Veganism on the rise

It is always nice to see that veganism is becoming more popular. Figures show that veganism has risen 360% in the last 10 years. There seems to be a real change at the moment with more vegan products and vegan stores and restaurants starting all the time. More importantly these businesses and products are popular which shows that there is a market for cruelty free products. Even non-vegan businesses are noticing the demand for dairy and meat free items and there are new products all the time in supermarkets such as Sainsburys introducing vegan cheese. Veganism seems to be like vegetarianism 20 years ago when there was a real boost in awareness and demand. Lets hope in the future there will be vegan items in every restaurant, more vegan businesses and of course more people choosing a vegan lifestyle. 

Cow Appreciation Day

So it's Cow appreciation day. I didn't realise this was a thing but there is a day for everything these days. So I thought today would be a good time to write about the reasons to avoid dairy: 

• Cows are artificially inseminated and their calf is removed from them so they can be milked. There is nothing natural about this process and it is repeated many times in a cows life. These animals are essentially hooked up to machines for their whole life. Dairy farms are prisons.  
• Cows have strong emotions, they experience distress when separated from their young or their friends, supporting the dairy industry is as cruel as supporting the meat industry. 
• Cows are gentle creatures who form lifelong friendships, if you think animals are stupid and have no feelings think again. 
• Cows milk is designed to make a calf grow very quickly in the beginning of it's life. Milk is essentially a fat fluid to help a baby cow weighing 65 pounds become a 400 pound cow. Cows stop drinking milk after they have grown, yet humans drink what is essentially cows breast milk throughout their life, it is unnatural. 
•  Avoiding dairy will help you loose weight, this tends to happen when you stop drinking fat.
• Milk is full of hormones such as oestrogen, and does anyone really enjoy a glass of hormones? 
• There are other, better, sources of calcium which do not have the downsides of dairy. Dark leafy greens such as Kale and Spinach contain calcium but this isn't well known as we are led to believe in that drinking milk is the only way to have healthy, strong bones. 
• Cows milk contains up to 59 hormones, allergens, fat, cholesterol and not to mention any pesticides used on their feed or hormones they are given to make them grow faster. 
• The dairy and meat industries are linked, the cows who have spent their lives being milked will be sent to be killed for meat along with the baby cows who are unnaturally bred. If you avoid meat it is a good idea to avoid dairy too or you are supporting cruelty. 
• The growth hormone in milk has been linked to cancer. Need I say more? If you care about your health give up dairy. 
• It takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese. No wonder cheese is a fatty food. 
• There are so many healthier non-dairy milks and cheeses on the market, avoiding dairy is easy. 
• Cows get their calcium from plants. Cut out the middle man (or Cow) and get your calcium the healthy way. 
• Also getting calcium from milk is a myth, because of the high protein content it can actually take calcium from the body. Studies have shown that countries with high dairy consumption have higher rates of osteoporosis. So much for milk being a great source of calcium! Stick to the leafy greens instead. 
• If you still want a glass Cow's breast milk after all this information, the fact that milk is allowed to have faeces in it might put you off- it is then pasteurised to make it fit to drink but at room temperature the bacteria will double which is why when you forget to put your milk back in the fridge it goes off very quickly. A glass of bacteria isn't appealing. 

These are just a few of the many, scientifically researched, reasons to avoid milk. Basically cows milk is for cows and human milk is for humans. Drinking the secretions of an animals is strange and no other species does it. You don't see apes drinking rat milk? Dairy, for humans, is unnatural and on Cow Appreciation Day I think it's time to stop using these beautiful, intelligent creatures for a liquid which we don't even need. Wake up and smell the unnecessary bovine secretion. 

Grass-Fed Beef doesn't exist

There are many ways to describe meat and 'Grass-Fed' is one way of describing beef. Here's the thing, beef doesn't have a mouth as this quote so brilliantly describes. Using the term 'grass-fed' is a clever marketing ploy trying to make you see meat as healthy. I do worry what the non grass fed animals eat! They are basically admitted that most animals are pumped full of hormones and chemicals to feed them up so they can kill them quicker. Do non grass fed cows ever eat grass? It's a worrying thought and maybe something people don't consider when they hear this term.  

Also stating that the beef is 'grass-fed' is trying to make it sound healthier. Just because the cow is on a vegan diet doesn't mean these health benefits magically transfer to people eating meat. Scientific studies show meat causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even cancer. Eating a cow who once ate grass (before it was cruelly killed) doesn't take away the unhealthy aspects of meat. It's like adding a lettuce leaf to a bowl of sugar, one healthy thing does not cancel out something that is bad for you. 

Another thing about the statement why do they not say grass fed cows? I guess that reminds meat eaters they are eating an animal that once lived, enjoyed eating and was then killed. Using different names for meat distances it from the animal it once was. They become two separate things and many meat eaters when challenged to think about an animal being killed get upset because the meat industry goes to great lengths to make what is essentially a murdered animal become 'food'. As this quote from Colleen Patrick-Goodreau states beef doesn't have a mouth so how can it be grass fed?

I think it's time to stop distancing ourselves from the reality and see past these marketing ploys. Meat is murder, it is not healthy and if being 'grass-fed' makes you healthy why not go all out and eat a plant based diet like vegans do. Cut out the middle man, stop getting your plant based benefits through a dead animal and go straight to the source. Eating plant based foods is healthy and is scientifically proven to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and has many antioxidants which can help prevent cancer. See the difference and see through the propaganda. 

The poster used in this blog is from http://veganposters.com/ they have loads of vegan posters to download, print and share. 

Vegan Baileys made with Almond Milk

Baileys is jumping on the Vegan bandwagon with this vegan version of the popular drink made with Almond Milk. This looks like a nice product, I've never tried Baileys but I know it is a popular drink, especially around Christmas, and this newest vegan product will be great news to some people. 

The fact that a popular brand has made a vegan drink shows how veganism is becoming more mainstream. Almond milk is a great choice as it will give the drink a nice flavour, although hopefully in the future they will make versions with other types of non dairy milk for anyone with allergies. 

I love the bottle design as it stands out and is not going to be mixed up with the non-vegan drink. It is not specifically targeted at vegans either but shown to be dairy and gluten free so I think this will appeal to a wider audience. 

I'm not a big drinker and hardly drink alcohol at all but I like that there are more options for vegans. Hopefully this drink will be available in bars and restaurants. It looks like it would make an amazing gift and would be a nice addition in baking- Bailey's cake, cupcakes, or even Bailey's buttercream, I could go on. Look out for this in the shops, let's hope it is widely available and more brands follow suit by making vegan options. 

Interesting article on the hypocrisy of meat eaters

http://www.vox.com/2016/5/31/11820880/harambe-gorilla-chicken-meat

Just thought I'd share this interesting article. This always happens when a 'exotic' creature is killed such as a gorilla or lion, people get upset, condemn the killing and rant about how it's wrong and the same people probably eat meat for their dinner and don't see the link. Just because it is an animal you like doesn't mean it's death is more of an outrage than the animals which are killed for your dinner. Start seeing the connection, no animal deserves to die. 

My thoughts on Zoos

Zoos are in the news a lot recently. A gorilla was sadly shot dead because a child fell into it's enclosure and they feared for the child's safety and not long ago zoos hit the headlines as it was shown that they cull animals and feed them to others to stop them over populating and this practice was shown to shocked tourists on a behind the scenes tour. 

In both cases everyone was understandably upset. In the more recent story about the Gorilla, the parents are being blamed by the media for not looking after their child. The zoo is being blamed for killing the animal when behavioural experts say he wasn't showing any aggression. However I think people are missing a point that the beautiful (Vegan) creature should not have been kept in an enclosure for the entertainment of others in the first place. If he wasn't there and the family hadn't gone along to see the animal none of this would have happened. 

Of course I have to admit I have been to a zoo before, and I enjoyed it. It was amazing seeing creatures I had only seen in pictures so I can understand why people visit them but recently I have changed my mind about the whole business. This isn't a natural way to see animals and just like I don't think animals should be killed for food they are also not on this planet for our entertainment however much you might want to see a creature you've never seen before. My joy at a being at a zoo quickly ended when I saw the sadness in the eyes of the animals, especially the monkeys and gorillas who are proven to be highly intelligent. Some people will say that zoos are a way to breed endangered species. However a better way to protect endangered species is to have national parks and safaris where they are protected but able to live in their natural habitats, at the end of the day a zoo is a business designed for entertainment, they try to fit as many animals in as possible to attract customers. There doesn't seem to be much thought to the space these creatures would have had in the wild. There is nothing worse than seeing an animal in a tiny cage or looking bored in an unnatural environment. The fact that zoos have to kill animals and feed them to others shows how unnatural it has become, these caged creatures probably couldn't survive in the wild now because humans have taken away their natural instincts. 

The only way to keep humans safe from wild animals is not to put them on display and let them live their lives naturally. Some people are blaming the parents of the child who fell into the gorillas enclosure but there are always going to be accidents and unforeseen things can happen when you put wild animals in an unnatural place. Also the idea that humans are top of the food chain that some people have and use as an excuse to eat meat clearly isn't true as if it was the case why would humans fear a gorilla? They could just walk into the enclosure and carry the child out. We need to stop thinking that because humans have weapons we are superior, we need to respect all animals and let them live their lives in a natural way and respect that they are strong and often dangerous and we should leave them in peace. Until all zoos are closed we will keep hearing upsetting stories because nothing good can come from keeping animals prisoners just as nothing good can come from slaughtering animals for food. I don't know whether the gorilla would have harmed the child and I don't know if the whole situation was the parents fault and I don't think people should be applying blame we should be instead looking at why we still feel it necessary to keep animals on display. It's time to empty the cages and stop using animals for entertainment. 

More Vegan Menus Please

It's exciting to see so many restaurants now having a separate vegan menu. Recently the pub chain Weatherspoons announced they had taken certain things off the menu like the Sunday Roast but were adding a whole new Vegan menu. 

This is great news for vegans eating out and about. This chain of pubs is in most cities and is a popular and cheap option. Knowing that they now have vegan options makes it easier when eating out especially if you are on a budget. 

It seems to be setting a trend as well as more and more places now have not just a few options but dedicated vegan menus. It shows how veganism is gaining not only in popularity but in recognition. Restaurants are catering for people instead of losing business. 

Whereas some people will still prefer to eat in a vegan restaurant it does mean it is easier to eat out with non-vegans and gives you more choice. Let's hope it's a trend more places take notice of. The days of having a side salad or chips as the only vegan option will hopefully be a thing of the past.