Five Part Series on How to Go Vegetarian

September 15, 2009 at 3:27 am · Filed under Uncategorized

Hey, this blog has moved! Did you notice? Just in case you haven’t updated your reader I wanted to let you know that in honor of the blog re-launch at www.hungryherbivbores.com, I’ve started a five part series on how to go vegetarian/vegan.

Please check out the new posts! Share them with your friends and family members that have been thinking about making this change but just don’t know how. I miss you on the new blog … it’s cooler over there, I promise!

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Jammin Josie’s Blog Has Moved

September 7, 2009 at 2:54 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , ,

As many of you know I have become quite a passionate animal advocate over the past several years. A little less than a year ago I started this blog to chronicle my transition to living a vegan life and to inspire others to do so as well. Well it’s working. People have been telling me how I convinced them to give up milk, stop eating pork, or to go vegetarian. For some people, the blog has not convinced them to become vegetarian but it has put the issue on their mind. Anything that raises awareness is alright in my book!

Since this blog has become quite popular amongst people I know and because I like doing it so much, I decided to catapult my advocacy efforts to the next level in the following ways.

1. The blog has moved! Please update your readers. The new location is www.hungryherbivores.com. Aside from a smashing new look, there are great new features like the ability to subscribe via e-mail, better search categories, and the ability to share links via social media like Twitter and Facebook. I look forward to your insightful (and respectful) comments. The discussions are great for everyone.

2. I’m extending my animal advocacy outside of the blog! Yes, I’m going for the whole shebang here. I will be hosting tables at various events around the valley (primarily dog/cat animal rescue events) spreading the word about factory farming. I’m making some really cool T-shirts, a banner, samples of vegan food, and little cards that tell people why being vegan is cool.

3. I’m looking for speaking opportunities at local events (and even Toastmasters … thanks for listening TM friends!) to help spread the word.

These advocacy efforts will remain positive, peaceful, and encouraging! All of this in my spare time … yes, I am busy with a thriving business, but we all must follow the fuel that lights our fire, right? So this is mine and thank you for your support. Now get over to www.hungryherbivores.com and subscribe to the blog by e-mail or RSS by clicking on the little icons at the top of the page.

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There’s something in the vegan water

August 28, 2009 at 7:07 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

There’s something in the water. It’s veganism. And it’s contagious. Last night I went to a “meeting of the minds” with a group of animal advocates at Green: New American Vegetarian. The food is always AMAZING! But what really has me pumped up today are the people I met. Sometimes I feel alone in the advocacy land. Thank goodness for podcasters like Colleen Patrick-Goudreau from Compassionate Cooks and Jess from Vegan a Go-Go for keeping us grounded and feeling … well … not so alone. However rare is the occasion that I actually get to sit down at a table with 15 other people just as passionate and just as committed to animal advocacy as I am.

I met:

  • Veronica who runs Animal Advocates of Arizona. Her group holds demonstrations and leafleting campaigns.
  • Lori who told her boss where he could stick it after partnering with Covance – the much despised and unfortunately brand new – animal research laboratory here in town.
  • Alicia who is a beautiful vegan that should model cruelty-free clothes. Move over Chloé Jo.
  • Lisa K. who is passionate about enlightening our rescue friends.
  • Lisa B. who writes curriculum for animal advocacy courses – which I will be taking starting next week.
  • Anthony and his mum who just wanted some inspiration to revive their advocacy efforts.
  • And the whole shebang was put on by Jeff who runs the Vegan Arizona meet up group. Thank you Jeff. You rock.

There were so many other people there that I didn’t have a chance to talk with but I’m sure they were equally as talented and passionate. I’m so excited at what the future holds for us out there. I know we can get bogged down with the doom and gloom and the rising number of animals in slaughterhouses and pounds but I truly believe we are on the cusp of a revolution.

I mean have you seen Food, Inc? If you haven’t, get your butt out there and watch it. This movie depicts the corporate take over of our food. While some of the scenes may not be new to some of us – like cows being skinned in a slaughterhouse or pigs squealing horrifically before being killed – they offer an inside look at chicken farming and who’s who in Washington. The filmmakers also seem to favor this one farmer who runs a small, quality operation and actually gives a dam about his animals. It seems this is the route they want to drive people. Yet, to me that’s still not the solution. I mean even that farmer’s chickens were screaming when he cut their throats. Yeah they lived better lives but they still ended up on a kitchen table when they didn’t have to. Why, why, dear film makers, could you not encourage vegetarianism? Regardless, it’s worth seeing. And take your non-veg friends with you … they need to see it more than we do.

The real cost of cheap food

The real cost of cheap food

Did you read this weeks Time magazine? A big fat piece of ground beef sits on the cover with the title “The Real Cost of Cheap Food”. Mostly this article follows suit with Food Inc.’s position in that what “we” Americans need are more small farms. Has everybody forgotten Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle? That small farm, small slaughterhouse process didn’t work so well either. Time also shows a “happy” cow roaming freely. As if their freedom during life means we can still take it whenever we want a steak. No thank you. I don’t think the cow would appreciate that concept. There is one little caption about sustainable farming on page 37 (you have to look for it) but they do say “EAT MORE GREENS, LESS MEAT”. Thank you Time. That’s better than nothing.

So back to my original point. There’s something in the water. And it’s veganism. While Food Inc. and Time’s article may seem not extreme enough since they are not directly advocating a vegetarian diet, they are a step in the right direction. By golly, I think people may be waking up. We’ll just have to see if individuals can actually get up or if they hit the snooze button.

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Experts at Johns Hopkins suggest drinking milk to combat milk allergies

August 24, 2009 at 5:44 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , , ,

This past weekend The Baltimore Sun and probably several other media outlets reported on a research study detailed in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The really smart people over at Johns Hopkins, a well-respected university research center and teaching hospital, think the way to combat milk allergies is to give kids more milk. Come again? I wasn’t quite sure I read that right. But yes, it’s true. These well-paid, smart people conducted a “study” over 17 months to help children with sever milk allergies overcome them BY DRINKING MORE MILK.

The 18 children were given small amounts of milk on a regular basis to see if their bodies would begin to tolerate the beverage – which of course is not meant for them to drink in the first place. Hmmm … now I’m not a researcher but I do consider myself a somewhat intelligent person. And when I went to graduate school they motivated us to ask the tough questions like “Why do we exist?” I beg these researchers and this reporter to start over at the beginning, “Why do humans drink milk?” That might be a much more difficult question to answer than how can we make kids who are naturally intolerant to another species byproduct overcome their allergies by giving them more of the same byproducts?

What did the researchers, who were “encouraged” by the findings, discover? That “regular dairy use could help children become more tolerant and remain so”. Oh goodie! That means kids can drink more milk meant for calves not humans and the dairy industry can keep making lots of money. Yet all is not well with this scenario. Many of us are aware that cow’s milk does not come without cost. The raising of cows in this country is creating an environmental disaster. The cows are treated horribly, their babies are used for worse things like veal, and all of them eventually land in a slaughter house for a disrespectful end of life. Furthermore, the very smart researchers found that “for some children the allergies returned after they stop drinking milk”.

Now can I stand by and let this go without remarks? Not so much.

Dear miss reporter Kelly Brewington might I share with you my comments:

“Wow, I am shocked at this study. Did the very intelligent, well-educated, well-paid researchers ever consider that humans were not meant to drink the milk of cows? Cows milk is supposed to be for their calves not for us humans and our children. I won’t go into details about the  horrific conditions these cows tolerate to create milk that humans consume or how study after study shows that animal products lead to heart disease and cancer.

There are so many great alternatives to animal milk such as almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, and rice milk. Why would the researchers put  children through this testing? Was this study funded by the dairy industry? Or could it be that even the smartest people in our society have forgotten to ask the simple questions like why is it that we drink milk in the first place?”

Please send your comments to Kelly kelly.brewington@baltsun.com and/or Dr. Robert A. Wood, lead investigator on the study http://www.hopkinschildrens.org/staffDetail.aspx?id=3152.

Sources:

The Baltimore Sun, August 2009, http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/health/2009/08/children_milk_allergies.html

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Lets Kill Cows to Save Dogs and Cats

August 18, 2009 at 3:26 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , , ,

I don’t discriminate between animals. If it lives, breaths, feels pain, and has eyes to stare back at me, then in my opinion it deserves my respect. Sadly this is not so with many so-called animal lovers that like to put their animals into categories.

Let’s start with the most common … people who swear they love their dogs and cats but happily throw cow’s flesh or chicken’s flesh on their grill for dinner. Now if you’re one of these people, what gives? I mean really. Do you look into the eyes of your dog or cat and tell them that you love them? Do you let them sleep in your bed? Do you think about them when you’re away? Do you think they are capable of loving you back? Then why wouldn’t a cow, pig or chicken be just as capable? The reality is that they ARE just as capable. And yet, we force them into torturous, confining conditions and kill them just so we can eat their flesh and steal their body’s byproducts. Would you do that to your dog or cat? Would you hang Fluffy by her hind legs, blow a hole in her head, strip off her skin and eat her belly? Um, I don’t think so. Come on … let’s start making the connections.

Now let’s talk about another group of people who are under my skin recently. These are the folks who call themselves “rescuers”. I must preface by saying that I have a lot of rescue friends. I am a self proclaimed “rescuer”. Many of these people are well intentioned. I do not pass judgment on them individually but on a general principal as a group of people, I do find some “rescue” behavior odd.

On the surface, rescue people seem very kind. They spend every weekend and many hours of every day springing dogs and cats from the pound or scooping them up off the dangerous streets where they may be running stray,  injured and homeless. They bring these dogs and cats into their houses. They treat them like children. They love them, buy them great food, give them toys, and worry about their well being. They spend enormous amounts of money caring for these animals. And then they sit down to dinner to gnaw on the hind legs of a cow or a chicken’s breast. Do these folks think that perhaps that cow liked it’s hind leg attached to it’s body? Or that that chicken needed its breast to keep it’s lungs and heart safe? Probably not. But why not?

And why is it that when I challenge these ideals, these groups of people get incredibly angry and defensive? I am at a loss here and finding myself a bit frustrated. I have been working hard here in the Phoenix area to bring ideals of veganism to the forefront of people’s minds. Over the past few weeks I have been working with a local rescue group to purchase booth space at a very large upcoming event. The rescue’s event coordinator was so excited to have vegan booth at this popular animal event. We had everything settled and I was prepared to have a booth with literature about factory farming with delicious vegan food samples. But just this past weekend, the event coordinator took my information to the board for approval and they denied me! Yes, the board denied me! Do you want to know why? Because there is a hamburger-slinging vendor that attends these animal rescue events and this hamburger-slinging vendor shares its profit with the animal rescue.

You see my booth was going to offer free samples of delectable vegan food and apparently this was too much of a threat to their bottom line. So I ask you, does the death of one animal justify the means of another? Does killing cows for money to save dogs really make a difference in the overall health and welfare of animals on this planet?

This rescue is not the only one. There are rescues that sell animal products like leather hand bags or shoes at auctions to raise money for their dogs and cats. Then several others have fancy banquet events where they serve up cows, chickens and pigs to celebrate their great achievements in rescue-land. They justify it by saying that people pay a lot of money to attend these black tie events and they need to feel that they are getting their money’s worth. Again, selling out the cows to save the dogs and cats.

To me, this is so upsetting. If you can’t tell by my unusual and unapologetic tone tonight. I’m at a loss of understanding as to where these folks come from. Is it too difficult to make the correlation between the animals your hug and kiss every day and the animals on your plate?

According to popular podcaster Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, the average 75-year-old meat eater that resides in the United States is responsible (in their life time) for the death of:

  • 10 cows,
  • 34 pigs, and
  • 2,535 turkeys, ducks, and chickens.

Now I ask you … if the average rescuer saves 10 animals a year and continues to eat as most Americans do, they will have killed more lives than they would have saved. Yes, that is correct. They would have KILLED MORE LIVES THAN THEY SAVED.

All I’m saying to the rescue that denied me for the hamburger-slinging vendor … open your minds. Buck conventionalism. Ask the deep questions of yourself and the world around you. Is this how you want to live? Killing more than you’re saving? At the very least, can’t you accept the mere presence of a peaceful and compassionate vegan in the midst of a hamburger-eating crowd? I think the cows would appreciate it. Heck, I’ll even bring vegan treats for the dogs!

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Pizza Fusion Stole My Heart and Filled My Stomach

August 7, 2009 at 12:49 am · Filed under vegan restaurants ·Tagged , , , ,

Yes, it’s true. I love, love, love pizza. I’ve perfected the art of making delicious vegan pizza at home but occasionally I feel a pang of sadness that I can’t go out for that perfect slice of pizza or pick up a pie on Friday night. Not any longer! Today my pizza blues were cured with a visit to Pizza Fusion, 5735 E McKellips Rd., Suite 107, Mesa, AZ 85215.

logoI heard about Pizza Fusion on Facebook but was a bit reluctant to drive out to this obscure location in East Mesa (ok, I’m a lazy sucker for convenience) until I convinced my good friend Tuula to make the trek with me. It didn’t take much convincing since Tuula is like minded about food choices. I was pleasantly surprised that the journey wasn’t really as long as I thought and that the restaurant is fairly conveniently located off the new 202 freeway.

Enough about getting there. Let’s talk about the food. When it comes to restaurants clever vegans can always come up with something to order but there are good vegan dishes and there are horrible vegan dishes. For instance ordering vegan at Outback is terrible. All I can muster is a side of steamed veggies and a baked potato with ketchup. It will suffice in a famine but it’s not what I call a good vegan dish. Pizza Fusion on the other hand, delighted my taste buds and filled my belly.

We ordered the Farmer’s Market vegan pizza with a medley of roasted artichoke hearts, red onion, roasted zucchini and roasted portobello with tomato sauce with vegan cheese. Can you believe it? Yes, you read that right. They have vegan cheese! Better yet, you can order any one of their pizzas with vegan cheese. I know! It’s time to stand up and do a little dance. Something as simple as vegan cheese at a pizza joint makes me as happy as an insect fluttering around a warm light bulb.

When the vegan pizza came to our table, it looked amazing! It was rectangular shaped with fragrant veggies piled on top. The cheese was melted perfectly and I could barely wait to shove it in my mouth, which I promptly did. This tasty morsel of vegan pizza did more than quench my pizza pang, it far exceeded my expectations. It was flavorful, crisp, sweet, fresh … I could go on. Tuula and I are opportunists. And we took this opportunity to eat 3/4 of the entire pizza! That’s more than normal but it was so delicious, I could not bare to leave it for tomorrow’s leftovers. I’ve been so excited to tell you about the pizza that I forgot to mention our starter Fusion Salad which was great too but, you know, salad is salad. I was there for the pizza.

What I didn’t expect was a monster brownie for dessert. You see we got to talking with the manager Sandy and she told us that we absolutely had to try this vegan, gluten-free brownie. My first reaction to dessert is typically no. I assume that the desserts are a melange of dairy products or eggs, the typical. But not so at Pizza Fusion. Tuula and I went for it. We dove right into this warm, exquisite brownie. When I make vegan brownies they always seem a bit crumbly and strange. This vegan, gluten-free brownie was absolutely perfect. Every bite was deliciously sweet and as it slid off the fork, it seems to melt in my mouth. The dollop of vegan whip cream on top, dare I say, was the icing on the brownie.

After this gluttonous spectacle, I felt filled with love for Pizza Fusion. They starved off my pizza pangs that had built up over the years. They dazzled me with an unbelievable brownie. But there was more. As I started to look around, I began to see that the owner, Jennifer, truly believes in what she does. She cares about people eating healthy and saving the planet … one pizza at a time. From the 100% post-consumer recycled paper products to the low flow toilet in the bathroom and the sign in the mirror that says “this person is changing the world,” you can tell that Jennifer wants her customers to feel that their food choices are making a difference. And they are.

Pizza Fusion is more than just great food. It’s a place of inspiration in a listless and frankly boring restaurant market. It’s a place where you can talk to the owner and the manager and feel like they care about the same things you do. It’s something different, something genuine, and something with damn good food!

P.S. Jennifer did not pay me to write this review. I just loved Pizza Fusion that much. You can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PizzaFusionAZ.

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Do animals have souls?

July 13, 2009 at 5:09 am · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , ,

Do animals have souls?

I know this is a strange question coming from a vegan. And yet I’m not sure I have the answer. I believe we have to answer his question with yet another question.

What do you consider a soul?

I have found people who call themselves Christians or some derivative thereof define a being with a soul as someone possessing the ability to be forgiven by the “grace of God” so that they may live for eternity in heaven. Typically this means that Christian people, who quite often have not though this through in my opinion, believe that animals can not be forgiven and therefore do not possess a soul. This gives many (not all) the freedom to defend their meat-eating ways. It might lead to a statement like, “animals have no souls so it doesn’t matter how we treat them.” In this case it would not matter to this type of person that pigs suffer great physical and emotional torture in gestational crates having repeated pregnancies where their babies are robbed from them each and every time to make bacon.

For someone that may not be religious or perhaps is religious but has spent time bonding with any type of animal, they might find this viewpoint hard to swallow as I do. To me, any sentient being that has the ability to feel pain, sorrow, love, loss, joy, or happiness embodies a soul. If you can look into the eyes of your cat or dog and see that they love you, that they want you to be happy, that their chief goal in life is to please you each and every day, how can you not believe that there is something more there than just flesh and bones? Personally I do not need a book to define the meaning of a soul. To me it is a feeling, a knowing that goes deeper than words, of kinship with other living beings.

How to respond to people who say animals have no souls

Response #1: I think if any sentient being has the ability to feel pain, sorrow, love, loss, joy, happiness then they have a soul. And that we each as sentient beings have the ability (and responsibility) to show empathy and compassion for one another. Just because and animal can’t say, “I hate this flipping cage”, it doesn’t give us the right to keep her in there solely for human benefit, profit, food or any thing else.

Response #2: I know I won’t be able to convince you that animals have souls in the way you define someone with a soul as one who can be redeemed before your God. Regardless of whether or not you think animals have souls, why do you want to intentionally cause pain and suffering to animals that have done absolutely nothing to harm you when you don’t have to?

Response #3: I think if you take a closer look at your bible, you may find that there are passages that do in fact suggest animals can seek redemption just as you believe humans can. You may want to look into these passages:

  • “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5:8-13)
  • “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)
  • “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)

What do you think

Obviously this is somewhat of a controversial topic. I’m sure each person has their own ideas of what defines a soul to them. What do you think? And how do you respond to people who say animals have no souls?

Resources:
Do Animals Have Souls?, Bert Thompson, Ph.D. and Sam Estabrook, http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/448

Good News for All Creation: Vegetarianism As Christian Stewardship, Stephen R. Kaufman and Nathan Braun, Vegetarian Advocates Press, 2004.

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Vegetarian Calcium Sources

July 7, 2009 at 5:17 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , ,

There is one question that has come up more often than others lately. People keep asking me where vegans get calcium if they don’t eat cheese, milk, or other dairy products. The answer is simple … there are many foods high in calcium that have nothing to do with animals. And then an educational opportunity ensues.

Why is calcium important?

Obviously kids need calcium because it helps their bones grow. After puberty, bone growth ends but bone density increases until roughly age 30.1 So that means if you don’t eat your calcium, you may fall apart! But literally, many people suffer from weak bones as they get older and you can imagine that having weak bones means they break a lot or impede functioning. Women are at a greater chance of calcium depletion especially during pregnancy when calcium shifts from the mother to the fetus.

The recommended level of calcium for adults age 19 through 50 years is 1000 mg per day.2 You can increase or maintain bone density by choosing foods high in calcium, taking vitamins with calcium, and exercising to preserve bone mineral content. Of course here were going to talk about getting calcium from food since food is one of my favorite topics.

Why not get calcium rich foods from animals?

As with many food ideologies we tend to have as a culture, I think it is such a tragedy that people think they can only get calcium from animal sources. However as a communications professional, it consistently shows me the power effective marketing can have over time. Marketing, lobbying and misinformation, have all worked together to increase profits in the dairy industry and make food cheap for people. What does that mean? It means in the end as consumers we are being told that dairy products come from happy cows and that we need them to grow up big and strong. Ahem …. I have to disagree.

In fact research shows that dairy products can actually leech (that is a nice word for “suck out”) calcium from your bones. According to milksucks.com, “both clinical and population studies show that milk-drinkers tend to have more bone breaks than people who consume milk infrequently or not at all.”3 I know! Hard to believe after what we’ve been taught for generations. According to Michael Greger, MD, milk does indeed come with a lot of calcium but it also comes with a lot of baggage like cholesterol, saturated fat, and even puss and feces. Overall it is harmful to humans. It is the number one source of artery clogging fat in the United States diet. It is also one of the top allergens in the US diet. Dr. Greger says “the calcium found in leafy green vegetables like kale and broccoli is absorbed about twice as well as the calcium in milk.”4

What are vegetarian calcium sources?

So what are vegetarian calcium sources? Below are some of my favorite vegan sources of calcium:

  • tofu
  • soy milk
  • tempeh
  • tahini
  • kale
  • collard greens
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • oranges
  • black beans
  • peas
  • almonds
  • molasses

More information on foods high in calcium:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm

What are your favorite calcium-rich foods? Make a list and pass it along to your friends.

Notes:

(1) Preserving Bone Density, Julian Huang, MD, http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/pain-medication/preserving-bone-density, accessed 6-24-09.

(2) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

(3) Milk Sucks: Got Osteoporosis?, www.milksucks.com/osteo.asp

(4) Dr. Michael Greger, Latest in Clinical Nutrition 2008, www.drgreger.org

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Animal Advocacy Speech

June 21, 2009 at 8:42 pm · Filed under vegan meanderings ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

A few days ago, I gave a speech to 20 people about what it takes to get meat on their table. It was an nerve-wracking and exhilarating experience all at the same time.

I have been a member of Toastmasters for a little less than a year. What a great organization! I joined because my brother asked me to officiate his wedding. Toastmasters helped me sail through that with flying colors and I liked the group so much I kept going to meetings. Over time I realized that perfecting my speaking skills could take me to new places and open doors. Not only will polished speaking skills help me in my Web development business … (light bulb!) I can actually have a platform with which to talk about animal advocacy. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize this. I think it’s because I was a bit afraid to put myself and my vegan values out there in such a “loud” way. I love talking to people 1 on 1 and I love writing about veganism but speaking to groups of people puts my animal advocacy on a whole different level.

The whole purpose of my speech was to inspire the audience to go vegetarian just one day a week. I know that doesn’t seem like a lot to many of you who read this blog but to people who have never considered a vegetarian diet, it’s a place to start. During the speech, I told two stories.

What Happens to Beef Cows in the United States?

I started with Whitaker, who was once considered a typical beef cow. He was found – just days old – on the side of a road in California. It’s likely that he fell off a transport truck as some farm animals do. Our friends at Farm Sanctuary saved him and now he lives a happy life on their farm. I had a beautiful picture of Whitaker blown up and mounted on an 11×14 foam board. I passed his picture around the audience. I mean seriously, who wouldn’t think this cow is cute?

whitaker-to-print

Then I began to explain what happens every year in the United States to the other 35 million1 beef cows that are not as lucky as Whitaker. I described their filthy feedlot conditions and details of the slaughter process. The cows are first shot in the head with a captive bolt gun. Then they are hung by their feet. Their necks are slit and they die piece by piece to make steaks and hamburgers. Because this process happens so fast often times the cows are still conscious. I showed a picture of a feed lot and passed it around.

feedlot

At this point in the speech, I think people were shocked. I actually heard a gasp when I revealed the number of cows slaughtered each year.

What Happens to Pigs Raised for Food in the United States?

Next I told the story of a pig named Socks. Socks was found wandering the streets in Springfield, Massachusetts after he wiggled out of a transport truck passing through town. He too was saved by the nice people at Farm Sanctuary. At first Socks was scared stiff around people. He would cower and run as far away from humans as possible. After a while at Farm Sanctuary, Socks made friends with both humans and other pigs. I showed an adorable picture of Socks.

socks

Then I described the conditions for the other, not-so-lucky, 105 million2 pigs that are raised and slaughtered in the United States every year. Breeding sows are piglet-making machines. Once a sow is impregnated, she is put in a gestation crate – a small metal pen, just two feet wide. She cannot turn around or even lie down comfortably. She lives in this gestation crate for four months until she is ready to give birth. Then she is moved to a farrowing crate – which is not much bigger. After nursing her babies for 2-3 weeks, they are taken away and she goes through the whole process all over again. Once a pig reaches 250 pounds, their fate is to die in the same way cows are slaughtered.

gestation-crate-2

The Crowd’s Reaction

It was interesting for me to see the crowd’s reaction. This is the first time I have ever given a speech like this. There have been many talks about Web development, camping, dog rescue, etc. but never a speech so honest and adamant about inspiring people to change. I think the audience really didn’t know what to make of all the information. My evaluator was complimentary on my delivery but asked me to back up my figures with citations which was a helpful tip. I have done that for you here in this post.

The most interesting thing to me is that the words of my speech seemed to have staying power with the audience. It has been well over a week and I continue to get Facebook messages from audience members asking me for recipes and telling me that they have been thinking about their food ever since my speech. At our last Toastmasters meeting two members said they used to be vegetarian but had moved away from it in the last few years. My speech inspired them to cook vegetarian one night a week. These are amazing things!

I can’t believe how effective it can be for just one person to take a stand and share knowledge with others. If I can speak to groups even just a few times a year and inspire people to make a change, so can you. If you’d like a copy of the speech with the images to display, just send me a comment and I’ll get them to you. One person at a time, we can make a difference for the animals.

Many thanks to Farm Sanctuary for providing the information and imagery needed to help each one of us advocate on behalf of the animals in a meaningful way.

Stay tuned … my new revelations have inspired me to make many changes to this blog and my advocacy work in general.

References

1. Farm Sanctuary, Factory Beef Production, http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/beef/

2. Farm Sanctuary, Factory Pork Production, http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/pork/

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Black Bean and Corn Chilaquiles

June 7, 2009 at 10:25 pm · Filed under vegan recipes ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

It’s no surprise that summer is here, especially in Arizona. While we have endured some 100+ degree temperatures I really think (no scientific data here) that it is not as hot this year as it has been in past summers. Or maybe I’ve just lived here so long that I’ve taken on the characteristics of a desert tortoise who loves the heat. In fact I do feel much like a desert tortoise in the hot summer months which means I try to find reasons to sit outside at night with good friends drinking margaritas and eating Mexican food! I hope you do too with this great vegan dish from Vegetarian Times. If you’re not a subscriber, what are you waiting for? It’s the best cooking magazine out there for vegetarians and vegans.

Black Bean and Corn Chilaquiles with Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Sauce
Serves: 8

Take this dish along to a party. You can prepare everything in advance then when you arrive ask the hostess if you can pop it into the oven for 30 minutes. Of course if you have manners you would call in advance to make sure it’s ok to use the oven.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small white onion, cut into 8 wedges
  • 2 lb. Roma tomatoes, halved
  • 3 large cloves garlic, peeled or 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic from a jar
  • 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch wide strips
  • 2 Tbs. canola oil
  • 3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained, 1 Tbs. sauce reserved
  • 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups crumbled queso cotija or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
    (I like Follow Your Heart: Vegan Gourmet)
  • 1/2 cup low-fat vegan sour cream
  • 1 Tbs. lime juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place white onion, tomatoes, and garlic in a single layer on backing sheet. Roast 25 minutes, or until onions begin to brown and tomato skins wrinkle. Meanwhile, toss tortilla strips with oil and spread on separate baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Cool tortillas and vegetables 20 minutes.

Peel tomatoes and place in food processor with white onions and garlic. Add chipotles and 1 Tbs. adobo sauce; purée until smooth, and season with salt and pepper.

Spread thin layer of tomato mixture in a bottom of 1 1/2-qt. baking dish. Add tortillas in single layer. Top with black beans, corn, red onion, and cheese. Cover with remaining sauce, and bake 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Whisk together sour cream and lime juice, and drizzle over chilaquiles.

Per Serving: 296 CAL; 13 G PROT; 14.5 G TOTAL FAT (6.5 G SAT. FAT)

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