Go Vegan

Eating a vegan diet is the right option if you care about your own health and that of the planet. The horror of how animal products arrive at the supermarket is conveniently hidden which is why so many people continue to include meat, fish, dairy and eggs in their diets. But when we discover the horrors of male chicks killed at birth, because they are of no use; pigs kept permanently pregnant to produce meat; calves separated from their mothers when they are only a day or two old, only the un-feeling among us would suggest that the current system of food production is just.

This website is about the joys of vegan foods, the immorality of consuming animal products and of course the many health benefits that we can enjoy from consuming a whole foods, plant based diet - a healthy vegan diet. People in all walks of life eat this way, from former President Clinton, world class atheletes such as Carl Lewis to millions of normal people all over the world.

These days there are some amazing vegan Youtube channels as well as an abundance of vegan websites discussing topiccs from animal rights to delicious recipes. So whether you're wanting to lose some weight, get fit, bulk up or find out more about why plant foods are better for you and our planet, there's plenty of quality vegan resources available online for free.

A book that had a profound effect on me was John Robbins' Diet for a New America. My friend recommended it to me after hearing that I'd stopped eating meat. If you're looking for reasons to avoid consuming animal products, then this is the book for you. You might recognise the author's name. That's not surprising as he's the son of one of the founders (Irv Robbins) of the Baskin Robbins ice cream company. He credits the early death of his uncle, Burt Baskin, from a heart attack as one of the reasons he didn't want to be involved with the family business. Instead, he explored a different route. One he talks about eloquently in his book. He investigates how a so called humane society can have such an inhumane system of food production.

The first part of the book deals with how animal foods are manufactured. Then he goes on to discuss the health implications of eating plant based vs. animal based diets. One of the things I loved about the book is the inclusion of such a large bibliography.

Find out more on the John Robbins Official Site.

Health Benefits of Going Vegan

I know through my own experience just how much better my life is now that I'm living a vegan lifestyle. I don't feel that I'm missing out on anything by not eating meat. To be honest with you, I've discovered so many fruits and vegetables that taste amazing. Lots of people say the same thing, it's like my tastebuds can now taste more. So the joy I get from eating sweet, ripe fruit is much greater than before.

You might be wondering about the sorts of foods that vegans eat. I never really thought that this sort of lifestyle would be practical. The thought of sprouting my own seeds and some of the complex recipes was quite off putting. So you know what I do? Just keep things simple. There are tons of great vegan recipe sites. Some discuss gourmet type dishes and there's others that deal with much simpler recipes. I'm not against the gourmet stuff if someone else is going to preare it for me. These days there's some amazing vegan restaurants. The last time I was in London, I had the opportunity to visit SAF in Shoreditch. It's an award winning vegan restaurant and one I'd highly recommend if you are ever in England. This video shows some of the chefs discussing their work at SAF.

This video is the first part in of the Vegan Society's documentary Making the Connection. There are 8 parts in total and you can watch the whole thing on Youtube! Each part focusses on a different aspect of a vegan lifestyle. As I'm a runner, I love watching part 2 which features the English marathon runner, Fiona Oakes. She runs the Tower Hill Stables animal sanctuary in the south of England and is always looking for donations to support her work with the animals.

Scientific research also backs up the argument for eating a plant based diet. In their paper Diet and chronic degenerative diseases: perspectives from China, TC Campbell and C Junshi's findings suggest that:

even small intakes of foods of animal origin are associated with significant increases in plasma cholesterol concentrations, which are associated, in turn, with significant increases in chronic degenerative disease mortality rates.

An article written by Jane E. Brody in the New York Times, Huge Study Of Diet Indicts Fat And Meat calls their research "the Grand Prix of epidemiology". It's just a short piece but it provides a great introduction if you're not familiar with the work of T. Colin Campbell. You can order his book, The China Study from his website. The book lays out the health (not moral) case for eating a whole foods, plant based diet.

Finding out more about the health benefits of a vegan diet has never been easier. There are a number of famous (and not so famous) vegans working hard to spread the message. On health and moral grounds and for the sustainability of our planet, we should all go vegan!