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Study of 2068 Vegans Helps Debunk Six of the Most Common Myths

Vegan From the Inside is a A 2011 survey conducted by nutrition expert Janice Stanger Ph.D. that shatters six common myths about the vegan diet. 2,068 vegans from the United States and around the world candidly shared the joys, rewards, and challenges of their diet and lifestyle. If you are a vegan or considering veganism, let this study support you on your journey and give you the resolve you need to keep going strong! … READ ON

Addicted to Cheese and Ice Cream? The Opiate Qualities of Dairy

“Casein, one of the proteins in milk, crosses the blood-brain barrier and becomes something called casomorphins. Yes’m, that sounds a lot like morphine—because casomorphin is also an opiod. Nature designed it that way so young mammals would enjoy nursing, come back for more, and live to reproduce themselves.” “Human milk has only 2.7 grams of casein per liter. Cow’s milk has 26. And because it takes, on average, ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese or ice cream, you’re looking at a lot of casein and resultant casomorphin.” The result is a major opiate addiction that can cause people to have serious withdrawal symptoms. … READ ON

How Do You Respond to ‘Veganism is Extreme’?

How many times have you heard the dismissive phrase veganism is extreme? What is extreme is not veganism but its polar opposite, carnism, which remains largely invisible and unexamined. What is extreme is the fact that a species of 7 billion kills 120 billion land and aquatic animals every year for a food source that is not necessary for survival or health. … READ ON

Author Ruby Roth Reflects on Reactions to Vegan Education of Children and Her Books

I’d never have guessed my children’s book would provoke such claims. That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals, though well received, also caused some controversy, garnering attacks from the likes of animal agriculture trade magazines and even Farm Bureau CEOs. Though veganism is swiftly gaining momentum, it still provokes knee-jerk reactions—for me, each case of opposition a study of the invisible forces that shape our thinking about food, health, and animals. … READ ON

Carnism: The Psychology of Eating Meat, A Special Video Presentation by Melanie Joy

Author and speaker Dr. Melanie Joy has made numerous live presentations across the country to a general audience on the psychology behind eating meat she calls carnism. For those who have not seen this powerful presentation about the invisible belief system behind our meat eating culture, now you can watch this live recording on your desktop anytime you’d like. … READ ON

Ruby Roth’s New Children’s Book ‘Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action’

Author and illustrator Ruby Roth presents her new children’s book, Vegan Is Love, introducing young readers to veganism as a lifestyle of compassion and action. Roth illustrates how our daily choices ripple out locally and globally, conveying what children can do today to protect animals, the environment, and people across the world. … READ ON

What Are We Really Meant to Eat Today?

The thing about humans is that we are highly evolved omnivores. We have adapted to survive according to whatever foods are available. When fruits, nuts, and plants are plentiful, we eat plants. When meat, fish, poultry is available, we et animal foods. … READ ON

Bearing Witness: The First Stage in Changing the Paradigm for Animals

If you are an animal advocate or just someone who is concerned with animal issues, the first most important task we have is to find creative ways to get people to bear witness to the suffering of animals for food and other uses. You can’t have a meaningful conversation with someone who has not yet been exposed to the reality you too have witnessed. The act of witnessing forms the basis of a constructive dialogue about our impact on animals and what we can do about it. … READ ON

Natalie Portman Working on a Vegan Documentary Based on the Book ‘Eating Animals’

Natalie Portman took a break from her career after the release of Black Swan to have a child with fiancé Benjamin Millepied, whom she met on the set of her movie, but she’s now back to work, this time on a documentary project based on the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran-Foer which she claims led her to a veganism a few years back. … READ ON

The Meat of the Issue: Normal, Natural and Necessary?

In the last 24 hours, I’ve had an earful of reasons why people eat meat. Most of the reasoning centers around health. Many say when they tried to be vegetarian their health declined. Others say eating animals is part of the “circle of life.” Still others believe that some animals were somehow born into this world to serve us as food. Having come out of a Melanie Joy’s vegan empowerment workshop last night, I am inspired by her insights about why people believe they need to eat animals and how to best communicate with them about the issue.
… READ ON