Eight Duke Books on Religion and Spirituality – Duke Today

This month we offer a collection of Duke-authored books that explore historical and current aspects of faith, spirituality and religious culture in society.

These books along with manyothers are available atthe Duke University Libraries, the Gothic Bookshop or the Regulator Bookshop.

What It's About:Professor Marc Z. Brettler and co-author Amy-Jill Levine take readers on a guided tour of the most popular Hebrew Bible passages quoted in the New Testament to show what the texts meant in their original contexts and then how Jews and Christians, over time, understood those same texts. Comparing various interpretations historical, literary, and theological - of each ancient text, Levine and Brettler offer deeper understandings of the original narratives and their many afterlives. They show how the text speaks to different generations under changed circumstances, and so illuminate the Bibles ongoing significance.

What It's About:How have millions of American Christians come to measure spiritual progress in terms of their financial status and physical well-being? How has the prosperity gospel movement come to dominate much of our contemporary religious landscape? Professor Kate Bowler's Blessed traces the roots of the prosperity gospel: from the touring mesmerists, metaphysical sages, Pentecostal healers, business oracles, and princely prophets of the early 20th century; through mid-century positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and revivalists like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin; to today's hugely successful prosperity preachers.

What It's About:In Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition, Professor Omid Safi translates more than 200 poems into contemporary English from the original Arabic and Persian. In this anthology of newly translated poetry, Safi focuses on love especially ishq/eshq, what he renders as radical love. The volume organizes translations of Quran and Hadith, Sufi mystics and poets into four thematic sections: God of Love, Path of Love, Lover & Beloved, and Beloved Community. Radical Love introduces readers to key ideas from Islamic mysticism that are rooted in firsthand knowledge of Arabic and Persian texts.

What It's About:Opening Israels Scriptures is a collection of 36 essays on the Hebrew Bible from Genesis to Chronicles which gives insight into the complexity of the Hebrew Scriptures as a theological resource. Based on more than two decades of lectures on Old Testament interpretation, Professor Ellen F. Davis offers a selective yet comprehensive guide to the core concepts, literary patterns, storylines, and theological perspectives that are central to Israel's Scriptures.

What It's About: In God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist, Professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and William Lane Craig bring to the printed page two debates they held before live audiences. Avoiding overly esoteric arguments, the two directly address issues such as religious experience, the Bible, evil, eternity, the origin of the universe, design, and the supposed connection between morality and the existence of God. The book is composed of six chapters that alternate between Craig and Sinnott-Armstrong, so that each separate point can be discussed as it arises.

What It's About:In these devotions for the season of Advent, the Rev. Dr. Luke Powery dean of the Duke University Chapel and associate professor at Duke Divinity School leads the reader through the spirituals as they confront the mystery of incarnation and redemption. In Rise Up, Shepherd! each devotion features the lyrics of the spiritual, a reflection on the spiritual's meaning, a Scripture verse, and a brief prayer.

What It's About:In Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating Professor Norman Wirzba demonstrates that eating is of profound economic, moral, and theological significance. Unlike books that focus on vegetarianism or food distribution as the key theological matters, this book broadens the scope to include discussions on the sacramental character of eating, eating's ecological and social contexts, the meaning of death and sacrifice as they relate to eating, the Eucharist as the place of inspiration and orientation, the importance of saying grace, and whether or not there will be eating in heaven.

What It's About: Though fascinated with the land of their traditions birth, virtually no Japanese Buddhists visited the Indian subcontinent before the 19th century. In the richly illustrated "Seeking kyamuni," Professor Richard M. Jaffe reveals the experiences of the first Japanese Buddhists who traveled to South Asia in search of Buddhist knowledge beginning in 1873. Analyzing the impact of these voyages on Japanese conceptions of Buddhism, he argues that South Asia developed into a pivotal nexus for the development of twentieth-century Japanese Buddhism.

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Eight Duke Books on Religion and Spirituality - Duke Today

The Best Cities For Vegans and Vegetarians in 2019 – Forbes

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Growing up, someone was always cooking meat in my household. My grandmother was an amazing cook and soulfully prepared fried chicken, smothered pork chops, chilis and stews right up until she died last year. She was even known to whip up pigs snout, cows tongue and chicken feet on special occasions, but Id always make myself scarce on those days.

It never occurred to me that, one day, Id be preparing food with vegetarian children in mind. Ive got six kids ranging from 26 down to 3-year-old twins and four of them will not touch meat. As their mother, I can assure you that from the moment they could digest food, they knew they didnt want animal protein.

So, when the holidays roll around, Im quite busy preparing different dishes for the keto eaters in our family, the gluten-free crowd and my league of vegetarians. When we go on vacation, we even try to pick destinations that will accommodate our varied dietary needs. Recently weve been looking to relocate, which is why WalletHubs 2019 Best Cities for Vegans and Vegetarians immediately caught my eye.

The Method

There are roughly 10 million vegan and vegetarian adults in the United States. Depending on where you live, though, finding meatless options at local grocery stores and restaurants can be difficult. Thats why WalletHub set out to find the 100 largest cities with the best and most affordable plant-based options across the country.

The team looked at 17 key indicators including the cost of groceries, number of salad shops and share of restaurants serving meat-free dishes. For the full findings and description of the methodology used to compile the list, see the full article.

The Top 10

While there was a time when vegetarianism was closely associated with a California lifestyle, looking at the top 10 cities on WalletHubs list, its clear that people across the country are choosing a meatless diet. Lets take a look:

These cities are spread all across the country, which is not surprising considering acceptance of veganism and vegetarianism has grown the number of vegans increased by 600% between 2014 and 2017.

Plant-Based Options Are Growing

The options for plant-based eaters are growing every single day. Just look at how many meatless meals are now available at fast food restaurants! Who would have ever thought that Burger King would sell an Impossible Whopper, which contains zero beef? Yet, chains such as Carls Jr. and White Castle are carrying burgers that vegetarians can actually enjoy.

Gone are the days where theyd be forced into ordering nothing more than a salad at sit-down restaurants. Today its pretty common to find a whole section of meatless appetizers and entrees on menus. The offerings are becoming bolder and more creative too, a trend for which vegans and vegetarians nationwide are undoubtedly thankful!

While plant-based options are growing across the country, its great to have a list of cities that are particularly friendly for vegans and vegetarians. Its so much easier to live a fulfilled, happy life in a community where you feel supported. Not happy with whats available in your area? One of these cities might just be for you!

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The Best Cities For Vegans and Vegetarians in 2019 - Forbes

An Increase in Variety of Vegetarian Food could Tempt Carnivores to Stay Away From Meat. – DailyHealthTalks

With Climate Change on individuals minds and livestock farming in trouble for greenhouse gas emission, many individuals see vegetarianism as a positive step. A research advises that offering a greater vegetarian selection should be a way to lure meat eaters into selecting more veggie meals.

Livestock farming gets a bad rap for its contribution to greenhouse gases, which trap heat and contribute to global warming. In the United States, agriculture contributes 9% of gas emissions to the atmosphere, much of which is down to livestock. By passing gas, ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, pass methane into the atmosphere. Methane is 25 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and concentration have more than doubled in the last 200 years.

So, lowering methane levels in the atmosphere could have and important positive impact on the environment, which is why vegetarianism seems like a viable solution.

A new research from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom shows that the solution as adding more vegetarian options to menus. The paper appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research observed at the sales information over 94,000 meals in three unnamed Cambridge College cafeterias over a year. It discovered that by doubling vegetarian choice to 2 out of 4 of the meal options available, the sales of vegetarian meals increased by 40.8% to 78.8%.

This research is significant because high eat diets are incompatible with a safe climate, so we need to find effective simple, non-controversial approaches to get us all to eat more plant based food.

Meat eaters might also order veggie options

The Cambridge study members discovered that the biggest meat eaters- those who had consistently chosen fish or meat before the second vegetarian option became available- were the one who opted for a vegetarian meal in the largest numbers.

Not only did that but having a vegetarian lunch not make it any more possible that the traditional meat eaters would compensate by having a meaty dinner.

The research which observed at diners daily meal choices through payments made on university cards ran through two canteens. The canteens varied their range from no vegetarian dishes at all to days when 75% of options were vegetarian.

A third canteen offered lunchtime menus that shifted every 2 weeks from one veggie option to two. Investigators concluded that upping the proportion of vegetarian meals had the most important effect on those who ordinarily chose more meat.

The response was striking, says Garnett. It seems obvious in hindsight, and a number of commentators have asked, Why is this science? Isnt this obvious? I would say yes and no. If we had discovered no effect which could also seem obvious.

She continues, I find it fascinating that by responding, people are implicitly acknowledging that our food environments can have a strong influence on what we eat and other health behaviors.

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An Increase in Variety of Vegetarian Food could Tempt Carnivores to Stay Away From Meat. - DailyHealthTalks

Mirtha Legrand made a funny bill pass to Juana Viale: This is a confession – Inspired Traveler

The television diva Mirtha Legrand, shared a very special table with his granddaughter Juana Viale and took the opportunity to make a confession in relation to the vegetarianism of the actress.

You always have your garden, said Mirtha. Yes, that is the tomatoes are about to explode, replied Juana. Whenever I go to Juanas house they give me everything from the garden, and Im leaving hungry, because I ate everything green, everything green. Im not like that, I eat compact. And when I go in the car I say Im hungry. I said that I always carry a cookie, the diva confessed to her granddaughters laughter. Chocolates, Juana added. This is a confession, Mirtha concluded.

Mirtha received several surprises on the air after being absent from television for nine months because of the coronavirus pandemic. From greetings from friends to the unexpected presence of your daughter Marcela tinayre and his great-granddaughter Amber.

He also gave his opinion on how he sees the current situation in the country: This pandemic is very hard. It has hit us very hard, economically, very difficult. With respect to Argentina, a lot of poverty. What terrifies me the most is unemployment, lack of work, he confessed.

BESIDES

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Mirtha Legrand made a funny bill pass to Juana Viale: This is a confession - Inspired Traveler

Book Review: Moving Away From the Popular and Simplistic Narratives About Beef – The Wire

In an important article on beef festivals, Balmurli Natarajan called for reframing beef festivals as antagonistic moments that challenge the degradation of outcaste labour and articulate an anti-caste identity heralding a politics of multiculturalism against caste. Sacred Cows and Chicken Manchurian by James Staples cautions us against such an approach. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in coastal Andhra Pradesh, this book moves away from the popular and simplistic binary of cow protectionists versus pro-beef Dalit activists to explore the overlooked ambivalences that exist between these two poles. This book pursues and makes a case for in-depth ethnographic research on dietary politics and processes. It adds nuance to existing accounts on the politics of consuming meat and non-meat diets in contemporary India.

James StaplesSacred Cows and Chicken Manchurian: The Everyday Politics of Eating Meat in IndiaUniversity of Washington Press (November 2020)

Staples explores the meanings attributed to food as a continually changing process and not merely influenced by political ideologies (for example, the BJP), but also shaped through changing technologies of producing and processing meat, environmental and health concerns, class position and gender. Theoretically, this book complements scholarship that makes a critical contribution to the anthropology of food beyond structural Marxism and Louis Dumonts domineering influence on food studies in India.

Chapter One is a brief engagement with history (differential histories of meat-eating in India), where cattle in Vedic texts and manipulation of bovine history in colonial times are discussed together to understand the bovine politics in post-Independence India. The Vedic past was recast continually in colonial times for nationalist politics and now this manipulation of bovine history (where beef eating and cow protectionism are reanimated), continues in post-Independence India with the clear political purpose of othering Muslims, Christians and Dalits.

Chapter Two engages with the complexity of food preferences and ensuing changes in coastal Andhra. The dichotomy of vegetarian and non-vegetarian means little in the peoples lives as vegetarian diet dominates in most peoples lives and the symbolic is to a large extent preconfigured by material (p. 54). This chapter maps dietary changes and how economic liberalisation has changed the Andhra cuisine and a critique of modernity too is now pushed through, speaking of a past where food was authentic. Though eating outside has increased, this change is however gendered as eating out is still not considered respectable for women.

Chapter Three and Four explore the meaning of beef consumption in the context of polarised binaries of those who celebrate beef consumption and those who herald cow protection. The making of chicken as respectable meat and consumption of beef by upper-caste Hindus, along with the export of beef has led to higher prices of beef. Assumptions like love for cattle as the sole preserve of upper castes is challenged here to suggest that a kinship type relationship exists between beef-eating Dalits and their buffaloes. Whereas the upper-caste owner of cattle resorts to not knowing as a way of dealing with the sale of their cattle to butchers and cattle traders (p. 93). The bovine nexus and the multiple and contradictory meanings of bovine and cattle meat are engaged with here to argue that there is no radical distinction between the preference of high-caste Hindu cattle owners and beef-eating Christians, Dalits and Muslims vigilante action against cow slaughter is more about making Muslims, Dalits and Christians as the Other (p. 101). Chapter Four further engages with falsifying the distinction between beef and other meats and suggests that the distinction to be far more complex as food choices are shaped by class, education, age, family position and locality.

Representative image of cows. Photo: Reuters

Chapter Five on the changes in meat-eating practices in the last three decades locates the rise of chicken at the heart of this change. While eating beef could invite prejudice, chicken is increasingly considered sanitised meat. The chicken revolution (production and consumption of broiler chicken) and the role played by markets and other non-political factors are also aided by Hindutva groups in the promotion of chicken over beef. From being a source of suspicion, broiler has turned most acceptable non-vegetarian food for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Hindutva groups occasionally appropriate the argument of environmental distress caused by mass poultry production for political gains turning the Hindu nationalist project into an environmental project while meat-eating groups simultaneously work out newer ways of framing their food habits.

Chapter Six, titled From Caste to Class in Food, suggests that caste alone may be inadequate to explain the on-the-ground social distinctions and highlights the complex social effects of globalisation. While beef can seem a cosmopolitan diet if it is consumed by upper castes and privileged groups, Staples suggests that cosmopolitan sophistication and caste are no longer adequate to explain the ongoing realities of social distinction as dignity is increasingly determined by cultural capital:

Food, then, because of its relative accessibilitycompared to the costlier trappings of a middle-class life, from fridges to motorcycleswas a particularly important medium through which identities beyond caste could be performed and negotiated. (p. 155)

That Kotaiah (an upper-caste) eats beef as his new found cosmopolitan identity and Prakash avoids beef for respectability as an untouchable (Mala) and Soloman Raju though an untouchable on the other hand had economic status which no longer needed to concern himself with what high-caste Hindus thought of him. While understanding class is important to decipher the status struggles and social differentiationcaste continues to remain of central importance in understanding Indian food ways (p. 161).

The concluding chapter recapitulates the continued making and remaking of the sacred cow since anti-colonial nationalist struggles and contemporary militant nationalism in neo-liberal times (nationalism) as a way of resisting the Other (Muslims, Christians and Dalits) and the liberal environmentalists support to the hegemony of vegetarianism and bovine inviolability. It summarises how ethnography brings nuance and paints an intricate picture to challenge the hegemonic view that the beef industry is confined to a non-Hindu other to unravel high caste complicity in beef business, the complexities of human-cattle relationships, the complicated eating habits of actual people beyond distinctions of vegetarian and non-vegetarian and beef and non-beef.

Leaves us wanting more

Staples calls for complicating these binaries, for looking at the symbolic and the material together and avoiding an understanding of culture as static (both Dalit and Hindutva activists do this, according to Staples). Ethnography thus helps us to look at cultural or ontological claims as contested, shifting, and as politically motivated (p.176). While Staples brings nuance to the study of food, the broader picture he presents on shifting dietary preferences and associated collective identities leaves us wanting for more.

Though Staples calls for looking at the material and the symbolic together, he partly ends up privileging the material over the symbolic and cultural. His attempt becomes one that passionately seeks to bypass Sanskritisation (Srinivas) and Dumont (essentialising of Indian culture). For instance, Staples suggests that for militant vegetarians, eating meat especially beef stood for negative otherness (p. 120, emphasis added). How does one distinguish militant vegetarians from non-militant vegetarians or militant and non-militant non-vegetarian Hindus? What social currents tie them together or separate them? Does Hinduism under Hindutva take a newer inclusive form of social cohesion so as to weave nationalism, vegetarianism and non-beef non-vegetarianism together?

Representative image of a pure veg restaurant. Photo: Joegoauk Goa/Flickr CC BY SA 2.0

A recent survey by Pew Research Center may have some answers. It reports that nearly two-thirds of Hindus (64%) say it is very important to be a Hindu to be truly Indian. In addition, 72% of Hindus surveyed across the country say that a person who eats beef cannot be a Hindu. One cannot be sure if such a vast majority can be termed as militant vegetarians/Hindus.

While Staples largely attributes the chicken revolution to the decline of beef, Ferry (2020) using quantitative methods in a similar exercise maintains that the social structure remains stable in India over time and that we need to move beyond linear expectations drawn from economic development to understand local cultural preferences (chicken and vegetarianism). Local is not framed here as stagnant but resilient and for Ferry therefore, the politics around the decline of beef consumption in India (especially amongst the Scheduled Castes) indeed points to the making of a Hindu Orthopraxis and the simultaneous Othering of Muslims. How do we make these two approaches and methods speak to each other?

Staples draws convincing parallels with other states in North India, but this also undermines the local non-cow-belt nature of coastal Andhra. His nuanced local approach also ignores Kancha Ilaiahs book Buffalo Nationalism and Ambedkar, though cited, appears not as a sociologist or anthropologist but as a leader of Dalit Buddhist movement during independence struggle (p. 40). These minor quibbles aside, Sacred Cows and Chicken Manchurian is essential reading on food politics in South India and it will encourage more attention and research on sociology-anthropology of food in South Asia.

Suryakant Waghmore is a public sociologist. He loves beef curry and rice as much as rajma chawal.

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Book Review: Moving Away From the Popular and Simplistic Narratives About Beef - The Wire

Opinion: Gujarat is a vegetarian state only in the minds of its self-chosen custodians – Scroll.in

Ane ardho dozen eenda aapjo, (and half a dozen eggs please), I say to the owner of a provision store near my house in Ahmedabad. I am given six eggs packed discretely in a newspaper bag. It feels like buying sanitary napkins, the exchange is so minimal in words. A fast-food joint right next to this provision store sells mock chicken lollipops. Okay, let me explain. They are made of potatoes but look like chicken lollipops, and ditto the case with kebabs and other items that provide to a vegetarian foodie some comfortable alternative to non-vegetarian food. I mean theres no dearth of such surrogate food in India, is there?

In my community of Sindhis, those who begin to follow the Radhaswami satsang eat a specific version of nutria-nugget subzi that is meant to taste like mutton but is called Radaswami baadji. This kind of proxy-fulfilment is evident even in mocktails and fruit beer and wine bars that are not wine bars.

My point is that we (from the state) and others (not from the state) may continue to be surprised, mortified even by how the topic of vegetarianism and the prohibitive rules against meat sales and consumption keeps coming up in Gujarat. However, this matter is not comprehensible through contexts of citizenship and freedom of choice. It can be contested in courts on those grounds, but in order to understand the nature of this pathology, we need to see what happens in Gujarat, ordinarily.

The two examples I began with involve two different forms of visuality. The sight of real eggs is an anathema to most customers who are not there to buy eggs, hence the eggs must be hidden from their view lest they stop coming to that store. The sight of mock lollipops and kebabs is a visual reminder of the prohibited items without the guilt of having eaten them. These negotiations characterise everyday life in Gujarat.

The sight of meat would be a reminder to the upper-caste Hindu and Jain Gujarati of the prohibited parts in the psyche which they have managed to cleanse out through a range of strategies. Among the first is not to give a home to a meat-eating family in a colony or neighbourhood. In the 1980s my family had a tough time finding a house because Sindhis are known as non-vegetarian, ergo, Muslim-like.

It is a different matter that many Sindhis in Gujarat have now taken to vegetarianism. The second strategy has been to keep communities (read Muslims) away from sight so that neither their presence nor their lifestyle reminds the Hindu Gujaratis of what and who they do not want to see. And this collapsing between the what and who also needs to be understood.

Gujarat takes the principle of you are what you eat quite literally. The third strategy is to make the life of non-vegetarian restaurants precarious so that while some survive, a large number become suddenly vegetarian and South Indian or Punjabi restaurants doing paneer dishes. The fourth strategy is not even to socialise with, or visit homes of families that eat meat, and should you do visit, do not accept any food from them.

Now some of these forms of abstinence may be common across vegetarian communities in India. However, in Gujarat, they all exist without resistance from within. All this may lead us to assume Gujarat is a vegetarian state and while figures of meat-eating population vary from 40% to 60 % the truth is that it is not a fully vegetarian state except in the mind of its self-chosen custodians.

Amrita Shah has persuasively argued in her recent piece for Moneycontrol that vegetarianism is Gujarats commonsense or mythicised face and not its lived reality. There is certain rhetoric by which this myth-making has taken place. The Gujarat State Gazetteer of 1989 generalises vegetarianism by outsourcing it to western style.

Non-vegetarianism in Gujarat is common but made to feel illegitimate. Meat selling and consumption happens in Gujarat, but it must be away from the sight and sensory world of the upper-castes. To ask for a restriction on displaying meat is to go just one step further in the existing scheme of things.

It is to say not only that I must not see, but I must also avoid that rare and accidental occasion of stumbling upon its sight if I am in that part of the city. In other words, should Ahmedabad or Vadodara be my city, it must be on my terms and whom I represent. The recent ban on non-veg food stalls is not only a violation of freedom to eat but also the prerogative to see and smell only what I wish to as a Hindu or Jain citizen of the state.

Rita Kothari is the author of several books, most notable among which are The Burden of Refuge and Unbordered Memories. She teaches at Ashoka University.

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Opinion: Gujarat is a vegetarian state only in the minds of its self-chosen custodians - Scroll.in

Health over taste – Daily Pioneer

Focus on immunity, nutrition and hygiene will be the primary concerns of the food industry in 2021, says Sanjay Kumar

Nutrition and health are going to be the key drivers of food trends as strengthening immunity would be the primary consumer focus at least for the next few years as we approach the dawn of 2021.

Food safety in terms of safe and hygienic cooking processes and the kind of food is consumed will be the main emphasis. Health will largely overrule taste because consumers are gradually realising that delicious food but cooked in unhygienic and unsanitary conditions could be extremely damaging to their health and can create problems beyond the joy of consuming delicious food. In India, it is often assumed that salads are most healthy, it is not necessarily true because the water is also unsafe. Therefore, it would be advisable for people to consume cooked/boiled food rather than uncooked/raw food.

Go green

There will be an increased consumption of greens and vegetables which are easy to digest such as millets, wheat and rice and lower intake of fried foods and meats because they are perceived to be less healthy, though it is not always the case.

There will be a spike in the consumption of foods like avocados, fruits and cereal-based options.

Importance of hygiene

Due to safety concerns, food from roadside eateries and unregulated food stalls within and around corporate hubs are going to see a significant dip.

Conscious eating

Consumers will be more aware of the risks associated with consumption of outside meals and hence, make the right food choices. For example, eggs have the highest consumption risks, about which, unfortunately, most people are not aware. It is because of the contamination in eggs and the infection they can potentially carry. Most food service providers do not focus adequately on sanitisation of eggs and this is a cause for concern, especially in India. Also, an inclination towards vegetarianism is on the rise given the concern around consumption of chicken, the most-widely consumed non-vegetarian food item in India.

Tech-driven cafes

Technology will be a key driver of innovation in the food industry and will enable true analysis of consumption patterns, enforcing safety, social distancing norms and monitoring them on digital platforms.

Smarter use of food waste

Apart from this, food waste is an increasing and alarming concern at ends, including the food system and the climate. Studies have shown that between 30 to 40 per cent of the food supply gets wasted on a yearly basis. The impact further becomes graver when we look at the water, energy, and land resources which were utilised for producing food that never even gets consumed.

The awareness of food waste is increasing and has already started to take roots in India. As a result, many manufacturers and producers are now making an effort to use ingredients that would normally be wasted. This concept is promising as it promotes good health and reduction of food wastage simultaneously. Hence, the upcycled food is going to be a trend. It is similar to the agenda of upcycled furniture using a discarded material and turning it into something useable, which means edible when it comes to food.

Companies across the world are innovating and we can today see a yoghurt company using surplus fruit and whey, a bi-product of yoghurt production process, to make probiotic tonics and frozen probiotic pops. Another such brand is using leftover fruits and vegetables to make chips without the use of preservatives and so on. Chefs too are innovating and making optimum use of the peels of vegetables and fruits in dishes as this part of the natures produce is largely ignored or neglected or used inefficiently by many.

We cant have the luxury of being able to casually toss the scraps. Rather, the businesses that pull ahead are those that make smarter use of waste products. Consumers care about the environment just as much as they care about their food sources. Upcycling combines the two and gives you a powerful messaging tool. And its only going to get better as more and more consumers understand what goes into upcycling. As there is increasing awareness about upcycled food, people do not want to waste food.

As the food production industry continues to feel the economic and environmental implications of food waste, more companies are creating channels and partnerships to source upcycled ingredients, thus helping to curb the amount of food that goes to waste globally per annum.

Well, consumers in 2021 are expected to make healthier food choices and focus on boosting their immunity to be better equipped for the challenges in the post-pandemic world.

(The writer is CEO & MD, Elior India.)

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Health over taste - Daily Pioneer

Scots research finds that eating fish but not meat ‘cuts heart risks’ – The National

EATING fish but not meat offers key health benefits, a new study led by Scottish-based researchers has found.

Compared with meat eaters, fish eaters have a lower risk of several types of heart diseases, including stroke, according to the study led by researchers from the University of Glasgow and published today in the European Heart Journal.

The findings, which were part of new research looking at the diets and risk of developing or dying from heart diseases of more than 420,000 people in the UK also concluded that vegetarianism was associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease.

The study suggests a pescatarian diet should be promoted and encouraged as a healthy option.

The aim was to find out whether vegetarians, fish, poultry or meat eaters had a higher risk of developing or dying from heart diseases, using data from the UK Biobank to link diets with health in the British population.

Researchers found that meat eaters, who made up 94.7% of the cohort, were more likely to be obese than other diet groups. After a median follow-up of 8.5 years, fish eaters, compared with meat eaters, had lower risks of cardiovascular outcomes such as stroke, heart disease and heart failure.

Vegetarians had a lower risk of developing heart diseases. However, the

researchers noted that, as a group, vegetarians consumed more unhealthy foods, such as crisps, than meat eaters and that vegetarians should therefore not be considered a homogeneous group.

They concluded that the avoidance of meat does not appear sufficient to reduce health risks if a persons overall diet is not healthy.

Overall, meat eaters consumed the least fibre, polyunsaturated fat, water, and fruit and vegetables. However, vegetarians reported consuming more crisps, pizza and smoothie drinks than meat eaters.

Fish eaters were more likely to drink more sugary drinks and ready meals compared with the other groups, but also reported eating the least amount of takeaways. Fish and poultry eaters were more likely to eat home-cooked meals, followed by vegetarians.

In comparison to meat eaters, vegetarian, fish, and fish and poultry eaters were younger, more likely to be women, south Asian and to have a lower body weight. Meat eaters were more likely to have more than one multimorbidity, and to be smokers.

Glasgow Universitys Professor Jill Pell, senior author of the study, said: Our findings showed that people who follow a pescatarian diet are less likely to suffer from heart disease, stroke, and heart failure, than people who eat meat.

Reducing consumption of meat, especially red and processed meat, could improve health as well as being more environmentally sustainable.

Her colleague Fanny Petermann Rocha, the lead author, added: It is likely fish eaters have a higher intake of cardio-protective nutrients such as polyunsaturated fats and, which could explain the lower risk association between fish eaters and heart diseases in our study.

In particular, the polyunsaturated fat N-3 has been shown to be cardio-protective, and oily fish is one of its rich sources.

Dr Carlos Celis said: Cardiovascular diseases remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Although there are several behavioural risk factors, a poor diet accounts for around 11 million of these deaths worldwide.

Of these, 3.8 million deaths have been attributable to a diet low in fruit and vegetables, 1.4 million to a diet low in seafood intake and 150,000 to high red and processed meat intake.

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Scots research finds that eating fish but not meat 'cuts heart risks' - The National

Oat Milk Isn’t a Fad, It’s the Ethical, Sustainable Alternative to Dairy Milk – Study Breaks

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My first impression of Planet Oat oat milk in the dining halls of Columbia University was Wow, the vegans have done it again. Next to all the almond, cashew and soy milks, I just thought oat milk was another plant-based luxury overpriced, powdery plant water that only high-class hippies would drink.

As I began learning about oat milk, I realized that I had underestimated its assets. When I decided to go vegetarian two years ago, I did not take into account the environmental benefits of cutting animal products out of my diet, but oat milk has since turned my attention to the importance of eating sustainably.

I started my vegetarian journey after gaining inspiration from YouTube, watching influencers like Kicki Yang Zhang make vegan food prep videos. I grew up with the impression that vegetarians and vegans ate grass, and gave up meat because they were crazy animal lovers.

But as I started to watch more cooking videos online and researching vegetarianism, I encountered many different arguments for cutting meat out of your diet, including ones grounded in animal rights, economics and feminism. I ended up going vegetarian for mainly health reasons; since then, I havent really thought about the reasons that I continue to avoid meat.

When I went to college, I met a lot of other vegetarians and vegans. Up until then, Id made fun of how elitist vegetarianism was, poking fun at the organic, non-GMO and farm-raised labels slapped on items at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. But when I teased friends who carried stolen cartons of oat milk from the dining halls back to their rooms, their explanation for their obsession with the drink made me rethink the reasons I went plant-based in the first place.

They convinced me that oat milk was superior to all other milk alternatives for many reasons. Oat milk is not only one of the better tasting milk substitutes, but its nutritionally similar to milk, and most importantly, it is the most sustainable.

Dairy milk is known for its creamy, buttery taste as well as its culinary versatility. Vegans, unlike vegetarians, cut dairy out of their diet for many reasons, often replacing dairy milk with oat, almond or soy milks. Oat milk is a great example of something plant-based that doesnt compromise the taste and flavor of traditional food products. Unlike nut milk or soy milk, oat milk is thicker and creamier, making it most similar to dairy milk.

Oat milk is also praised for its relatively neutral taste. Its a perfect substitute for creamer when it comes to coffee. Almond milk, in my experience, is too watery in coffee and often separates when poured into hot beverages. Soy milk has a distinct flavor that clashes with the roasted undertones of coffee. When it comes to taste and consistency, oat milk trumps other alternative milk.

When I drink milk, which is rare, it reminds me of my childhood where every morning, I would drink a cup before going to school. Dairy milk is a staple in kids diets because it is high in calories, fat and many essential vitamins and minerals. Out of all the milk alternatives, oat milk also has the most similar nutrient levels to dairy milk.

Almond milk is lower in calories, but higher in sugars, and has much less protein than oat milk. Almond milk is also a no-go for those allergic to tree nuts. Oat milk is gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free. It is full of nutrients like calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin D. Soy milk tends to have more protein than oat and almond milk, but less than dairy milk. Even though it may seem like dairy has the most benefits nutritionally, there are other reasons outside of being lactose-intolerant to opt for plant-based milks.

When I asked my friends why they were so obsessed with oat milk, they talked about their reasons in terms of carbon footprints, reducing emissions and water usage. Up until then, I hadnt researched much into the environmental impacts of going vegetarian or vegan, since global warming seemed like something too big to be affected by a mere individual diet change.

When I looked into the environmentalist argument for going plant-based, the statistics about dairy farming and meat-farming were appalling. Cattle farming releases more greenhouse gases than any other food production industry. This is in part due to animal waste producing methane, which has a 23 times higher Global Warming Potential than carbon dioxide.

Beyond just carbon emissions, water usage is also a big problem in food production, and animal farming is the largest culprit. More than half of the water used in the United States today is for animal agriculture. A study conducted at Oxford University found that producing a cup of cows milk produced three times more greenhouse gasses than a cup of any plant-based milk. Overall, the environmental impact of supporting the dairy industry is much more harmful compared to plant-based milk.

Even comparing between different alternative milks, certain plants require more water to grow than others as well. When you compare the environmental impact of producing oat milk compared to almond and soy milk, oat milk is the least harmful.

Though almond farming is better than dairy farming when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, to produce a single glass of almond milk requires 130 pints of water. Almond farming not only requires high water usage but it also negatively impacts the bee population. Soy is grown primarily in South America, where the Amazon rainforest is being deforested to make room for farmland.

From the environmentalist view, oat milk does the least harm to the planet. It uses significantly less water than almond milk: 1,929 gallons per pound for almonds, compared to 290 gallons per pound for oats. Since all plant-based milks are more environmentally sustainable than dairy milk, with oat milks great taste and overall superior nutrition, it seems to be the milk alternative winner.

Oat milk, for me, isnt just a great creamer for my coffee, or something to make fun of vegans for. It represents my awareness of where my food comes from. Being vegetarian for me is a continuous learning process. Its these small decisions, like deciding which milk to drink, that sparks change on a larger scale.

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Oat Milk Isn't a Fad, It's the Ethical, Sustainable Alternative to Dairy Milk - Study Breaks

Canadians, Americans divided on issue of zoos and aquariums: poll – Pique Newsmagazine

In Canada, half of residents are opposed to keeping animals in zoos or aquariums, while 39% are in favour of this custom

Late last year, Research Co. and Glacier Media took an initial look at the relationship between Canadians and animals.

At the time, the countrys residents appeared to express outright dismay at practices like trophy hunting and killing animals for their fur, but sizable majorities had no problems with eating animals or hunting them for meat.

In 2020, we wanted to once again review the feelings of Canadians but adding the perspectives of our southern neighbours. The two-country survey shows that the views of Canadians and Americans are common on some crucial topics, even if the prevalence of certain attitudes related to animals is not as significant in some parts of the United States.

Across the two countries, about three in four residents (76 per centin Canada and 75 per centin the United States) are in favour of eating animals. Opposition to this custom is highest among women (24 per centin each country) and residents aged 18 to 34 (27 per centin Canada and 25 per centin the U.S.). Quebec (23 per cent) and the Northeast (26 per cent) are the North American regions with the largest appetite for vegetarianism or veganism.

The numbers are also consistent when it comes to hunting animals for meat, with 65 per centof Canadians and 67 per centof Americans having no qualms about this practice. In both countries, men are more likely to endorse hunting animals for meat than women.

One of the biggest differences between Canadians and Americans is observed in their opinions on zoos and aquariums. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the activities of these venues, some of which are bringing in fewer visitors in an attempt to abide by social distancing guidelines. Others have temporarily closed their doors.

In Canada, half of residents (51 per cent) are opposed to keeping animals in zoos or aquariums, while 39% are in favour of this custom. Support varies across the country, from a low of 35 per centin Ontario to a high of 46 per centin Alberta. Almost half of Canadian men (47 per cent) do not have a problem with animals in captivity, compared to just one third of women (33 per cent).

There are some sizable differences on political allegiance, with support for keeping animals in zoos or aquariums climbing from 35 per centamong Liberal Party voters in the 2019 federal election, to 40 per centamong New Democratic Party (NDP) supporters, to 50 per cent for Conservative Party voters.

The findings change in the United States, where there are no major regional fluctuations. Almost two-thirds of Americans (64 per cent) are in favour of keeping animals in zoos or aquariums, and just over three in 10 (31 per cent) are opposed.

The issue of using animals in rodeos is decidedly more contentious in the United States. Americans are evenly divided on this practice, with 46 per centsaying they are in favour of it and 46% opposing it. The gender gap is large, with 58 per centof men supporting the use of animals in rodeos compared to only 34 per centof women. Republican Party sympathizers are also significantly more likely to be in favour of rodeos (65 per cent) than Independents (37 per cent) and Democrats (36 per cent).

In Canada, as was the case last year, opponents of the use of animals in rodeos outnumber enthusiasts by a two-to-one margin (62to 32 per cent). In Alberta, 49% of residents are in favour of using animals in rodeos. Support is significantly lower in British Columbia (33 per cent), Quebec (27 per cent) and Ontario (25 per cent).

Two other customs are unquestionably less popular in North America. Only 25 per centof Americans and 19 per centof Canadians are in favour of killing animals for their fur. Aversion to the practice is highest among women (85 per centin the United States and 83 per centin Canada).

On the issue of hunting animals for sport, positive perceptions in Canada have fallen to single digits, with just eight per centof Canadians favouring this practice. Support for trophy hunting plummets to just five per centamong Canadians aged 55 and over.

In the United States, 25 per centof Americans are in favour of hunting animals for sport. The expected gender gap persists (39 per centamong men, 11 per centamong women). Also, while only 16 per centof Democrats favour trophy hunting, support climbs to 44 per centamong Republicans.

There are several disparities in the way Canadians and Americans relate to animals. On the convoluted issue of entertainment, the views of Canadians have evolved at a faster pace. Both countries hold roughly the same opinions on food and are developing a greater disgust for the use of animals as garments and trophies.

Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.

Results are based on online studies conducted from September 4 to September 6, 2020, among representative samples of 1,000 adults in Canada and 1,200 adults in the United States. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian and U.S. census figures for age, gender and region in each country. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for Canada and plus or minus 2.8 percentage points for the United States.

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Canadians, Americans divided on issue of zoos and aquariums: poll - Pique Newsmagazine

Outlook on the Worldwide Plant-Based Food & Beverage Industry to 2025 – COVID-19 Impact, Competition and Forecast – ResearchAndMarkets.com -…

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market - Analysis By Product Type, Source Type, By Region, By Country (2020 Edition): Market Insight, COVID-19 Impact, Competition and Forecast (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Plant-Based Food & Beverage market was valued at USD 42258.97 million in the year 2019.

Over the recent years, the Plant-Based Food & Beverage market has been witnessing considerable growth driven by growing urbanization, promptly improving healthcare services, growing vegan populace globally and increasing awareness about environmental crisis. Presence of various kind of plant-based food and beverage and flavors in the market is also one of the major factors fueling the market globally. The ever-rising vegan population where consumers are turning vegan and embracing vegetarianism as their lifestyle will also result in increase in market for plant-based food & beverages market during the forecast period. However, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic will have a visible impact on the plant based food and beverage market in the year 2020.

Among the Product type in the Plant-Based Food & Beverage industry (Plant-Based Meat & Plant-Based Dairy), the Plant-Based Meat Products are estimated to account for the largest share over the forecast period. Major factor which will drive the market for Plant-Based Meat products is the shifting of red-meat consumers towards plant-based meat which are cruelty-free and does not impact the environment.

The Asia-Pacific Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market will continue to be the largest market throughout the forecast period, majorly driven by large consumer base which are vegan and vegetarian in the region. Countries such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil are a lucrative market for Plant-Based Food & Beverage.

Companies Mentioned

Scope of the Report

Key Topics Covered:

1. Report Scope and Methodology

1.1 Scope of the Report

1.2 Research Methodology

1.3 Executive Summary

2. Strategic Recommendations

2.1 Advertise & Educate the Consumer About Plant-Based Products

3. Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market: Product Outlook

4. Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market: Sizing and Forecast

4.1 Market Size, By Value, Year 2015-2025

5. Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market Segmentation By Product Type

5.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market - By Product Type

5.2 Plant-Based Meat- Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

5.3 Plant-Based Dairy- Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

6. Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market Segmentation By Source Type

6.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market- By Source Type

6.2 Wheat- Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

6.3 Soy- Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

6.4 Almond- Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

6.5 Others- Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

7. Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market: Regional Analysis

7.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage: By Region

8. North America Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market: Segmentation By Product Type, Source Type (2020-2025)

9. Europe Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market: Segmentation By Product Type, Source Type (2020-2025)

10. APAC Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market: Segmentation By Product Type, Source Type (2020-2025)

11. Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market Dynamics

11.1 Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market Drivers

11.2 Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market Restraints

11.3 Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market Trends

12. Market Attractiveness

12.1 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market - By Product Type (Year 2025)

12.2 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market - By Source Type (Year 2025)

12.3 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Plant-Based Food & Beverage Market - By Region, By Value, (Year-2025)

13. Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Share Analysis - Global Market

13.2 Market Share Analysis - North America, Western Europe

13.3 Market Share Analysis - United States, China

13.4 Market Share Analysis - Asia Pacific

14. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2ad1a

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Outlook on the Worldwide Plant-Based Food & Beverage Industry to 2025 - COVID-19 Impact, Competition and Forecast - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

The delights of Sosmix and 20 breakfasts – The Guardian

Almost 40 years ago my parents, after staying with us for almost a week and, as I thought, enjoying eating our vegetarian food, started talking about the delicious meat pies my mother made. The next day I made a sausage-and-egg pie using Sosmix (Adrian Chiles, 20 May). My parents took home the packet of Sosmix, and continued to use it whenever they fancied some sausage meat. But it did not convert them to vegetarianism, as they usually had it with bacon and black pudding.Gillian PattonSunderland

Health workers do not give their lives as suggested in a headline in Saturdays paper (Those who gave their lives are remembered, 23 May). They are not crusaders or soldiers. They go to work in absurdly dangerous conditions. Some get sick and tragically die. Please stop making it sound as if they choose to die.Colleen DarbyManchester

Lord Clark of Windermere asks if others have seen an albino pheasant (Letters, 22 May). I have, on 12 November, in Dallam Park, near Milnthorpe. The same bird, maybe?Dr Val RobsonMilnthorpe, Cumbria

I played the tennis-ball-in-tights game (Letters, 22 May) in York in the 50s, using my mothers old stockings since tights were not yet available. It was a popular game for girls.Christine McElheran DipperHornsea, East Yorkshire

Who has ever paid 20 for breakfast (Hadley Freemans Weekend column, 23 May)? Ive rarely paid that for dinner (drinks not included).Leigh StensonEggleston, County Durham

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The delights of Sosmix and 20 breakfasts - The Guardian

This is really why most people go vegetarian – Ladders

Vegetarianism has become more and more popular in recent years. But, why are so many people making the switch and avoiding burgers, chicken, and pork? If you asked a long-time vegetarian why they originally adopted such a lifestyle, the most common answers youll hear would be related to concern for the environment and climate change, animal rights, or just looking after ones health.

What about non-vegetarians, though? Researchers from the University of California, Davis set out to uncover what motivates most meat-eaters to put the steak knife down. Somewhat surprisingly, they found that individual health is by far the main motivator for people to try out a vegetarian lifestyle.

A stereotype has emerged over the past ten years or so of vegetarians and vegans being particularly judgmental of carnivores, but these findings dont back up that depiction. Reasons connected to animal rights or the environment werent nearly as common among surveyed study participants.

In all, 8,000 people were surveyed for this research across both the United States and Holland. Various age groups and ethnicities were represented as well.

Of course, these results shouldnt be totally shocking. There are tons of recent studies that have linked meat consumption, particularly red meat, to an increased risk of many health problems. Cardiovascular issues, like a predisposition towards a heart attack or stroke, are especially connected to meat-eating.

So, most people switch to vegetarianism for their health. Okay, but what keeps people committed to these diets? Heres where the study starts to become a paradox.

While more people try out being vegetarian for their health, those who are motivated by ethical reasons (animals, climate change) tend to be much more committed to a vegetarian diet. Just like any other diet, it seems many people just cant resist the occasional cheeseburger or chicken parm hero.

The most common reason people say they would consider being vegetarian has to do with health However, people driven primarily by health motives may be least likely to respond to vegetarian advocacy, in general, says study co-author Christopher J. Hopwood, professor of psychology, in a university release.

Professor Hopwood goes on to ponder what these findings mean for vegetarian advocacy groups and advertising campaigns. Should they be emphasizing the health benefits of avoiding meat, or focusing more on the good it will do for the planet and animals? A health-minded campaign may encourage more people to try vegetarianism, but messaging centered on the ethics of the movement will likely result in more life-long vegetarians.

The studys authors suggest a combination of campaigns that target different beliefs among different people. The surveys also noted that most people who cited health as their primary reason associated going vegetarian as a way to achieve a more conventionally attractive body. Conversely, those who went vegetarian due to their beliefs were observed to be more artistic, open to new experiences, curious, and likely to volunteer for causes close to their heart. With these findings in mind, vegetarian advocacy groups may want to advertise health benefits at gyms, while emphasizing the ethical benefits of vegetarianism at concerts or museums.

The same idea can be applied to online awareness measures as well; fitness messaging for people who showed an interest in exercise and ethics-based campaigns for people who showed an interest in the arts, stopping climate change, etc.

These findings just go to show that its never a good idea to lump an entire group of people together and assume they all think alike. Its clear that vegetarians vary in their personal beliefs and reasons for avoiding meat.

The full study can be found here, published in PLOS ONE.

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This is really why most people go vegetarian - Ladders

Philosopher Peter Singer on the Ethical Issues of Eating Meat – LIVEKINDLY

Discussing vegetarianism in school can impact student behavior outside of the classroom, says a recent study.

The study looked at more than 1100 undergraduates at the University of California, Riverside.

Researchers led by Eric Schwitzgebel, Bradford Cokelet, and philosopher Peter Singer asked half of the students to read a philosophy article in support of vegetarianism. After this, they participated in a group discussion and then watched an optional advocacy video.

Researchers placed the rest of the students in the control group. They were given the same scenario, but instead of meat-eating, the focus was charitable giving.

Researchers gave the students a questionnaire a few days after their seminars. Nearly 30 percent of the control group said they agreed that eating the meat of factory-farmed animals is unethical. In the vegetarianism group, 43 percent of participants said they agreed with the statement.

Outside of the classroom, the study authors looked at the dining purchases for 476 students. For the charitable giving group, 52 percent of their campus food purchases included meat before and after the session.

For those who had participated in the seminar on vegetarianism, meat purchases declined from 52 percent to 45 percent.

The study suggests that potentially, the more the ethics surrounding meat consumption is discussed in the classroom, the more conscious food decisions are made by students in their everyday life.

Singer an Australian moral philosopher and professor of bioethics believes students should start learning about the reality of the meat industry from an early age. He suggested that even kindergarteners could start learning about the ethics surrounding killing animals for food.

Singer told LIVEKINDLY, If it is done in an appropriate way, the fact that the animals many people eat are kept in cruel ways can be discussed very early, say at three or four.

He explained that teachers should start by sharing information about animal agriculture. They should raise questions about the treatment of animals and ask students for their thoughts.

He said, teaching is not indoctrinating. Students must be encouraged to think critically about our societys attitudes to animals. He added, they should also be free to argue against vegetarianism and veganism.

According to Singer, people eat meat because their desire to do so overpowers their reasoning capacities and empathy for other sentient beings. He added that its a common phenomenon.

Jonathan Haidt writes about it in The Righteous Mind, he explains. Although I think he somewhat overstates his thesis Im sure something like what he describes happens in the case of eating meat.

The Righteous Mind evaluates how society has evolved to live in moral matrices, which bind us together around sacred values and then blind us to the truth.

According to Singer, from an early age, humans focus their love for animals on only some animals, the ones we do not eat.

Dr. Melanie Joy calls this carnism. Joy is the founder and president of the US-based organization Beyond Carnism. According to its website, carnism is the invisible belief system, or ideology, that conditions people to eat certain animals.

Because carnism is invisible, people rarely realize that eating animals is a choice, rather than a given. In meat-eating cultures around the world, people typically dont think about why they eat certain animals but not others, or why they eat any animals at all, it continues.

But when eating animals is not a necessity, which is the case for many people in the world today, then it is a choice and choices always stem from beliefs.

Through research, presentations, videos, and its Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy, Beyond Carnism is trying to dismantle the dominant way of thinking about food.

Through knowledge, there is power. The more information children and indeed adults have about our food system and how it works, the more capable they are of challenging it. They can begin to make changes in their personal lives that positively impact the planet and our fellow living beings.

Beyond Carnism explains, Carnistic defenses are both powerful and fragile. They have a powerful impact on us when we are unaware of them, but they lose much of their power when they are made visible. So when we recognize carnistic defenses, we are able to make food choices that reflect what we authentically think and feel, rather than what we have been taught to think and feel.

Summary

Article Name

Philosopher Peter Singer on the Ethical Issues of Eating Meat

Description

Moral philosopher Peter Singer believes meat ethics should be taught to children in schools and students should be encouraged to questions their eating habits.

Author

Charlotte Pointing

Publisher Name

LIVEKINDLY

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Philosopher Peter Singer on the Ethical Issues of Eating Meat - LIVEKINDLY

A French city announced it would serve meatless school lunches. The backlash was swift. – Vox.com

The push to end meat consumption has become one of the more urgent causes of our time and one of the most politically fraught. As advocacy against meat-eating has ramped up, with activists and consumers citing its harm to animals, workers, and consumers, so has the backlash. It is the latest flashpoint in what seems to be an all-encompassing culture war.

That wars most recent front: Lyon, Frances third-largest city and the countrys gastronomic capital.

In February, Grgory Doucet, the mayor of Lyon, announced that the citys school cafeterias would temporarily stop serving meat every day. That edict sparked a local backlash. Farmers rolled out tractors to occupy city hall, and government ministers accused the mayor of harming children.

In March, Lyons administrative court dismissed a petition by meat producers, right-wing politicians, and some parents to ban the meatless menu, saying that it doesnt create risks for children. The schools will be serving non-meat dishes (though fish is allowed) until Easter, or even longer.

Those who took issue with the change accused Lyons mayor of pushing his environmental agenda onto kids plates, but he actually had a practical reason to get meat out of the citys 206 schools: to speed up food service and make it easier to comply with social distancing rules during the pandemic. A single meatless dish, the thinking went, would be a compromise to the tastes and beliefs of all be it picky eaters, vegetarians, Muslims, or Hindus.

Despite that rationale, the mayors foray into meatless policy ended up getting sucked into a broader culture war around meat and vegetarianism. This may seem like a very French story, but meat both in France and around the globe is not just food; it is also a powerful cultural force and, as such, can be very divisive.

Last month, when Colorados governor simply suggested residents cut out meat one day in March, state legislators and neighboring governors urged their constituents to eat even more meat. That was just the latest skirmish in a long-running battle in the US over an issue that has become deeply polarized and polarizing.

And now the culture war over meat has broken out in Europe. The Lyon controversy underscores the challenge facing the movement to reform our food system: How do you change hearts and minds when something feels so entrenched in ones cultural identity?

To understand whats happening in Lyon, its important to grasp the role that food and meat plays in French culture.

Food is central to Frances conception of itself, and in Lyon especially, which is home to 17 Michelin-starred restaurants. School cafeterias are thought to have a larger mission than to simply nourish bodies; they exist to create French citizens.

That is the republican dream: the idea that wherever you come from, we can give you the conditions to succeed and the cantine is part of it. Its a place to create equal opportunities, says Romain Espinosa, an economist at the University of Rennes who researches plant-based diets.

The traditionalist viewpoint is that to become truly French, children should learn French food culture at school. Thats why pupils lunchtime is something of a ritual here: a full hour of appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and, yes, cheese platters a far cry from the United States pizzas, burgers, and fries.

In France, children as young as 3 years old participate in cafeteria events where local cheese producers present their various artisanal fromages. They learn about terroir (unique environmental factors influencing the taste of foods) and are introduced to dishes from various parts of France, from Normandy mussels to the bouillabaisse, a fish stew from Provence.

In general, Espinosa says, France, just like Italy and Spain, has a very strong food culture. This is a country where you can find butcher stores that date back to before the American Constitution, a country that awards golden medals, with great fanfare, to not just wines but also baguettes, butters, and sour creams.

Such traditionalism and the culinary habits it breeds has its benefits. The French snack far less between meals than Americans, have lower rates of obesity, and consume far less sugar.

Yet it also has downsides, none more so than a powerful reluctance to any change regarding nutrition meaning reluctance to reducing meat consumption and giving up on traditional meat dishes.

That reluctance was on full display when Lyons mayor announced his plan to make the citys school meals temporarily vegetarian; livestock producers brought along with their tractors cows and goats to city hall, and protested with banners claiming that eating meat is the basis of humanity.

French media exploded with disputes among top government officials: The minister of the interior called the decision an unacceptable insult to French farmers. The minister for ecological transition said the conservative politicians arguments were prehistoric.

The minister of agriculture, Julien Denormandie, called for everyone to stop putting ideology on our kids plates and, instead, feed them meat that they need to grow well. For what its worth, Frances food and environmental agency, ANSES, has stated that eating vegetarian once per week is perfectly fine for children, while the American Dietetic Association says that well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including childhood.

Conservative voices were quick to declare that for children from impoverished families, school lunch is the only chance to eat meat and get enough protein. That might have been correct several decades ago, but today such claims are entirely false, says Laurent Bgue-Shankland, a social psychologist at the University of Grenoble, pointing out that in France low-income households consume more meat than the wealthy. If anything, 98 percent of French kids dont get enough fiber, something that eating more vegetarian foods would help achieve.

The outcry from farmers over Lyons meatless school meals is also, in large part, about social identity, a battle of the city versus the countryside somewhat similar to the urban/rural, liberal/conservative divide in the United States.

In France, vegetarianism and veganism are often portrayed as lifestyle choices of bobos (bourgeois and bohemian): left-voting, well-off urbanites who are thought to misunderstand the realities of rural life. The bobos promotion of vegetarian diets, the thinking goes, isnt just a social and cultural affront it could have material consequences as well, leading French farmers to financial ruin.

This discourse has similar undertones to the 2019 yellow vest protests in France, which started with a proposed fuel tax, seen as particularly unfair to struggling countryside dwellers who rely on cars for commuting, while rich Parisians dont even need cars to get around their city of 302 metro stations.

But these disputes over food arent just happening in France. In Denmark, an initiative to establish two vegetarian days per week in state canteens was scrapped soon after its introduction. In the UK, parents in farming communities destroyed a meat-free Mondays idea in schools.

The US has seen even more of these skirmishes break out, often in explicitly political settings.

In 2018, Sen. Ted Cruz quipped that if Texans elected Beto ORourke, a Democrat, to the Senate, hed ban barbecue. In 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Trump sparred over hamburgers amid arguments over the Green New Deal. During Georgias Senate runoff campaign, Republican David Perdue mocked his opponent (and now senator) Jon Ossoff for eating a plant-based burger, saying hed be having Waffle Houses all-star special (two eggs, toast, waffles, grits or hash browns, and your choice of bacon, sausage, or ham), and directly asked Georgians to pick your side.

And last month, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared March 20 MeatOut Day, intended to raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of eating less meat and more plant-based foods. In response, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts declared March 20 Meat on the Menu Day, and Wyomings governor made a similar declaration.

These battles in the larger culture war show that policymakers and advocates should be intentional about how they frame the discussion around meat. While vegetarians and climate activists might be eager to enact broad policies to curb meat consumption, such moves might only backfire and inspire greater opposition given how enmeshed meat is in cultural identity.

An example from a couple of years back is instructive. When in 2019 France introduced an experiment (which ends in October 2021) to offer children a vegetarian option at all school cafeterias, the outcry was not as heated as it is now in Lyon. It was likely because the vegetarian meals were often offered as a choice, and called the green menu to avoid terms like vegetarian or meatless. It worked well: Now, when a vegetarian option is offered, its picked on average by 30 percent of students.

Espinosa suggests that other small nudges along these lines could also be effective, such as offering the vegetarian option before the meat option.

Offering a genuine choice also seems to matter. When the 2019 law was introduced, it was met with opposition in some places because the choices given to children were bland and not particularly healthy omelets with cheese, highly processed soy burgers a poor substitute for Frances usually elaborate lunch dishes. The reason? School cooks didnt know how to prepare meals without meat.

That is now changing. The government started providing recipes to cafeteria chefs and offering training.

Whats working in France aligns with what researchers at the World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental nonprofit, recommend in order to nudge diners to choose more plant-based foods. WRI has conducted several studies and has concluded that, to no ones surprise, just making the food really delicious is key to getting diners to eat more plant-based foods.

But WRI also recommends creating appetizing dish names, spotlighting the flavor and provenance of a meal, and not labeling it as vegetarian or even as healthy. Think Cuban Black Bean Soup instead of Low-Fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup.

Nudging our way to a more rational food system may not feel ambitious enough, especially when we consider how big of a role a shift to plant-based foods can play in countering climate change. But heavy-handed policies in that direction also threaten to activate identities around meat-eating, potentially sabotaging those efforts.

That presents a real challenge for climate, animal welfare, and public health advocates, who need to think more about how to sidestep diet-as-identity, rather than stoke it. The recent squabbles in Colorado and Nebraska demonstrate the consequences of failing to account for the role meat plays in culture, especially in such ag-heavy states.

As for Lyon, its unclear whether vegetarian food has survived the culture war, but it has at least survived this recent skirmish.

After the courts decision to uphold Mayor Doucets meatless menu, protests in Lyon fizzled out. The farmers packed up their tractors, goats, and cows and went home, while the media turned their attention elsewhere.

But the children of Lyon are still eating meatless dishes in school every day. This weeks menu includes quenelle, a typical Lyonnaise dumpling with Provenal sauce, with oyster plant au gratin on the side, and honey cake for dessert.

If its as appetizing as it sounds, children can learn that vegetarian food can be delicious, and that a less meat-centric diet need not spell the end of the culture in which they grow up.

Marta Zaraska is the author of Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession With Meat and Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100.

Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the current mayor of Lyon. Grard Collomb left office in 2020; the mayor is now Grgory Doucet.

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A French city announced it would serve meatless school lunches. The backlash was swift. - Vox.com

vegetarianism | History, Types, & Facts | Britannica.com

Vegetarianism, the theory or practice of living solely upon vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and nutswith or without the addition of milk products and eggsgenerally for ethical, ascetic, environmental, or nutritional reasons. All forms of flesh (meat, fowl, and seafood) are excluded from all vegetarian diets, but many vegetarians use milk and milk products; those in the West usually eat eggs also, but most vegetarians in India exclude them, as did those in the Mediterranean lands in Classical times. Vegetarians who exclude animal products altogether (and likewise avoid animal-derived products such as leather, silk, honey, and wool) are known as vegans. Those who use milk products are sometimes called lacto-vegetarians, and those who use eggs as well are called lacto-ovo vegetarians. Among some agricultural peoples, flesh eating has been infrequent except among the privileged classes; such people have rather misleadingly been called vegetarians.

Deliberate avoidance of flesh eating probably first appeared sporadically in ritual connections, either as a temporary purification or as qualification for a priestly function. Advocacy of a regular fleshless diet began about the middle of the 1st millennium bce in India and the eastern Mediterranean as part of the philosophical awakening of the time. In the Mediterranean, avoidance of flesh eating is first recorded as a teaching of the philosopher Pythagoras of Samos (c. 530 bce), who alleged the kinship of all animals as one basis for human benevolence toward other creatures. From Plato onward many pagan philosophers (e.g., Epicurus and Plutarch), especially the Neoplatonists, recommended a fleshless diet; the idea carried with it condemnation of bloody sacrifices in worship and was often associated with belief in the reincarnation of souls and, more generally, with a search for principles of cosmic harmony in accord with which human beings could live. In India, followers of Buddhism and Jainism refused on ethical and ascetic grounds to kill animals for food. Human beings, they believed, should not inflict harm on any sentient creature. This principle was soon taken up in Brahmanism and, later, Hinduism and was applied especially to the cow. As in Mediterranean thought, the idea carried with it condemnation of bloody sacrifices and was often associated with principles of cosmic harmony.

In later centuries the history of vegetarianism in the Indic and Mediterranean regions diverged significantly. In India itself, though Buddhism gradually declined, the ideal of harmlessness (ahimsa), with its corollary of a fleshless diet, spread steadily in the 1st millennium ce until many of the upper castes, and even some of the lower, had adopted it. Beyond India it was carried, with Buddhism, northward and eastward as far as China and Japan. In some countries, fish were included in an otherwise fleshless diet.

West of the Indus the great monotheistic traditions were less favourable to vegetarianism. The Hebrew Bible, however, records the belief that in paradise the earliest human beings had not eaten flesh. Ascetic Jewish groups and some early Christian leaders disapproved of flesh eating as gluttonous, cruel, and expensive. Some Christian monastic orders ruled out flesh eating, and its avoidance has been a penance and a spiritual exercise even for laypersons. A number of saints, such as St. Anthony of Egypt, were noted vegetarians. Many Muslims have been hostile to vegetarianism, yet some Muslim Sufi mystics recommended a meatless diet for spiritual seekers.

The 17th and 18th centuries in Europe were characterized by a greater interest in humanitarianism and the idea of moral progress, and sensitivity to animal suffering was accordingly revived. Certain Protestant groups came to adopt a fleshless diet as part of the goal of leading a perfectly sinless life. Persons of diverse philosophical views advocated vegetarianism; for example, Voltaire praised it, and Percy Bysshe Shelley and Henry David Thoreau practiced the diet. In the late 18th century the utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham asserted that the suffering of animals, like the suffering of humans, was worthy of moral consideration, and he regarded cruelty to animals as analogous to racism.

Vegetarians of the early 19th century usually condemned the use of alcohol as well as flesh and appealed as much to nutritional advantages as to ethical sensibilities. As before, vegetarianism tended to be combined with other efforts toward a humane and cosmically harmonious way of life. Although the vegetarian movement as a whole was always carried forward by ethically inclined individuals, special institutions grew up to express vegetarian concerns as such. The first vegetarian society was formed in England in 1847 by the Bible Christian sect, and the International Vegetarian Union was founded tentatively in 1889 and more enduringly in 1908.

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vegetarianism | History, Types, & Facts | Britannica.com

Vegetarian ProCon.org

Many proponents of vegetarianism say that eating meat harms health, wastes resources, causes deforestation, and creates pollution. They often argue that killing animals for food is cruel and unethical since non-animal food sources are plentiful.

Many opponents of a vegetarian diet say that meat consumption is healthful and humane, and that producing vegetables causes many of the same environmental problems as producing meat. They also argue that humans have been eating and enjoying meat for 2.3 million years. Read more background...

For the purposes of this site a "vegetarian diet" is one that does not contain any meat (including poultry and seafood), but can contain eggs (ovo) and dairy (lacto) products, which is why the diet is sometimes called the ovo-lacto vegetarian diet. Vegans do not eat any animal products including meat, eggs, and dairy products.

It is cruel and unethical to kill animals for food when vegetarian options are available. Animals are sentient beings that have emotions and...

Human anatomy has evolved to support a primarily vegetarian diet.Humans do not have the large mouth or long, pointed teeth of carnivores...

A vegetarian diet delivers complete nutrition and can provide health benefits. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian...

A vegetarian diet can help alleviate world hunger. Over 10 pounds of plant protein are used to produce one pound of beef protein. If these grains...

A vegetarian diet reduces the chances of developing kidney stones and gallstones. Diets high in animal protein cause the body to excrete calcium...

A vegetarian diet provides a more healthful form of iron than a meat-based diet. Studies have linked heme iron found in red meat with an increased...

A vegetarian diet helps build healthy bones because vegetarians absorb more calcium than meat eaters. Meat has high renal acid levels which...

A vegetarian diet lowers the risk of heart disease. According to a peer-reviewed 1999 study of 76,000 people, vegetarians had 24% lower...

Eating meat increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes. A peer-reviewed 2004 study from Harvard researchers found that eating meat increases...

Vegetarians live longer. A Mar. 12, 2012 peer-reviewed study of 121,342 people found that eating red meat was associated with an increased risk...

A vegetarian diet promotes a healthy weight. According to a peer-reviewed 2003 Oxford University study of 37,875 healthy men and women aged...

Studies show that vegetarians are up to 40% less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters. In 2015 the World Health Organization classified red meat as...

Overgrazing livestock hurts the environment through soil compaction, erosion, and harm to native plants and animals. About 70% of the 11...

A vegetarian diet conserves water. It takes about 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, and about 660 gallons to make a pound...

A vegetarian diet leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are created by enteric fermentation (aka animal farts and burps)...

Producing one hamburger destroys 55 square feet of rainforest. Between 1996-2006, 25 million acres of Amazon rainforest were cleared80% of...

Raising animals for food contributes to air and water pollution. Manure produces toxic hydrogen sulfide and ammonia which pollute the air and...

Many animals raised for food in the United States are not slaughtered humanely. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) mandates that livestock...

Raising animals in confinement is cruel. About 50% of meat produced in the United States comes from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs)...

A vegetarian diet reduces overuse of antibiotics. 70% of antibiotics sold in the United States go to livestock like cows, pigs, and chickens...

Eating fish is not more ethical, environmentally sound, or healthful than eating other animal protein sources. The US EPA states that...

Eating meat is not cruel or unethical; it is a natural part of the cycle of life. Vegetarians mistakenly elevate the value of animal life over plant...

Eating meat has been an essential part of human evolution for 2.3 million years. The inclusion of meat in the ancestral diet provided a dense...

Meat is the most convenient protein source available. In one serving, meat provides all the essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein)...

Eating meat provides healthy saturated fats, which enhance the function of the immune and nervous systems. Saturated fats contain the...

Meat is the best source of vitamin B12, a vitamin necessary to nervous and digestive system health. Although it is also found in eggs and dairy...

Eating meat provides a better source of iron than a vegetarian diet. The body absorbs 15% to 35% of the heme iron in meat, but only absorbs 2% to...

A meat-centered diet can help with weight loss. It takes fewer calories to get protein from lean meat than it does from vegetarian options. One...

Raising beef is often the most efficient way to produce food for humans. About 85% of US grazing land is not suitable for raising crops humans...

Vegetarian diets are not necessarily better for the environment. About 90% of US cropland suffers from top soil loss at 13 times the sustainable...

Vegetarians do not live longer. This myth stems from the fact that vegetarians tend to be more health conscious overall, eating a more balanced...

US meat consumption does not significantly contribute to global deforestation, or loss of US forest land. In 2001 about 95% of animal products...

Processed vegetarian protein options such as tofu can cause more greenhouse gas pollution than farming meat. . A 2010 report from the World...

Becoming vegetarian will not help alleviate world hunger. The 925 million people in chronic hunger worldwide are not hungry because people in...

A diet that includes fish provides the body with essential omega-3 fatty acids. Fish are a powerful source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and...

Saturated fats from meat are not to blame for modern diseases like heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Chemically processed and hydrogenated vegetable oils...

Lean red meat, eaten in moderation, can be a healthful part of a balanced diet. According to researchers at the British Nutrition Foundation...

Modern slaughter techniques minimize the suffering of animals. US slaughterhouses must conform to the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA)...

There is nothing inherently cruel about raising animals for food. There is a growing movement to raise "cruelty free" organic meat...

The right to eat what we want, including meat, is a fundamental liberty that we must defend. Animal-rights and health groups are attempting to...

It is not necessary to become vegetarian to lower our environmental footprint. Some vegetarians eat an unhealthy diet, drive SUVs, and consume...

Vegetarian diets can cause the death of animals too. According to a 2003 study by Steven Davis at Oregon State University, about six animals...

NEW ProCon.org Website! - 2020 Presidential Election: The Candidates and Where They Stand on the Issues8/29/2019 Learn about the presidential candidates' views on important issues, compare them with a side-by-side chart, take our matching quiz, track their finances, and so much more on our 2020 Presidential Election website. The New York Times called our previous presidential election site "The most comprehensive tool for researching the candidate's stance on issues." Check back monthly for expanded issue coverage.

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Vegetarian ProCon.org

I Went a Year Without Meat. Here’s What I Learned. – InsideHook

The closest I came was in Hawaii, all the way back in February. I was eating out with a big group of people Id just met, at a sushi restaurant on Oahus North Shore, sunburnt, drunk on sake, trading jokes that are better left out of print. A couple courses in, the waiter brought out a bamboo board with a lava rock grill, a plate with cooking fat, and a tray of marbled Hokkaido Wagyu steak. I audibly cursed.

Last November, I quit meat. Like everyone else, I havent caught up with too many people this year. But when I do, and that fresh fact eventually comes to light, they generally reply: Really? Why?

Ive found its easier to offer up a single, digestible reason indigestion, heart health, rain forests than tell the truth, which is that it was a long, incremental, incredibly dull process. One night I had snap peas and carrots with noodles instead of steak. I felt great on my run the next morning. A month later I watched a documentary about athletes and plant-based protein. A couple weeks after that I didnt order bacon on my Sunday morning egg sandwich. During a trip to a science museum in San Francisco, I learned about the link between cheeseburgers and deforestation. In the concluding chapter of one of my favorite non-fiction books I read last year, the author explained why hed moved on from meat. I read his words three times.

Eventually, there was a day that I had my last piece of meat. Thats how I know its been a year. But there was nothing ceremonial about it at the time. It became the last meal after the fact, after I decided that Id seen enough, that I could live without it, because apparently Id been trending in that direction for a long time.

Wagyu beef skewers, like the ones I passed up in Hawaii

Stefan Cristian Cioata/Getty Images

And then came Hawaii, where the waiter showed me how to spread the lard around the lava to get it ready for the beef. No one on the trip knew about my fledgling dietary decision. Even if they had, no one would have judged me for partaking. Still my mouth watering, my spirit shaky I held off. Instead, somewhat comically, I cooked a steak for a friend who was too far down the table to reach the station.

There are days that I miss it. I think about it a bit more around holidays, when its sizzling on the grill, or sitting there in the middle of the table, just the same as it always has. I ooh and aah with my roommate when we watch Parts Unknown, and Bourdain is in Uruguay or Oman and someone hands him a dripping, glistening piece of meat on a stick or over a bed of rice. (Ill ask myself, as if checking some sort of mental manual, whether it would be disrespectful to turn down a local delicacy if I were in the same situation.)

And I wonder, too, where Id be without the pandemic, which saved me a summer of having to smell hot dogs at Yankee Stadium. I like to sit in the left field bleachers, Section 237, where a couple dozen men start chanting CHI-CKEN BU-CKET! over and over again in the fifth inning. They proudly pick up their hollow tubs which not long before before housed 10 chicken tenders and a pound of fries then present them to a raucous crowd.

Its a testament to the growing diversity of plant-based personalities these days, I suppose, that I can write nostalgically about carnivorous days. Im not here to levy guilt, or link out to photos of animals kept in desolate conditions. I dont want to tell Americans to eat less meat. In fact, I dont need to. Recent surveys suggest that an overwhelming majority (90%) of Americans are eager to eat more fruits and vegetables, while a sizable figure (over 50%) are open to subbing out red meat for plant-based alternatives.

There are positives to this lifestyle choice enough that I have no plans to abandon it here at the start of year two but there are pitfalls, too, which I wish Id known more about before I started. However you come to your decision to divorce meat, either from months of diligent reading or after one bad bout with a burrito, you should know what to expect from the world youre entering into. So here are my takeaways from 12 months without beef, pork, poultry or fowl (I identified as a pescatarian, so I was still eating some seafood).

Maeda Rei/EyeEm

Giving up meat 30 years ago wasnt a bad idea. But it was bad timing. If your goal was to eat fewer animals, there were plenty of plants to choose from, but that was pretty much it. For years, our concept of diet was somewhat binary, hingeing on omnivores versus vegetarians, and a lack of creativity or optionality reflected this status quo. Thanks to the last half-decades revolution in plant-based products, though propelled by imitation meat giants based in Silicon Valley or the tech hubs of Europe going meatless doesnt have to mean only eating food grown in the ground or on trees. It also includes food grown in labs.

By 2027, the global plant-based food market will be worth $72.4 billion. Brands like Beyond Burger and Impossible Foods, which pioneered soy protein simulation meat, are now easily recognized and increasingly popular at grocery stores and fast-food joints across the country and world. A year ago, Id never had a plant-based burger in my life. This summer, I wrote an entire guide to grilling them. In fairness, not every vegetarian is interested in this new wave. But I certainly am: for me, the definitive arrival of alternative meats has lowered the intimidation barrier to a life without meat. Its eased the blow of removing all those familiar, beloved tastes from my life, as in their stead Ive come to truly enjoy and even crave certain plant-based foods.

An additional note on timing: the best is probably yet to come. In Tel Aviv, a company called SuperMeat recently became the worlds first to serve so-called cultured meat to a commercial public. They make a chicken sandwich sourcing the powers of cellular agriculture, harvesting meat without harming any animals. Its possible that 10 years from now we could all be accustomed to eating such cultured meat, which begs an interesting question. If you quit meat in 2020, why are you doing so? Would the promise of cruelty-free meat bring you back in 2030? Upon some internal reflection, I was interested to learn my answer is yes. That indicates to me that the treatment of animals and the preservation of the planet have become my biggest reasons for doing this.

Ive lost almost 20 pounds since I quit meat. Thats not necessarily weight I was trying to lose, but Ive also taken up long-distance running again, a sport which favors a lighter frame, so I dont mind. The running has definitely contributed to the weight loss. And yet its all interconnected, considering Ive run faster times (Im convinced of this) because I quit meat. The fitness aspect was a huge initial draw for me to a plant-based diet, and I can say, quite roundly, it has delivered. I was familiar with research at the outset. In theory, switching to a plant-based diet can trim your waistline, boost athletic performance, sharpen your day-to-day focus, increase your libido and improve your sleep. Those who eat a lot of red meat are at an increased risk of death from heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Vegetarians, by contrast, take in less calories and less fat.

I talked to one vegetarian at the start of this, who told me the most common question he gets is Where do you get your protein? Americans, especially American men, are extremely anxious about this concept, as if guzzling protein shakes is the silver bullet to fitness, instead of getting your heart rate up on a consistent basis. The reality is, I was getting way too much protein before I gave up meat, and I still take in more than enough. Most Americans consume double the amount that they need each day. A different question we might start asking ourselves is Where do you get your energy? I remember heading straight for the couch not the gym after eating particularly meaty dishes. Fatty, high-sodium foods close up the arterial pathways, making it difficult for blood vessels to oxygenate the body.

Thats not to say you cant get ripped on a diet of chicken and steak. Millions of people have. But it really just depends on your fitness goals. Ive moved away from bang-bang, short-run strength training in recent years in favor of running and functional, full-body fitness workouts. That brand of exercise requires more energy, better blood flow and an emptier stomach. Im in a great place these days. I recently ran my fastest mile in 10 years (4:43). Its important to remember, also, that a shift in focus from protein to energy could also have implications on longevity. Countless studies of metabolic health have linked a reduced protein-high carbohydrate diet to more years lived on the planet. This is true of every community with a disproportionate amount of centenarians (Blue Zones) throughout the world.

Im a big alternative meats guy, yes, but Ive also taken the plant part of the plant-based diet seriously this year. I have tried and tried cooking more foods this year, namely vegetables, than the previous five years combined. Its worth taking a break from meat just to remind yourself that as a food group, it can be a bit of a ball-hog. Meat is always looking for ways to dominate a meal. Theres a reason many men report feeling like a meal is incomplete or insufficiently filling without meat. But foods like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and chickpeas can be a worthy main course if given a chance. During peak quarantine, my speciality became a tray of oven-roasted carrots dressed in honey, garlic and gorgonzola.

Photo by Ollie Millington/Getty Images

This is one of the pitfalls I mentioned earlier: there is a sense when you give up meat, that you have a ton of healthy credit in the bank. After all, youre constantly denying yourself a food group that is connected to bad heart health and a slew of other ailments. This must mean youve earned the right to fill up on anything flavorful that youre still allowed to eat, like pizza, potato chips and ice cream. When the main goal is to avoid meat, excessive consumption of butter, cheese and sugar feels reasonable, if even a little expected. But a full plant-based diet is only effective when meat is replaced with whole food alternatives; in fact, if a so-called junk food plant-based diet becomes your endgame, studies indicate that you would have been better off just sticking with meat.

To avoid rookie vegetarianism, prioritize real, whole foods. Think starchy vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats. Eschew processed foods with preservatives or thickeners. Earlier in the year, Id go to bed patting a stomach full of French fries and beer, thinking to myself Well done, still safe.Theres nothing wrong with consuming French fries and beer in moderation, at least but doing so to make up for a meatless lifestyle can be a slippery slope if youre not careful. The key for me has been keeping such simple pleasures sporadic and special. During the rest of the week, my diet trends boring. I like edamame, brown rice, pesto pasta. Peanut butter on an apple really gets me going.

In line with this philosophy, I should add, eating alternative meats every single night probably isnt a good idea. The reason theyre so tasty owes to the super-sized sodium levels. Look no further than their biggest partnerships (Burger King, Qdoba, Subway, KFC). Meatless meats dont carry the cancer risks of red meat, but theyre laden with empty caloriesand can pack four times as much salt as standard ground beef. Theyre also high in saturated fat. Youll get some nutritional value from the blends (black bean burgers have zinc and iron), but at the end of the day it should be considered a reminder of the old a comfort food, not an everyday choice. It carries the plant-based diet tag (really, a plant-based burger might as well be the movements mascot), but it has little to do with a more natural, whole-food plant-based diet.

Be prepared for the Spanish Inquisition: Why? How long have you been doing this? Is this who you are now? So what do you do if, like, youre at someone elses house for a BBQ? Doesnt plant-based meat have estrogen that makes men grow boobs? Do you think Im a monster for eating this burger right now? What kind of meat do you miss the most? Is it really that bad for the environment? Can you even build muscle anymore? Should I try it? Do you have to be an amazing cook? Does that actually taste like meat?

Just try to keep your cool. I truly do not mind fielding questions about a life without meat. Though occasionally misguided or misinformed, these questions are generally a sign of a populace in dietary flux, as millions of Americans have come to reconsider the impact their food choices have on their afternoon, their heart and the planet. Curiosity is a necessary, inevitable first step. In the last 12 months, two people I am quite close with also gave up meat. Others who I have lived with this year have made a conscious decision to eat less meat, as unofficial observers of the nations growing flexitarian movement.

Ive appreciated the solidarity, and I can only imagine what it was like for vegetarians decades ago, who had no Beyond or Impossible Burgers to tide their cravings. Ultimately, though, this is a personal choice, a decision made alone, one made again and again, every night, as I open the fridge and decide whats for dinner.

Whats my biggest takeaway after these 12 months? Its been a long year. Ive felt stomped-over, cramped, lost, confused and forgotten in 2020. But this decision, the reasons I did it and my resolve to stick with it even in the face of marbled Wagyu have all filled me with pride.

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I Went a Year Without Meat. Here's What I Learned. - InsideHook

The non-dairy queen taking on the choc giants – Elite Business Magazine

From their kitchen table, to supermarket shelves via Dragons Den, the founders of vegan chocolate brand LoveRaw, Manav and Rimi Thapar, have set their sights on the established giants of the UK choc market.

Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned lacto-ovo vegetarian? Did they become extinct?

After years of slow but steady progress in establishing veggie brands like Linda McCartney, Quorn and RealEat in supermarkets, the cruelty-free food market has suddenly made a quantum leap towards full-on veganism by-passing most peoples usual first step in giving up meat, which is vegetarianism.

Research from Finder estimates that the number of vegans in the UK increased by a massive 419,000 (62 per cent) over the past 12 months. A not-insignificant 7.5 per cent of the UK now claim to be vegan in 2020, whereas 14 per cent claim to be vegetarian. Vegan food suits both of course. And then theres the flexitarians, that eat both vegan and meat. Go figure.

Clearly then Manav and Rimi Thapars LoveRaw business, with its brand of vegan chocolate, is riding a sizeable wave and, in fact, having started back in 2013 in their own kitchen, caught that wave early on.

Manav [Rimis husband] and I were your typical twenty something millennials, explains Rimi Thapar. We both worked independently of each other: I was working in Investment Banking and Manav in Textile Distribution. Both miles away from anything food or FMCG related and not particularly mindful about food. Our idea of healthy was calorie counting. At the time we were living in the south of Spain and started visiting farmers markets and really appreciating seasonal fresh produce, and our vegan journey started from there. Our brand and products have really evolved since then. Today we make indulgent vegan chocolate products.

Although not exactly a rags to riches story (both had well-paid jobs) it is a classic entrepreneurial, cottage industry tale of kitchen table to supermarket, started with no investment (and, it has be said no real level of expertise either) but a lot of determination and trial and error.

I wanted to start the business with minimal cost and risks, and the quickest route to market was making the products at home, explains Thapar. Also coupled with the fact that every contract manufacturer turned us away as we didn't meet their minimum quantity requirements. We got our big break when we launched with Wholefoods. Our first order was 5,000 units, which increased over a few months. We were making around 3,000 units a week in a tiny kitchen working 18 hours a day and even when I reached the minimum requirements of the factory, I worked from the kitchen until I reached full capacity.

Searching for an investment boost the pair even appeared on Dragons Den. Having received an offer from Deborah Meaden, however, they decided not to take the investment but did receive a PR and branding uplift from the experience.

We needed the investment but intuitively it didn't feel right to give away so much of the business. A business which we had invested so much time, effort and emotion in. It was the right decision as we went on to raise much more money financially, and at a higher valuation.

Progress has been made since then, with the brand stocked in Holland & Barrett, Boots, Waitrose, Wholefoods, Ocado, Revital, As Nature Intended, The Vegan Kind, Selfridges, Various petrol station forecourts and independent retail stores. In the last 12 months the firm has experienced 114% YOY growth during Covid.

With a staff of around 13, the headcount has also tripled from two years ago.

This year we have mainly focused on sales and digital growth, growing our sales team from one to three people and taking on a digital marketer earlier in the year to support our growing direct to consumer sales since COVID 19.

Unless you believe that the rapid rise of vegan product at retail is a passing fad (and Thapar is somewhat unsurprisingly of the opinion that it is not) then there is still a lot of potential for growth as more and more people convert to plant-based foods.

Paradoxically, what gives this trend some stickability is the fact that it is not so much about the widespread adoption of a strict vegan lifestyle, but more about people adding vegan products onto their shopping list. Its those flexitarians. And that means it is much more likely to have permanence on supermarket shelves.

There are so many factors which have contributed towards the shift to vegan: health, environment, animal welfare, social media, comments Thapar. I think the food industry has been exposed a lot over the past few years and there is more transparency about the source of what we eat, especially the meat and dairy industry. Most consumers are not converting to full veganism however, more-so taking a flexitarian approach, where they have the choice to eat partially vegan and non-vegan, but still contributing towards their health and the environment. I don't think you can scroll through Instagram without seeing a user's vegan breakfast, lunch or healthy smoothie.

Now that the brand has emerged from the kitchen, sights are set high - on market leadership of the vegan chocolate market, no less and beyond- and having obtained fresh investment, the Thapars are already developing a range beyond its initial launch.

The brand and product offering has evolved since we launched in 2013 and we are confident in continuing to grow our range of indulgent vegan chocolate snacks. Not letting COVID get in the way of progressing, we are working on new products and extending ranges. I think now is even more of an important time to innovate and be dynamic to the current market conditions.

Thats where the fresh investment comes in.

We have invested in new hires, new product development, working capital, marketing and generally building the brand.

Ultimately, LoveRaw does not want to be just a vegan chocolate brand but wants to make an impact in the established dairy-based choc market too.

We want to be recognised as the leading vegan chocolate brand that disrupts the mainstream chocolate market, and we want to be accessible to all UK consumers. Most importantly we want to have a good time along the way and to make our journey memorable.

Lofty ambitions indeed. Looks like the Dragons missed a sweet deal on this one.

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The non-dairy queen taking on the choc giants - Elite Business Magazine

Covibesity May Be the Next Epidemic We Need to Tackle – The South Florida Times

During the initial days of the lockdown, a lot of people found that being at home left them with a lot of time to concentrate on their mental and physical wellbeing.

However, almost seven months into the lockdown, even the most committed of fitness enthusiasts have found themselves sliding down the wellness slope. Months of forced inactivity coupled with stressors like never-ending work hours, the burden of household chores and, taking care of the family and kids, has led to a dip in fitness levels and poor eating habits.

Studies say, stress often leads to comfort eating and is more prevalent among those who are unable to, or are less able to, express their feelings.

The lockdown has led to an increase in the consumption of unhealthy food and take-away orders in children, revealed a study bythe Department of Counselling, School and Educational Psychology, University at Buffalo.

Compared to data recorded last year, the children ate an additional meal a day; slept an extra half hour a day; added nearly five hours a day in front of the phone, computer and television screens; and dramatically increased their consumption of red meat, sugary drinks, and junk foods, it said.

I have people coming to me every day who say that they have put on 18-20 pounds during the lockdown, said Dr. Jasleen Kaur, a Delhi-based nutritionist. Pre-lockdown, we had a daily routine. We all had a fixed time of eating or going to the office or coming back. Now, when we sit idle, all we think about is what to eat. We find comfort in food.

The spike in the number of such cases has been so high that a new term, Covibesity (rising obesity during the pandemic), has been coined by theNational Center for Biotechnology Information.It is being regarded as the new pandemic.

COVID-19 has had collateral effects, which extend beyond just the direct viral infection. People from all age groups, who were already struggling with obesity, were isolated. This fueled inactivity and a lack of motivation. Apart from attending online classes or working, youngsters are glued to the screen playing games or watching web content.

The food industry has noticed the increase in screen time and intensified online advertisement, focusing on children and young adults, noted a study byNielsen.

Dr. Naini Setalvad, a Mumbai-based nutritionist, blamed the lockdown for the increased obesity among individuals.

Tedious online schooling, increased screen time, lack of movement and eating with distractions like the TV, mobile and computer, causes more food consumption, she said. The ability to order food at any time of the day is also worrisome. Convenience foods are increasing as the house and office workload is also high.

Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, recently announced that September 2020 would be observed as nutrition month to raise awareness about the importance of proper nutrition. Diseases such as obesity and cardiovascular ailments and related illnesses are caused by malnourishment or lack of proper nourishment. In India, malnourishment and obesity are also linked with cultural, economic, and caste factors.

Indias eating habits are strongly influenced by casteist notions of purity/pollution, clean/unclean. These are the factors that govern eating practices, said Dr. Sylvia Karpagam, a public health doctor and researcher. While the rich will tend to imitate the West and eat highly processed junk food, the poor will be forced (by bad policies) to eat just cereals and millets, without additional good quality protein and sources of vitamins and minerals. So, obesity is bound to increase.

Karpagam believes the lockdown aggravated such habits because the middle class, sitting at home, has been snacking on lots of sugary and oily foods with carbohydrate-rich cereals/potatoes as the base.

Even the vegetarians need to plan their diets by cutting down on sugars, cheap vegetable oils, cereals, and millets, said Karpagam. They will have to consume more dairy products like cottage cheese, yogurt and milk, and more vegetables.

Caste and culture have influenced the eating habits in India. Meat and eggs, which are the best sources of protein, are looked down upon.

The caste system has played havoc on peoples eating choices, criminalizing not just animal foods but those who consume such foods as well,saidKarpagam.

There is enough evidence to show that good-quality protein is essential for growth and development. Most Indians do not get access to this. This is the major cause of stunting, under-nutrition and non-communicable diseases. Vegetarians consume animal foods such as dairy, but those in positions of power, tend to push cheap vegetarianism (mainly cereal and millets) on predominantly meat-eating communities. All these factors add up to creating barriers to good nutritious food. Unless these basic issues are addressed, and the government at least starts providing eggs to children and other vulnerable people, nutrition is only going to deteriorate.

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Covibesity May Be the Next Epidemic We Need to Tackle - The South Florida Times