The flickering outline of a roaring tiger stares out from a black screen. The neon orange and pink pulsates, like a power line is fighting to fuel the light. "It's a glitch in the Matrix," says John Adamson of his new vegan cocktail concept Neon Tiger. "It doesn't adhere to the rules of the Matrix."

Adamson explains that his new restaurant will be set in the year 2048 when it opens at 654 King St. (formerly Juliet) in early spring. Less whimsy and more end times, this is the world Adamson believes we will have to grapple with if humans continue to kill, consume, and imprison animals.

The restaurant will be entirely plant-based, with locally sourced booze, no cans or bottles, and as little waste as possible. Prolific Toronoto-based activist and vegan chef Doug McNish serves as Neon Tiger's consultant.

"We have pretty grand plans," says Adamson. Neon Tiger will be a B Corp, an entity that functions as a business while also meeting standards for social responsibility and sustainability. "It's all about education, for me as an activist, you have to play to your strengths and my strength is creating and designing restaurant concepts."

Adamson has a been a vegan for two-and-a-half years. The day he decided to change his way of life, Adamson says he was ready to turn his restaurant, The Rarebit, into a vegan-only eatery. "There would be no greater statement for the movement," he says. But it wasn't practical, so the restaurateur decided to sell his popular King Street joint and put money toward a new venture. Serendipitously, Neon Tiger's landlord is also a vegan.

"Designing those spaces [Rarebit and The Americano] from my head, it's just what I enjoy. This one happens to be more important than any I've ever done."

Adamson is ready for keyboard warriors to attack his animal-free restaurant the outspoken activist is used to getting flack from meat eaters. "The funny thing, well it's not funny, but the interesting thing about veganism is you have so many people who want to fight you on it, but you are fighting for them. Animal liberation is human liberation."

He says his goal since becoming vegan was to "create a space for people to have a cruelty free meal." The response from fellow vegans in the hospitality industry has been great, says Adamson. Turns out there are plenty of front and back of house workers who desire an animal-free work place, but haven't been able to pursue this goal and still keep a roof over their heads.

If you don't buy into the whole "veganism will save the world" thing, that's OK says Adamson. "You only need about 10 or 15 percent of the population think about any movement in history. We're just racing for that 10 percent."

According to a Forbes analysis in 2018 based on a Science mag report, "Since livestock production is the single largest contributor of emissions around the globe (more than planes, trains and cars combined), removing it from out food system could allow the planet to regenerate. Raising animals for food is also the largest contributor to wildlife extinction around the world."

Whether you're a vegan, on the fence, or an adamant consumer of animal products, Adamson hopes you'll check out Neon Tiger. It will be open nightly until 2 a.m. with a "sexy, lounge-y feel" that also happens to be mid apocalypse themed.

"The idea is in 2048 the only tiger youll have will be representations of these animals. It also brings that human element it's like a slight to humanity of course we'd only be left with neon ... It's a responsibility we had that we completely neglected and failed."

Here is the original post:
Neon Tiger, a vegan cocktail bar set in the year 2048, is coming to King Street this spring - Charleston City Paper

In case you hadnt noticed, theres been a lot of discussion in recent times about veganism, its nutritional benefits and environmental advantages. In this Netflix documentary, several world-famous athletes and bodybuilders have their say

See below for everything you need to know about Netflixs The Game Changers

The documentary follows British UFC fighter James Wilks as he travels around the world to discover the optimal diet for human performance, particularly looking into the benefits of a plant-based diet. Along the way, he interviews scientists, special ops soldiers, action stars and some of the biggest names in sport.

The Game Changers makes some pretty big claims, suggesting that a plant-based diet is actually better for improving performance and strength than eating meat.

Its not one set of dietary guidelines for improving your performance as an athlete, another one for reversing heart disease, reversing diabetes, said Dr Dean Ornish.Its the same for all of them.

The documentary also shows several burly world-class athletes who have achieved astonishing feats which they attribute to a plant-based diet.

When I made the switch to a plant-based diet, I qualified for my third Olympic team, I broke two American records, said weightlifter Kendrick Farris.I was like man, I should have done this a long while ago!

During the film, Wilks discovers that the Roman gladiators were mostly vegetarian, and after taking part in a seven-day vegan challenge New York firefighters find they had apparently reduced cholesterol and blood pressure.

It has also hit the headlines recently as the documentary allegedly convinced the CEO of Greggs to turn vegan, surely guaranteeing that vegan sausage rolls are here to stay (sorry Piers Morgan).

The documentary is available to watch now on Netflix. You can also watch The Game Changers on Amazon.

Appropriately for a documentary about strength, the film features several heavyweight action stars and athletes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic and James Cameron all feature to discuss the ideal diet for peak human strength and performance.

The Game Changes is on Netflix now.

Excerpt from:
What is The Game Changers about? Why everyone is talking about the vegan documentary - RadioTimes

A vegan lifestyle has a reputation for being expensive, but thanks to Joybirds research, the cost of following a vegan diet doesn't have to break the bank.

The Cost of a Vegan Diet vs a Non-Vegan Diet

Health and wellness are often the first things that come to mind when you hear the word resolution, especially this time of year. The Joybird team spent time exploring some of the most popular trends in diet and exercise, including the potential benefits of a vegan diet, in which a person does not consume any animal products (a.k.a. No dairy, eggs, meat, etc.). However, veganism has a reputation for being expensive, and people are often discouraged by the potential price before they even give it a shot. So, Joybird shares their exploration of how much more expensive a vegan diet is versus a non-vegan diet.

The Research

The Joybird team collected prices from local online groceries in every state to find the average cost of 10 common food items that appear on weekly grocery lists outside of produce, along with their vegan substitutes. They compared the total average cost for the 10 non-vegan and comparable vegan items to calculate the cost difference between the two grocery lists in each state. They even included items that would need a substitute, so produce wasnt included in the study.

The non-vegan items in the study include Greek yogurt, ground beef patties, shredded mozzarella cheese, ice cream, spreadable butter, chicken nuggets, coffee creamer, turkey slices, whole milk, and Italian sausage. The vegan items include dairy-free yogurt, meat-free burger patties, dairy-free shredded mozzarella cheese, non-dairy ice cream, buttery spread, meat-free chicken nuggets, almond milk coffee creamer, veggie turkey slices, almond milk, and tofurkey Italian sausage.

The prices come from Walmart groceries in up to 10 zip codes in each state, in both urban and rural areas in each state. The numbers reflect prices only, taken from the retailers, and do not include any additional taxes or fees that may be incurred. Pricing data was, unfortunately, unavailable for Hawaii.

What They Found

The national average difference between the vegan and non-vegan food items came in at $12.02. 22 states difference fell above the national average, with the rest falling below.

The state with the largest cost difference between the vegan and non-vegan items is Alaska with an average difference of $14.84. The next four states with the largest difference in cost are Arkansas ($14.53), Arizona ($14.31), Michigan ($13.57), and Wyoming ($13.23).

The state with the smallest cost difference between the vegan and non-vegan items is Louisiana with an average difference of $9.82. The next four states with the smallest difference in cost are Massachusetts ($10.52), Nevada ($10.60), New Hampshire ($10.66), and California ($10.68). It was most surprising to see a state like California in the bottom 5 since theyre often known for higher than average prices, but its likely that they have a larger vegan population, so they need to cater to that accordingly.

The Joybird team also compared the average cost difference in each U.S. region. The Northeast has the smallest difference in price in vegan and non-vegan items with an average of $11.41. The Midwest and the West tied for the most expensive, with a difference of $12.26, which is still only slightly higher than the national average.

You can see the details of how your states average costs for non-vegan and vegan food items compare to the rest of the country in the chart below.

Conclusion

Overall, there ended up being no great difference in cost between the non-vegan and vegan food items, showing you dont have to break the bank to adopt a healthier eating plan!

Whether you choose to try out a vegan or vegetarian diet in the New Year or opt for a meat-friendly meal plan instead, your food choices should be a reflection of who you are and what you believe in.

Thank you @Joybird for contributing this article! Find the source here: https://joybird.com/blog/cost-to-be-a-vegan/

Read more:
How Much Does it Really Cost to Be a Vegan? - VEGWORLD Magazine

When asked by interviewer Dan Walker if he would be taking part, he said: No, Im not, no Im not. I had thought of it but it requires so much concentration.

While Johnson tipped his hat off to vegans who can handle it, who can manage to avoid non-vegan products, he added that eating vegan was a crime against cheese lovers.

Walker asked the prime minister whether it was because he would miss bacon sandwiches, to which he replied: The whole lot.

I mean, you cant eat cheese, can you, if youre a vegan? Johnson asked.

The Prime Ministers comments have caused a stir on social media with one user saying: Boris Johnson says he considered going vegan for January but decided against it because it requires so much concentration. (Just a reminder that hes the Prime Minister!).

Johnson has also been mocked for his pronunciation of the word vegan, which he sometimes said as vee-gan, that saw users flock online to share their thoughts.

One user said: The way Boris Johnson says Vegan makes me giggle. Vee-gan like an alien species, whilst another agreed adding: Whats a Vee Gan @BorisJohnson? The vegan part of Veganuarys portmanteau isnt pronounced like that!

The Vee Gan race were at space war with the Klingons deep in the fifth star quadrant.

Veganuary has hit back at his statements to say that vegans can definitely still enjoy cheese, with plenty of vegan options available on the market today.

The idea that trying vegan means depriving yourself of cheesy foods is outdated and untrue, refutes Toni Vernelli, Veganuarys International Head of Communications.

Vegan-friendly cheeses are available in every grocery store and you can now even upgrade to vegan cheese at Papa Johns and Pizza Hut. There are really no more excuses.

See the original post here:
Boris Johnson says veganism is a crime against cheese-lovers - Vegan Food and Living

Its 2020. We all know the world is melting and we need to do everything we can to help the environment. I already walk everywhere, try to grow my own vegetables, eat seasonally, shop local, try to have zero food waste, have a worm farm, compost, host a beehive, bring my own bag and refuse to use takeaway cups, but for some reason I never switched to a plant-based diet.

I know that it is the easiest thing you can do to stop putting stress on the world from an agricultural and an ethical standpoint with an obvious side effect of overall carbon emission reduction.

But it is hard. For me, it is hard because I write about food for a living. I write about restaurants and bars and aside from the obvious need to eat butter, cheese, meat and other non-plant-based things while reviewing, alcohol isnt plant-based either. You know the reason why your Campari is red? Beetle shells. That wine youre drinking? Its been fined and filtered with eggshells and fish products. And though some people might, a food critic cannot subsist on vodka and unfined, unfiltered wine alone.

But thats no excuse. There are 21 meals in one week and for me only three are reviews. I also know the contents of my fridge (butter, eggs, stock, yoghurt, congee) and I need to be realistic about how drastically I can change my diet. So three months ago I decided that for three days a week nine meals I would eat vegan.

I thought that just because I dont drink milk or eat meat at every meal, I was pretty good already. I was wrong. I am that asshole who does all her meal prep at the weekend so I have at least five days of breakfasts, lunches and bases in the fridge. I had no idea how heavily I relied on eggs for breakfast, how much butter I consumed and how much I relied on stock-based meals until I stopped cooking them.

Since the environment was my primary motivation for adopting a partial vegan diet, I set myself some rules.

1. No processed foods. This meant no fake cheese, spreads, mock meat or any of that factory-made food that requires a lot of energy to produce. The most processed food I allowed myself was tofu.

2 No grains that have been unethically sourced. Im looking at you quinoa. When we went through the big quinoa boom, production ravaged Bolivia. Also food miles. The only quinoa Id be eating had to be locally grown. Cheap? No, but what is the cost of starving a nation?

3. No alt-milks. I dont drink milk but I have some huge problems with industries that take a product that requires tonnes of water to produce, milk it, and then ditch the actual product at the end, creating a food waste. The boom of this category is also a huge bee killer, and no bees mean no food, means no life.

4. No produce out of season. I eat like this already because its better for the environment, not just in terms of farming, but it also reduces my carbon footprint. Its a no-brainer and generally cheaper because there is always a surplus of in-season produce.

Thankfully meal-prepping legume-based dishes like soups, curries and salads takes no time, and any excuse to incorporate more colour and variety of vegetables into my diet is a good thing.

I found myself getting out of my go-to prep or clean-out-the-fridge dishes and making foods I never would have otherwise attempted at home, like dosa (for you sandwich press chefs out there, the batter also cooks very well in a toastie machine and doesnt stink out the office) and finding more creative ways to eat whole grains, tofu and legumes.

Surprisingly, as I cut animal products out of my diet, I found that I wanted them less and less. My three days of plant-based eating slowly became four, then five, and then I found myself eating like a regular person only when I went out with friends or for work.

From an athletic perspective, despite training intensely six days a week, my energy levels and strength did not change. As for my weekly food spend, my grocery bill was halved although if I bought packaged, processed foodsthat wouldnt be the case.

As for the negatives, there are only a few and they barely qualify as negatives. One is a personal preference: I am not a fan of tempeh. No matter how you marinate it, fry it or deep fry it, we will never be friends.

The second negative is that nothing will prepare you for the wind. Im talking about your own, your partners and the fact that you will be holding in a lot of gas so you arent ostracised from society. After a week or two of adjusting, your body gets used to all the starches fermenting in your guts, but you need to hang in there and cross that threshold.

And finally, even though you havent told them youve switched to eating a mostly plant-based diet, people will have very long-winded opinions about it, and they will feel it is imperative that you listen. How very tiresome.

As for the experiment, it has now become a lifestyle choice where most of my meals are vegan. There is nothing unhealthy or destructive about eating more whole-food, plant-based meals. After all, as the sociocultural writer Michael Pollan says: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And whether it is for the sake of the planet or your own body, he is right.

Continue reading here:
Part-time veganism: the fewer animal products I ate, the less I wanted them - The Guardian

New Haven, and Jovan Bloise, student ambassador for Sodexo at The University of New Haven. They are part of a trend of college campuses going vegan.

Sodexo

Like a lot of her classmates, Kirsten Gersbeck prefers a plant-based diet. But until recently, the sophomore at the University of New Haven had few vegan options on campus.

For me, I see it as a healthy food option so when its available, I choose to eat it, says Gersbeck, a criminal justice major.

But then Jovan Bloise, a liaison between the students and the universitys food service provider, Sodexo, got involved and helped persuade the college to go vegan.

I was hearing that we didnt have a lot of options for people who follow a vegan diet, he said. Students said they felt like an afterthought and not a main priority.

The University of New Haven is at the vanguard of a national trend. The latest PETA Vegan Report Card, which grades schools on plant-based dining options, found the number of vegan-friendly college campuses is at an all-time high. The number of schools that earned an A or B grade peaked at 709, compared to just 189 when the report card debuted in 2013, according to the organization.

Standouts on PETAs Deans List include MIT, the University of Florida, and the University of Colorado Denver. The animal rights organization lauded those colleges for offering diverse entrees such as vegan ravioli, mac and cheese, and waffles.

The increasing trend in plant-based foods can be seen in restaurants and food markets across the country, says Sara Patton, a clinical dietician at the Deborah Heart and Lung Center. Some of the biggest drivers for this trend include health, environmental and ethical concerns. Plant-based diets have been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity.

College students have their own reasons for adopting a vegan diet, from health concerns to recent news about the benefits of a plant-based diet. Sodexo and the University of New Haven, for example, conducted a comprehensive review of their menu before adding more plant-based food choices. But there are challenges and rewards ahead.

New Haven. Colleges are going vegan and the campus is part of a national trend.

Sodexo

Why college students are going vegan

Veganism is on the rise in the general population. The number of American consumers identifying as vegan grew from 1% to 6% between 2014 and 2017, according to GlobalData. Thats a 600% increase. A quarter of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 say they are vegans or vegetarians according to The Economist, which declared 2019 the year of the vegan.

Theres an unprecedented level of awareness around both the ethical and environmental implications of our dietary choices, says Esther Ardagh-Ptolomey, founder of Kindred Traveller, a business specializing in vegan and ethical travel.

Recent documentaries such as Game Changers, have also changed perceptions of the plant-based diet, particularly among college students.

Theyve challenged the stereotype of vegans as hemp wearing, tree-hugging hippies, instead representing the wide demographic veganism encompasses, she adds.

campus is one of hundreds in the United States that are going vegan.

Sodexo

How Sodexo helped one college go vegan

Bloise approached Sodexo about redoing its menu. It already offered vegan lunch options for one of its cafeteria stations. The choices, which rotate daily, rotate daily, range from Indian-style curries and Asian stir-frys to Mexican and Caribbean style dishes. Students could choose from a selection of plant-based meat alternatives, including seitan crumbles, tofu, beans, and legumes.

But going vegan at the university meant a full rethink of the menus. It started with breakfast, where Bloise asked Sodexo to offer omelettes made with an egg substitute.

We also added vegan bacon and sausages so vegans could have a hot, old fashioned breakfast, he says.

Sodexo also added vegan mayo and vegan cheeses to its lunch lineup, allowing students to make fully vegan sandwiches. Vegan cookie dough found its way on the dessert menu. And, of course, there were vegan chicken nuggets.

The vegans were really pleased with our changes, says Bloise, who became a vegan himself during the project . They thanked us for going above and beyond to make sure they felt heard and attended to like everyone else.

Gersbeck noticed the changes immediately. The vegan chicken nuggets were a standout.

They are definitely a fan favorite. Even people who arent vegan like them, she said.

colleges are going vegan in response to demand by students.

Getty

Students see a positive impact of a plant-based diet

Gersbeck is in good company. Bree Sheree became a vegan two years ago while she was a college student. Shed been inspired by documentaries like What the Health and Forks Over Knives, and she saw veganism as a way to improve her health. But at college, the only options for her were the salad bar an easy but boring choice with little protein.

I ended up feeling better and was able to drop 10 pounds in 3 months, she recalls. It was difficult to adjust to new foods at first, but over time my taste buds adjusted and I cant see myself ever going back to eating animal products.

Sheree also started a food blog called Brees Vegan Life, which publishes plant-based recipes.

I now see the positive impact being vegan can make on the environment, and I also consider the lives of animals. I realized that I can eat everything I want and need without causing harm to any sentient beings, she adds.

Its not as easy as it looks

At some schools, keeping a strict plant-based diet can be difficult, if not impossible. Many colleges still have traditional animal-based food offerings. And high schools are practically vegan food deserts.

At least thats the impression of Laurice Wardini, a 21-year-old writer who has been a vegan for the last three years. Shed wanted to become a vegan at 16, but found it difficult because she was surrounded by omnivores.

Her college offered few choices, she adds.

There werent many options at all, she says. It was even worse when I had tried to go vegan in high school. I absolutely think there needs to be more vegetarian and vegan options in schools.

going vegan good for customer service?

Getty

Vegan food is good customer service and more

It turns out that adding more plant-based meals makes sense at least from a customer service perspective. A recent Nielsen study found that 39% of Americans are actively trying to eat more plant-based foods. But theyre not going for traditional plant-based options like tofu or rice. Innovation is booming in the plant-based food space, with an array of alternatives. (Did you catch the vegan pork announcement at CES this week?)

And you cant just cart in a tray of brown rice. It has to be carefully planned and implemented. A lot like what happened at the University of New Haven.

Bloise, the culinary liaison, says he didnt realize the significance of creating more vegan food choices until the University of New Haven recognized his efforts. But the best part about his college going vegan was the reaction from students, he says.

They would stop me in the halls to thank me, he says. They said Id showed them things that they never knew about being vegan.

Serving your customers plant-based foods may have other benefits beyond happier customers. If a vegan diet improves their health, then theyll be there for you in the future. And for companies and colleges that could leave a lasting legacy.

Read the rest here:
This Is The Real Reason Colleges Are Going Vegan - Forbes

Source: svetikd / Getty

I was a vegan for three years and some change. I read this book about how our bodies were not made to consume any animal productsabout how dairy was causing me to be constipated and causing mucus buildup, eggs were something my body literally rejected, and meat rotted inside of our intestinesand I was hooked on veganism. I also didnt mind the drastic weight loss I experienced when I first became a vegan (it was really just because I didnt know what to eat, so my refrigerator wasnt stocked enough). I thought Id be a vegan for life. I was certain there was no going back for me.

Today, Im a full dairy-eating, meat-consuming, egg-gobbling individual. Veganism, it turned out, almost killed me. Im sorry if thats hard for some people to hear, but it did. I confirmed this was my physician. A vegan diet was so lacking in important nutrients, that my blood tests came back nearly toxic. That explained the insane headaches, muscle pains, fatigue, and depression Id been experiencing.

I understand veganism has its merits. Im not blind to the ethical and health reasons behind it. I mean hi, hello, I was a vegan for three years. I did see the light on many of the reasons people stop eating animal products. It was not easy for me to just flip a switch and stop being a vegan. I put a lot of thought into it, and I had to ease my body back into animal products slowly. But I did ultimately decide, without a doubt, that it was the right choice for me. I think everyone should be able to decide whats best for their body. We seem to accept that surrounding things like birth control and abortion, so why not diet? Heres why I stopped being a vegan, and how it saved my life.

Source: mixetto / Getty

B12, zinc, proteinthese are all nutrients that can be hard to get on a vegan diet. B12 exclusively exists in animal productsat least in a natural way. You can buy vegan products fortified with the stuff, but even then, they wouldnt have naturally contained it. It had to be added. Zinc is another food thats tough to find in plant-based foods. It exists in them, but you must eat massive quantities of the stuff to get enough zinc.

Source: Moyo Studio / Getty

Migraines. Depression. Bruising easily. Three to four colds a year. Fatigue (sleeping 14 hours a day, and still tired). Being low on these important nutrients destroyed my body. I had blood work done, and my doctor told me that had my B12 levels dropped any lower, I would have had to be hospitalized. My blood was nearly toxic. P.S. if youre wondering if youre low on B12, there are signs.

Source: Towfiqu Photography / Getty

You may say, So, just take supplements. Supplements are a great thingno doubt. But I did get to thinking: shouldnt my diet provide me with the supplements that I need? If the foods I am choosing leave me so deficient in vitamins that, if I dont take the artificial stuff (aka supplements) Ill die, perhaps thats a sign that that diet isnt meant for my body.

Source: Granger Wootz / Getty

I know what some may say here: that a diet full of animal products can still leave a body slightly deficient in nutrients, and even non-vegans need to take some vitamins. Yupthats absolutely true. But the nutrient deficiency caused by a meat-eating diet is minimal. The consequences of not taking vitamins, while eating meat products, are puny compared to the consequences of not taking vitamins on a vegan diet.

Source: mixetto / Getty

Its right in the name: supplements. That means that they should give your nutrient profile a little boost, but they shouldnt be your entire nutrient profile. Your food should do most of that work. Lets put it this way: vitamins are to an omnivore diet as the cherry on top is to a cake. On a vegan diet, the supplements are the whole cake and youre screwed without them.

Source: Moyo Studio / Getty

I didnt want to rely on vitamins and supplements in order to just function. I did try staying a vegan and taking supplements, and the supplements helped a lot! They really did. But if I forgot to take my B12 for three days, migraines and fatigue would come back. If I forgot to take my zinc for a few weeks, Id get a cold. I didnt like being so reliant on something (supplements) created in a lab. What would happen if I went on a multi-week trip and didnt have access to a place to buy said supplements?

Source: LauriPatterson / Getty

Look, this isnt a pretty thought. Its not. I understand that. But heres the thing about me not eating animals, so the animals can live: I was dying. My body was falling apart so that I could theoretically save animals. If you really want to get macro about it and analyze it to death, if I had to choose between saving the life of a human and a chicken, Id choose the human. Humans do things like cure cancer and develop solar energy products.

Source: Moyo Studio / Getty

Heres another thought that may not be appealing but is true. As humans, we are cursed with consciousness and empathy. When we kill animals for food, we feel bad about it, so many of us dont want to do it. But umdo you think that animals in the wild give a sh*t what their prey feels when they hunt them for food?

Source: skynesher / Getty

Do you think a lion sees a goat and says to his lion friend, Leave him alone. Hes a living being. We shouldnt hurt him. Im just saying: the food chain is one of the oldest systems in the history of life. We as humans are just cursed with empathy, so we struggle with the concept. But just because we, people, stop eating other living things doesnt mean that we in any way will stop the fact that out there, in the wild, animals eat each other all of the time.

Source: Karen M. Romanko / Getty

You know how humans actually do get the whole food chain thing right? When we push for humanely-raised livestock and fish. Death is inevitable, but at least, in these circumstances, we ensure the life was good. And we also make sure the death was peaceful and humane.

Source: skynesher / Getty

Do you think a lion who rips his prey to shreds in the wild concerns himself with the peaceful and humane death of his meal? Absolutely not. At least when I buy humane animal products, I gain some control over the controllableaka the quality of life of the animalwhile understanding that the food chain is something I cant stop.

Source: raquel arocena torres / Getty

Hello there you pet-owning vegans. Yes, Im talking to you. What do you feed your pet? Is your German Shepherd eating kale and chickpeas? What about your cat? Is she happy to eat pureed carrots all day? The insane hypocrisy of it all is that many vegans do, without realizing it, acknowledge that the food chain is essential because they feed their pets animal products.

Source: Lucia Romero Herranz / EyeEm / Getty

I understand there are pet owners who keep their pets on a vegan diet. But if youre one such pet owner, then you know that that diet has to be so precariously and specifically prepared, and typically is most safely prepared by a professional, rather than yourself, if you dont want to put your pets health at a huge risk. And thats because, once again, pets arent really meant to be vegan. If the tiniest mistake in this direction or that direction in a vegan diet could mean fatal consequences for Fido, its because hes not supposed to be a vegan.

Source: miodrag ignjatovic / Getty

When I was a vegan, I dropped from a healthy 122 pounds to a terrifying 108 pounds. It happened in a matter of six weeks or so. If youre going to eat healthy vegan foodaka dont just pound tofu and fake cheeseyou need to eat massive amounts of food. Eating a truly balanced vegan diet required immense quantities of food. Its like all I did was eat all day, and I could still barely keep weight on.

Source: miodrag ignjatovic / Getty

I cannot surround my life around eating. As a vegan, I had to. I had to pack all of these carefully prepared snacks to bring everywhere. It ruled my life. I need a meal that is so densely and overwhelmingly packed with nutrients and calories that I can just eat a few times a day and move on with my life. You know how they say veganism is a lifestyle? Yeah, its more like your whole damn life because preparing the food takes so much time that you have to give up on other pursuits.

View post:
I Quit Veganism And It Saved My Life - MadameNoire

Hundreds of restaurants have launched tasty plant-based treats in conjunction with Veganuary, a campaign encouraging people to follow a vegan diet for the first month of the year. From pea protein pepperoni to watermelon steak, will any new products rival Greggs's vegan sausage roll success from last year?

Late at night on New Year's Day, dozens of people queued up outside the Greggs on Grainger Street in Newcastle to be among the first foodies to taste the new vegan steak bake before it was first available to buy on 2 January.

Food blogger Emma Phillips had been invited to the event by Greggs as a peace offering after she ate a non-vegan doughnut that had been mistakenly labelled as vegan.

The 40-year-old from Gateshead said the launch became "quite an experience" after various partygoers joined the queue to see what all the fuss was about.

"Bearing in mind it was New Year's Day, the Greggs in particular that they chose was on the corner beside quite a notorious area of Newcastle for revellers, shall we say - so a lot of quite inebriated people were walking past," Emma said.

After a bit of "ribbing" from non-vegan passersby, "they started to join the queue as well".

Inside, people were rewarded for their wait with trays of steak bakes, a DJ, and some iPads were even given away, Emma said.

It might seem like a lot of hype for just one product.

But Greggs knows how much one star snack can bolster an entire brand.

After Piers Morgan criticised the vegan sausage roll when it launched during the 2019 edition of Veganuary, Greggs's marketing team jumped for joy.

The ITV presenter's characteristically scathing retweet, followed by Greggs's witty reply, helped a video clip advertising the roll to accumulate a cool 5.3m views - and led to widespread media coverage.

The roll became one of the fastest selling Greggs products for years and helped to contribute to what was described as a "phenomenal year" by the company's chief executive.

Annual sales broke 1bn for the first time, with sales growing 13.5% compared to 7.2% in 2018 - and it was announced on Wednesday that all 25,000 staff members would get a share of a 7m payout to celebrate the success.

So, it's safe to say that food chains have realised there is money to be made out of Veganuary.

Food outlets jumping on the bandwagon include Wagamama, which has launched a "tuna" steak made of watermelon, Subway with its Meatless Meatball Marinara and Costa Coffee with its ham and cheese toastie - free from ham and, er, cheese.

Caffe Nero has launched an entire new menu to help people get through the 31-day challenge - complete with raspberry croissants and "meatball" paninis.

Pizza Hut, meanwhile, says it hopes its Veganuary special, a pepperoni-style pizza made from pea protein, will "appease" - oh dear - " even the greatest meat lovers".

So far this year the pizza chain says it has sold an average of 1,400 vegan pizzas a day - up 50% on January last year.

And Leon says its new chipotle and avocado burger has sold better than expected. The fast food chain's vegan burgers are now out-selling other burgers.

Dominos has confirmed rumours it is "getting there" with developing a vegan pizza - but it looks like it is going to miss the chance to make the most of the Veganuary hype.

Alison Rabschnuk from the Good Food Institute says the timing of Veganuary is "perfect" for businesses.

"Health concerns are the primary consumer motivation for eating vegan and January is the number one month for new health-related resolutions," she says.

But she also points out that not all vegan food has to be healthy - and new foods might actually sell better if they are marketed as an indulgent treat.

"Scream flavour and whisper health" is Alison's advice. "The fact that a dish is plant-based is what cues health for the customer - there's no need to overemphasise that point."

Veganuary launched in 2014 as a non-profit organisation encouraging people to try out being vegan in the first month of the year by signing the Veganuary pledge.

It also supports businesses to develop plant-based products "as a way of protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering and improving the health of millions of people".

The campaign claims 200 new vegan products were launched by restaurants and supermarkets at last year's event, when 250,000 people made the pledge.

This year is even bigger.

The number of sign-ups has already surpassed 370,000 (including 150,000 in the UK) and is "steadily rising", according to Veganuary's head of marketing, Toni Vernelli - who adds the "huge response" shows the "positive action" of the campaign is "exactly what many people need right now".

Google Trends also suggests there's much more interest in Veganuary this year.

Search term popularity in January each year

While making money from vegan foods at this time of year should therefore be easy, some food outlets have faced barriers.

Burger King cooked up a storm with its January roll-out of the Rebel Whopper which, although made of a plant-based patty, is not strictly suitable for vegans or vegetarians because it is cooked alongside meat products.

But the Veganuary team has defended the new burger and warned non-vegan customers not to get too picky.

It argues animals are better off with non-vegans eating plant-based burgers, even if they're cooked alongside their meaty counterparts.

PETA has also urged vegans to accept this kind of practice because otherwise restaurants will be put off making vegan products.

The risk of cross-contamination posed by the Rebel Whopper is one of several issues fast food chains encounter when rolling out vegan products.

Another problem for full-time vegans is whether or not to buy food from restaurants which make most of their fortune from meat.

Vegan social influencer Emily Woolnough has been grappling with this question for a while.

When KFC trialled a vegan burger last year, the 20-year-old from Cleethorpes refused to eat it.

"I was against buying something from KFC because they kill millions of chickens [and] I don't want my money to be going into that," she said.

But by the time the zero chicken burger launched across the UK on 2 January, Emily had listened to other influencers and had a change of heart.

"It's good to increase the demand for vegan food," she says - adding that the "amazing" KFC burger is her favourite Veganuary product because "it tastes so realistic".

Emma Phillips agrees it's the multinational big cheeses who will really be able to drive veganism to become mainstream.

"They're not bothered about the animals but I don't care," she says. "No business is there in an altruistic sense. For me, if veganism is to become mainstream... it has to be convenient, it has to be accessible. So the likes of Greggs and KFC are actually pushing that agenda in the way a niche movement wouldn't do."

Toni Vernelli, head of communications at Veganuary, agrees with the bloggers about sometimes-demonised business such as KFC, McDonald's and Burger King. "We don't think we can achieve a vegan world without them," she says.

She points out the huge advertising budgets and overflowing budgets enjoyed by these companies and says, with increased demand, industry giants might invest in growing their vegan menus.

While they may not want to be too closely aligned with a store that sells 1.5m pork sausage rolls every week, Emma and Emily do have one thing in common with Greggs - they're all profiting from Veganuary.

Emma says she got 1,000 new followers in the first week of January.

And part-time Starbucks worker Emily, whose @naturally_vegan Instagram page is smaller than Emma's @veganwomble account, has still had about twice the number of new followers in the first week of January compared with her weekly average.

"Posting the new foods gains a lot of attraction," Emily says.

"It's the hot topic at the minute, it's what everyone's talking about."

Read the original here:
Veganuary: Do this year's dishes rival the Greggs vegan sausage roll? - BBC News

Beyond Burger is a plant-based alternative to meat for those looking to go vegan or reduce their animal product intake. Tribune News Service Buy Photos

Vegan diets, which exclude the consumption of animal products in favor of plant-based foods,have become a powerful market force in the United States. Its never been easier for vegans to abstain from meat, eggs and dairy. Maybe you should join them.

The Economist predicted that 2019 would be the year of the vegan, and the prediction panned out well. According to market data from Nielsen, plant-based food sales have grown at more than five times the rate of overall food sales. Milk alternatives, such as almond milk and oat milk, comprised the largest category of sales.

Meanwhile, cow's milk is out. Dean Milk and Borden, two of the countrys largest milk producers, have filed for bankruptcy since November. The companies attributed their financial ruin to plummeting sales of traditional white milk. Americans per capita consumption of fluid milk has fallen 26% over the last two decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The plant-based food industry owes some of its runaway success to two companies that sell mock meat: Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. Their lab-produced foods use specially chosen plant ingredients, which mimic the taste and appearance of real meat. Restaurant companies such as Burger King, Qdoba, White Castle and Dunkin have all signed deals with Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods. This week, Impossible Foods announced the upcoming release of a pig-free pork.

However, there's no vegan utopia yet. USDA data showed that overall dairy consumption in pounds per person remained unchanged between 2015 and 2018, owing its resilience to cheese consumption. Similar patterns hold for eggs.

While veganism has become mainstream, it is not necessarily popular. As few as 3% of Americans identify as vegan, according to Gallup. One poll commissioned by HuffPost suggests that more voters would be reluctant to vote for a vegan than would be excited to vote for one.

The rise of vegan food highlights the trend of reducing rather than totally eliminating animal-based foods. A survey from Harris Poll found that as many as 1 in 5 Americans sometimes opt to eat out totally animal-free.

The pattern also reflects a generational divide. Impossible Foods data indicated that more than half of Generation Z and millennials eat plant-based meat at least once per month, compared to just 1 in 5 baby boomers.

Vegans cite numerous reasons for their dietary choices.

One motivation is the environment. A study published in the journal Science identifies greenhouse gas emissions, global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water scarcity as factors that make livestock consumption environmentally unfriendly. Oxford University researcher Joseph Poore, who led the study, concluded, A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth.

Another study estimates that eating vegan for just two-thirds of meals could reduce food-related carbon emissions by 60%.

Animal welfare is a second reason. Peter Singer, a Princeton University professor of philosophy who presented a lecture on animal ethics at IU in 2018, wrote, industrial agriculture denies animals even a minimally decent life.

Citing small cages, disease and chemical poisoning associated with production of food from fish and birds, Singer and animal welfare activist Karen Dawn argue that there is a moral imperative to abstain from fish, eggs and poultry.

While the National Institute of Health emphasizes that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, consumption of fake meat isnt necessarily healthier.

Emily Gelsomin, a senior clinical nutrition specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains, Meatless burgers are good for the planet, but not always good for our health. Patties from Impossible Foods and Beyond Meats are heavily processed and include higher amounts of sodium and saturated fat than typical beef burgers, Gelsomin said.

This type of diet change, the serious reduction of meats and dairies, is feasible for almost anyone with typical dietary needs in Bloomington. Vegan options in Bloomington are numerous. Its easy to buy from Bloomingfoods, Rainbow Bakery and more. Meatless burgers, including Beyond Meats famous patty, are widely available at supermarkets like Kroger. IU even offers on-campus options, too.

Veganism is here to stay in the 2020s. Next time you eat out, maybe hold the cheese.

Like what you're reading? Support independent, award-winning college journalism on this site. Donate here.

Americans may be watching "Saturday Night Live" more closely than the actual race.

The fires in Australia are a glimpse of what the future would look like with climate catastrophe.

LinkedIn should encourage individuality by being more user-friendly.

Read the original here:
OPINION: Welcome to the 2020s. Veganism is in. - Indiana Daily Student

A survey of British men and women found widescale support for veganism, most viewing a completely plant-based diet as more ethical, better for the environment, and healthy. However, despite the overwhelmingly positive attitude, the same people also found veganism very challenging and inconvenient. The main barriers that kept them away from forgoing meat and dairy products dealt with taste, price, and convenience.

The analysis was published this week in the journal Sustainability by a team of researchers at the University of Bath in the UK.

Researchers surveyed 1,000 participants who were recruited online through Prolific, a surveying platform, about their beliefs about vegetarianism and vegan diets. All the participants were meat-eaters with an average age of 34.

According to the results, 73% of the surveyed participants thought veganism is ethical, 70% considered it was good for the environment, 60% found it socially acceptable, while 50% said it was healthy.

At a time of year when many people are considering switching to plant-based diets with Veganuary, this study shows that most people already agree with the ethics of veganism and are aware of the benefits of vegan diets to the environment, Chris Bryant, lead author of the new study and a psychologist at the University of Bath, said in a statement.

If thats the case, why are they still eating meat? On follow-up, 80% of respondents said that they did not think transitioning was easy, 77% said it was inconvenient, and 60% thought it was not enjoyable. Perceptions of vegan diets were significantly more negative than perceptions of vegetarian diets on most aspects.

That many people agree with the principles of veganism is one thing, but in terms of changing behaviours we need to acknowledge that for many it has been seen as too expensive, inconvenient and a sacrifice in terms of taste, Bryant said.

Although most of the respondents perceived cutting meat out of their diets as overwhelmingly positive and considered it too hard to do, its actually never been easier than ever to be a vegetarian or vegan.

For instance, the common argument that a vegan diet is expensive is simply no longer true. While a vegan menu will be significantly more expensive than a conventional, meat-based menu in most restaurants, things are changing fast. Companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat in the United States are now making plant-based products that not only taste and look like meat, theyre also similarly priced to meat-based products.

In the UK, fast food bakery Greggs just launched a vegan steak bake, right on the heels of Subways vegan Meatball Marinara sub and KFCs vegan burger.

Interestingly, in the time since this study was conducted, these things have all changed substantially. Supermarkets, restaurants, and even fast food outlets have developed numerous high quality and affordable vegan options. Having direct replacements for the foods people know and like makes it easier for everybody to consume fewer animal products. If we are to reduce animal product consumption in the UK and around the world, the development of high quality affordable alternatives to animal products is key, Bryant concluded.

Read the original:
A lot of people would go vegan if it wasnt for the money, taste, and convenience - ZME Science

Jack Black has praised veganism more than once (Photo: Eva Rinaldi)

Jack Black says veganism is the best diet for the planet - and that a host of animal-free foods are 'straight up delish'.

The actor and comedian made the comments during an interview with the Associated Press last month.

"It's said that it's the best for the environment if you have a vegan lifestyle and vegan diet, mainly because of cow farts. It's the methane. It's bad for the ozone, and the rest," he told the interviewer.

"But also, it just tastes good. Lately, they've been getting the technology right. The Impossible Burg[er]* bro. Delish. I don't even know if it's good for you, it's just straight-up delish."

It is not known whether Black is actually vegan now, though he revealed in an interview around the same time as this one (December 2019), that he was not.

He made the comments during a WIRED Autocomplete Interview, where celebrities answer the internet's most searched questions about themselves. One asked whether he was vegan.

He answered: "No, but I would like to be. I am in spirit, and really, it's time for everyone to consider that lifestyle for the environment. I found out it turns out vegans are better for the environment. Why? Cow farts."

He added that everyone should consider going vegan because of the environmental benefits.

*Impossible Foods states that its burger is plant-based rather than vegan, as a key ingredient - heme - was tested on rats in order to obtain FDA approval.

Read more here:
Jack Black Says Vegan Is Best For The Planet And 'Straight Up Delish' - Plant Based News