Documentary Screening?

This post is more of a callout. I need help. I need to know if there is interest. I need sponsors.

Because I want to host a documentary screening.

There are a couple documentaries that I'm interested in showing, but I'm waiting on the company of the first to get back in touch to see if it's even an option. The other one, though, is called Vegucated.

It's a quick-style documentary that follows 3 people as they become vegan for 6 weeks. They're followed to the grocery store, to family functions, and to farms. Offering the viewer a glimpse into both the ups and downs of attempting a vegan lifestyle. It doesn't go dramatically in-depth into any one area, such as animal-cruelty or environmental impact.. but it touches base on all them.. leading the viewer to want to learn more.

While there are many 'veg' documentaries out there, this one is especially appealing to those that are just flirting with the idea of trying a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, as it shows what it's truly like when you first make the switch.

I've already reached out to a few local companies to see if they'd be interested in sponsoring the event.

I've also discussed theater rental, and all that entails, with the local movie theater.

This is the Vegucated trailer:

If you live near Lafayette, Indiana (aka: Purdue country)...

Would YOU want to see the film?

Would YOU bring friends?

Do YOU own or know of a company that is veg-friendly? (sponsors can hand out fliers/coupons, set up information tables outside the screening)

Price per ticket would be very low (around $2), if not free (depends on number of sponsors I can get).
Showing would probably be on a Saturday morning (think 9:30am).

30 Days of Vegan; and How It Changed My Husband

This will be the concluding post in reference to the 30 Days of Vegan challenge. If you haven't done so already, I urge you to read my final thoughts on my experience and my plans going forward.

Because, this blog, is a guest blog. I've asked my husband, Brad, to briefly recap his experience.

You see, for almost two years, I had been vegetarian; but my husband still ate meat. So when I went vegan, I asked if he'd try vegetarian. To that, he was pretty reluctant. But he stuck it out, and even pushed further.

This is his story, in his own words --
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As I type this it has been 32 days since I started the 30 day challenge of being a vegetarian while my wife became a vegan for 30 days. When she told me that she was going to try vegan for 30 days, I first thought there is no way I could do that, but I could at least try being vegetarian while she tried this. I wasn’t a person that ate a lot of meat to begin with, so I didn’t think it would be too hard for me.. but I knew I would miss some things like crispy bacon and hamburgers.

After a week or so I decided it would be easier to make the one meal that both of us could eat for dinner. This pretty much changed how I was eating the rest of my meals and so I decided to be vegan for the rest of the 30 days.

This was not an easy decision, as I love my dairy products; especially milk. There had been times where I could drink 4-5 gallons of milk a week by myself. Over the last year I had been trying to cut back to a couple gallons a week but I knew this was going to be the hardest thing to just give up and quit consuming it.

After the first week of eating only vegan foods, I realized it wasn’t really that hard to cut things out of my diet, and still enjoy what I was eating. I didn’t really miss the milk, cheese or eggs.  I started using soy milk in my cereal and coffee in the morning.

One of the things that surprised me the most is how well I enjoyed what we were eating for dinner and other meals. Everything still had plenty of flavor.. Some things even tasted better. I think because it was fresh food with real flavor.

I think the hardest thing has been figuring out what I am going to take to work for lunch. I can no longer just grab some prepackaged meal or lunch meat. I actually have to plan what I am going to take and fix something the night before sometimes. Luckily, it's been easier since my coworkers have been fairly understanding. We recently had a cookout at work where they were going to fix hamburgers, hotdogs and potato salad. Our HR manager knew that I was trying this for the month and she actually went and bought black bean burgers just for me so I could still eat with them.

Given that, I'm assuming, you've read my wife's blogs up to this point.. none of this may sound too groundbreaking. But my background is a little different from my wife's.

To give you a little background on myself, I grew up in the country. Both my mom and dad came from farm families, and my dad farmed pretty much my whole life. My mom’s family had a dairy farm when she was growing up so that is evidently where my milk addiction came from. My dad grew up with his family growing crops and raising livestock.

Brad's mother with dairy cow.

I lived and breathed farming growing up and still would frequently go back to help after I moved away from home.

I probably would be the last person most people would think would become a vegetarian; let alone a vegan. But that is where I am today, and where I plan to be for the rest of my life.. a vegan.

How did I come to this conclusion or decision you ask? 

After eating this way for the past 30 days I have seen a definite change in myself, from the way I view food, to how I feel.

I have not been working out at all during this time and yet I have lost almost 10 pounds. I find myself not snacking as much as I used to throughout the day, and I have been not eating as much at meals because I am feeling fuller, quicker. I have more energy from the time I wake up til the time I get home from work. Basically, I've only seen positive results.

I am very interested to see what the next 30 days brings and if I notice more changes. I would recommend to anyone that they give this a try for 30 days and see what kind of changes you notice in yourself.

- Brad

The Cookie Analogy for Veganism

No.. you didn't just stumble upon a recipe for vegan cookies.

What I wanted to post here, was a thought I had today.. after a successful 30 day run as a vegan (and choosing to stick with it).

Over the last 30 days, I've debated many an omnivore about the whys of eating meat and other animal products. Repeated to me were these statements: We're built for it. It's healthy. It tastes good.

You'll see that I've addressed the "built for it" many times.

Healthy for you? It's just not. Veggie-centered diets increase lifespan and reduce disease. Healthy for the planet? Not by a long shot.

So that leaves... It tastes good.

That is the last, unwaivering reason that the omnivores cling to. Nevermind how utterly selfish it sounds. Basically saying, "I don't care about all the consequences to the animals, to the planet, or to myself.. I just want it."

But what if we put it a different way? Let's say I had this cookie. It looked yummy. Smelled decadent. It made your mouth water. Now, let's imagine that I told you..

"This cookie comes from a place that inflicts a great amount of pain and death and purchasing the cookie provides profits to those that create this suffering. This cookie also is very hard on the planet. The factory takes in huge amounts of water, and what is put back into the system is flooded with toxic waste. The factory also releases fumes into the atmosphere that are worse than those created by any transportation system on the planet. And lastly, this cookie.. will shorten your life. It will shorten the lives of your children, or anyone else's that you choose to share it with."

Would you still want the cookie? Just because it tastes good?

30 Days of Vegan (Day 30); The Vegan Verdict

Back in 2009, I got my second tattoo. To me, it was a big deal.. because it was going on my forearm. My first was on my hip, hidden away from the world. This one, by nature, was one I wanted people to see. I wanted to be associated with what it meant.

This is the tattoo:

It is a Buddhist mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum); which basically is a call to be compassionate to all sentient beings.

When I got this tattoo, I wasn't even a vegetarian yet. In fact, I remember going to eat Skyline chili right after getting it. At the time, for me, the tattoo really only meant 'be kind to people.'

Even though I was always an animal lover.. it never crossed my mind that what I was eating.. was the opposite of being compassionate. They weren't my pets. They weren't important enough to think about. -- Out of sight. Out of mind. --

And it's really not until just now.. that I realize I got this tattoo a little before its time.. in almost a serendipitous fashion. Each day, it had been staring me in the face. "Be compassionate. Be compassionate to every living and feeling thing."

I finally feel like I'm living up to it.

So, my verdict is.. I intend to be vegan for life.

I really can't imagine going back now. I know it sounds a bit melodramatic.. but even a glass of milk feels like poison to my soul anymore.

And in case you'd like a brief summary of how I arrived here, let me go over the key factors that have arisen in these 30 days.

1) Health:

Study after study has shown that a veggie-based (whole foods people, not Oreos) diets provide better health, longer life span, and may even reverse some illnesses.

Diets high in animal products are directly linked to heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and several cancers. Sound familiar? That's because it's the Who's Who of what's killing us in our society.

Personally, I feel more energetic. I sleep better. My eyes are clearer. And I've lost around 5 lbs without any exercise.

So, for health.. gotta say -- Vegan.

2) Environment:

As many of my blogs have discussed, meat production is a huge contributor to green-house gases; beating out all of transportation combined. It pollutes our waterways with toxic runoff. It takes far more water to raise a pound of beef, than to grow a pound of vegetables. We're clearing land (including rainforest) at an alarming rate, in order to create pasture for livestock. To grow the same amount of plant-based, we'd need far less space.

In other words, it's not sustainable. If the entire world ate a western diet, we'd need two planets to grow the food and raise the livestock. And news flash.. we've only got one.

Environment.. goes to -- Vegan

3) Evolution:

This seems to be the big one. The one the omnivores fall back on, when they know there's no way to defend or explain the issues with health and the environment.

Yes, I understand that we're at the top of the food chain. But that doesn't grant us the right to a god complex. That anything lesser than us belongs to us. It is ours to confine, to use for our own pleasure, to torture, or to slaughter.

If one wants to argue that we're 'designed' to eat meat.. fine. Then hunt it; with respect and reverence. That's what we're 'designed' to actually do; since the advent of fire. But that's not what we really do anymore.

Nor were we ever 'designed' to consume the lactation of another species. If I suggested that we all start forcefully impregnating our dogs and milking them, you'd call me crazy. But that's what we do to dairy cows.

We like to envision the "Happy Cows" of California. Or the "Laughing Cow" portrayed on those cute little cheese wedges.

But that is not the reality. 10 BILLION animals are slaughtered each year.. just in the United States. 58 billion worldwide. You cannot churn out those kinds of numbers.. and still have "Happy Cows" roaming on a pasture their entire lives. You also can't slaughter that many animals and still maintain that you see them as anything of real value.

In order to keep up with that pace, small family farms are disappearing. Large, so called 'factory farms,' have taken their place. We have turned farming livestock completely industrial. Cold. Ruthless. Cruel. That kind of brutal efficiency may be fine for crops. It's not fine for sentient beings that feel loss, anxiety, and pain.

And we all know it. We just don't want to think about it.

Like in so many cases of human existence.. just because we have evolved to where we CAN. Doesn't mean that we SHOULD.

A staff member from a slaughterhouse had gone to the farm to single out a few hogs, prompting the terrified animals to start wailing. “Except for one piglet, which abruptly quieted down when I took it in my hands and then it looked me right in the eyes, as if saying: ‘How could you do this to me?’ That look in its eyes shattered me and kept me awake all night." - Lo Hung-hsien (former pig farmer, turned animal rights activist)

Evolution creates ability.. not a rule that must be followed. Not a requirement. And isn't the whole idea of evolution supposed to increase our chances of survival? Yet, we've pushed so hard to maintain this "right" that it's actually harming us.. by means of the environment, and our own health. So it's hard to argue that by implementing our evolutionary abilities, we're killing ourselves.. and somehow it's a good thing.. or the right thing.

We can now push through our instincts.. to do better. To be better.

What evolution has provided us is.. understanding, empathy, forethought, and compassion.

 "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Gandhi

So, in spite of what evolution has made possible, my only logical conclusion is -- Vegan.

In reality, all that spurs us to eat meat.. is ego, and greed. We're the highest. We control everything. We do what we please. And I take as much as I want.

Those are not ideals that we should be proud of. Those ideals are slowly killing us.

So, the verdict is obvious.

I chose the tattoo years ago. But I fully choose what it means, today.

I choose compassion.

If you also choose compassion, please help by donating to the Farm Sanctuary.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 29); The Eve of The End

Day 29.

Just one more day to go..

I feel like I should have something profound to say about this journey. So, hopefully, it comes to me in time for tomorrow's blog. ;)

Today was pretty normal. Though I was excited to get a package of stuff that I'd ordered from Farm Sanctuary. Got a calendar, some window decals, a signed copy of Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, and an eco-bracelet.

It goes quite well with my Sprout watch :)

Tonight, I made vegan banana bread (and proceeded to eat almost three slices before sitting down to write this blog.. but let's not dwell on that.)

You know an upside to vegan baking, that just dawned on me tonight, as I was staring at the mixing bowl? No eggs = no salmonella/food poisoning. That means.. you can lick all the mixing bowls, spatulas, and beaters to your heart's content.

You're welcome. ;)

So, I'm off to sleep.

I promise tomorrow's blog will be longer and hopefully more reflective on what I've learned, and what I'm choosing to do with that knowledge.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 28); and Weight Loss

Day 28.. and a bit about weight loss.

Let me tell you up front, that "vegan" does not automatically equal healthy. You could live on Oreos, soda, and potato chips.. and technically be vegan.

The healthy comes in with the 'whole foods' .. There is no shortcut here.

That being said, within the first week and half of starting this, I dropped 5 lbs. And if you recall, I swore off exercise for this experiment; because I didn't want to have any other factors affecting my weight loss, mood, or energy.

So purely, by cutting out dairy.. and pretty much eating everything else the same, I lost 5 lbs immediately. At my peak, I was down 7.. but 2 have crept back on. I believe from natural cycles in weight (the women understand). In sum, I lost 5 lbs in the beginning.. and I'm still down those 5 lbs right now.

Not bad, since my only physical activities have been normal day-to-day walking, climbing stairs, and a small bit of yoga (around 5 minutes a day).

What's far more important, to me though, is that I feel so much better. I feel 50 lbs lighter. I have more energy. And I'm sleeping waaaay better than I ever have.

I was one of those people that could lay in bed for hours on end before falling asleep. Now I fall asleep in 6 minutes or less (I wore a sleep monitor for the month, to figure that out).

On average, I wake up once during the night, but fall back asleep within 2 minutes.. and my sleep is roughly 98% 'efficient.'

No wonder I feel better!

I must also add that I'm glad this 30 days is almost over. I'm literally craving exercise. I'm guessing it's an aspect of feeling better and having more energy.. My body is seeking a way to use it. So I'm excited to get back to doing my normal yoga routine, maybe a little Zumba, and some resistance training.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 27); and Animal Lovers That Eat Meat

Day 27..

I'd like to address some hypocrisy that's starting to make my skin crawl on a regular basis these days.

You see, this morning, I started seeing several posts on Facebook about this german shepherd that was running out of time in an Indiana shelter. The shelter was going to put him down today if they couldn't find a home immediately.

Sadly, within a couple hours, no home was found, and he was put down.

Then, I proceeded to read an outpour of 'heartbroken' posts in response to it. Here are a few examples:

"For some reason can't handle this post today...makes me ill and upset."

"Sickening that irresponsible people do this to man's best friend.... sick."

"This just absolutely breaks my heart. How can we, in America, kill beautiful healthy dogs in the prime of their lives? Will never understand this. So sad...Bless his heart."

And while I too, was extremely sad they didn't find him a home, I really wanted to ask every single one of these 'heartbroken' people if they eat meat.. and if they do, could they explain why?

It is hypocrisy at its finest, to claim to be an animal lover, to acknowledge how beautiful and sacred our 'pets' are when they are relatively 'kindly' put to sleep, but completely ignore the atrocities that are committed against farm animals.

Because the truth is, a dog is a pig, and a pig is cow.. when it comes to their capacity to enjoy life, to feel love, and to feel pain.

There is NO difference. And that is the most inconvenient of truths.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 26); and Zucchini Cakes

Captain's log.. day 26.

Zucchini Cakes!

Okay, seriously, I haven't talked much about anything I've actually been eating.. and that's because, for the most part, it's just been 'normal' dishes with the meat omitted. Pasta with tomato sauce, stir fry, fajitas, etc. All pretty basic fare.

But yesterday.. because we had a huge zucchini to use.. my husband looked up vegan zucchini recipes, and came across these zucchini cakes.

They are DELICIOUS! Seriously.

Now, I can't tell you if they taste anything like crab cakes.. cause I've never eaten one. Regardless, they are yummy.. and I don't know anyone who wouldn't gladly gobble these down.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
3 cups zucchini (about 1 medium), grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg replacer (we used Ener-G)
1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise (recommend Vegenaise original)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper if you like it spicy)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation:
Place grated zucchini (we used a food processor to grate) in a colander with salt, and let stand 30 minutes. Gently press with paper towels to absorb as much moisture as you can. You want it fairly dry and should measure about 2 cups now.
Place remaining ingredients (except oil) with zucchini in a bowl, and mix well. Form into 8 patties, and chill for about 15 minutes or so. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add patties to hot skillet and cook on both sides until browned. Drain excess grease on paper towels.

Then ENJOY. You'll thank me!

30 Days of Vegan (Day 25); and The Growing Minority

Day 25.

When you become vegan (or even vegetarian), you can feel pretty alone. My earlier blogs in this journey even expressed that sentiment.

You'll be questioned.. over and over.. about your choices. You'll be expected to defend "why" you're doing it. You will be mocked and joked about.

It's hard, then, to not feel like you're the only vegan in the world.

The good news is, this movement is growing. Thanks in part to the easy access to information that was previously hard to come by.

You have vegan cookbooks that are becoming bestsellers.. such as The Kind Diet, Skinny Bitch, and a slew of others.

You have documentaries like Food Inc, Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, and Earthlings, that are gaining widespread audiences; and changing some people.. literally overnight.

You have celebrities, like Alicia Silverstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Clinton, and many others proudly talking about their vegan lifestyles.

Currently, it is estimated that 3.2% of Americans (7.3 million people) are vegetarian.. with 1 million of those being strictly vegan. Also, 25% of college students say that vegan options are important to them; implying that even if they aren't vegan, they are interested in reduced animal product intake.

In other words, you aren't alone.

Ten years ago, "organic" was almost a foreign term. Finding organic produce in a standard grocery store was unheard of. Now, it's everywhere. It's a generally accepted idea.

Many anticipate that "veg" based eating will be the next "organic."

Here's hoping!

30 Days of Vegan (Day 24); and Independence Day

Day 24.. just happens to be the 4th of July.

Known mostly for fireworks and cookouts.. And that's cookouts, with a grill and a wide assortment of meat.

We were invited to a couple cookouts, and ended up going out to my brother's in-law's. The pickins' included hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans with bacon.. In other words, the usual fare.

So, we just took our own. Our hot dogs were made of soy and pea protein. My husband even had his cooked on the grill. (I nuked mine, as I've never liked that 'smoke' taste.) We also brought our own vegan-friendly buns, some sauerkraut, and Sun Chips.

As anticipated, people asked what we brought, started inspecting the labels of our buns.. to see if they were actually vegan. Almost as if they were trying to catch us cheating.

I'll give my brother credit though.. He was perhaps the most avid meat eater in the bunch, and he actually tried one of our soy dogs. First he picked it up and smelled it.. untrustingly. Nevermind that he had just watched me eat two of them. It just cracks me up when people are 'iffy' about eating something that is plant based.. but completely fine with some ground up leftovers from a dozen different animals.

So, as my brother was getting ready to take his first bite, another person chimed in, "Why are you going to eat that? Just cut off a piece so you don't waste it."

Dude was getting criticized for being willing to try it?

But, my brother ate it.. and he ate the entire thing.

He didn't love it; but he didn't hate it. His first comment was, "Well, the texture is a pretty close, but the taste isn't great." Then, about halfway through, he added, "It's not that it's like jelly.. but something is missing."

At that point, I reminded him, "I think it's missing that snap when you bite into it. You know, that 'snappy' intestine casing."

He chuckled and agreed that was perhaps the difference.

His wife quickly tried to ignore what we were talking about.. so she could eat her food without thinking about it (an issue I've addressed before).

At any rate, I give him credit for at least trying. And though it obviously didn't change his eating habits.. it at least let's me know that he's got an open mind about it.

I want to also address that it didn't feel difficult at all to stick to vegan on this 'cookout' day. Most of the non-vegan things didn't look good to me, like the mac & cheese, or chips and dip. And being vegan kept me from eating a bunch of cookies and brownies that I just don't need.. and sincerely, didn't even really want.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 23); and TED Talks

Day 23.

I had today off, so I was lounging around and browsing through Netflix, when I spotted something called "TED Talks." I noticed the first episode featured Jamie Oliver; well known as the Naked Chef, and a crusader for the Food Revolution.

Eh. Figured I'd give it a watch and see what it's about.

So, I watch Jamie's episode, as he gave a presentation about the state of food in America today.. especially in our school systems. As an avid watcher of his Food Revolution program, this all sounded very familiar. But his passion for the subject was as apparent as it always was. So I kept watching.

It was a series of speakers.. mostly chefs and foodies.. talking about 'ideas for change' within our food systems. Completely eco-friendly fish farms. Humane foie gras. And lots of talk about reducing meat consumption.

So what is "TED?" Apparently, TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. There is also a TED Prize. It is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 to fund their idea or movement.

In the series available on Netflix (which is a tiny sampling of what's available on the web), there were two videos I found particularly interesting. Both of these speakers are meat-eaters. Not vegans. Not even vegetarians. But they know that meat consumption in the world needs to go down. Please take a few moments to watch them.

The first is longer, and a bit more detailed, than the second. Features Mark Bittman.

 

And the second one is super short. Straight to the point. A novel idea.

 

Interesting, no? Maybe meat-eaters can watch this and feel less 'attacked?' Maybe it's not as abrasive when you're not feeling 'judged' by a vegan? I don't know.. but it's worth a shot. It's easy to drown out vegans and claim we're all idealistic hippies. It's harder to ignore people that also enjoy meat, don't want to give it up entirely, but still know there's something dramatically wrong in our food systems.

For even more insightful lectures, check out http://www.ted.com/talks or browse the YouTube channel of the videos above. They cover a plethora of topics, and are quite enlightening.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 22); and Cheese

Day 22.

Cheese.

Yeah, cheese.

I've heard it time and time again. I even used to say it.

"I could never go vegan. I LOVE cheese too much."

Trust me.. I've not only said it.. I truly believed it. I loved all things cheese. At least 2 out of 3 meals of each day had some form of cheese.

Nachos. Mozzarella sticks. Cheese slices on a sandwich. Salad with shredded cheese. Mac & cheese. Bagel with cream cheese. Grilled cheese. Cheeseballs and crackers. Fondue. Pizza with extra cheese.

Seriously. I loved cheese.

But here's the truth. Since the day I gave it up, I haven't missed it.. at all. Truly. Not once. A fact that has surprised me the most.

Now, many a vegan will try to lure you in with 'fake' cheeses. Claiming they taste, look, and melt just like the real thing.

Well, they don't.

Okay. Okay. I haven't tried a bunch of vegan cheeses. I've tried a mexican shredded blend, some rice cheese slices, and some vegan cream cheese.

The cream cheese was the closest in taste to its dairy counterpart.. but it was a little sweeter, had a little bit of 'grit' to it, and left an oily feel on tongue. In other words, I can stomach it.. but it ain't like cream cheese.

The mexican shredded cheese, on the other hand, was horrible. You may recall an earlier blog where my husband used it in a recipe, and I asked him to never use the cheese again. The oddest thing is that my husband seemed to think it was fine. My cheese-loving taste buds completely disagreed.

So, I'm not going to try to pitch you any cheese replacements. So far, I've found none.

But the real kicker is, I don't even want them. I don't miss the cheese. I don't sit down to a meal and think, "I wish I had some cheese to put on this."

Actually, the other night, I went out to dinner with a friend.. who knew my love for cheese.. and she asked me, "Don't you miss it? Like, cheese?"

I didn't even have to ponder before answering, "No. I don't miss it at all. Cheese actually grosses me out to some degree now. It looks heavy and greasy. It would be like you watching someone eat a stick of butter. It's just unappetizing at this point."

And that's the best way to describe it. After you get used to not having it, it looks heavy and unhealthy.

I've also noticed that I actually like my usual 'cheesy' meals better without it. For example, I discovered that cheeseless pizza is far more flavorful when you're not coating everything with heavy, greasy, curdled bovine breast milk.

You can actually taste the sauce, and the vegetables.

Not only does my food look, and taste, lighter and fresher.. but it makes me feel that way too.

So, I get it. You love cheese. But give it a week. You might even love your food more without it.

I certainly do.

30 Days of Vegan (Day 21); and The Impact

Day 21 (if days were years, my vegan adventure blog would be old enough to drink)

Anywho, I wanted to discuss "impact" today.

There are a LOT of ways that a vegan diet impacts the world (and you). I couldn't adequately cover them all in one blog.. so perhaps in the future. In all honesty, I can't really give even one effect its due, but I felt like it was important to address one in particular.

You see, I've already encountered several people.. that when I told them I was going vegan, the response was, "Why bother? You're not going to make a difference." and "You can't change the world."

Well, nevermind the benefit to my OWN health, or the environmental implications.. but just in the case of animal welfare.. it does make a difference.

It is estimated that for each person that goes vegan/vegetarian, 95-100 animals are saved from slaughter each year.

With an estimated 600 million vegetarians/vegans in the world.. that's a lot of animals.

Heck, even if just my husband and I stick with our current diets, that's around 200 animals we saved. If my mother sticks with her Meatless Mondays, that brings it to about 220.. Three people. The size of an average family. One of whom is only giving up meat one day per week.. can save 220 animals from torture and pain.

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
—Elie Wiesel

If my actions saved that many human lives per year, would people still tell me how 'pointless' it was to try?

It is worthwhile.

It does change the world..