Food For Thought: The Joys And Benefits Of Living Vegan

John Oswald, born in Edinburgh in the 1700s (the exact date unknown), was a philosopher, a writer, a poet, a social critic, a revolutionary, and an eloquent voice for animals and compassion.  Join me as I celebrate The Scottish Voice of Compassion and read excerpts from his essay,"The Cry of Nature: An Appeal to Mercy and Justice on Behalf of the Persecuted Animals.”

Even though I address a number of typical responses and excuses in previous podcast episodes, I felt it was important to return to this topic, because there really is such an interesting dynamic that takes place when someone says "I'm vegan." Some responses can throw the vegan for a loop, including: "I'm vegan, too, but I eat chicken, fish, and eggs" or "I tried being vegan, but I felt tired and lethargic" or "I used to be vegan, but now I buy 'humane' meat, dairy, and eggs and feel good being connected to my food" or "I used to be vegan, but my acupuncturist told me I had to start eating (animal) meat again, and so I have." Take a listen, and hopefully some of my suggestions will help when replying to such statements. 

In celebration of the six-year anniversary of our podcast, I feature the letters of listeners who have been transformed by "Food for Thought." The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope and compassion. I hope you are as moved by the letters as I am humbled by them. If you ever once thought that "people don't change," then you're in for quite a treat.

You don't really know how opinionated the world is until you become pregnant. And when yiou're VEGAN and pregnant, look out! Tune into today's episode for nutrition recommendations (protein, iron, folate/folic acid, calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids/DHA) and resources and books for being a healthy, happy, pregnant vegan.

The newest fad diet on the block combines all the trends of the day: "low-carb," "gluten-free," and "low glycemic index," instilling fears about healthful foods and waxing poetic about animal flesh and fluids. You might call this a "retro" diet in that in doesn't look forward; it looks backwards. Way backwards! Not backwards 10 years or 100 years but 20,000 years! Join me as I discuss the The Paleo Diet: why it's not sustainable, why it's a just fad, why its claims cannot be substantiated, and why it appeals to people who Pasturbate.

As we say goodbye to 2011, I wanted to share with you a number of wonderful ways we'll enter 2012 together. Consider this my Happy New Year message to you filled with special announcements and gratitude for all your support.

Traveling to towns large and small, host Colleen Patrick-Goudreau focuses on the vegan abundance in places whose population is between 2,000 and 3,000, including Murphys, CA and New Hope, PA. She shares her experiences from a recent trip to Animal Place, a sanctuary for farmed animals in Grass Valley, CA, whose population is only 200, when you factor in the human and non-human residents. :) In advance, she thanks Earth Balance and Vegan Essentials for their support and asks listeners to forgive her incessant use of the word "amazing" in this episode.

Navigating through Yellowstone National Park is at once awe-inspiring and thought-provoking. While it is a privilege to experience the natural wonders, the wildlife, and the breathtaking landscape, it's also difficult to see the bison and wolves and not think of the challenges they once faced (both brought to near-extinction) and continue to face now. Join me on a journey through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for some politics and pleasure (including favorite hikes and favorite vegan eats)!

Manifesting your values of compassion and wellness in your everyday behavior (i.e. becoming vegan) is a profound and powerful way to live. It's quite literally life-changing, and for some people, just making this change is enough to be part of contributing to a compassionate and nonviolent world But you may want to do even more. So today, I talk about an easy and effective form of advocacy that has countless ripple effects: reaching out to restaurants to encourage them to offer more vegan options or to at least acknowledge on their menus vegan dishes they already have or non-vegan dishes that can be easily veganized.

I first introduced B.R. Myers to listeners in an early podcast episode called The Fall of the Excuse-itarians in which I praised him for being one of the few writers for a prominent publication to openly take Michael Pollan and his fellow Excuse-itarians to task for romanticizing, ritualizing, rationalizing, fetishizing, and sexualizing the consumption of animals and their secretions. They're dominating the discourse, and it's not the vegans who are losing. It's the animals who are losing. Join me as I read B.R. Myers' article from the March 2011 issue of The Atlantic.

WARNING: Radical ideas fill this episode, centering around the suggestion that we try to have compassion for people with whom we disagree or who participate in behavior we find abhorrent. That’s the thing about compassion: it’s gotta be equal opportunity or it’s just inauthentic. It’s easy to be compassionate towards like-minded people; the challenge is choosing to have compassion towards those with whom we disagree. Check out this episode for tips and suggestions on communicating with compassion - but only if you want to create change in the world.

Whether you're traveling for work or pleasure, finding abundance and sustenance while on the road is easy once you know where to look and if you plan ahead (which I argue should be done even when you're NOT traveling). With loads of general tips for finding vegan food in airports, preparing for airplanes, choosing veg-friendly hotels, and traveling internationally, I end this episode with details of my recent travels to Ireland, interpersing food tales with some of our favorite things to do - related to literature (Yeats and more), history (particularly in Dublin and Kilkenny), nature (hikes in Connemara), and animal protection (Donkey Sanctuary and Ballynahinch Castle).

Though sheep play a huge role in the consciousness of our culture (through nursery rhymes, children's stories, fables, and religion), our primary relationship to them is through our exploitation of them. Whether it's their wool we're shearing, their skin we're wearing, their flesh we're eating, or their milk we're taking, we value sheep as we do other domesticated animals: simply for what we can take from them until they're all used up and shipped to slaughter - literally.

All of us have been in a situation where a dog or cat (or other animal) crosses our path and potentially needs our intervention, and we have to decide what to do at that moment - animals who are homeless, lost, in distress, being abused, being neglected, or animals who are dead. Although it would be easier and more convenient to turn away, I can't just write it off as being someone else's problem. Because if it's not my problem, whose is it? By virtue of being part of a larger community, I can’t help but feel a responsibility to care for all its members, particularly those who are the most vulnerable.

Though some people do lose weight upon becoming vegan (which makes sense because you're eating fewer calorie-dense foods) and though vegans do have a lower body mass index than non-vegetarians, weight loss is not automatic for everyone. Rather than promise that "if you go vegan, you will lose weight," it's much more accurate to say "people who switch from an animal-based diet to a plant-based diet tend to lose weight effortlessly because plants are much less calorie-dense than animal flesh and secretions." For those for whom weight loss is a goal, it's simply a numbers game: decreasing energy intake and increasing calorie output – and remember – calories are just units of energy. Today we talk about reducing calories.

All of us have been in a situation where a dog or cat (or other animal) crosses our path and potentially needs our intervention, and we have to decide what to do at that moment - animals who are homeless, lost, in distress, being abused, being neglected, or animals who are dead. Although it would be easier and more convenient to turn away, I can't just write it off as being someone else's problem. Because if it's not my problem, whose is it? By virtue of being part of a larger community, I can’t help but feel a responsibility to care for all its members, particularly those who are the most vulnerable.

Though some people do lose weight upon becoming vegan (which makes sense because you're eating fewer calorie-dense foods) and though vegans do have a lower body mass index than non-vegetarians, weight loss is not automatic for everyone. Rather than promise that "if you go vegan, you will lose weight," it's much more accurate to say "people who switch from an animal-based diet to a plant-based diet tend to lose weight effortlessly because plants are much less calorie-dense than animal flesh and secretions." For those for whom weight loss is a goal, it's simply a numbers game: decreasing energy intake and increasing calorie output – and remember – calories are just units of energy. Today we talk about expending calories.

Today I share some essential components of what happens to be my favorite cuisine. Learn the different varieties of miso and different ways to use what I think should be a staple in every refrigerator. Get tips on how to prepare the most delicious mushrooms on the planet (whether you get them dried or fresh). Discover the true meaning of the word "sushi," which has nothing to do with one fish, two fish, three fish, or bluefish. Learn how you can use agar, the compassionate gelatin of the sea, and find out about the healthful properties of various sea vegetables and how to include them in your diet.

Walt Whitman wrote, “I think I could turn and live with the animals," and I do -- every chance I get: not just the animals with whom I live but the animals who have been given refuge at sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are sacred places - after all, the word comes from the Latin word sanctus, which means "holy." They provide solace, safety, and lifelong care for animals who have been neglected, abused, and abandoned. They are places where animals heal and people transform. They are where individuals are given names - not numbers -- and who serve as ambassadors for their species. They are places of freedom, hope, and healing - whether they serve farmed animals, wild animals, "exotic" animals, or domestic animals. Join me on a visit to some of my favorite sanctuaries in the United States and across the globe.

Our conversation today revolves around lentils, an appropriate food to celebrate in the beginning of this new year, as they are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve in many cultures around the world to symbolize wealth, prosperity, and abundance in the coming year. In this episode, we discuss different types of lentils, how to cook them, some favorite simple recipes, and nutrition information, interspersed with information about our compassionate business partners: Earth Balance and Field Roast. Enjoy!