If Going Vegan is Your Resolution This Year, Read This – VegNews

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Whether its a healthier diet, reducing your carbon footprint, or helping to end animal suffering, there are a slew of reasons to choose a vegan lifestyle as your New Years resolution. But, similar to many other resolutions, a question arises: where to begin? The answer to this question varies depending on your situation. For instance, if youre a broke college student, perhaps your meals consists of French fries and Oreo cookies. Or, maybe youre on a cleanse and want to consume nothing but green drinks. Whatever the case, the most important thing to remember is that a plant-based lifestyle doesnt come with instructions. As long as youre helping to end animal exploitation, youre doing the right thing. However, to help you along in that New Years resolution, weve devised four ways to start you on a path that will literally change your life. You can thank us later.

1. Crush the stereotypesSome people equate veganism with people who live on hippie communes. However, nothing could be further from the truth, as there are well-known vegan lawyers, doctors, athletes, writers, musicians, and, yes, hippies. Furthermore, there is this idea that you have to live a certain way or believe certain ideals to be a real vegan. Again, this is untrue, as there are no personality prerequisites to leading a plant-based lifestyle. You dont need to be a health nut, a yoga teacher, millennial, or live in California to care about animals and the environment. In fact, there are so many different types of vegan: raw vegan, whole-foods vegan, low-fat vegan, no-carbohydrate vegan, and the type of vegan who will eat anything as long as its plant-based. Often, vegans are lumped together as the same, even though, similar to any other lifestyle group, we are a diverse and varied people.

2. Make your own definitionOnce you have proven that there is no such thing as a stereotypical vegan, you are on your way to making your own definition for plant-based living. For instance, you might focus on environmental concerns by avoiding plastic because of its harmful impact on nature. Or, you might choose to convince fitness aficionados to eschew whey-based protein powders. Whatever you choose, remember that theres no such thing as being a proper vegan, so long as you are plant-based and against the exploitation of animals. Many nuanced topics plague the vegan community, and its impossible to determine the correct answer. So, make your own definition, and live vegan by your own values.

3. Do what you need to doAvailability and access to certain resources should not define good or bad vegans, as we are all doing our best with what we have in order to live a compassionate, eco-friendly lifestyle. And, as vegans, its important to remember that not everyone has the resources to go to the farmers market, vegan bakery, local soap shop, and bulk store for every grocery trip. Sometimes, a persons only option is a large, corporate supermarket. For times like these, supporting other people is whats important, not condemnation.

4. Make a differenceVeganism is a journey with obstacles and hardships. Every situation is different, and if you do your best everyday, you should not feel guilty because of the perfect people you see online. Those people also make mistakes like the rest of us, and we are all working for a better world. Learn from your mistakes, and move on. Accidentally eating something that isnt vegan can be frustrating and horrifying, but, when these things happen, dont beat yourself up. Reading labels is a large part of this lifestyle, and making this a habit can be difficult if you have never done so before. Instead of getting down on yourself, give yourself credit for working hard to make change and help others.

Kathryn Lunger is a passionate vegan on a mission to help people working toward eco-friendly lifestyles.

Love the plant-based lifestyle as much as we do?Get the BEST vegan recipes, travel, celebrity interviews, product picks, and so much more inside every issue of VegNews Magazine. Find out why VegNews is the worlds #1 plant-based magazine by subscribing today!

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The year without everything: Here are some of the things we missed in Fayetteville in 2020 – The Fayetteville Observer

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Akira Kyles|The Fayetteville Observer

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a lot from us in 2020, including what would have been an eventful year full of traditions and gatherings.

Here are some of the things that didn't happen in 2020:

Dogwood Festival: A four-day festival that features live performances, a food and wine event and various vendors. The event was supposed to be held in April and was rescheduled to October before beingcanceled.

Umoja Festival: A festival held in partnership with the Fayetteville Arts Councilandthe Umoja Group Inc., a nonprofit organization that initiates and supports the history, arts and culture of Africans, African-Americans and Caribbeans. The festival has commonly been held in August and always attracts a good crowd.

Fayetteville Vegan Festival: A festival to celebrate veganism in Fayetteville. The festival, which would have been in its third year, was supposed to be held in September

International Folk Festival: A festival that highlights the diversity of Fayetteville and showcases international cuisine and cultures from around the world. This year would have been the 42nd anniversary of this event. The festival was originally supposed to be held in September.The Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County hostedan hour-long online eventfeaturing cooking demonstrations, music, dance and cultural activities.

Christmas: During the Christmas Parade, usually held in early to mid-December, thousands of spectators line downtown streets to watch a procession of high school marching bands, local businesses, civic groups and others.

Halloween: The Zombie walkand prom, which is usually held at the end of October, was canceled due to the pandemic. This would have been the event's 11th year.

Fayetteville State homecoming: Fayetteville State University canceled its homecoming and associated events, including the parade.

Graduation: Various in-person high school and college graduations were cancelled or held in some virtual capacity. Cumberland County high schools receivedkeepsake programs and tickets even though their graduation ceremonies were held differentlyfrom previous years.

Sports

The Woodpeckers:Fayetteville's minor league baseball team, haven't been able to play since the beginning of the pandemic in late March. The 2021 season is set to begin with the Woodpeckers reclassified as a Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Click the "subscribe'' link at the top of this article.

Staff writerAkira Kyles can be reachedatakyles@gannett.com.

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The year without everything: Here are some of the things we missed in Fayetteville in 2020 - The Fayetteville Observer

Revisited: is veganism the future? | News – The Guardian

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This week we are revisiting some of our favourite episodes from 2020. This episode was first broadcast on 23 January 2020

Veganism is having a moment. From Veganuary promotions to whole lines of products in fast-food chains such as KFC and Greggs, there is a concerted effort to lure customers away from meat and dairy. But with the boom comes a deluge of quackery and misinformation.

In this episode Marco Springmann, a public health researcher at Oxford University, separates fact from fiction. He tells Anushka Asthana what the data says about the health and environmental impact of veganism and cutting out meat and other animal products.

Archive: ITV News, BBC News, Wired (YouTube), Joey Carbstrong (YouTube), Netflix (The Game Changers)

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Revisited: is veganism the future? | News - The Guardian

Will you get the vaccine? – Gulf Times

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Its the topic dominating conversations around the world as countries begin to start the so far optional vaccination campaign against the Covid-19.Since all medications currently go through animal testing and animal products are commonly used in their manufacturing, decisions around taking medication can be complex for vegans. Many vegans find compromising their beliefs in this way to distressing, but the truth is it has never been more important for us to talk about the definition of veganism in the context of medications, including vaccines.The definition of veganism recognises that it is not always possible or practicable to avoid animal use, which is particularly relevant to medical situations.In the case of Covid-19, scientists (and world leaders) recognise that vaccination will play a fundamental role in tackling the pandemic and saving lives. As all vaccines currently are tested on animals, at this stage it is impossible to have a vaccine that has been created without animal use.At the end of the day, as there is no plan for compulsory vaccination, it is the responsibility of each individual to make an informed decision about vaccines, bearing in mind the definition of veganism, and your own beliefs, while respecting the science.Its a sensitive subject. UK media reported that Pfizer and BioNTech, the big pharma companies behind the vaccine, have treated monkeys and mice with contempt. While their human researchers have been protected with elaborate PPE, the animals in their care have been trapped and deliberately infected. Some were injected with an inoculation first and some werent.Everyone wants to see the back of Covid-19 but with vegan beliefs, or as a strict vegan, should we accept a jab thats the result of animal cruelty? Again, its a personal consideration, and much of the world agree that it should only be made by the individual.There is evidence that most epidemics and pandemics, including Covid-19, have actually been caused by humans exploiting animals. In August, a white paper found that nearly every major zoonotic disease (an infectious disease that is transmitted between species from animals to humans outbreak) such as Covid over the last 120 years is linked to animal exploitation, including mass meat consumption.The human cost is huge: even before Covid-19, two million people were dying from these kinds of diseases each year, as a result of exploiting animals, and the spill over that occurs from animal to human.A separate report from the UN said the number of zoonotic epidemics the ones that can be transmitted from animals to people is rising, from Ebola to Sars to West Nile virus and Rift Valley fever.The authors warned that although the world is treating the health and economic symptoms of this coronavirus pandemic, governments are ignoring the root causes: humans destruction of nature and meat eating. We need to wake up. Since it was exploiting animals that got us into this mess, its both immoral and ill-advised to continue to exploit more animals now, and we need educating about this in order to reduce pandemics, respect animals, and live healthier, longer lives as a global population.* The author is an expert in vegan wellbeing and health. Instagram handle: @Ghanim92

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Vegan Support Center Opens In Middle East: The First Of Its Kind In The Region – Plant Based News

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A new vegan support center has opened in the Middle East the first of its kind in the region.

The Lebanese Vegans Social Hub, in Beirut, was created by animal advocate Seb Alex working with the Lebanese Vegans organization.

According to Alex, the center will promote veganism and the existence and work of animal advocates of color, as well as distributing free food, and holding screenings and other events.

The center opening follows the devastating explosion that took place in Beirut in August this year, killing more than 200 people, injuring more than 2,000, and killing, injuring, and displacing many animals. It made 300,000 people homeless overnight.

After the explosion, Seb Alex and Lebanese Vegansdistributed vegan food boxesand ready meals to more than 2,000 families, initially distributing free food seven days a week.

They were given a space to work from a former cultural center that had been unused for 20 years. Now they have been given the site permanently, and have been working to transform it into the center, which had a soft opening on November 1 (World Vegan Day) attended by around 80 people. The center opened officially on December 22.

Because of the financial crisis in Lebanon which has led to a currency value drop the countrys banks have blocked withdrawals or online transactions.

This means the center is dependent on international support and is fundraising, so far raising around $4,000 of its $20,000 goal.

In a statement sent toPlant Based News, Seb Alex said: The center will run animal rights campaigns, distribute free vegan food, hold workshops, documentary screenings, and have a vegan cafe, shop, and co-working area.

[It will push] veganism and animal rights forward and showing the world the existence of vegans of color and their work for other animals.

You can find out more about the Center here

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12 Momentous Images From 2020 That Define The Rise Of Veganism – Plant Based News

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Plant Based Newswill be releasing its highly-anticipated new documentaryVegan 2020on YouTube next month.

The film is the fifth installment in the annual series that started in 2015. Each year, the movie documents the growth of the vegan movement over the last 12 months.

In anticipation for Vegan 2020 which director Klaus Mitchell brands the most exciting installment yet this gallery highlights key moments.

COVID-19 infections in slaughterhouses outpaced the rest of the nation in several countries including the U.S and U.K. This lead some commentators to accuse politicians of sending employees to their deaths by forcing them to work. Some of the facilities temporarily closed as cases rose. As a result, farmers killed millions of animals on site using highly-criticized methods.

As the COVID pandemic threatened to draw attention away from the climate breakdown, veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough kept reminding the public of the impending crisis. The September release of his documentary A Life On Our Planet was a sobering reminder of the damage humanity has inflicted on the planet. This inspired some to change their behavior. Sir David himself isnt vegan, but is a vocal meat-reducer, and his film inspired others to follow his lead.

The 2019-2020 bushfire season in Australia was so bleak it became known as the Black Summer, taking an agonizing toll on human and animal life. Climate scientists said that global warming, which made conditions hotter and drier than usual, had made the fires so intense, boosting them by up to 30 percent. They warned that if the planet continues to heat up, the fires will continue to get worse.

Fires also blazed throughout California in 2020, to such a degree that the flames created the first gigafire in modern history, spanning 1 million acres. Scientists blamed manmade global warming for creating the hot temperatures fanning the blazes. With drier than usual soil and vegetation, the flames spread further than usual. Black smoke from the gigantic blazes created a dark blanket over parts of the west coast, with experts warning worse will come if human activity continues to heat the planet.

While 2020 was plagued a host of disasters, it will be remembered most for the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific consensus said the disease was zoonotic, meaning it spread from animals to humans. As once-vibrant city centres lay dormant, their inhabitants trapped in their homes during extended lockdowns, expert after expert warned that animal exploitation led to this outbreak and that without changes to the way humans treat animals, this could be just the beginning. Doctors, scientists, and other experts said we must change our global food system: or face the consequences.

As the COVID lockdown forced restaurants and cafes up and down the U.K to shut, dairy farmers found themselves with a surplus of product on their hands. With people working from home, and commuters forgoing their daily flat white, there was simply more milk being produced than the country could drink, leading to farmers threatening the breakdown of the industry, begging for government handouts, and sharing photos of themselves pouring gallons of dairy down the drain.

In 2020, dietary justice advocates stepped-up the fight to ditch dairy from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guide is compiled by a committee of nutrition and medical researchers, academics, and practitioners, acting on the advice of evidence presented at hearings. In an eloquent and moving speech in 2019, top physician Dr. Milton Mills pointed out the panels lack of diversity. He then implored members to acknowledge that dairy consumption harms people of color. POC suffer from lactose intolerance in huge numbers, far greater than white people. Despite this, dietary guidelines tell them to ingest a product that will make them ill. Advocates have battled this recommendation this year, urging officials to respond to the health needs of all races, rather than dairy industry propaganda.

2020 saw fashion giants start to catch-up to their foodie counterparts, and start offering vegan consumers the mainstream goods theyd been crying out for. Sportswear brand Adidas led the charge. It launched an animal-free line of some of its most iconic shoes, including the Superstar and Continental. Higher-end brands continued to drop controversial materials, with British institution Mulberry pledging to drop exotic skins. The biggest breakthrough followed a major undercover expose. Vegan charity PETA released footage of animal suffering within the alpaca industry. This lead to fashion stalwarts like Marks & Spencer, Ted Baker, Next, and many more vowing to ditch the material.

Actors often use award ceremonies to promote their advocacy effects. Joaquin Phoenix created history at the 2020 Oscars ceremony with his breakthrough vegan speech. As he picked up the Best Actor gong for his performance in Joker, Phoenix spoke in detail about the horrors of the dairy industry. He pioneered using a platform of this scale to detail the dark side of how dairy takes babies from their mothers. His speech divided opinion, but it started a crucial conversation. Furthermore, Phoenix reached a new audience with his powerful message.

While the enforced lockdown caused myriad problems for people and businesses, there was one beneficiary: the environment. While the benefits have been touted by many as short term, there were some positive impacts. These included air quality improvements, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and lower noise pollution. These changes were limited in what they achieved. However, some commentators said this was an important lesson: we learned what could be achieved in a short time period. Lockdown showed we could achieve cleaner air, fewer carbon emissions, and create more hospitable environments for wildlife.

With supermarkets selling out of many foods at the beginning of the pandemic, and numerous people becoming more conscious of the dangers of meat production, polling in 2020 showed that an increasing number of people were ditching meat and trying plant-based alternatives. Established companies like Impossible Foods among others saw retail sales increase, even as their hospitality sales dipped. As these products grew more popular, technology within the sector was becoming increasingly sophisticated. One Israeli company pledged to have 3D-printed steaks on tables before the end of the year. The tech had finally reached a milestone, Redefine Meat said. It could now replicate taste and texture in realistic new ways.

COVIDs devastating impact on the economy forced businesses up and down high streets to close. But one new shop signalled hope. Rudys Vegan Butcher, the U.Ks first permanent butcher, opened on World Vegan Day. Offering a range of plant-based meats like pastrami and lobster, queues formed down the street before its doors even opened. The shop was so busy, products sold out, and staff had to work through the night to meet demand. This highlighted the shift in our cultural vision of meat. The store made headlines in its native U.K, as well as the U.S.

PBNusually hosts sellout premieres for the film. In 2018 and 2019, the movies premiered globally in cities including London, Los Angeles, and Beijing. Ticket sales from these events made up a significant source of funding for the films.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this year PBN will be unable to host these events. Instead, it is crowdfunding to raise the production costs, which have been budgeted at 15,000.

It is offering investors a range of benefits. These includePBNhoodies, to executive producer credits, and personalized thank-you videos from the entirePBNteam.

If you are interested in investing in the film,you can find more information here.Please feel free to share this link with friends and family who would be interested

Vegan 2020 is kindly sponsored byabillionveg an awesome app that helps you find the best vegan food and products near you.

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The 15 Food Trends You’re Going To See Everywhere In 2021 – Delish.com

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Somehow we are at the end of 2020 already. This year has felt like 100 years and also two days all in one, and we're all more than a little glad to kiss it goodbye...or more appropriately, give it the finger goodbye.

In 2021, many food trends we've seen start this year will likely carry over, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and people continue to cook at home, order take-out, and get more things than ever delivered. Below we've forecasted just a few things we think you'll be seeing more of in 2021.

Plant-based items continue to be a trend into 2021, as 28 percent of people said that they have been eating more protein from plant sources during the pandemic, according to IFIC. More people will be flirting with veganism, but others will just be eating things that taste good and happen to be vegan. Expect the usual suspects to be rolling out even more innovations, especially at fast-food restaurants, but some forecasters predict newer things like plant-based "fish" are also going to be big on the horizon.

As we all continue to spend more time at home (are you tired of hearing that phrase yet??), many of us actually have time to think about breakfast. Seriously, even cereal saw a huge bump this year. Next year, instead of eating a cold granola bar on your commute, expect to see more Instagrams about meal prepping breakfast sandwiches, new fast food breakfast items being released, and maybe even the resurgence of overnight oats. Oh, and on that note...

We literally started playing with our food in 2020, and will see that to continue into 2021. From the seeds of whipped coffee (and strawberry milk...and peanut butter milk...etc) and pancake cereal will come the next wave of Instagrammable food that will probably take you hours to make and seconds to eat...but who's judging?

This is a kind of 2020 trend that will only get more popular into next year...maybe because this year, we literally ran out of mason jars lids as so many people were trying out canning. Expect people showing off their gardens in the spring as well as how they will turn their harvests into jars of pickled cucumbers, red onions, radishes, and more.

Looking for a fun and safe date night idea? Tired of playing trivia with friends over Zoom for the millionth time? Expect to get more invites to virtual classes that you can do with your fam in your home or even more elaborate ones that you can follow along with friends on Zoom. Everybody from famous chefs to your favorite restaurants have these on the docket, and we think more people will be taking advantage of them next year. (Psst, we're already doing some, too!).

Sourdough is so 2020. We're heading into our first full winter during the pandemic and comfort food will be the name of the game, which to us is always carbs. In 2021, your feed will be full of people taking the time to make and cut delicious gnocchi from scratch, hanging their homemade bucatini all over their kitchen, and even laboring over a big pot of Sunday Gravy. Even if you resisted the urge to get in on trends like banana bread and Dalgona coffee, it's going to be hard not to Google pasta attachments for your KitchenAid next year. Is this the year we finally love gluten again???

After seeing a huge increase in demand (the Coresight Research U.S. Online Grocery Survey 2020 expected demand for online grocery services to grow by 40 percent this year), it seems like grocery services finally have a handle on this new world of increased delivery. But why stop there? Everything from meal kits to alcohol can be delivered now and people will be trying it out (we personally hope to-go cocktails are here to stay!!). Remember to tip generously!!

This might seem particularly unlikely given all the single-use packaging we've been seeing amid the pandemic, but that's exactly why we're expecting to see more eco-friendly packaging in 2021. For instance, the company Verterra made to-go containers this year that are made from balsa from tree stumps and other innovations include compostable cardboard liners for takeout boxes that combat leaks. If you're an eco-conscious consumer, you should be able to breathe easier soon!

While social media can be objectively terrible, platforms like TikTok have allowed creators from all over the world to share what they're cooking up in the kitchen during the pandemic. In 2021, we expect people will be going further than throwing these videos a simple "like" and will seek out food from cultures they may not have previously been familiar with. Then, they'll either be making the dishes at home with some help from the experts themselves (more on that in a minute!) or Googling to find the nearest take-out spot near them that serves up that cuisine.

Gone are the days when we ate birthday cake that someone else just spit all over. In 2021, it'll be all about individual desserts and snacks as people find ways to safely celebrate all of life's milestones. Yes, that means cupcakes might be making a comeback, but also things like foil pack meals, canned cocktails, and mason jar salads. Yes, it really will be 2013 all over again!

Best. News. EVER. We're seeing a shift from people turning up their noses at anything under three dollar signs amidst the realization that you can get quality alcohol on a budget. Because people have more time to look for the good stuff (and will be spending less time taking well shots of vodka at bars), the good stuff will be way more in demand...even if it doesn't cost much more than that well shot.

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Now that people are bartending at home, we could see homemade bitters, maraschino cherries, flavored alcohols, and simple syrups becoming increasingly popular. Don't be surprised if you have the urge to fill up your bar cart in the coming months.

More like quar-cuterie, am I right?? We've already seen pancake boards, hot cocoa boards, "jarcuterie" boards, and french fry boards, just to name a few this year (even though we presumably were not having anyone over...?), so expect these to keep taking over your feed as we all look for new things to Instagram. Can we submit pizza boards to the cannon? Or is that just a pizza on a board?

As many people will likely still be staying home a majority of the time, restaurants will continue to innovate by selling take-and-bake kits. These have already included things like assembled but not cooked pizzas, bread, and other meals. You can even get steaks and deli meat at some of your favorite places! The perfect marriage between cooking and takeout.

As we've mentioned, comfort food has become key in the pandemic, so it's no surprise that popular fast food joints have seen huge lines for pick-up. This makes total sense because they're affordable, accessible, convenient, yes, but also they just remind us, as our Senior Food Producer June Xie put it, "of more carefree days dipping french fries of varying degrees of limpness into industrially developed mystery sauces that always taste, somehow, so right but so wrong." Expect these lines to continue and to meet your friends for a socially distant burger date in the future.

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Fearne Cotton Says Veganism Is Energizing And Not As Hard As She Thought – Plant Based News

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Celebrity T.V presenter Fearne Cotton has described veganism as energizing and not as hard as she thought.

The star made the comment in the latest episode of The Chickpeeps Podcast, hosted by Harry Potterstar Evanna Lynch.

Cotton told Lynch her vegan journey started when she was 11. She ditched meat after watching a news show on the transportation of animals. However, the presenter said she hadnt even heard of veganism at this time.

More recently, Cotton said veganism had caught her interest as it propelled in the mainstream. She began cooking more vegan foods and then decided to eschew from animal products completely.

I incrementally became vegan, Cotton said. The last thing to go because I was never a big dairy fan anyway was eggs.

I loved an omelet and I was like I need to get over myself here and just stop eating eggs. Because its really not a big deal to not eat an omelet in the morning.

It was about a year and a half ago that I just went thats it, no more eggs. Goodbye eggs. And its been amazing. It hasnt been as hard as I thought at all.

When asked whether her decision to ditch eggs came from an ethical pressure, Cotton replied: I think I just wanted to go full hog vegan and really kind of live and breathe that experience and not buy any new leather products.

Now, I always try and buy either just non-leather products or shoes like Dr. Martens that do great vegan shoes.

You can listen to the full podcast here

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I gave up veganism and the science says other midlifers should too – Telegraph.co.uk

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If your GP prescribed a diet which carried twice your current risk of breaking a bone, would you happily stock up on the ingredients? Or might you wonder why on earth anyone would adopt an eating regime that requires specialist shopping and NASA levels of nutritional knowledge, whilst threatening a skeleton as brittle as winter twigs?

This week, research was published suggesting that vegans are at almost twice the risk of broken bones as meat-eaters. As yet, its unclear whether thats because vegan diets tend to lack calcium and protein, or due to the fact that vegans tend to be thinnerand have less padding to break their fall. The long-term study also began in 1993, when vegan products were less available and unfortified now, an entire industry is dedicated to adding supplements to animal-free products and the average vegan has a full supermarket aisle, rather than a dusty Tupperware stack, to choose from.

Still, to follow the science, its increasingly apparent that a vegan diet isnt necessarily healthy, unless its meticulously planned to include fortified foods and milks, added vitamins and bonus omega-3 capsules. Yes, it can help to stave off certain cancers and heart disease, but it can also cause weak bones, exhaustion, anaemia and severe vitamin B deficiencya factor in dementia.

I know all this because for three years I was a committed vegan. I was editing a vegan food magazine, and had access to all the nutritional information out there. But I was also busy, and failed to eat like a celebrity with a dedicated macrobiotic chef and a nutritional analysis app. As a result, I developed a severe nickel allergyand permanent exhaustion.

As a peri-menopausal woman, my diet was doing me no goodand, after a headmistress-y lecture from one of the many specialists I visited in search of a diagnosis, I introduced sustainable fish and dairy again. Even a pescatarian diet carries a 25 per cent higher risk of broken bones, according to the study, but as a bleeding heart animal lover who doesnt want to destroy the planet (and went vegetarian in 2005), reverting to a full meat diet feels impossible. Increasingly, however, purely for health reasons, Im wondering if I should.

Yet despite the ongoing scientific studies suggesting that pure veganism is not the nutritional holy grail, one look at social media suggests that if, we all turned vegan overnight, not only would the planet immediately be saved butwed all live to be powerfully bendy centenarians on a rainbow diet of grains and vegetables.

Over the last few years, the number of vegan recipe accounts has expanded like chia seeds in water (actually, they make a revolting gel, like slick frogspawn, despite featuring in every other recipe).

While some suggested dishes are carefully planned to include protein and vitamins, there are thousands where visual appeal is prioritized over any health benefits, with endless streams of Buddha bowls a collection of disparate grains, pulses and vegetables that have apparently achieved zen by not including meat or dairy.

Then theres ersatz vegan replicas of mainstream dishes, like tofu fish, eggless pancakes and whipped fake cream, facon sandwiches... few ever question whether a constant diet of either replacement foods or pure vegetables is healthy; the very fact of its moral goodnessis enough to garner strings of approving heart-emojis.

It would be fine if these were just useful suggestions for eating less meat (I am all for that). But many of the Insta-influencers promote themselves as nutritionists, dispensing well-meaning advice and health wisdom, which often directly contradicts qualified dietitians.

Its also a fact that most of these glowing chickpea-gobblers are under 35, and too young to feel the effects of any nutritional loss. For those of us chugging into our 50s, however, particularly women, a balanced diet has never been more vital, as menopause weakens muscles and thins bones.

When I consider what constitutes a good diet now, I often think of my grandma, who sailed through middle age slim and fit, and lived healthily to 87. Her post-war diet involved plenty of home-made chicken soup, daily fish or meat and veg, not many puddings and a gin and tonic every night. We dont yet know how the recent veganism boom will affect our health long-term, but as I age, Im inclined to listen to experts rather than a gorgeous 23-year-old grinning over a plate of roasted quinoa.

In my heart, Id love to be vegan again. But my body isnt so keen and increasingly, it seems that hoary old recommendationeverything in moderationis the best diet advice there is.

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I gave up veganism and the science says other midlifers should too - Telegraph.co.uk

Arch Enemy Singer Alissa White-Gluz Splits The Social Media With Her Own Desicion – Metalhead Zone

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Alissa White-Gluz, the frontwoman of Arch Enemy, shared a post on her official Instagram page for World Vegan Day, since veganism is a misunderstood concept by society fans are divided into two into the comment sections and Alissa had to explain herself once again.

Veganism is all about abstaining from the use of animal products, while it is mainly about a specific diet, it also rejects the commodity status of animals. There are numerous reasons to be vegan, the very first reason is to prevent the exploitation of animals, avoiding animal products is the most obvious way to stand against animal cruelty.

Every passing day, because of many more reasons, the people choose to live as a vegan increase since everybody has now more information about the harm and consequences of not being a vegan.

Alissa White-Gluzrecently shared a photo from last years Official Animal Rights March for World Vegan Day, an annual event to celebrate vegans and living cruelty-free all around the world, and revealed that she has been vegan for 22 years while explaining the very simple reason of veganism.

Here is what she said:

Happy World Vegan Day!

I have been vegan for 22 YEARS now and I have never eaten meat.

Thank you to all of you who choose to think of the well-being of others throughout your daily lives!

If you dont understand what being vegan means and just think its a buzzword designed to trigger people, its okay!

Here are some documentaries that will shine a light on how we can all make choices, every day, to either negatively or positively impact the planet and ourselves. Choosing to NOT kill animals, NOT abuse an already crippled environment, and NOT harm your own health is called veganism. If you have a book or documentary that helped you, let me know in the comments and Ill add it to the list here so its comprehensive!

Thank you for every action you take that does not harm others! I know it might seem like an intimidating way to live, always being conscious of your actions, but trust me it becomes automatic eventually. And its actually quite nice to always be aware of your impact and be willing to learn and grow.

This is a photo from last years Official Animal Rights March#NYC.

Have a great one!

While there are many people who understand and support veganism even when they are not vegan, there are also people who do not any information yet many ideas about what veganism is. As a result, people divided into two in the comments section.

Here is what a fan commented:

I congratulate you and value your opinions. I truly think you are a beautiful person. That being said, Im far from Vegan but I love animals and the environment. Its called a circle of life for a reason and population control. You can not stop wild animals from mating. We would be overrun and overpopulated in no time and animals would dominate this planet only to have no choice but to eat humans.

There are not enough resources to sustain that many lives. How many wild animals die each year due to starvation. And why? Cause we as humans are cutting down all plant life(which subsequently, are also alive and you eat that), All to build these cheesy homes for us to live in. We pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Just saying-.

Here is how White-Gluz replied:

They would not be bred into existence. They are all killed at a young age for humans to consume. Without the demand for their flesh, we would no longer breed them and their populations would be normal and sustainable, just the way it always has been for all time on Earth prior to the industrial revolution.

You can see the Instagram post below.

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Arch Enemy Singer Alissa White-Gluz Splits The Social Media With Her Own Desicion - Metalhead Zone

We all can be vegans. It resolves some of our conflict with the natural world: Letter – The News Leader

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OPINION

SAMUEL SLATER, Staunton Published 10:32 a.m. ET Nov. 25, 2020

Netflixs explosive documentary My Octopus Teacher chronicles a complex relationship between a man and the worlds most bizarre animal an octopus. It further testifies to our highly conflicted relationship with non-human animals and the natural world.

Most of us treasure our "pets"dogs, cats, horses. Our allegiance to them transcends that to our own species. Yet, we torment, killand consume other animals that are similar in appearance, intelligenceand ability to suffer. Then, we bristle at East Asians who do the same to animals we consider pets.

We pride ourselves on being intelligent, rational beings. We have gone to the moon, unraveled and modified genetic codesand found cures for deadly diseases. Yet we still have not figured out our relationship with non-human animals and the natural world.

Some of us have. Vegans profess compassion and respect for all sentient beings. Veganism requires no special courses or certifications. Every one of us can become one on our next trip to our supermarket.

SAMUEL SLATER

Staunton

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We all can be vegans. It resolves some of our conflict with the natural world: Letter - The News Leader

Experts suggest simple ways to lead a Vegan lifestyle – Times of India

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Peoples food preferences have shifted due to the current pandemic. Taste and experience is not the only thing people are looking at anymore. Health and safety factors are playing a major role in peoples preferences. Not only does plant nutrition help with personal benefits, but also helps the environment, reducing emissions into the environment and contributes to nature. The medical advantages of veganism are now being noticed. The devastating toll of the animal agribusiness on the environment, human health, and our collective sense of ethics are being recognized worldwide. Vegan (non-dairy) variants of almost every food product and ingredient being available has encouraged more people towards this lifestyle. Following sustainable eating can be really simple. Chef David Edward Raj, Director - Culinary development & Innovation, Elior India, suggests 6 ways in which you can lead a simple lifestyle based on Plant Nutrition: 1) Excluding the dairy element from your diet.

2) Your daily meals must include vegetables and spices. These are great immunity boosters which are required to overcome the COVID threat

3) Include food ingredients like mushrooms, tomato, bell peppers and green vegetables like broccoli, spinach. These are good options and help in building resilience in the body against infections. One remains healthy by warding off diseases due to the number of vitamins and mineral content in them.

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Experts suggest simple ways to lead a Vegan lifestyle - Times of India

Some friendly advice for Duncan Garner as he embarks on a year of veganism – The Spinoff

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Hints for a happy, healthy vegan life as the AM Show host prepares to adopt a plant-based diet for the next 12 months.

In July, MediaWorks broadcaster Duncan Garner was very confident that come election time, Labour wouldnt receive enough votes to govern alone. So confident that he said if they did, he would do something OUT THERE. Not that hed eat his hat, or shave his head, or move to Stewart Island, or pash Mark Richardson, or apologise to those people in the Kmart queue he said something he felt was even more outlandish. Duncan Garner said he would go vegan for a year.

In case you missed it, Labour received 49.1% of votes on Saturday, giving them 64 seats in parliament the partys biggest win in half a century. We were confident that as hes an honourable man, a man of his word, Garner would not have allowed a single morsel of animal product to pass his lips since Saturday night. But on the AM Show this morning, finance minister Grant Robertson kindly offered to take him to legendary Wellington vego restaurant Aunty Mena next time he was in town, and Garners hmm in response made us wonder. Was he wavering?

We get it, we do. Cutting out animal products is hard. But last year, a bunch of us at The Spinoff went vegan for a week, and it was fine, really.

Some of us are even vegan full time. Woke freaks, without a doubt, but in this instance we urge Garner to listen to their kooky advice to ensure his 12 months sans animal products will be a piece of (vegan) cake.

Josie The Vegan Adams sampling some vegan cheese

Welcome, Duncan. Please, take a seat. Two days without swineflesh must have weakened your legs. Dont worry. Chemist Warehouse is here for you.

Vegans are roughly divided into two camps: environmental vegans and animal rights vegans. Theyre not mutually exclusive. Animal rights vegans wont eat animals or their products (milk, eggs, honey) because they object to the physical and psychological harm caused to animals. Environmental vegans are interested in bringing down the agricultural complex ravaging the earth and the climate. Theres a lot of crossover.

Basically, if youre an environmental vegan, you have to recognise that some vegan products are also the result of intense agriculture, or at least rack up the air miles. However, environmental vegans sometimes opt to eat honey from a local hive or eggs laid by their own rescue chickens. Animal rights vegans would say this is stealing from the animals. Like any other movement, there are sects and cults. Find yours. (You dont have to care about animals. Ive been vegan for three years and in that time I have punched four bees, kicked a monkey, and yelled at many dogs. Please dont call the RSPCA, they all deserved it.)

The thing youre going to notice first is how much you miss milk products. You can actually get withdrawal symptoms from cutting out cheese. It will take about three months to stop thinking about cheese, and then you will be repulsed by it. I can smell butter from five metres away now and its rancid. There are vegan cheeses. Give yourself time before you try them. Seriously though, some are great. Some are not so great. Read the ranking.

You dont have to lose weight. If anything, you can gain it on a steady diet of potatoes and vegan chocolate milk. Did you know that potatoes (possibly?) have all the nutrients a body needs to survive except vitamin D? Get some sun and youll be sweet, for a while at least.

It doesnt have to taste bad. Forget the weird faux meats and focus on the fact that plenty of sugary, fatty treats are vegan. Bread is vegan. All Snackachangi chips are vegan. Dairy-free ice creams from Ben & Jerrys and Little Island are godsends.

Tofu is really good. Coat it in cornflour and spices and fry it. Everythings good fried!

You can still be a patriot: Marmite is vegan. Weetbix is vegan. Were growing our own oat milk now, too.

Fake meat tips: dont do it. There are some good plant-based chicken tenders out there (please note the nuggets from this brand are not vegan), but by and large when it comes to vegan food, imitation is not a form of flattery. I recommend the Better Burger mushroom burger when youre getting a craving. *Eds note: Some people, such as Spinoff managing editor Duncan Greive, love fake meat. As you share a name, you may also love fake meat, but try it at your own risk.

You will not grow breasts. The rumour that phytoestrogens in soy milk will give you tits and turn frogs gay is not true.

You dont have to be a good person. Morrissey is a vegan. Peter Singer is a vegan. I am a vegan.

The Spinoff Daily gets you all the day's best reading in one handy package, fresh to your inbox Monday-Friday at 5pm.

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Some friendly advice for Duncan Garner as he embarks on a year of veganism - The Spinoff

Puritanical veganism is not for everyone dont let it put you off a plant-based diet – The Independent

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F

or about three years I flittered chaotically between vegetarianism and veganism. Adopting a draconian approach to my diet, I decided to forgo all animal products, then would chastise myself any time I slipped and ordered a meal at a restaurant that wasnt 100 per cent vegan, or if I succumbed to a 2-for-1 pizza deal with friends. Thats it, Id think, Im off the bandwagon, Ive ruined it forever and I might as well give up. My diet would once again become dominated by dairy and eggs because I thought what was the point in trying to reduce my intake of animal products if I couldnt shun them completely?

Now, I describe myself as following a predominantly vegan diet. Predominant, because while the vast majority of my diet completely omits animal products, very occasionally Ill give into a bit of that aforementioned pizza. Each time I break my veganism, I am reminded that the cheese is not really worth it but the cycle continues, and Ill inevitably do it again a few months later.

The all-or-nothing narrative that often surrounds veganism can feel exasperating youre either a completely committed card-carrying member of the plant-based club, or youre not in it at all and your efforts are entirely wasted; you may as well go the whole hog roast.

The occasional slip-up means Im not considered a vegan at all, let alone an ethical vegan, who excludes all forms of animal exploitation from their lifestyle (including the wearing of wool, leather and even the eating of honey). But should this really be the case? For those wanting to follow a vegan diet, but unsure of whether they can commit 100 per cent of the time and for life, there are still reasons for giving it a good shot.

The environmental need for a change in our diets is urgent. David Attenborough put it plainly when he said in 2020 that the planet cant support billions of meat-eaters, explaining that if humans were to adopt mostly plant-based diets, we could increase the yield of the land.

The environmental need for a change in our diets is urgent

If you can successfully slash your carbon footprint by simply reducing your meat and dairy intake, should the occasional indiscretion really count against you? If more of us were almost-vegans, unafraid of the prospect of occasionally slipping up, it would still have a monumental impact on the environment, as well as animal welfare (50 billion chickens are slaughtered for meat every single year), and perhaps be more effective than the off-putting unyielding approach.

INDY/LIFE NewsletterBe inspired with the latest lifestyle trends every week

INDY/LIFE NewsletterBe inspired with the latest lifestyle trends every week

The problem is, even with the vast range of plant-based options available in supermarkets today, veganism is still not considered by many to be enjoyable, convenient, or easy to transition to. Type the phrase Why Im no longer vegan into Google and youll be met with multiple pieces about exactly that. Expecting everyone pursuing a vegan diet to be completely perfect will only serve to push them away from even trying.

Veganism is still not considered by many to be enjoyable, convenient, or easy to transition to

Nutritionist Rohini Bajekal helps people transition to a plant-based diet, and tells me that instead of berating myself for eating a little bit of cheese, I should instead spend that effort finding a good vegan version Ill actually want to eat. Bajekal explains that an all or nothing approach to veganism is helpful for nothing. Its important to remember why youre doing it, and I think shaming yourself and thinking youve made a mess of it is not a motivating way to bring yourself back to it.

Theres increasing appetite to shun animal products in our diets. This year, half a million people pledged to take part in Veganuary the biggest year yet. And while thats great news and a step in the right direction, you dont need to take a pledge or transform your life entirely overnight in order to make a change.

If youre considering going vegan but are not quite sure if you can do it with no mistakes, its still worth a try anyway. Maybe, one day, Ill get to a place of 100 per cent veganism. But for now, Im at peace with my slightly turbulent commitment and happy to say when asked, Im an almost vegan.

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Puritanical veganism is not for everyone dont let it put you off a plant-based diet - The Independent

Bryant Terry: Theres this perception of veganism being a white thing – The Independent

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Bryant Terry is a busy man.

Admittedly, I am trying to catch 30 minutes with the James Beard Award-winning chef during Black History Month in the US given that his latest book, Black Food, is an anthology celebrating authentic food stories from across the African American diaspora, his schedule is pretty slammed.

When we eventually meet screen-to-screen (him somewhere sunny across the pond; me in dark, storm-ravaged London), he tells me hes only got a half-hour before he has to start preparing for his next event this evening. Mild panic sets in but as soon as he starts speaking, I realise its more than enough time. Hes a natural speaker in fact, its 15 minutes before I get another question in, but Im more than happy to sit and listen, as Im sure his audience tonight will agree. He speaks with the eloquence of someone that is deeply knowledgeable on their subject, the kind of knowledge that can only be passed down from generation to generation.

It is that knowledge that means he is one of the distinguished authors speaking at the inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival in May, a talk which will no doubt be quick to sell out given Terrys captivating style.

Terrys knowledge starts in Memphis, Tennessee. So much of what I hope to impart through the work I do now I learnt as a child, he tells me. His grandparents have roots in the rural South, where they lived and worked on farms that his family owned. Terry spent much of his childhood, alongside his sister and their cousins, on his paternal grandfathers urban farm. It was one of my favourite places to spend time as a child because it was fascinating to me that he was growing all the food, or most of the food, that we would eat. His grandfather grew everything from dark leafy greens and tubers to grapes, nectarines and other fruits. I wont romanticise it too much because while I did enjoy spending time out there, I didnt enjoy the labour that was often required of us. He put us to work! It wasnt until Terry was older that he started to appreciate and understand the importance of all that manual labour. Although, I would have much rather been listening to music or watching cartoons, he adds.

His maternal grandmother lived in the same neighbourhood, and it was because of her that he fell in love with cooking. She was an amazing cook, he says. I remember the smallest tasks like cleaning greens that she harvested from her kitchen garden, or pouring sugar into the preserves that she made from the surplus fruit. She had a big cupboard with a variety of pickled and fermented vegetables inside, and all types of things that she would can and pickle and preserve so that in the winter we had an abundance of food in the larder.

Most of Terrys back catalogue has revolved around veganism and soul food

(Bryant Terry)

This was 40 or so years ago, yet youd be forgiven for noticing the similarities with what is trending today: home cooks are encouraged to think about the sovereignty of what they eat, if they dont grow it themselves. Restaurants pride themselves on their kitchen gardens and efforts to use up every last bit of an ingredient in new and exciting ways. Then theres Veganuary. The irony, of course, is that people all over the world have been living that way forever. Terry, whose back-catalogue mostly concerns veganism, wants to uplift that. Theres this perception of veganism being a white thing. Many people have historically thought about it as practices of upper-middle-class white people living in suburbia and, more recently, young white hipsters living in gentrified cities. (I sense, at this point, a little twinkle in his eye as he side-eyes me down the camera.) Those things may be true, he continues, but vegetable-centric diets have been a mainstay in a lot of African American communities because eating meat for every meal was cost prohibitive.

Terrys first contact with ideas of plant-based eating was with black separatists in the community in which he grew up. He learnt about Elijah Muhammads two-book collection How to Eat to Live, in which he encouraged black people to reject the standard American diet, and the Ital diet long-held by Rastafarians, which rejects chemically processed foods, industrialised foods and certainly animal products. He cautions people not to get caught up in the idea of vegan purity. When he thinks about his grandparents and their farm, he says it wasnt like it was anything special. They werent talking about eating local, seasonally, sustainably but, in hindsight, we were eating as locally as our backyard. He says he tries to live by the central and west African word sankofa, which means to look back as you move forward.

It was these influences that laid the path to what has become a sensational career in cooking, writing, education and activism, all geared towards creating what Terry describes as a healthy and sustainable food system. That and a song called Beef by seminal hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which Terry first heard while he was studying for an MA in history at NYU. The song explores factory farming and the negative impact it has on human health, the environment, and, of course, animals. That was the thing that really catalysed my journey as a food activist, muses Terry.

Theres this perception of veganism being a white thing ... That may be true, but vegetable-centric diets have been a mainstay in a lot of African American communities because eating meat for every meal was cost prohibitive

It was enough to make him abandon academia and dive headfirst into food activism. In 2011, he founded b-healthy!, a project that taught children from poor neighbourhoods how to cook in an after-school programme, sending them home with a meal for their families. His first book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, followed shortly after, after he met author Anna Lapee, his co-writer. Published in 2006, it received a Nautilus Book Award for Social Change. For the next decade, Terry published three more books, all focused on Afro-vegan cooking, and made appearances across national radio and TV. He wrote recipes, essays and columns for a range of titles, such as Gourmet, Food and Wine, The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and Vibe. He penned a series for TheRoot.com on sustainable eating and living. His essay Reclaiming True Grits sparked a heated debate around soul food. He dabbled in consulting, working with Bioneers Conference to raise funds for the Peoples Grocery in West Oakland, as well as other not-for-profits and corporations. From 2008, he was a food and society policy fellow at the WK Kellogg Foundation. In 2015, he gave a TED talk on Stirring up political change from the kitchen, and won a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for his efforts to raise awareness of food justice issues and empower young people. It all sounds plain sailing, though Im sure that couldnt be further from the truth.

And then, that same year, he was named the inaugural chef-in-residence for the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. I cant talk about the origins of Black Food without talking about the origins of this position, he says. The first programme he worked on brought together black female scholars, farmers and food justice activists to talk about the often erased history of black women in the shaping of food culture in America. The fact that we had people flying in from the east coast - a six-hour flight for a two-hour programme - showed me that we were onto something, he tells me.

Fast forward to 2020, the US is in the midst of both a pandemic and a racial reckoning after the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd by the state. Around the same time, food magazine Bon Appetit was called out for its failure to support its BIPOC employees, not to mention a certain scandal involving a photo of the white editor-in-chief impersonating a Puerto Rican. The idea for the book had been in the back of his mind for some time, but now I felt like this was the moment, he says.

After Americas racial reckoning, Terry knew it was time to put Black Food out there

(Adrian Octavius Walker)

I knew it was time for me to create a book that gave way to people working around these issues through the African diaspora and allow them to tell their most authentic food stories, whether thats through recipes, essays, poetry or visual art. Although its filled with recipes, to describe Black Food as just another cookbook is to do it a disservice. Its a deeply heartfelt tribute to black culinary ingenuity. Its a broad and divergent anthology that captures the voices of the African diaspora through the prism of food. Theres poetry and essays from the likes of Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Zoe Adjonyoh, Leah Penniman and Michael W Twitty. Theres recipes from Yewande Komolafe, BJ Dennis, Suzanne Barr, Pierre Thiam and Jenn Claiborne. Theres artwork from Emory Douglas and Sarina Mantle. Theres even a playlist, curated by Terry. Its not only redefining what black food really means, its redefining what a cookbook could and should be.

Black Food, which went on to become the most critically acclaimed cookbook to be published in North America in 2020, is the flagship publication of 4 Color Books, Terrys imprint with Ten Speed Press. While I knew this book would have a major impact - I knew it would elevate the voices and the work of dozens of people throughout the black diaspora - I wanted to use this as an opportunity to grab some power, he says. Hes using the imprint to create pipelines within food media so that there are more diverse voices in all jobs, not just as authors but as art directors, food photographers, food stylists, prop stylists, and so on. These positions are typically very white. Theres a paucity of BIPOC voices in these fields, he explains. A lot of it has to do with the fact that with these things you largely get into them by mentorship and by shadowing people on set. So I really wanted to use my two decades of connections, my platform and my social capital, to ensure it wasnt just one book, but a continuing effort to ensure that we are hearing from more diverse voices.

Its not only redefining what black food really means, its redefining what a cookbook could and should be

(Handout)

I tell him I think he has a lot to be proud of, but hes the first to admit that he couldnt have done it alone. I just want to say it wasnt just me, he says. Im good at what Im good at. Im a good leader. Im good at assembling a team and Im good at helping move that team towards a goal. But this book is nothing without the many collaborators. Everyone just felt like it was a gift that they wanted to give to the world. Already, the pipelines are working. Its been covered by art and design journalists, and is even up for some art and design awards because of the unique cover design, photography and artwork.

While I am sure Black Food isnt even the peak of what we can expect in the future from Terry, he tells me that he is retiring from writing cookbooks and wants to focus on becoming a good publisher. Being a publisher and editor of this imprint is a new stage for me and Im uncomfortable! Theres a lot for me to learn and I like it. These are the moments where I can grow and become a better person. Dont expect another book for a while, though, and dont expect them to be cookbooks either. The imprint has acquired four titles, with one cookbook and one photography book coming out next year. Terry wants to spend the rest of 2022 working out how we want to show up in the world. In the autumn, they will be collaborating with MoAd on a Black Food summit, bringing together the contributors from the book, as well as others, for a half-IRL, half-virtual event geared towards community building, networking and skill sharing.

After two years of negative energy for everyone, its an exciting time. But what does Terry think the future actually holds? Is a healthy, just and sustainable food system achievable? Its not like its a pie in the sky, he says, adding that there are models out there around the world that are working. The goal for me is seeing more resources shifted into the hands of these communities and having homegrown solutions that empower people, he says. Give them the opportunity for ownership, whether its owning land that they could farm themselves, or co-ops with an ownership structure where theres not just some CEO that makes millions of dollars, but the funds are distributed among the people.

Often entities that are purporting to help can just reproduce harm, albeit unintentionally most of the time. If the government wants to give grants or throw money at people, then thats fine but then get out of the way! he laughs, ushering them away with a flick of the wrist. People know what the problems are. They are aware of the issues and they have brilliant ideas to solve those issues. What they need is the resources and power to do so. And perhaps an inspirational leader? I think I have just the guy.

The inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival will be taking place between 20-23 May 2022. The four-day event is set to explore issues at a time of extraordinary change in politics, race, immigration, the environment, and more. The Independent, as the events international media partner, will be providing coverage across each day of the festival as well as during the lead up with exclusive interviews with some of the headline authors. For more on the festival visit our Santa Fe Literary Festival section or visit the festivals website here. To find out more about buying tickets click here.

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Bryant Terry: Theres this perception of veganism being a white thing - The Independent

Heinz Launches Vegan Mayo and Salad Dressing in the UK – VegNews

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Food brand Kraft Heinz recently launched vegan versions of its mayonnaise and salad cream (a creamy salad dressing) at retailers in the United Kingdom. The new products were first spotted at grocery chain Tesco by blogger Vegan Food UK. The new [Seriously] Good Vegan Mayo and Vegan Salad Cream were developed free of eggs after extensive research according to Kraft Heinz Ireland head David Adams.

Veganism is a trend that we are seeing across the board in so many grocery retail categories and it is being driven by vegans, but also by flexitarians who want to eat less meat and have a more balanced diet, Adams told Checkout. These consumers are looking for a broader range of food and for more excitement in categories. Our range of vegan mayonnaise and salad cream will be launched in Ireland in January 2021. A lot of research went into the development of that range because we had to maintain the same product taste and we are proud that we have managed to do that.

In addition to the new condiments, Kraft Heinz plans to develop more products to fulfill the growing demand for plant-based foods. Beans are already a vegan product, so we are looking to take beans as a base for a new plant-based range. We are working through a few ideas at the moment and we are excited about the possibilities in the plant-based arena.

Vegan mayo for allIn addition to Heinz, condiment brand Hellmanns is bulking up its vegan options (which currently include Vegan Mayo) with the launch of Garlic, Chipotle, and Baconnaise vegan mayonnaise flavors in the UK this January.

Stateside, Hellmanns (known as Best Foods in some regions) launched its vegan mayonnaise, called Carefully Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread, in 2016.

Photo Credit: Vegan Food UK

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Heinz Launches Vegan Mayo and Salad Dressing in the UK - VegNews

The Happy Pear: We just didnt put enough energy into it. We overextended ourselves… – Independent.ie

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The water temperature is around 9C far from freezing but theres something about jumping straight in that feels like being hit in the chest with a lump hammer. Ive been cold before but truthfully nothing like this.

This is the kind of cold that soaks right through to your bones in seconds. Its so cold, in fact, that getting out of the water and standing dripping on the stony beach feels positively warm. And yet at 8.20am on a grey Thursday morning in December, there are around 30 people at the cove in Greystones to partake of this daily ritual.

As recently as November, that number was apparently up to 60 a day or 100 on weekends. I eagerly accept a cup of steaming hot tea and a piece of gluten-free madeira cake from David Flynn one half of the Flynn twins better known as The Happy Pear and he asks me, Do you get it now?

And I have to admit, I do. Its invigorating and I dont think Ive ever felt so alive. The other swimmers gathered around in Dryrobes and flip-flops are amazed that after 20 years of living in Greystones, this is the first time Ive swum in the sea there.

And while Ive always meant to do it, it was an invitation from the Pear brothers and an order from the Weekend editor that got me here for a sunrise swim. The occasion is a chance to talk to the Flynns about their new book, The Happy Health Plan, as well as the ins and outs of running a health-based business that employs 150 people and has made the pair social media stars.

I think this is the seventh year weve been swimming here every day and the numbers have grown steadily in that time. First there was a small group of maybe five people, then that became 10 and then 20. This year the numbers exploded during lockdown because people didnt have much to do and they realised that a swim in the sea is healthy, gets you outdoors, doesnt cost anything and gets your day started on a fantastic adrenalised high, says David.

We swim at sunrise, which is around 8.30am at the moment but is around 4.50am in the summer. It doesnt take long: just jump in and out and you reap the rewards all day. Theres also something primal about watching the sun come up over the waves. You get this amazing light in the morning and you become plugged into the tides and what phase the moon is in.

Spend any time with the Flynn brothers and it quickly becomes apparent that what you see is what you get. They are relentlessly positive people who describe themselves as naturally optimistic by disposition. But behind the social media presence, the handstands and topless six-pack selfies, and the consistent message that plant-based eating is good for you, there are also two canny business people and a business thats been going for well over a decade.

There are also complicated personal lives. David was married to his partner Jan but has been separated for six years and together they have two daughters, Elsie, aged 10, and Izzie, aged seven. Today hes with a new love, Sabrina.

Stephen Flynn is married to child psychologist Justyna and together they have three kids, May aged 10, Theo, aged seven, and Ned, who is four. The twins brother Mark also works in the company. Throughout the interview we do upstairs at the caf in Greystones, around the corner from the cove, the pairs kids wander through to grab a cuddle with their dads before school.

The trick to cooking for kids is: dont ask. Cook whats good for them and put it down in front of them. Make sure they havent had snacks between meals and theyre much more likely to eat it. That said, while were both vegans, the kids arent. Were not hardcore about that at all, says David.

Stephen adds that his wife is Polish, and trips back to Poland were hard enough for himself as a vegan, but asking his mother-in-law to feed the kids vegan food was a non-starter.

I really wanted our oldest to be vegan when she was born but then we went to Poland. Our family there live on a farm and have all their own animals and they wouldnt know what a vegetarian was if you explained it to them. Good luck trying to leave the kids there and telling them they can only eat veg. I quickly learned that it takes a village to raise a family, he says.

When the kids are at home, they eat a vegan diet but when theyre out, they can eat what they like.

Our message has softened in recent years. Were not about pushing veganism or vegetarianism: theyre binary terms and arent helpful. There is no perfect but we want people to feel good and have better health, and that means eating a predominantly plant-based diet, says Stephen.

For example, nine out of 10 people in Ireland dont get their recommended daily amount of fibre. As a nation were doing appallingly in that regard we just dont eat enough whole foods. Being a vegan doesnt automatically make you healthy. You could eat a diet consisting of vegan sausages and vegan ice-cream and vegan doughnuts and still be incredibly unhealthy.

The Pear brothers want more Irish people to turn away from processed foods that have been overly interfered with to increase shelf life, and to make them look and taste better, at the expense of their health.

Processed food is designed to hijack your mammal brain. Our prehistoric ancestors had no access to refined sugar and refined fats: it was all about roots and shoots, says David.

Despite having published multiple vegan cookbooks in the past, The Happy Health Plan is the first health-based book that the brothers have released. It contains 90 recipes designed specifically with medical experts to help with various aspects of health. Under the microscope are heart health, skin condition, gut health and weight loss.

Significantly, the brothers say a key part of this initiative is that there is no calorie counting to be done and readers adopting the plans can eat as much as they want.

This is the big one, as far as were concerned. Over 50,000 people have been through the Happy Heart and Happy Gut courses weve run, and this book contains what weve learned in the process. Weve built these courses, both in person and online, with the advice of doctors and dieticians, and theyre medically sound, says Stephen.

The book also has a lot of stories from people who have improved their health and who enjoy their lives more as a result. Its all meant to be highly relatable. All the recipes are extremely tasty, but its the first book weve done where that hasnt actually been the main point this is about health and it happens to be tasty. Its all low-calorie food, high in fibre and low in energy density.

The big message is that people arent eating enough fibre and its having an effect on their health. So at this point, an awkward question has to be asked. How do they know? After all, the Happy Pear arent doctors and dont have medical qualifications. What puts them in a position of being able to offer others advice?

Its a good question. This is about hard data, not two lads in a vegetable shop selling veg. We started out reading books by people who really impressed us, like Dr Dean Ornish, who was able to reverse the indicators of cardiovascular heart disease, the biggest killer in the world, through diet. And we started realising that this could really help people so we read more, says David.

Next we went around the corner here in Greystones to Dr Brendan Cuddihy and asked could we borrow a nurse to help us run an experiment. We followed Dr Ornishs advice with a group of 20 volunteers and put them on a diet designed to lower cholesterol and improve heart health, and we measured their cholesterol, weight and blood pressure before and after. And we ran it as a cooking course, basically encouraging people to eat vegetables.

And we really didnt know what would happen but the results were amazing. There was a 20pc drop in cholesterol; people lost weight and reduced their blood pressure. From there we started to offer this course online, and we travelled and presented talks on the eating and cooking end of applying this scientific research.

The Flynn brothers have given talks at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and at medical conferences in the UK. They ran a Happy Heart course for 75 medical professionals in the UK in one go.

The funny thing is that we were really nervous going in and trying to teach these guys about vegetables. We had total imposter syndrome and I was sure we were going to be caught out. Who are we to teach these men and women anything? But what we got was a really warm and receptive audience, says Stephen.

We gave one of our first presentations to doctors and when the first hand went up and the first question was asked, it was, Can I drink Diet Coke on this plan? That was funny but it really taught us these are people too. Theyre normal human beings as well as being doctors and they have their own health concerns. Its one thing to know the data and a different thing to put it into practice in your own life, says Stephen.

Similarly, the brothers gave a talk at the London School of Economics at a medical conference for 300 doctors, and again were worried about their qualifications to be there. The organiser took them aside and said basically, Youve helped 50,000 people through your courses and thats just as big an effect on peoples health as any doctors in the room. Youre just as entitled as anyone else to write a book on it.

But writing books on health and plant-based diets isnt the only thing the Flynn brothers do with their time. As well as being social activists, there is also a strain of capitalism in evidence, from the multiple business ventures to the successful cafs and courses on offer.

They work with supermarket chains and have their own range of ready meals. So what happens when the concerns of running a business clash with the ethics of promoting healthy eating?

Since the start of the business, theres been a conflict there. Basically, we do our best but none of our campaigning work would be possible without a means of paying our staffs wages. Last year we put up a post on social media saying we were taking a week off and would do a tour of schools for free, and we had to pull the post down because it was oversubscribed. We went to 20 schools but over 100 applied in 48 hours, says Stephen.

We saw 5,000 kids in the four provinces in one week. It was exhausting and very fulfilling but if we did that all the time, wed be broke. You need capitalism to get anything done. When we started, we wanted to do this as a charity but our dad sat us down and made us realise wed spend our entire lives looking for hand-outs.

So were using business to do this within the constraints of capitalism. Sometimes that works well and sometimes its a horrendous conflict, and basically you do your best. Sometimes it doesnt work.

Opened in 2017 and closed in June of last year, the Happy Pears Clondalkin caf and restaurant is an example of when the brothers extended things just that bit too far. Located in the Br Chrnin visitor centre, it was welcomed as an exciting departure for the town when it opened, and yet coronavirus put an end to it after the first lockdown in 2020.

We just didnt put enough energy into it. We overextended ourselves and around four years ago we borrowed 1.5m and had the idea of setting up a central production kitchen in Kilcoole, and opening up multiple cafs. We started with Clondalkin but quickly realised that this wasnt going to go the way we wanted it to, says David.

People wanted to actually see us there every day and we were spread quite thinly. Youd spend the entire day in the car between the multiple locations. We started to ask ourselves, Why are we doing this? I personally didnt feel connected to the business anymore and we had to ask ourselves: Whats enough?

The pair have also run into some of the perils of owning some of Irelands most followed social media accounts. Their Instagram account has 550,000 followers, and an average post attracts 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Great for advertising a brand, not so great if youre of a sensitive disposition people can be cruel online.

Negativity can get to you. You can post something and have it be misunderstood or whatever, and just find yourself thinking, I dont want to do this anymore. Overall, social is a double-edged sword. Were on a social mission so the reality is that if there was no social media, wed be standing by the road holding up signs, so it allows us to reach people, and thats great, says Stephen.

But at the same time... its a beast thats hungry and demands feeding. People are sometimes envious of the size of our following but they should know that it comes at a serious cost. There are algorithms that need to be fed and youre playing a game in which youre feeding the beast. And of the 500 comments left on a post, there might only be two or three that are negative but theyre the ones that stick with you.

The Happy Health Plan by David and Stephen Flynn is published by Penguin Life and is out now

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The Happy Pear: We just didnt put enough energy into it. We overextended ourselves... - Independent.ie

Ed Harris Wants to Help You Eat More ‘Veganish’ With New Cookbook – The Beet

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Chef Ed Harrisof Food Network'sChopped and Iron Chef Internationalfame is bringing anew approach to his creations, dosing his dishes with a heftyhelping of plantsin his new cookbook Veganish. Harris, who studied culinary at the Art Institute of New York City and built his resum at iconic restaurants including Jean-Georges and Rivers' Caf, found his passion for cookingthrough his time in the kitchenmaking food for his family as a young boy in St. Lucia.

In many ways, Harris' new cookbook ventureactually represents a return to his roots, as Caribbean cuisine is deeplyentrenched in plant-based traditions. I chatted with Harris to learn about his plant-based journey, and what pushed him to explore the world of veganism. Read on for tips, inspiration, and a delicious plant-based recipe from the chef himself.

Chef Ed Harris: Yes, everything in the cookbook is vegan. I see 'Veganish' as a friendlier term because the concept of Veganism can be intimidating to some.

EH: I love the mushroom stir fry, the parsley rice,charred cauliflower stir fry, and potstickersas some of my favorites, and also basics like the aromatics and the tomato sauce which is a hybrid of Italian and Nigerian flavors. My wife is Nigerian, and I was inspired by the way that they make tomato sauce and married that with the traditional technique. It creates a really robust tomato sauce that you can add to anything for flavor.

EH: One thing I pride myself on doing a lot is trying to make recipes easy to follow. You don't need to be a pro any home cook can do this. A beginner, a foodie, it really doesn't matter. Some recipes take a lot of skill but are broken down in a way that's easy enough for a new cook to follow. There's one particular recipe the aromatics: The onion, garlic, ginger, and chilis is something I believe in so adamantly because you don't realize how much flavor you can develop just by having thiscombination as something you add to fried rice or stews or beans. Even for breakfast, making hash browns and adding a spoon of this will literally take your recipe from 1-10 in an instant.Not to mention, all of the immune-boosting benefits from garlic, ginger, onions, and chili peppers.

EH: I am working on cutting out some animal products still. Being that I am a chef, when I travel, especially internationally, there are dishes that I want to try just so that I can get a feel for the flavor,. I feel that if I can try it, I can understand it a little bit better, and then really make something plant-based that can replicate that item.

EH: There was definitely a point: My whole family, my wife, and our three kids, we sat down and watched What The Health on Netflix and that to me was really eye-opening. I knew most of what they were saying but to actually see it and hear it, that just made it even more clear for me.

EH: The way that factory chickens were being bred. From inception to a full adult,the whole process is so unnatural and unhealthy. What really got me was that the chickens were getting big so quickly that their legs couldn't even support their own bodies. For them to be sitting down all day and not getting any exercise, which is what makes chicken legs really delicious in the first place, because of the workout that they got, it threw me for a loop.

EH: Growing up in the Caribbean, we do eat tons of vegetables and fruits, that's just part of our diet. I just love eating meat as well. As I got older, I realized that it wasn't really great for me, so I leaned in towards cooking a lot more vegetables, cut down on eating meat only twice, three times a week. I really focused more on plants, fruits, vegetables for lunch, and dinner until it because every day.

EH: YesMushrooms, all kinds. You can do so much, pickling, grilling. When you take time to understand different varieties you can use certain ones to mimic the mouthfeel of meat so you don't miss it. When I can't find good mushrooms, I love using beans,tofu, all kinds of plant-based proteins.

EH: My new line of spice blends, called World Traveler, is my pride and joy. There are five of them, Bollywood, Chinatown, Taco Tuesday, Caribbean Heat. The names are kind of self-explanatory- Bollywood I use for curries, Chinatown for dumpling fillings. They're all-natural, non-GMO.

EH: Veganish focuses onSoutheast Asian cuisine Indian, Southeast Asian, Chinese, Thai flavors. Those are my favorite to cook, and those are cultures that are very easily made vegan.

Recipe backstory: Chef Ed originally learned the technique while working at Buddakan in NYC. The oven-dried pineapple technique adds a dimension of flavor and natural sweetness. It is also beautiful to look at and eat.

Preparation Time: 30 minsCooking Time:45 minsServings: 4

For the Oven-Dried Pineapple Fried Rice

For the Pineapple

For the Fried Rice

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Ed Harris Wants to Help You Eat More 'Veganish' With New Cookbook - The Beet

It’s time to end the stigma associated with veganism – The Diamondback

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Views expressed in opinion columns are the authors own.

In high school, I took an environmental studies class that traumatized me to the point of becoming vegan. This took a lot of character development, as I constantly had to defend my veganism to my parents, friends and anyone who noticed I wasnt eating animal products. I was extremely conscious of the fact that I did not want to be an overbearing vegan you know, that person in your life who shames every decision you make and can calculate the exact amount of carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere every time you breathe.

I was adamant about not being that vegan, so I kept my head down, ate my veggies and cried myself to sleep every night. My flirtation with veganism did not last very long. After a year, I was exhausted from constantly trying not to be annoying about my habits. All I wanted to do was reduce my environmental impact, but society bullied me out of it.

At this point in my life Im not a vegan, but Im still extremely conscious of my impact on the planet. I do not buy red meat and have quotas on chicken and seafood. I try to reuse and recycle and I never ask for plastic bags. If someone offers me a juicy burger, however, I dont turn it down.

When I meet a vegan, I thank them for their choice because they are reducing some burden on both the planet and me. Thanks to the millions of vegans living in the U.S., I can get by with being a reducetarian. This isnt to say that because vegans exist, everyone else can go around consuming copious amounts of meat. But because they exist, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Defensive meat-eaters must stop shaming vegans who are trying to help the planet. I understand where the defensiveness is coming from. Vegans are depicted as soulless creatures who harass anyone who looks at a piece of meat with heart eyes. Setting boundaries between yourself and anyone who tries to bully you is important, but returning the same treatment to any vegan who crosses your path is counterproductive.

We need more vegan voices because they may have a deeper understanding of environmental and ethical issues, such as the criminal inhumanity of industrial farming, the cognitive complexity of other animals and the environmental impact of eating meat. They arent coming at you with baseless claims for the purpose of making you feel bad about your food choices. Many vegans are coming from a place of in-depth research and concern for the environment.

Climate scientists have been saying for years now that if we want any chance at saving our planet, we will have to significantly reduce the amount of meat we consume. Research shows that in Western countries, beef consumption would need to fall by 90 percent to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

If we want to save our planet, we all need to do our part in becoming a bit more vegan. Our planet deserves vegans, and we owe it to the planet to support anyone who is trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Yes, judgy vegans are annoying, but the annoyance is nowhere in comparison to the harm that meat-eaters cause to the environment. The least we can do is respect and appreciate vegans because they are doing the difficult work that most of us are too afraid to do.

Laura Phillips-Alvarez is a junior anthropology and government and politics major. She can be reached atlauraphillipsalvarez@gmail.com.

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It's time to end the stigma associated with veganism - The Diamondback

Magic Talk host Ryan Bridge says pushy vegans are hurting their cause – Newshub

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Project hostKanoa Lloyd disagreed, saying they have an important message and asking Bridge what he suggests vegans should do to fight their fight.

"What's the alternative, what do you suggest these people do because they have a point. We have an incredibly urgent crisis with our planet if we don't reduce our meat consumption then we're screwed," she says.

"Those people obviously feel passionate enough to literally take their message to the streets and try and affect some change."

Bridge says being so aggressive will eventually "turn people off" veganism.

"This guy's just eating his breakfast, he's gonna have a busy day, leave him in peace."

Actor Antonia Prebble, a guest on the show, agreed with Bridge saying targeting people isn't going to encourage people to get on board.

"Targeting someone and being really aggressive and humiliating them is not the way to do it in my opinion, I'm with you Ryan."

Watch the full video above.

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Magic Talk host Ryan Bridge says pushy vegans are hurting their cause - Newshub