Group items tagged

"No mainstream group has adopted ethical veganism as its exclusive, or even a, central focus. An ethical vegan would not support any animal exploitation. Therefore, to say that ethical veganism is a SIC is to fail to understand the nature of ethical veganism or the fact that SICs rest on distinguishing among various forms of animal exploitation and promoting the notion that some forms are worse than others and, by implication, that other forms of exploitation are morally desirable or morally acceptable. One can, of course, use the expression "veganism" to apply only to diet in the sense that one who does not eat any animal products may be considered to have a vegan diet. This use of "vegan" is more restricted than the notion as I have developed it in my abolitionist theory. Promoting a vegan diet is more like an SIC than is promoting ethical veganism and the abolition of all animal use. But the practical reality is that if people rejected eating any animal products, we would see a rejection in all sorts of other animal use. The most significant form of animal exploitation--the form that "legitimizes" all the others--involves using animals as food. If you dislodge that use, you dislodge all others."

Still, some vegans refuse to eat products that were processed in shared facilities. This logic makes little sense for several reasons. First, you are not supporting products that are indeed vegan and making it even more difficult for small vegan companies to start up and survive. Secondly, most people already think it's hard to be vegan. Imagine if you were also to tell them that most vegan items in the grocery store actually aren't vegan. Lastly, these products do not contain animal products and are in no way contributing to animal exploitation. Those who choose not to consume these products are approaching veganism from a purity perspective instead of focusing on what really matters- avoiding all unnecessary animal exploitation.

Tofurky and Fakin' Bacon and Boca Burgers and veggie dogs and all those foods some vegans dismiss as glorifying meat-eating are the animals' saving grace. ------- regardless of what we might consider the ideal, Americans do not want to eat vegetables, whole grains, or any of the other "health" foods some vegans continually and detrimentally equate with veganism. Every measure we could possibly use-what Americans are eating, where they are eating, even how they are cooking (opening jars and microwaving contents)-reveals that Americans aren't interested in eating better or healthier. And offering the average American a bell pepper instead of a veggie burger is a recipe for failure. And when their health is at stake, when lives are at stake, when the fate of the planet is at stake, failure is not an option.

The Vegan Society was founded in 1944 by, and "vegan" was coined by,Donald Watson, whose motivation for doing both was to reject the distinctionbetween flesh and dairy.

More on Milk By MARK BITTMAN Mark Bittman on food and all things related. TAGS: DAIRY, DIETS, MILK Not surprisingly, experiences like mine with dairy, outlined in my column of two weeks ago, are more common than unusual, at least according to the roughly 1,300 comments and e-mails we received since then. In them, people outlined their experiences with dairy and health problems as varied as heartburn, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, eczema, acne, hives, asthma ("When I gave up dairy, my asthma went away completely"), gall bladder issues, body aches, ear infections, colic, "seasonal allergies," rhinitis, chronic sinus infections and more. (One writer mentioned an absence of canker sores after cutting dairy; I realized I hadn't had a canker sore - which I've gotten an average of once a month my whole life - in four months. Something else to think about.) Although lactose intolerance and its generalized digestive tract problems are well documented, and milk allergies are thought to affect perhaps 1 percent of the American population, the links between milk (or dairy) and such a broad range of ailments has not been well studied, at least by the medical establishment. RELATED Mark Bittman: Got Milk? You Don't Need It Yet if you speak with people who've had these kinds of reactive problems, it would appear that the medical establishment is among the last places you'd want to turn for advice. Nearly everyone who complained of heartburn, for example, later resolved by eliminating dairy, had a story of a doctor (usually a gastroenterologist) prescribing a proton pump inhibitor, or P.P.I., a drug (among the most prescribed in the United States) that blocks the production of acid in the stomach. But - like statins - P.P.I.s don't address underlying problems, nor are they "cures." They address only the symptom, not its cause, and they are only effective while the user takes them. Thus in the last few days I'

One has to think about is what's morally right, not what's economically advantageous. Are we going to let economics trump what's right?

Now your companion can have a cruelty-free diet, too! Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for all life stages Evolution kibble is completely free of animal ingredients and by-products - it is formulated with whole grains and nutritious vegan ingredients to give your dog the best. Available in the following sizes - 1 lb. trial size package for $3.49, 8 lb. bag for $23.95 (shown in picture), and economy-sized 40 lb. bag for $69.95. 

"The percentage of vegetarians has doubled since 1994," says John Cunningham, consumer research manager for the organization. Elizabeth Turner, editor in chief of Vegetarian Times, says: "A much larger number of people -- 22 million based on a poll the magazine did in 2008 -- are what I'd describe as vegetarian-inclined. These are the people who might have the occasional chicken or fish. They're interested in vegetarianism and moving in a veg direction, but they aren't all the way there yet. "Beans are the ultimate source of protein, and they are loaded with fiber." "Heart disease is a food-borne illness,"  "Nestle says the vegan diet "is probably good for President Clinton, but whether it is good for everybody is a subject of much debate."