Words of Wisdom by Some Wise Men

Here are some of my favorite quotations related to vegan and vegetarian lifestyle, which give me inspiration and motivation to continue my endeavor to spread love and goodness and to contribute in reducing cruelty and injustice towards all living creatures. I would love to know if you have any other favorite quotes!! You can leave a comment to add to the list :)) Here they are...

"There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery." ~ Charles Darwin

"We do not need to eat animals, wear animals, or use animals for entertainment purposes, and our only defence of these uses is our pleasure, amusement, and convenience." ~ Gary L. Francione

“We all love animals. Why do we call some ‘pets’ and others ‘dinner?’” ~ K.D. Lang

"I became a vegan the day I watched a video of a calf being born on a factory farm. The baby was dragged away from his mother before he hit the ground. The helpless calf strained its head backwards to find his mother. The mother bolted after her son and exploded into a rage when the rancher slammed the gate on her. She wailed the saddest noise I’d ever heard an animal make, and then thrashed and ...dug into the ground, burying her face in the muddy placenta. I had no idea what was happening respecting brain chemistry, animal instinct, or whatever. I just knew that this was deeply wrong. I just knew that such suffering could never be worth the taste of milk and veal. I empathized with the cow and the calf and, in so doing, my life changed." ~ James McWilliams

“As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together.” ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer, writer and Nobel laureate (1902–1991)

"A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral." ~ Leo Tolstoy, novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist (1828-1910)

"The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men." ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

"Suffering is suffering. It is always ugly. It is always unwelcome. It always needs to be stopped. There are no exceptions. A person with the capacity but not the inclination to cease suffering is morally incomplete." ~ Mirko Bagaric

”Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ~ Hippocrates

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." ~ Albert Einstein

"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." ~ Rachel Carson

“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.” ~ Albert Einstein (1879–1955)

“Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.” ~ James A. Froude, English historian (1818–1894)

“The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind.” ~ Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man

“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ~ Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher, physician, and musician (Nobel 1952)

“I've been vegan since I got out of the hospital... It's another eye opener. It changed my life in a number of ways.” ~ Travis Barker

“For as long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.” ~ Pythagoras (570-490 BC)

“To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana.” ~ Buddha (563-483 BC)

“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.” ~ Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

“When we kill the animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings.” ~ William Roberts, MD (1932-present)

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” ~ Paul McCartney (1942-present)

“The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of “real food for real people,” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital.” ~ Neal D. Barnard, MD (1953-present)

“In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.” ~ Ruth Harrison (1920-2000)

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Sources:

http://www.pledgevegan.com/vegan-spotlight/top-100-vegan- quotes

http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/quotes.html

http://changeforayear.com/2013/02/19/socrates-buddha-einstein-and-others-on-going-vegan/

Why Vegan? A Handful of Reasons…for Healthier You

Hola secret –keepers!!!
Are you still in doubt whether a vegan lifestyle is the right one for you? Do all sort of questions still poppin’ into your mind as for what sort of an exotic fruit a “vegan” is and what the reasons and benefits are for slowly transforming into one too? Yes…that’s right…take it SLOW! As any other small or big change, it takes some time. You need to first make a change in your mind, the way you see and think about food and that itself is quite a crucial process.  Suddenly picturing your life without this creamy milkshake or double cheeseburger can be quite disturbing thought, right? But don’t worry, because nobody is expecting that from you. We are different and oh…this is awesome, so you can take it at your own pace and go through this process feeling comfortable and guilt-free if you “fail” now and then along the way. Once you take the decision to try a vegan lifestyle, you don’t have to take it as a permanent and irreversible state. Try new meatless dishes, make sure you are not eating too less, drink enough water and just…explore!! Explore new tastes, flavors, ingredients, products and make your plate and your life FUN and COLORFUL!

Now this leads me to the idea to share with you how I got myself into the vegan lifestyle and what my motivations and reasons were. But since there are actually a lot of things to mention there and I don’t want to skip or miss even a tiny detail I think that it deserves a separate post, where I can tell you about all the ups and downs I had and well…my tiny little sins and slips now and then. So now I’m just going to say that it kind of happened overnight for me. It was a year ago, right after Christmas, when I came across a short documentary on youtube, called “The Truth about Slaughterhouses”. A really short video…a whole 11:50 minutes in total, which just changed me forever!  But anyway…more about my personal story another time. Now back to the topic and a handful of reasons to consider becoming a vegan J

Vegan for Health

1. Vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat-eaters
2. Breast cancer rates are significantly lower in nations, such as China, that follow plant-based diets
3. Meat and dairy products contribute to many forms of cancer, including cancer of the colon, breast, ovaries, and prostate
4. Blood analysis of vegetarians reveals a higher level of “natural killer cells,” specialized white blood cells that attack cancer cells
5. Vegan diets can significantly reduce blood pressure
6. A higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, which are rich in fiber, folic acid, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, is associated with lower blood cholesterol concentrations, a lower chance of stroke, and a lower risk of mortality from ischemic heart disease
7. Plant-based diets drastically decrease one’s genetic tendency of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes type 2 and cancer
8. A diet high in fiber results in more frequent bowel movements, which helps in preventing colon cancer.
9. A well balanced vegan diet consisting of high fruit and vegetable intake and low in fat can prevent from and reverse obesity
10. Consumption of plant-based foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins, boosts the immune system.

The above mentioned are just some of the health benefits from going towards a more natural and plant-based food. Next post will be about the animal welfare and the way we can if not completely stop, at least reduce the number of suffering, exploited and killed animals...
I'm now going for a midnight snack...oranges and a hot cup of organic white tea with PEPPERMINT (SMELLS SOOO GOOD)!!!

Why Vegan? A handful of reasons…for the Environment

Many of you may be asking themselves this question…”To be or not be a vegan AND WHY?”, and I guess there is no right or wrong answer. Taking such a decision however needs to be based on proper and detailed information and research. The best decision is the one you are confident about and knowing your reasons is the best way to start. And one very important thing - never judge others only because they don’t see, understand, value, believe or know the same things as you DO! It’s easy to just turn your back to those who think differently and show ignorance. But we need to learn to communicate and be a bit more patient and understanding to each other.  Well…yes, there will be weird questions and judgmental looks. You have to be ready to hear something in the lines of “What’s wrong with you that you don’t eat meat?” or “Are vegans some kind of a sect?” And that’s OK…like seriously…no need to get offended and take a defensive position by turning the “favor”. Just simply explain your vegan reasons, show that it was a well thought decision and just share your knowledge.  

You better be ready to hear many solid and frightening reasons why being a vegan is actually a dangerous and life threatening endeavor though J)…yes…it surely is life-threatening for the poor innocent pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys, horses, fish, snails and all other creatures, until homo sapiens only pays respect to them when nicely flavored and seasoned in its plate.

I will try to list some of the many reasons for leaving the juicy stake or the roasted chicken wings in the past and for good. Since there are many reasons for going vegan such as Environmental Benefits, Health Benefits or Ethical/ Animal welfare reasons I will start with our precious “Planet Earth” and the bitter facts are…

Vegan for the Environment

1. The livestock sector causes deforestation in Latin America, responsible for 70 percent of forests cleared for grazing in the Amazon.
2. From 1966 to 1983, 38% of Amazon rainforest was cut down for cattle pasture.
3. The livestock sector causes 20-70 percent of pasture degradation, resulting in overgrazing, soil loss, soil compaction, and desertification (i.e., when pasture or agricultural land becomes infertile desert).
4. The livestock sector causes 55 percent of soil erosion in the United States.
5. The livestock sector is the largest user of fresh water
6. The livestock sector pollutes our waterways with manure, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.
7. The livestock sector produces 65 percent of human-induced nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is almost 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in heating up the globe
8. The livestock sector produces 68 percent of human-induced ammonia, contributing significantly to acid rain.
9. Beef generates 27.1 kilos (59.6 lbs) of CO2 [equivalent] per kilo consumed or 39.25 kilograms of total greenhouse gas emissions.
10. Farmed animals in the United States produce 130 times as much waste as the human population.
11. 75 percent of major fisheries are fully exploited, over exploited, or depleted.

To be continued…”Vegan for Healthier You” coming soon! Stay well, do good and eat your veggies J

Healthy Breakfast for "Good Morning"! :)

Today I would like to share with you a delicious idea for a healthy breakfast! Although I get tired of having the same meal every morning, I really love to make this yummy mixture once in a while. You can improvise with the ingredients and add or skip some according to your preferences, but here is the one I often chew on while still in my pajamas. Oh, and of course it’s VEGAN!

What you need?

• 3tbls Muesli Mix (I use oatmeal, raisins and other dried fruits)

• 1tbls sesame seeds

• 1tbls godji berry

• 1tbls sunflower seeds

• 1tbls pumpkin seeds

• Half banana (sliced)

• Dark Chocolate chopped into small pieces (you can be generous with it :))

• 1 tea cup Soya Milk (You can use almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk)
• How to “cook” it? :)

• Just mix everything in a small bowl and pour the milk on top. Wait for 10-15 minutes for the oatmeal to get a bit more softer and enjoy!