Meals the Whole Family Can Agree On

I get asked often why I chose to switch to an ovo-vegetarian diet. The ever present questions,“What do you eat?” and “Where do you get your protein?” typically come in a condescending tone paired with a scrunched face of disapproval or disgust. This took me by surprise at first, but after years of the same questions, I have come to laugh at the common misconceptions and use them as a chance to explain the morality of the decision for me, the reality of proteins available, and the array of health benefits.

After the initial seemingly startling news that my home is meatless, the second round of statements are something like, “Oh I could never do that. I love meat too much,” or “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

I can’t argue with anyone’s choice to eat as they please, but I can help to refute some common misconceptions about a vegetarian diet lacking in both protein and the essential micro-nutrients we all need.  I’ll do that below by giving 7 examples of vegetarian meals that will feed the whole family and are jam packed with the essentials for a healthy, happy, hearty meal.

Before addressing meals, though, I find it necessary to address the common misconception that a vegetarian diet is lacking in protein. A huge contributor to the idea that meat is the primary source of protein is the food pyramid. We are exposed to the food pyramid at a very young age and it continues to be pressed from grade school through high school. It is also pushed heavily by the dairy and meat industries by way of media, television, radio, etc. While watching your evening television show, try counting how many times you see a commercial talking about the food pyramid, meat, or dairy. It will surprise you.

The reality is that through these ideals, two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has grown exponentially in the last 30 years. Not only have the obesity rates risen, so have diseases like osteoporosis. This is due to the hydrochloric acids needed to digest meat. To neutralize these acids, our bodies use our internal source of calcium. In fact, a study published in the Medical Tribune by Michigan State (found in the book, Diet For New America), showed that female vegetarians averaged 18% bone loss while their meat-eating counterparts averaged 35% bone loss leading to osteoporosis.

What many people don’t realize is that there is protein in many of our other food groups. Foods in the legume family are a great example. Green peas contain 7.9 grams of protein per cup, taste great, and can be used in a variety of different meals. Quinoa is a grain that contains 8 grams of protein per cup. Beans are another huge protein source. Just two cups of kidney beans contain about 30 grams of protein — more than a Big Mac at McDonald’s, which has about 25 grams. Even a cup of chopped broccoli contains 8.1 grams of protein.

These are just a few examples of protein-rich foods that are healthy and taste great. Outside of those factors, our bodies digest a vegetarian/vegan diet faster than one with fat, heavy meats. With a vegetarian/vegan diet, we feel fuller faster, and overeating is less likely to occur.

The USDA nutrition database states that the average vegan male needs 63 grams of protein a day, and the average female, 53 grams per day, a quota easily met when nearly all vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, and nuts contain protein. Now that we have a better understanding of some of the key misconceptions let’s get cooking! Here are 7 meals that are protein heavy, delicious and sure to be a hit with the family.

broccoli slaw stir fry

  1. Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry – 24 grams of protein

Great for a busy night when there isn’t much time to prep dinner. Takes about 15 minutes to prepare and is high in protein, fiber, and vitamin C.

  1. Squash and Quinoa ChiliSquash and Quinoa Chili – 23 grams of protein

Not only is it a great source of protein, but this meal provides a whopping 60% of your fiber intake as well. A base of butternut squash, quinoa, and kidney beans that can be prepared in just an hour! Great for those winter evenings in or to freeze for lunches.

  1. simple black bean burgersSimple Black Bean Burgers – 22 grams of protein

With just canned beans, eggs, and some bread crumbs, you can create a summer favorite. Add some sweet potato fries and the kids won’t be the wiser.

  1. vegetarian tacosTacos – 18g and up

This is a simple switch from the typical tacos you would make at home. Substitute black beans  or a soy substitute (my favorite is soyrizo) for the meat.

  1. sweet-potato-pizzaSweet Potato Pizza – 22.2 grams of protein

A great twist on a traditional pie that the kids can have fun helping decorate. A great way to make eating their vegetables more fun.

  1. stuffed bell peppersStuffed Bell Peppers – 18 grams of protein

A colorful addition to any dinner table. Prep for this dish takes some time, but if you are having family over and want to impress, this is one of the dishes I would go for. Always a hit with my family.

  1. Vegetarian EnchiladasVegetarian Enchiladas – 34.9 grams of protein

Another example of a great, well-known dish that can be slightly tweaked using beans. Jackfruit is a great alternative as well, which makes for a fantastic vegetarian dish that everyone can enjoy.

There you have it! The recipes vary with portions, size, and desired additions as far as protein and other nutritional content, but you get the idea. There are so many possibilities! A week’s worth of meatless meals to get you started on your journey to a new lifestyle if you so choose. And the next time you discover someone you know is a vegetarian, you will have a better idea behind the health reasons and the simplicity of the choice!

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Homemade, Vegan Nut Milk Recipes and More

If you’re making nut milks for better health, there are a few rules you’ll want to adhere to. First and foremost, kudos for making your own. Homemade is always better when done right. But to do it right, skip the soy milk. It’s no good. When buying almonds, make sure they are not pasteurized. Buy raw nuts. Cashews aren’t really raw, so they’re not the healthiest choice, but I do use them sometimes.

Contents

soak & Sprout

PRE-MILKING: Soak and Sprout Times for Nuts

Before you milk your nuts, it is best to soak them. There’s a lot of conflicting information about soak times for nuts but I personally soak nuts for 24 hours and then dehydrate them at 112°F in our dehydrator or at room temperature if the air is dry enough.

how long to soak nuts seeds beans
I soak raw nuts to remove enzyme inhibitors and activate enzymes. I don’t soak seeds, but some do. I don’t soak cashews because I think that nut is already dead, but as you can see from the infographics on the left, there is some disagreement.

soak sprout chart

How to Make Nut Milk with a Blender

This recipe yields 5 cups or just over a liter and takes less than ten minutes. I’ve used almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, pecans, and walnuts for this standard nut milk recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups water (some nuts and some circumstances require a little more or less)
  • 1 cup of raw, soaked nuts
  • 1-3 pitted dates or use stevia, raw honey, or maple syrup to taste (all sweeteners are optional; you may prefer unsweetened nut milk to drink or for use in recipes)

Instructions

  1. Place ingredients in a blender and secure lid.
  2. Turn blender on high, but not too fast or for too long if you want raw milk.  (Too fast or too long will cook the enzymes!)
  3. Blend for about 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.
  4. If you like thinner milk (most do, but I usually keep the fiber), strain it with cheesecloth, pantyhose (unworn would be a good idea here), or muslin cloth and a fine mesh strainer, but many prefer to use a reinforced nut milk bag.
  5. Store milk in refrigerator.
  6. Shake well before using.

Notes:

  • The less strained a nut milk is, the higher its fiber content.
  • I don’t recommend straining cashew milk.
  • If you use raw honey, do not use the milk for baking, cooking, coffee, hot tea, etc. if you want to retain the benefits of raw honey.
  • I blend with 3 cups first, and then decide if I want some of the fourth cup.

The following are a few other nut milk and non-dairy recipes with videos. These videos are not our videos, so the recipes don’t always exactly match, but as you’ll see reading on, making nut, seed, rice, and other non-dairy milks is really just about blending together water with something fatty (like almonds) to flavor the water. The trick is how to have a finished product with the right consistency and taste balance. Play around and find your own nut milk style and groove.

Making Almond Milk with a Blender

almond milk recipe meme

Making Almond Milk with a Slow Juicer

Masticating verticle juicers such as the Omega VRT 350 or 400 and horizontal twin gear juicers can be used to make nut milks. In my experience, the single gear juicers like mine don’t do so well (see the video below).

The video indicates the 8004 (single gear) left behind a delicious nut cream. I tried it, and it worked well. I put the weak nut milk in a blender and added more almonds, lightly strained and had great milk.

Other Non-dairy Milk Recipes

Nut milks are rich and creamy, but there are many more to choose from, and mixing milks to find your own favorite formula is fun. I really like 40% flax, 50% almond, and 10% cashew with some cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of nutmeg. I don’t like things very sweet, so if you do, you may prefer more dates than I do, or another sweetener entirely or no sweetener at all.

Speaking of flavor, sweeteners are not necessary (it’s up to you), and should always be done by taste. For more on sweeteners, be sure to check out Healthy Alternative Sugars. I recommend the following, in order based on both health consciousness and what I like to taste in these recipes.

Sweeteners and Spices For Non-Dairy Milks

  • Stevia
  • Dates
  • Raw honey (only if it will not be heated)
  • Blackstrap molasses
  • Sugar cane juice
  • Granny smith apple juice
  • Maple syrup

I also like using stevia to sweeten and then just a little maple syrup or another sweetener to mask the stevia. Stevia is great for essentially amplifying the sweetness of another sweetener.

Spices for Non-Dairy Nut Milks

  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Allspice
  • Ginger
  • Cloves
  • Cardamom

Just a pinch! Depending on what you are using the milk for, use very little of these spices. The taste gets stronger after the milk sets a while. This is especially true with nutmeg. You can ruin any dish with just a little too much nutmeg.

Also, the fineness of your strainer will have a tremendous impact on the taste and consistency of your milk. The less you strain, the more potential for a chalky or slimy texture (depending on the nut, the humidity, and some other factors). On the other hand, with some nuts and seeds, or with some recipes, less of a fine strain may be in order. Plus, there are health benefits in the pulp, so the more of it you get, the better, (unless there are digestive issues to consider).

Healthy & Heavenly Flax Milk Recipe

Flaxseed doesn’t have the most diverse set of benefits, but it is heavy in beneficial omega 3 fats and contains between 75 and 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

There’s no need to soak or sprout flax seeds.

I like the taste of dates, maple syrup, cane juice, and honey in my homemade flax milk, but I tend to just use honey because I never heat flax milk, and I often heat other milks such as almond or hazelnut for oatmeal and other treats. Heating raw honey or flax does not make for a healthy meal. I’m also careful to keep the blender from cooking the flax as well.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup flax seeds
  • 3 cups water (plus 1-1.5  more cups)
  • Straining cloth or milk nut bag
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • Vanilla to taste (a tiny bit! I do about 1/4 tsp)

Instructions

  1. Combine flax seeds and 3 cups water in blender
  2. Blend until thick and creamy on high heat, but not too hot as to cook the flax
  3. Strain
  4. Blend 1-1.5 more cups water plus honey to desired consistency
  5. Can be used right away or chilled for later

Notes

Brown or golden flax will work fine. I used brown, but I’ve read that golden flax results in a milder flavor.

Homemade Honey Hemp Milk

Hemp milk, like flax, is a quick and easy to make since hemp doesn’t need to be soaked overnight. Hemp seeds (hulled hemp nuts) are for omega-3 fatty acids and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential omega-6 fatty acid found in borage oil and egg yolks that is known to naturally balance hormones. Hemp also has all 10 essential amino acids, making hemp a complete source of protein on its own. Calcium, potassium, phosphorous, vitamin A, and magnesium are also prevalent in hemp and homemade hemp milk.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup hemp hearts (also called seeds or shelled hemp nuts)
  • 3 to 4 cups filtered or spring water (3 cups for thicker milk, and up to 4 cups for thinner)
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp of raw honey and a drop of stevia (pick another sweetener if you’re gonna heat this milk)
  • Vanilla to taste
  • A pinch of Himalayan pink salt (or other unprocessed sea salt)

Instructions

  1. In a high-speed blender, add hemp and water
  2. Blend on high for about two minutes, until fully liquefied
  3. Strain, put back into blender (rinse the blender first)
  4. Add coconut oil (if using), honey and stevia, vanilla powder and salt. Blend briefly.

How to Make Your Own Coconut Milk

I find coconut milk to be an easy recipe, but if you’re picky about the texture, coconut can be a little more labor intensive. What I love about coconut milk is that I find it to be the most versatile, the most robust, and the most beneficial of all the nut milks.

Coconut milk can be cooked at moderate temperatures without affecting the health benefits, the fat is incredibly good for you.

  • 1 cup dried coconut chips -or- between 2-3 whole, mature coconuts
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

If you’re using whole coconut, extract the meat. You can also use coconut water to substitute for water.

Blend. Blend for a while; take your time. You can blend at high speeds as well since coconut is not very susceptible to heat damage. When the coconut meat is as liquefied as possible, transfer the contents of your blender to the cheesecloth or other strainer.

Some people repeat the process, blending more and then straining again. Other recipes call for hot water to further emulsify the coconut meat into the water.

Making Brown Rice Milk at Home

It isn’t good for you at all if you use refined rice. Always use brown rice. Brown rice is a good source of fiber, manganese, and selenium. It also has some decent levels of iron, copper, niacin, and folate.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cooked rice
  • 3 cups filtered water

Instructions

Measure rice into a blender, add the water, and blend until smooth (approximately 1 minute). You may want to blend again for ultra smooth consistency.

Conclusion

Most nut milks are best fresh though I find the sweeter, seasoned varieties I make are better 6-10 hours later. I admit, this could just be my imagination. Homemade nut and seed milks generally last between 5 to 10 days when properly refrigerated. The smell and taste is pretty obvious when they turn, so check the 5-day-old milk before you risk ruining a bowl of cereal. With all of these milks (just like unpasteurized milk), shake before using.

As mentioned, the sweeteners are optional. I recommend as little refined sugar as possible in a diet, and I rarely make sweet nut milks for myself. When I do, I almost always use stevia to amplify another sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup. I don’t generally do a lot of cashews or almonds because they’re expensive to buy unpasteurized (cashews are cooked during the difficult opening process, and truly raw cashews are hard to find and very expensive).

If you suffer from digestive problems or any health issues, see this article. And remember, it is imperative that you soak nuts that need to be soaked. Enzyme inhibitors age us rapidly, so get rid of them.

If you’ve got any tricks or techniques for making alternative, non-dairy milks, be sure to leave us a comment below.

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Seven Reasons Why Eating Vegan is Good for You

A growing number of health-conscious and environmentally concerned people of all ages are adopting a vegan diet so they can live more efficiently and improve their overall health. A vegan diet promotes efficient living because it requires fewer resources to grow vegetables than to raise animals.

Statistics show that since 2009, the percentage of people eating a non-meat diet have doubled in the U.S. Today, 5 % of the population, an estimated 16 million people, are vegetarians, and one-half of them are vegan. That’s about 8 million people.

The vegan diet is growing in popularity, as many celebrities (Bill Clinton, Carrie Underwood, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, etc.) and top athletes (Mike Tyson, Dave Scott, etc.) are promoting it. But the diet has continued to stir controversy because it is such a drastic lifestyle change from the traditional meat eater diet that has been the mainstay of American culture for hundreds of years.

Vegans don’t eat any meat, fish, honey, or dairy products, which includes milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc. Strict vegans also avoid using cosmetic or chemical products made with animal-derived ingredients, and they don’t wear fur, leather, or wool clothing. Most vegans do not eat refined white sugar (made with charcoal from bone fragments) and some types of wine (includes isinglass, fish bladders).

7 Common Benefits of Eating a Vegan Diet

1-Better Overall Health

People on a vegan diet eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, nuts, berries, beans, and soy. As a result, they tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol and a lower risk of cardiovascular and heart disease; type 2 diabetes; prostate, colon and breast cancers; macular degeneration; cataracts; arthritis; osteoporosis; PMS; migraines; and allergies.

2-Weight Loss

A U.S. News and World Report article named the vegan diet as the best for overall weight loss, heart health, diabetes prevention, and long-term weight loss. Vegans have lower rates of obesity and weigh 5 to 20 pounds less than those on a meat diet. Studies show that vegans tend to eat fewer calories than meat-eaters and therefore have a lower body mass index (a measure of body fat). The vegan diet contains fewer saturated fats, so vegans have a better chance of losing weight and keeping the weight off.  One study showed that people who eat a low-fat vegetarian (vegan) diet averaged a 24 pound weight loss the first year and kept the weight off 5 years later.

3-Increased Energy

Many successful athletes are vegans. Too much fat in your bloodstream from eating meat prevents arteries from opening to supply oxygen to the muscles. Vegetarian diets are high in carbohydrates that are good for efficient energy conversion.  Vegan athletes include marathon runner Scott Jurek, triathlete and ironman champion Dave Scott, NFL player Tony Gonzalez, and Olympian track and field star Carl Lewis.

4-Healthier Skin and Hair

Meat-based diets are high in fats that can clog skin pores, but a plant-based diet is low in fat and high in vitamins and antioxidants that are good for skin. Fiber and whole grains help your body flush out toxins, and vitamins C, A and E from a variety of vegetables and nuts help fight wrinkles and brown spots. The zinc found in beans may help to decrease acne.

5-Reduced Body Odor

One study in the Czech Republic found that those who ate a plant-based diet (vegetarians and vegans) were judged to have a more pleasant body odor than the study group who ate meat. The conclusion was that meat consumption has a negative impact on body odor. This is because the meat diet does not have an adequate intake of phytochemical and micronutrients, so cellular detoxification is impaired. Some vegans report fewer problems with bad breath and others have discontinued the use of deodorant products.

6-Boost Immune System

Eating fruits and vegetables means a diet high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help improve your immune system. A good immune system means your body’s cells and organs are working efficiently, so your body has defenses that protect you from the threats posed by bacteria and viruses. Your diet works in partnership with other good health practices such as getting enough sleep, reducing stress levels, and exercising.

7-Live Longer  

A recent study of 173,000 people showed that vegetarians (and vegans) have a 20 percent lower mortality rate than meat-eaters. This means they live about 10 years longer. A 30-year study in Okinawa attributed the longevity of centenarians there to a fiber-rich diet of fruits, vegetables, unrefined complex carbohydrates, and soy.

Another recent study published in The Daily Mail, found that a poor diet is the biggest contributor to premature deaths across the globe. One in five deaths are caused by diets that are high in red meat consumption and sugary drinks and lacking in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Unhealthy eating is contributing to the rise in heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

A long-term study of more than 121,000 men and women in the U.S. found that eating beef, pork, lamb, or processed meat such as bacon, bologna, hot dogs, salami, or sausage, increased the chances of early death by 12 percent.

Conclusion

When you consider the advantages of a vegan diet, including improved health, weight loss, increased energy, healthier skin and hair, reduced body odor, a boosted immune system, and longer life, eating vegan is a very tempting choice, anyway you look at it.

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Want To Know What Factory Farms Do With Their Waste? (Video)

We’ve known the horrific conditions animals endure when raised in factory farms. One could only hope we have all seen some footage that shows chickens, cows, or pigs crammed into tiny spaces so filled that the animals cannot turn around or lay down. One thing we haven’t seen until now are the cesspools created by factory farming.

Mark Devries, director of the documentary Speciesism, the Movie, explores the cultural belief that “our species is more important than the rest.” His exposure of factory farming as “one of the greatest evils in our history” should give us pause. After all, animal cruelty laws are widely upheld when it comes to the treatment of cats, dogs, and horses. For some reason they don’t apply to factory raised animals.

Factory farms are tucked away and hidden from prying eyes. In his film, Mark crawls through bushes, flies over factory farms, and even uses a drone to videotape the landscape. In a clip (see video below) his drone reveals a cesspool the size of three football fields. The cesspool is simply a giant trench filled to the brim with pig feces and urine. The metal buildings beside the cesspool hold pigs crammed nose to tail. Waste is flushed under each building to the cesspools and then sprayed into the air.

Now here’s the interesting part. The animal waste is not pumped into a treatment facility. It is not pumped into a septic tank. It is not treated in any way. It is sprayed into the air.

From there, where does it go? While giant factory farms make an effort to hide away in rural settings, they still have neighbors. Their practice of spraying waste into the air causes it to drift onto their neighbors’ property. The odor alone is unimaginable. At times, it rain animal feces onto the neighbors’ yards and houses. Asthma rates, especially for children, are high. Runoff from factory farms contaminates waterways and groundwater.

Animals raised under these conditions are highly susceptible to disease. Initial reports regarding the Swine flu epidemic identified patient zero as a child who lived near a factory farm, but these reports were quickly squashed.

Short Clip of the Drone Footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayGJ1YSfDXs

Check out Mark Devries film, Speciesism, the Movie




Factory Farmed Chickens: The Hidden Cost of Cheap Chicken

Americans eat a phenomenal amount of chicken, more than any other meat. Those of us over 50 can still remember when chicken was a treat for special occasions because it was more expensive than beef. Today chicken is the cheapest meat, and its consumption has doubled since 1970. Advocates of factory farming boast that their techniques have brought chicken within the reach of working families.

Tyson Foods proudly calls itself “the largest provider of protein products on the planet,” as well as “the world leader in producing and marketing beef, pork, and chicken.” Tyson now produces more than 2 billion chickens a year, and if you are shopping in a typical American supermarket, close to a quarter of the chicken you see on the shelves will have been produced by Tyson.

Virtually all the chicken sold in America—more than 99 percent, according to Bill Roenigk, vice president of the National Chicken Council—comes from factory-farm production similar to that used by Tyson Foods. The ethical issues raised by its production of chicken therefore exemplify issues raised by modern intensive chicken production in general. We can divide these issues into three categories, according to whether they most immediately impact the chickens, the environment, or humans.

The Cost To Our Ethics

To call someone a “birdbrain” is to suggest exceptional stupidity. But chickens can recognize up to 90 other individual chickens and know whether each one of those birds is higher or lower in the pecking order than they are themselves. Researchers have shown that if chickens get a small amount of food when they immediately peck at a colored button, but a larger amount if they wait 22 seconds, they can learn to wait before pecking.

Interesting as these studies are, the point of real ethical significance is not how clever chickens are, but whether they can suffer—and of that there can be no serious doubt. Chickens have nervous systems similar to ours, and when we do things to them that are likely to hurt a sensitive creature, they show behavioral and physiological responses that are like ours. When stressed or bored, chickens show what scientists call “stereotypical behavior,” or repeated futile movements, like caged animals who pace back and forth. When they have become acquainted with two different habitats and find one preferable to the other, they will work hard to get to the living quarters they prefer.

Most people readily agree that we should avoid inflicting unnecessary suffering on animals. Summarizing the recent research on the mental lives of chickens and other farmed animals, Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Bristol University, in England, has said: “Our challenge is to teach others that every animal we intend to eat or use is a complex individual, and to adjust our farming culture accordingly.” We are about to see how far that farming culture would have to change to achieve this.

Almost all the chickens sold in supermarkets—known in the industry as “broilers”—are raised in very large sheds. A typical shed measures 490 feet long by 45 feet wide and will hold 30,000 or more chickens. The National Chicken Council, the trade association for the U.S. chicken industry, issues Animal Welfare Guidelines that indicate a stocking density of 96 square inches for a bird of average market weight—that’s about the size of a standard sheet of American 8.5-inch by 11-inch typing paper. When the chicks are small, they are not crowded, but as they near market weight, they cover the floor completely—at first glance, it seems as if the shed is carpeted in white. They are unable to move without pushing through other birds, unable to stretch their wings at will, or to get away from more dominant, aggressive birds.

If the producers gave the chickens more space they would gain more weight and be less likely to die, but it isn’t the productivity of each bird—let alone the bird’s welfare—that determines how they are kept. As one industry manual explains: “Limiting the floor space gives poorer results on a per bird basis, yet the question has always been and continues to be: What is the least amount of floor space necessary per bird to produce the greatest return on investment.”

The Cost to the Environment

In western Kentucky, the masthead of The Messenger, the local newspaper of Madisonville, carries the slogan “The Best Town on Earth.” But if you had been in the audience of a hearing at the Madisonville Technology Center on the evening of June 29, 2000, you would have had to wonder about that. The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet of the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection was listening to public comment on a proposed regulation for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, also known as factory farms. A long procession of citizens came up and made their views known. Here is a selection:

“Since Tyson took over the operation of the growing houses, there is a very offensive odor that at times has taken my breath. There has been a massive invasion of flies. It is hard to perform necessary maintenance on our property.”

“Uncovered hills of chicken waste attract hundreds of thousands of flies and mice… People, including school children, cannot enjoy a fresh morning’s air and can’t inhale without gagging or coughing due to the smell.

“My family lives next to chicken houses. We caught 80 mice in two days in our home. The smell is nauseating … My son and I got stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and we had a sore on our mouths that would not go away. We went to the doctor and my son had parasites in his intestines. Where are the children’s rights? Should families have to sacrifice a safe and healthy environment for the economic benefit of others?”

Western Kentucky is an example of a nationwide problem. In Warren County, in northern New Jersey, Michael Patrisko, who lives near an egg factory farm, told a local newspaper that the flies around his neighborhood are so bad, “You literally can look at a house and think it’s a different color.” Buckeye Egg Farm in Ohio was fined $366,000 for failing to handle its manure properly. Nearby residents had complained for years about rats, flies, foul odors, and polluted streams from the 14-million-hen complex. At the same time, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson was threatening to sue Arkansas poultry producers, including Tyson Foods, saying that waste from the companies’ operations is destroying Oklahoma lakes and streams, especially in the northeast corner of the state.

Tyson produces chicken cheaply because it passes many costs on to others. Some of the cost is paid by people who can’t enjoy being outside in their yard because of the flies and have to keep their windows shut because of the stench. Some is paid by kids who can’t swim in the local streams. Some is paid by those who have to buy bottled water because their drinking water is polluted. Some is paid by people who want to be able to enjoy a natural environment with all its beauty and rich biological diversity. These costs are, in the terms used by economists, “externalities” because the people who pay them are external to the transaction between the producer and the purchaser.

Consumers may choose to buy Tyson chicken, but those who bear the other, external costs of intensive chicken production do not choose to incur them. Short of moving house—which has its own substantial costs—there is often little they can do about it. Economists—even those who are loudest in extolling the virtues of the free market—agree that the existence of such externalities is a sign of market failure. In theory, to eliminate this market failure, Tyson should fully compensate everyone adversely affected by its pollution. Then its chicken would no longer be so cheap.




Animal vs. Plant Protein – What’s Better?

Starting a conversation about protein sources between a vegan and a meat eater is a lot like discussing politics or religion with a stranger. More often than not, it’s not going to end peacefully. However, there are many myths and inaccurate claims made on both sides of the fence with regards to protein intake and the best sources, and it’s time to clear it up.

Calorie Content

One of the first big debates with animal vs. plant protein is calorie content. Meat eaters will argue that you need to eat far more vegetables than you do meat in order to get a beneficial amount of protein. In fact, some will argue that you will basically starve trying to get enough protein while spending your entire day eating.

It’s true that vegetables have a lower caloric density than meat. Yes, you would have to consume more volume to equal the same amount of protein. But this may be a moot point. Unless you are training moderately to heavily, the protein content you require could easily be met by a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, a lower calorie vegetarian diet is easier on the digestive system than a diet with animal protein (largely due to meat being cooked).

If you train intensely, it will be more difficult to meet your caloric needs on plant protein alone. This is where meat can help pick up the slack and provide you with the extra calories you may require. For example, a 3oz serving of steak provides 174 calories and delivers 26 grams of complete protein. A 3oz serving of cooked quinoa provides 34 calories and delivers 3.5 grams of complete protein.

If you feel you require more calories with protein, for whatever reason, animal meat is definitely an easy option. And it is the only way many people are going to get enough protein. Due to the lack of produce and other whole foods in our diet, most people’s vegan protein comes from soy and other unhealthy ingredients in processed foods. Not only are these foods highly processed and toxic, the proteins are difficult for the body to assimilate and they cause a host of health issues.

Complete vs Incomplete

One of the most cited points in an animal vs. plant protein debate is the fact that animals provide a complete protein, whereas plants can’t do the same. This is an erroneous assumption for two reasons:

  • There are plant sources of protein that are complete (for example, chlorella, hemp seeds, bee pollen, chia seeds, and quinoa).
  • You can combine different plant proteins to make a complete protein in any given meal, like lentils and brown rice. The reality is that plant-based diets contain such a wide variety of amino acid profiles that vegans are virtually guaranteed to get all of their amino acids with very little effort.

There are logical and understandable reasons why animal protein may be more desirable to people, besides taste and convenience. While vegans argue that meat causes cancer and other serious health problems, health minded omnivores will state, and correctly so, that improper cooking methods and poor quality meat (factory farmed), are the causes of poor health issues.

Assimilation

One of the least talked about subjects when it comes to the animal vs. plant protein debate is assimilation. Very few people consider the fact that the amount of protein contained in the food source is rarely the amount of protein your body digests and properly assimilates.

For years, soy protein isolate has been used in protein powders and even baby formula to help increase protein intake. However, what many failed to consider is that conventional unfermented soy is a highly indigestible protein, and assimilation is a fraction of what is printed on the label. In addition, most soy is genetically modified, and unfermented soy enzymes inhibitors can cause serious hormone imbalances.

Generally speaking, good forms of plant protein will be more easily digested than good forms of animal protein. In fact, to better digest animal protein it should be paired with fresh non-starchy vegetables in order to provide the enzymes and probiotics required to break it down properly for optimal digestion.

Furthermore, typical cooking methods of animal protein ruin your ability to properly assimilate it. Today, we usually cook food quickly and at high heat by pan-frying, microwaving, deep-frying, and barbecuing. All of these methods form advanced glycated end products, which are difficult to metabolize, and the problem becomes considerably worse with added sugar (which is present in nearly all sauces that may be applied while cooking).

If you want to avoid these glycated end products to improve your assimilation and avoid negative immune system reactions, cook your food on low heat (up to 180F) with water whenever possible, and avoid adding sugar. Glycated end products, other free radicals, and broken damaged acids are all a result of cooking foods, and cooking faster and/or longer creates more of them. They are all toxic to the body.

Amount of Protein Required

 

Of course, a big factor in how much protein you actually need depends on your activity level. These numbers vary between “protein experts”. However, the following numbers can provide a guideline:

  • Sedentary – .8 grams per kg of body weight (160lbs is 72kg which is 57.6 g of protein required daily)
  • Endurance – 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72 kg, which is up to 100g of protein required daily)
  • Body builders – 1.4 to 2.0 (some say as much as 2.5) grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72kg, which is up to 130g of protein required daily)

With a fairly sedentary lifestyle (inactive to very light exercise like walking), you can very easily meet your protein requirements through a plant-based diet. An endurance athlete will need to know the higher and more efficient plant-based proteins to be able to do the same, and the body builder will have to consistently consume only the most nutrient and protein dense forms, many times a day, in order to meet the right quota.

In the case of body builders, it will likely be much easier to consume animal meat to get the amount of calories and protein they require, but they should be wary of proper combinations with non-starchy protein rich plant sources in order to actually absorb the high level of protein they take in.

However, there are vegan body builders winning competitions on plant-based protein alone, so those needs can be met.  If you seriously doubt the ability to build muscle mass on a plant protein based diet, I would ask you to consider where cattle and pigs get their protein to build muscle mass (hint: plant-based sources, not other animals).

Eating Protein

If you do choose to eat animal meat as your primary source of protein, choose those that are raised humanely and not injected with antibiotics, hormones, or steroids and are pasture fed or fed organically. Grass fed beef is a great example of a good source of animal protein.

Also consider how the meat is cooked. Beef and fish do not need to be completely cooked and therefore are much easier on the digestive system. Chicken and pork on the other hand, should be cooked completely, which makes the meat more acidic and much more difficult to digest, which compromises your protein assimilation. (We don’t recommend eating pork.)

When looking at good vegetarian and vegan protein sources, consider chlorella/spirulina, hemp, bee pollen, chia, and quinoa, which are all above 25% protein (quinoa, chia, bee pollen,) all the way up to between 40% and 70% (hemp and chlorella).

When preparing a plant-based protein, cook it gently or not at all. A properly made smoothie can easily yield more than 30 grams of protein in a highly digestible format. Combine this with a quinoa and vegetable dish and you have a protein rich meal.

In the end, you can meet your protein needs with either

Our ancient ancestors, in most parts of the world, ate far more plants than animal protein and certainly did not eat animal protein nearly as often as we do in modern times. We could learn a lot from them and limit the animal protein in our diet as we add in more high quality plant protein to increase the absorption and assimilation of our various protein sources.

If you do choose to ingest animal flesh, please buy meat that you know was treated as humanely as possible. These animal products are better for us, better for the environment, and of course better for them.

And if you decide you want to avoid animal sources altogether, you can certainly obtain the complete protein and calories you require through plant-based sources alone. If you have high protein requirements, it just may take a bit more planning and work in the beginning to ensure you meet your needs, depending on your activity levels.

Complete Vegan Sources of Protein

The following are plant-based foods that contain all of the essential amino acids that make up a complete source of protein.

  • Chlorella – 58-75% protein
  • Spirulina – 51-71% protein
  • Hempseed – 47% protein
  • Chia – 21% protein
  • Quinoa – 14% protein
  • Buckwheat – 13% protein
  • Amaranth – 13% protein
  • Soy – 81% protein (look for whole, organic and fermented soybean sources for proper digestion)

Bee pollen, while not vegan, is another plant-based complete protein that is 25% to 40% protein.

vegan

It’s nice to know what your complete sources of plant-based protein are, but with a little variety, it’s easy to get all the essential amino acids in your diet. Also, many traditional dishes offer all of the essential amino acids. For instance, brown rice and beans is a complete source of protein. Vegetables have such a wide variety of amino acids, it’s actually easy to just eat a few vegetables and get all of them. Further, you don’t need all of the essential amino acids in one meal, or even in one day, to build complete protein in your body.

Conclusion

If you’re considering reducing your animal consumption, or cutting it out completely (or you already have), know that there are plenty of choices out there. Being healthy is all about eating well, and eating well is all about whole foods.  Almost everyone could use more fresh, whole, raw and/or home cooked foods in their diet.

Also, the amount of meat we consume is not sustainable. We as a society cannot continue to eat as much meat  as we do unless we turn to lab created flesh or some other scientific answer, which will likely create a whole host of new health problems. But if we reduce our meat consumption drastically, grow some of our own food, start looking at how and where we can grow more food (such as rooftops and stacked gardens), and we buy from local and small scale farmers, not only can we feed everyone well with plenty of land left over, we can also dramatically reduce our impact on our environment (there is nothing more impactful that we could do), radically improve our health, and we could remove a lot of needless suffering, too.

Did we miss any complete protein sources for vegans? Let us know! And if you have any other tips on healthy protein intake, please tell us about them.