Teacher Teacher

A vegan teacher has come under investigation for educating her high school students about animal rights. Woah! Call the cops, this woman is a terrorist.

Since the consumption of meat has been linked to heart disease, cancer and obesity, why wouldn’t you want your children to make an informed decision?

I attended a non-denomination school, but in our religious classes, they taught ONLY about Christianity. I can safely re-assure you that I did not become a Christian after listening to someone speak about it. I believe religion should be taught at home. But compassion and kindness – where would you learn that but at school?

If a Christian teacher imparted her personal Christian views on a class and taught them to love Jesus, go to church, and service man-kind, she would be applauded. This teacher is sharing her personal views with her students, teaching them to love animals TOO and she is being lynched! Hypocrite much?

Some are accusing the teacher of turning her students against Christianity because they do not want to eat meat anymore. Huh? I fail to see the link.

Christian does not equal Meat Eater

Vegan does not equal Atheist

Stop using your religion to absolve yourself from guilt or justify your feasting on the bodies of animals who have spent their lives being tortured, raped and abused by humans.

Where in ANY religious book is torture OK? Yeah, thought so.

There are 16 year olds out there with tattooed butt-cracks, puffing on cancer causing cigarettes, with a baby in their arms from a man they are not married to, and you’re worried about your teenager experimenting with vegetarianism?

**Disclaimer – I am not an atheist, or agnostic. I am simply a human being who loves animals and refuses to condone their torture. I hold NO judgment towards people who choose to follow religion. But I firmly believe the baseline for all religions is at the very least, compassion**

Vegan Vent

I’m a fairly new vegan. And I am certainly no expert on nutrition. It took a lot of googling, trying, tasting, asking and arguing to find out everything I know now about how to eat a balanced plant based diet that works for ME. And harms no living creatures. Except my housemate who eats all my dark chocolate. He will be harmed.

Along this enlightening journey, I’ve come across a few common points of contention between vegans, veggies and meaties. The rest of this post will either make you laugh and nod your head knowingly or sigh in exasperation and close the browser window.

• Non vegans LOVE to preach to us about how we are deficient in all these different vitamins. It’s hard to believe I am still alive with all the darn deficiencies I have, huh?

Yes, some vegans take vitamins, but so does every upper middle class person in the world! If it is only vegans who are B12 deficient, then why does my meat eating colleague get a B12 shot every 6 weeks because she is tired? And if we NEED to drink cow’s milk to get calcium, then, please tell me why on earth are you taking calcium-laden tablets after drinking supposedly “good for you” cow’s milk for the last 50 years. Yeah, I thought so.

• And now that we are done de-bunking the stupid vitamins myth, we get the most famous response to veganism. “But, where do you get your protein?”  This question sends vegans into an absurdity induced frenzy!

 A not too little not too big person like me, who doesn’t exercise too often, needs about 40 grams a day. And I get my 40 grams, don’t you worry. But my protein intake comes without the cholesterol and saturated fats. Chickpeas, beans, nuts, broccoli, spinach, avocado, quinoa. And yes, I take a pea protein powder when I gym, but then again, which gym-bunny doesn’t? Need I say more? Good. Now be quiet and pass the hummus!

• I watch what I eat pretty carefully, but I do have days where I feel fat. Nothing is more annoying than being told, “but you are vegan, you won’t get fat”

Oh trust me; I could get fat on a vegan diet if I wanted to!

The 15kgs did not drop off and stay off due to becoming vegan. At the time, I was not even vegan. My weight loss can be attributed to the introduction of healthier foods into my diet, as well as walking the streets of Boston every weekend. From Forever 21 to H&M to Topshop and back! Now I lead a healthy lifestyle, inclusive of exercise and indulgences too 😛

So the next time you ask me if I am thin because I am vegan, do not take offense when I ask you if you are fat because you eat meat. 

• Like MANY others, I am prone to colds and sniffles during this season. But once, my boss asked in a surprised tone why I have a cold, if I am vegan. 

Contrary to popular belief, vegans are not actually superheroes. We get sick too. But if you really thought that being vegan means never getting sick, then why aren’t you vegan? 

• “But vegan food tastes so gross!” This sentence is like blasphemy to vegans.

Obviously, if your idea of vegan food is steamed vegetables, unflavoured tofu, or a boring salad, then yes, it is going to taste gross, and that is not because it is vegan, it’s because your cooking skills suck. If you were eating chicken, would you eat it as is, without a single condiment or particle of spice on it? No. You make it taste good by combining different flavours that complement each other. It’s called COOKING! Sheesh!

• And lastly, but most definitely not least, the most offensive, repulsive, and ignorant sentence in the history of the world – “But God put animals on Earth for us to eat!” 

Above all, all religions teach the philosophy of kindness and compassion. So don’t pick and choose the sections of your religion that you want to apply to your lifestyle to absolve your guilt. Because ordering a hit on an animal is not kind, nor is it compassionate. And you are certainly not devouring that poor dead cow in the name of religion. And that very same innocent animal you are eating was not PUT here on Earth naturally. He was conceived only to be killed. His life and death were planned out already. And humane killing? Oh puhlease, that is the epitome of an oxymoron!

I hope this will encourage some of you to think twice before picking on vegans. We know that it is sometimes difficult to understand our lifestyle, and occasionally these questions come out of a real curiosity to try to relate to us. But it makes the world of difference to ASK without the intent to prove we are wrong and you are right.

Remember that ignorance is NOT bliss, but that knowledge IS power. 

“When you are dead, you don’t know that you are dead. It is difficult only for others. It is the same when you are stupid”

                               

 

 

 

 

 

Faux Feta?!

When I was a kid, I’d come home from school and melt a pile of grated cheese on a plate until it was grilled to perfection and then eat it with a fork. AMAZING! My addiction was at the stage of an intervention.

As I grew up, I broadened my horizons and added feta cheese to my list of favourite foods. It’d go on pizza, salad, sandwiches, biscuits, on it’s own out the packet. You get the idea! My boyfriend did try (and fail) to get me to eat cheese that smells like old rotten feet, but I opted against it. Wise choice I’d say.

Giving up cheese was a tough decision to make, but I had reached a level of understanding that it wasn’t about me and my want, but about the animals and their right to live a free life. So I began the transition.

Buuuut it was easier for me than it is for most. Because at the time, I lived in the land of food – AMERICA! We had Daiya cheese, which is a company that makes non-dairy cheese exclusively. So think Cheddar, Swiss, Provolone, Pepperjack, Mozzarella. Grated. Sliced. Heaven for cheesies like me.

When I moved back home (to South Africa) I was whole heartedly disappointed to see that we had no decent, competitively priced cheese substitutes. The current one on the market here is Cheezly. First off, it’s ridiculously over priced for my shoe loving salary. Secondly, it doesn’t taste that great for the price. Thirdly, it doesn’t melt into a crispy oily oozy bubble. GRRRRR.

Alas, I don’t have a solution for that. Yet. Give me time my cheese-a-holic followers.

While perusing recipes last week (my favourite past-time ever) I came across a tofu feta recipe. Say what? Apparently you can just eat tofu as is. I know, I was a bit apprehensive too.

I decided to choose two recipes, make both, do a taste test and then share the better one with you. You lucky buggers!

One recipe was lemon juice based, and the other was red wine vinegar based. Now I love red wine. But that marinade was just too vinegar-y. Yuck. My housemate, however, professed undying love for that tofeta.

Anyway. Here is the winning recipe:

2 tbsp. lemon juice (I used bottled, cos I am way too lazy to be squeezing lemons)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

And don’t forget the tofu! You need a block of firm or extra firm, drained and cubed.

Place your little feta to be squares into your marinade and refrigerate for a day.

Now, you need to have an open mind. No substitutes will taste exactly as their “true” counterparts. I had it over my salad today, and it made for a really nice addition. And the bonus is that it’s actually good for you, and good for the animals! Yay!

When I make my next batch, I am going to add more salt and a dash more of lemon juice (you can tell I am a tequila drinker huh)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rrrrrawmarkable

Lions don’t cook their buck before they eat it. Monkeys don’t like their banana fried. And we don’t see horses wanting their carrots well done. Animals are instinctive and know best. Food should be eaten RAW because cooking it destroys the very nutrients that we need.

But humans have become so spoilt, with our BAKED potato, GRILLED cheese, ROASTED red pepper hummus, that 90% of the food we consume is cooked. And then we complain about having vitamin deficiencies, picking up weight, and feeling tired all the time.

Have you ever eaten a HUGE (albeit delicious) brunch, and then wanted to do nothing but go horizontal? It happens to all of us, even those of us eating vegan food. It’s because our bodies have to now work 10 x harder to digest the food because we have destroyed the enzymes by cooking it. In addition, with most veggies, there is little nutritional value in cooked foods. BUT (there’s always a but) there are some foods, like carrots, butternut and beans that actually gain nutritional value when they are cooked. Therefore I am advocating a diet that incorporates more raw food, rather than a 100% raw diet. Also because I personally LOVE my roasted red pepper hummus! 😀

But since I am a research addict, I’ve come across a few important tips that I’d like to share if you are going to try eating more raw. I’m also on my second week long raw detox, so I can provide some useful inside info directly from the cupcake lovers mouth J

Fruit MUST be eaten on an empty stomach. If you eat fruit after a meal, you will experience digestive problems, because fruit doesn’t need to be broken down as much as other foods, and will pass through the system almost immediately. But not if you’ve eaten baked beans on toast beforehand. The fruit will get stuck behind the cooked food that gets held up being broken down a lot longer, resulting in sometimes painful indigestion.

If you are going to go completely raw for a detox, you will be hungry, all the time. Your body will be adapting to the healthier foods, and you will feel the need to eat a lot more than normal. Don’t be afraid. Give in to your rumbling belly. It’s OK to eat tons of raw fruit and veggies all day, but limit your intake of nuts and dried fruit. I eat about 8 portions a day on the raw detox.

Keep it interesting. If you eat the same thing every single day, you will get bored and not want to eat healthily. So change it up daily, and eat different things every day. I have my favorites – grapes, blueberries and apples, but I experiment with different smoothie flavors every day.

Invest in a blender. The blender will make being raw MUCH easier. I have 3. Yes 3. I use them to make yummy cashew cream cheese, smoothies and soups.

And obviously, stock up your pantry. Buy tons and tons of fruit and veggies. Be sure to buy your bananas a little un-ripened, because they spoil so quickly. Celery, carrots and cucumbers taste delicious with cashew cream as a dipper. Baby corn and mange-tout make for a crunchy midday snack. Spinach and banana combined with a cup of homemade almond milk result in an unbelievably yummy smoothie.

So after 5 days of the raw detox, I’ve lost 1.5 kgs (the belly bulk I was trying to get rid of); I’ve had excellent energy levels – I’ve been waking up at 5:30, going to a spinning class daily, working a full day and studying for a good 3 hours in the evenings. I haven’t felt this happy and energetic in a while. I have a little spring in my step too and feel more confident about my body.

And tonight, I am treating myself to what promises to be an amaaaazing raw vegan pizza.

Fresh spinach topped off with pesto, tomatoes, Earthshines’ homemade nut cheese, and finished off with delectable dehydrated olives, all set on a raw vegan gluten free seed base covered with a tomato purée is no doubt the best way to finish off a raw detox. The verdict on Vivo is in, and it is simply FANTASTIC! This, without a doubt, is better than your regular cheese pizza. The combination of flavors and the sweetness of the dried olives (by the way I usually do NOT eat olives, but I can’t get enough of these) results in a burst of yumminess in your mouth that you simply cannot describe.

They prove that raw food can be extremely satisfying and is far from boring as some would say. To the brilliant minds who created this pizza, my tummy salutes you.

If you live in Cape Town, you MUST try a Vivo Pizza. They deliver to many collection points around the city free of charge and have different and interesting toppings every week, but deliciousness is always guaranteed! Check them out here

I hope that you will all try eating more raw food, and please share your experiences and tips with me!

Check out these links for more info on raw eating.

Xoxox

http://www.examiner.com/article/when-food-cooked-at-very-high-temperatures-is-eaten-what-happens-to-your-body

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/08/01/eating_raw_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_according_to_various_experts.htm

http://www.rawlicious.co.za

Want Milk?

I’m sure we all grew up with a similar concept of milk. That it is good for you, that it helps build strong bones and teeth. Maybe your mom sang you the nursery rhyme, which tells us “chickens give us eggs, cows give us milk” (the operative word being GIVE!) If so, then hopefully after reading this, you will have a more realistic view of the dairy industry, and you will not lend credence to myths of milk that we have been brainwashed with. If you were lucky enough to grow up in a vegan home, I am terribly envious.

When we emerge after 9 months in our mom’s womb, the first thing we want is milk. But did you ever stop to think of the sweet little calf who has also been in the safe confines of his mom’s womb for 9 months? What do you think he wants to drink? His moms milk of course. But just 24 hours after his birth, he is yanked away from the warmth of his mom’s bosom and her milk is collected so that it can undergo numerous chemical processes, be bottled and shipped off to your Whole Foods, Woolworths, Walmart, Tesco or Pick n Pay. Cows are affectionate and family oriented animals, and the mom will mourn for her young for days. She becomes extremely anxious, and often goes in search of her baby, crashing through fences and gates, just as I am sure my mother would have done for me. Her ordeal at being separated from her new born does not last long, as it is followed by further trauma. Soon, she is raped once again, and will endure the entire process again. This is the only way to ensure she keeps producing milk; it is not just a free flowing oasis from her udders.

Cows and humans are more alike than you might want to allow yourself to believe. And no person in the world can deny that we TAKE her milk. She does not come bounding up to you, begging to be milked, so her baby can starve. She is not being relieved of a burden. Whether you are purchasing milk from supposedly happy cows who are allowed to roam, or from a so-called humane farm – I’m scoffing in disbelief as I type that –the cycle of torture is the same. Don’t delude yourself or your children any longer.

What becomes of the calf that was born? Well, since it was a male calf in our story, he will suffer a far worse fate than most vegetarians would like to believe. This calf will live out his short life in a small stall, chained at the leg, the only memory keeping him going is the thought that he might one day get to nuzzle at the bosom of his beautiful mommy one day. Sadly, this will not be. At 24 weeks, he will be slaughtered and sold as veal. That’s it – another precious life, gone, in an instant. The female will suffer the same fate as her mother, whose body will be beaten, bruised and tired come her 6th or 7th birthday, and she will be slaughtered and sold as ground beef. And the cycle of torture continues.

If, for some bizarre reason, the unnecessary violence depicted above does not lead you to rethink your consumption of dairy, let’s explore the reasons you do drink it. Your parents, doctors and teachers said you need it because it provides you with calcium to grow strong bones and teeth. WRONG. Milk does contain calcium, and we do need it, but studies have shown that humans barely absorb the calcium you take in from drinking cow’s milk because the calcium that we ingest is used to neutralize the acidifying effect on the body of the milk you have just drank. Calcium is stored in the bones, and once it has left the bones to assist your body to counter the effect of the intake of dairy, it does not return back to the bones, but leaves in your urine. So in drinking milk, to grow strong bones, you have actually left your body with a calcium deficit. This is what leads to osteoporosis, arthritis and leaves you at a higher risk for hip fractures in your old age.

With the fear of cancer gripping our world, we should take into account that studies have linked casein (found in cow’s milk) to cancer causing agents. Evidence has also been put forward to suggest that feeding cow’s milk to infants can trigger Type 1 Diabetes.

And let us not forget the ick factor. Dairy cows are given a hormone to stimulate a higher than normal milk production. Unfortunately this results in an infection in the udders, which is treated with antibiotics, which leads to the breeding of more antibiotic resistant organisms. The end result is that pus ends up in the milk, even after it has been pasteurized.

If you are convinced, then you will have two questions for me. The most important is where will you get your calcium? Easy.

Dark leafy greens like kale, arugula (rocket) and collards; Chinese vegetables like pak choi or red leaf cabbage; tofu contains up to 35% per 100grams; okra, broccoli, green beans and almonds are all good sources of calcium just to name a few. Where do you think the cows get it???

Second question. What are the substitutes for dairy?

Soy milk. Rice milk. Almond milk. Macadamia milk. Take your pick. These are available at almost all supermarkets these days, and you can even make your own. They serve the same purpose as cows’ milk. Minus the torture, rape and murder. Most supermarkets also have a dairy free cheese option for any cheesies, like me 🙂

Consider this – humans are the only animals who believe they need to drink the milk of another animal to survive. C’mon, if sturdy animals like elephants, cows and rhinos can survive without, then so can you! Think of all the little lives you’d be saving, and any excuses you might have will dissipate.

Don’t believe me? Have a look at the websites listed below and do the research for yourself. At the very least, educate yourself and get the truth, which is what you’re entitled to. I had planned to go vegan on a certain date, and after looking at a few websites, I converted instantly, without question and I’ve not looked back since.

Do you condone the acts of torture, kidnapping, rape or murder? No? Well, when you are enjoying a beef burger, a grilled cheese sandwich, an ice cream, or even your favorite cereal, YOU ARE. Can you equate that chocolate with the cream filled centre that you love so, to the life of a sentient being?

“Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them; and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures. ~Thomas de Quincey”

http://saveourbones.com/

http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/

http://www.animalsangels.org/news/36-investigations.html

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/factsheets/dairy_cows.php

http://nzdairy.webs.com/thelifeofadairycow.htm

Raw-week

I will be doing a 6 day raw challenge starting tomorrow. Any tips? I’ll provide an update at the end of the week.

Why vegan?

Hello everyone! The fact that you are reading this is a great start already. It means you are interested in a more compassionate and cruelty free way of living (or I’m holding you hostage and forcing you to read it!) Just kidding 🙂

I hope I can inspire you to accept and embrace this lifestyle, because it will benefit you, your health, your children and many other generations to come. It is the best option for the environment, the animals and YOU.

I want to share my experience with you. From a lover of fried eggs, melted cheese, peppermint chocolate chip ice cream and Kit Kat, I now crave none of these things. Even the sight of them does not get me salivating. In fact, they have the opposite effect. And that’s because I am now informed.

At law school, we were taught that informed consent was essential for most decisions, such as abortion and other routine medical procedures. This means that the patient should know every single detail and risk of the procedure before consenting. And naturally, if they knew a procedure was bad for them, they would not consent.

So, why, as care takers of our own bodies, do we constantly harm ourselves by ingesting the carcasses of animals? The risks are not hidden. The procedure is no secret. We all know what happens in slaughterhouses. Living, breathing, intelligent and loving animals are mercilessly murdered in the name of food. Everyone knows it.

However, I deluded myself into believing that cows naturally produce milk and we as humans have the right to take the excess.
I was not aware that cows are raped and forcibly impregnated, and have their newborns wrenched away from them while we then reap the so called benefits of their post pregnancy.
I did not know that those very same calves, who have never felt the loving, tender touch of their mother or suckled at her teat are killed and sold as veal.

Now there might be some of you who will stop reading now, because you love pizza and milkshake, and you don’t want to know that they are a byproduct of rape and an accomplice to murder. To you, I will say, read the entire article; do your research, and then make your decision. It is your body and you should know exactly how your doughnut with cream or cheesecake came to be.

Vegans are seen as hippies or tree huggers and any other stereotypes you can think of. I believe these types of slurs stem from a lack of understanding. We are not trying to save the world and we are not “Jehovah’s Witnesses of food” as some would deign to believe. We remember a time where we were uninformed about the meat, dairy and egg industry, and we want to now share what we have learnt with others. In fact, we are quite upset that no-one told us earlier!

You can have faith in the fact that this blog is not about guilt, violence or shame. It’s about education. Yes, from law, I’ve moved to teaching 😉

I hope you will stay and accompany me on my journey in search for the truth and as I explore many different natural ways of living.

Please send me your thoughts, suggestions, recipes, and comments.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated”