When Vegans Revert Back to Meat Eating

Every once in a while I meet someone who used to be vegan, but for whatever reason, eats meat again.  I am always surprised by this, but I don’t worry.  I know the vegan diet is not a temporary fad.

I, like you, have met countless people who tried Atkins and now eat carbs, tried Weight Watchers and no longer count points, tried the Zone Diet and no longer eat their food in perfect ratios.  In fact, when a friend tells us they are starting a new diet, we expect they will not stick with it.  Studies show that only a tiny fraction of dieters ever succeed in keeping weight off in the long run.

But most people I know who have gone vegan never go back to eating meat and dairy products.  In fact, only a tiny fraction of vegans I have ever met have not succeeded in sticking with the diet.  It happens, but only so rarely that I am surprised when I do hear about it!

Why is it that the vegan diet, which is seemingly so strict, has so many life-long converts?  I think the reason lies in the motives:  People who want to lose weight so they look better simply don’t have enough motivation to stick with it; vanity clearly isn’t as important as we might think or people would have the motivation to stick with fad diets.  So they try diet after diet, but continually fail.  However, people who learn about the ethical reasons for going vegan (animal cruelty and environmental impact, for example) have plenty of motivation; they can envision the cruelty that went in to the meat sitting on the end of their fork, for example, and literally cannot get themselves to eat it anymore.  I am not an overly dramatic person, but I cannot even walk through the meat section in the grocery store anymore.  All I can see when I look at the meat cases are animals that have slaughtered, often while still alive.  So, in an interesting twist of irony, people who end up caring about something other than themselves often find all the motivation they need to stick with the seemingly strict vegan diet, and never look back. 

As the vegan diet gains popularity, I think we’ll see more people try and fail, but only because they are trying it to follow a fad, hoping it will get them looking like Kathy Freston.  For those who actually read vegan literature or watch vegan documentaries that go beyond just the weight loss benefits of a vegan diet, I think they will stick with it, because they will finally have sufficient motivation.  This is the exact reason why I started by book, Vegan in 30 Days, with a chapter on “What is Your Motivation?”  You need a strong motivation to make any change.  But what I have found over and over again is that if you have the right motivation, you will not need any willpower.  Being vegan will become effortless with just a little bit of dedication up front.

To get all the motivation you need, try reading these books and watching these documentaries.  This is not a complete list, so if I’ve left your favorite off the list, make sure you comment and tell everyone what it is!

Books:

Diet for a New America, John Robbins

The Food Revolution, John Robbins

The China Study, Colin Campbell, PhD

Eat to Live, Joel Fuhrman, MD

Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD

Slaughterhouse, Gail Eisnitz

Eating Animals, Jonathon Safran Foer

Videos:

Earthlings

Forks Over Knives

Eating

Got the Facts on Milk?

Events:

Healthy Lifestyles Expo:  www.healthylifestyleexpo.com

Warmly,

Sarah

Honey: Vegan or Not Vegan?

Honey.  It has caused a big debate amongst vegans:  Is it vegan, or is it not?  The answer simply depends on how you define vegan.  Those who define a vegan diet as devoid of animal products may claim that a honeybee is an insect, not an animal, and therefore honey is indeed a vegan product.  However, those who believe that a vegan diet is devoid of products that exploit any creatures would argue that an insect should be respected just as much as any other being, and therefore, honey is not vegan.  I fall into that latter camp because, although I don’t get the warm-fuzzies for insects, I don’t think I should respect their life any less.  So, I don’t think honey is vegan, but it doesn’t mean I’m right.

I don’t want to try to decide here whether honey is vegan because I think you need to decide for yourself how you define “vegan.”  However, I do want to shed some light on honeybees, as I knew nothing about them until recently, and expect many of you don’t either.  It might help you make a decision about whether you want to eat honey.

First, why are honeybees so important?  Bees are essential to humans because they pollinate the flowers of fruit trees.  Without pollinated flowers, there is no fruit on most fruit trees.  So, without bees, we have little or no fruit.  About 1/3 of all U.S. crops depend on bees to pollinate them, and many plants on the endangered species list are endangered specifically because they are not getting pollinated.

Why are these plants not getting pollinated?  Because the bee population has been dying off quickly and dramatically.  Domestically managed bee colonies have dropped by half since 1945¹, and much of this has happened in the past 5 years or so.  While the cause of these deaths was a mystery for many years (some theorized it was due to cell phone emissions, viruses, and other causes) it is now widely believed in the beekeeping industry that this massive decline is due to use of specific pesticides.

Beekeepers do not make most of their money from honey.  Because bee populations are now so rare, and because huge industrial-sized farms have thousands of acres of crops that desperately need to be pollinated, beekeepers literally truck their bees across the country and “rent” their bees out for a few months at a time to farmers.  This is where they make the majority of their money.  A beekeeper in Florida might truck his hives to California to pollinate an avocado farm, then a few months later drive to Washington to pollinate an apple orchard, and then a few months later drive to Maine to pollinate a cranberry farm. 

This practice of moving bees from state to state, climate to climate, is not natural for them.  It also involves a lot of energy to raise bees and truck them all over the country … not a very good carbon footprint.  Additionally, the bees’ honey, which in nature is made by bees for bees, is taken from them to be sold to humans, and they are given a form of sugar-water to eat instead.  I don’t know if this is bad for them, but I can only imagine that their own honey is the absolute best thing for their health … just like mother’s milk is better for a baby than formula. 

On the flip side, I will say that my friend Steve Blake, Doctor of Holistic Health in Nutritional Biochemistry and author of 29 health books, says that honey is actually healthy in small quantities – something rare for a non-vegan food.  He says, “Honey is unusual in that it is a healthful non-vegan food. Raw, unfiltered honey contains propolis, which is a powerful antimicrobial. The pollen in unfiltered honey is also very nutritious and energizing.” However, Steve does not eat honey as a vegan, because he says, “flower pollen is available directly, without bothering any bees.”  

I don’t want to get bogged down in ethics of insects.  If you think about it, you probably kill a good number of insects on your windshield while driving to the store to get your honey.  And it’s been pointed out by many people that if a vegan staunchly says we cannot kill insects, then does that mean that vegans cannot eat conventional (non-organic) produce?  Conventional produce is covered in pesticides, whose main purpose is, of course … to kill insects.  So a vegan who is staunch about killing insects had better make sure that 100% of their produce comes from organic sources.

But I will say this about vegan ethics:  think it through, and decide what is right for you.  For me, being vegan is about doing my best to respect the lives of other creatures.  Therefore, I do my absolute best (even though it may not be perfect) to avoid doing things that put another creature in harm’s way for my own benefit, whether that means death or suffering or being forced into unnatural conditions.  Therefore, do I eat honey?  No – there are other alternatives I can use to sweeten my foods that don’t involve harming other creatures.  But I do believe in supporting bees and I never kill them when they are on my property.  I also believe that it is a good idea for people with fruit trees on their property to either bring in a hive or help current hives flourish on their property.  The bees definitely need our support – I just personally don’t think that needs to be through eating their honey.

For more information, I highly recommend the documentary, Vanishing of the Bees (http://www.vanishingbees.com/). 

¹  http://www.compassionatespirit.com/is-honey-vegan.htm

Vegetarian to Vegan: Why Give Up Dairy and Eggs?

My next book will be called Vegetarian to Vegan.  I wrote this book for all the vegetarians who have approached me after my lectures, asking questions about why or how to give up dairy and eggs.  Among the most common questions are:

·      How do you survive without cheese/ice cream/butter/eggs/etc?

·      What’s wrong with eating non-fat dairy products – they’re healthy, aren’t they?

·      What’s ethically wrong with eating dairy and eggs?  No animals were killed in the making of them!

·      What’s wrong with eating cage-free, free-range or organic eggs?

If you’ve had these or similar questions, your answers can be found here, by watching my recent lecture, Vegetarian to Vegan, given at the Vegetarian Society of Hawai’i. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyjOPzKc4vA

A big thank you to the amazing Bill Harris, MD, who kindly edited my video and added in all the video and many of the extra shots.

Enjoy!

Sarah

Vegan Valentine's Chocolate!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and what do we vegans like to receive on Valentine’s Day more than anything else?  Chocolate, of course!  But not all chocolate is vegan, so how do you find out what the best chocolate is for your vegan sweetheart?  Keep reading!

White chocolate and milk chocolate are not vegan, but dark chocolate often is, so it’s easy to find vegan chocolate without going to a specialty store.  Just look for dark chocolate and read the ingredient list to make sure there is no milk, butter, eggs or other dairy products.  Keep in mind that cocoa butter does not come from a cow, so it is absolutely vegan!  The higher the cacao percentage (usually around 75% and higher) the more likely the chocolate is to be vegan.  Lower percentages often mix a little bit of milk in them, so check to make sure.

I’ll start with my personal favorite – Brook Le’amohala at Mama Earth Café on Maui makes the hands-down, best-I’ve-ever-tasted, chocolate.  Notice I didn’t say best “vegan chocolate” … I said best “chocolate!”  Her Cardamom Chocolate Aphrodesia will stun you.  Filled with unique ingredients like cardamom, cashews, ginger and cayenne, this chocolate is sweet, nutty, gingery and spicy all at the same time – the flavors will burst in your mouth!  Contact Brook at www.MamaEarthCafe.com to find out how to order it.  It’s made on Maui and must be refrigerated, so expect a higher-than-normal shipping fee if you want to order it.  Or just plan your next vacation for Maui!

My husband is a major fan of Theo’s brand chocolates, many of which are vegan.  His two favorite flavors are the Madagascar chocolate and the Spicy Chili Chocolate.  Theo’s is located in Seattle, WA, and is the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolatier in the U.S.  You can find it at many grocery stores, or go to www.TheoChocolate.com for more information.  Their factory tours are a must when you go to Seattle!

My friend, Suezy Proctor, likes Whole Foods brands of chocolate, and when she wants a little chocolate fix, she simply has a handful of their chocolate chips.  But if you don’t want to buy your Valentine chocolate chips, she recommends their Whole Foods Dark Chocolate candy bar with Almonds.  She says the almonds intensify the chocolate flavor.

For other ideas, the internet is full of chocolatiers selling vegan chocolate.  Simply google “vegan chocolate” and you’ll find dozens of sellers.  However, let me tell you about my favorite.  www.RescueChocolate.com sells 100% vegan chocolate, and 100% of the proceeds go to helping Animal Rescues.  Buy the “Peanut Butter Pit Bull” and your money goes to Pitbull Rescues.  Buy the “Bow-Wow Bon Bons” and your money goes to help shelter dogs find a home.  Perfect for Valentine’s Day, buy the heart-shaped, raspberry ganache-filled “Wild at Heart” chocolates and your money goes to helping wild animals, such as those in circuses or research labs.

So, vegan readers, what is your favorite vegan chocolate?  Comment here and let us know!

Vegan Valentine's Chocolate!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and what do we vegans like to receive on Valentine’s Day more than anything else?  Chocolate, of course!  But not all chocolate is vegan, so how do you find out what the best chocolate is for your vegan sweetheart?  Keep reading!

White chocolate and milk chocolate are not vegan, but dark chocolate often is, so it’s easy to find vegan chocolate without going to a specialty store.  Just look for dark chocolate and read the ingredient list to make sure there is no milk, butter, eggs or other dairy products.  Keep in mind that cocoa butter does not come from a cow, so it is absolutely vegan!  The higher the cacao percentage (usually around 75% and higher) the more likely the chocolate is to be vegan.  Lower percentages often mix a little bit of milk in them, so check to make sure.

I’ll start with my personal favorite – Brook Le’amohala at Mama Earth Café on Maui makes the hands-down, best-I’ve-ever-tasted, chocolate.  Notice I didn’t say best “vegan chocolate” … I said best “chocolate!”  Her Cardamom Chocolate Aphrodesia will stun you.  Filled with unique ingredients like cardamom, cashews, ginger and cayenne, this chocolate is sweet, nutty, gingery and spicy all at the same time – the flavors will burst in your mouth!  Contact Brook at www.MamaEarthCafe.com to find out how to order it.  It’s made on Maui and must be refrigerated, so expect a higher-than-normal shipping fee if you want to order it.  Or just plan your next vacation for Maui!

My husband is a major fan of Theo’s brand chocolates, many of which are vegan.  His two favorite flavors are the Madagascar chocolate and the Spicy Chili Chocolate.  Theo’s is located in Seattle, WA, and is the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolatier in the U.S.  You can find it at many grocery stores, or go to www.TheoChocolate.com for more information.  Their factory tours are a must when you go to Seattle!

My friend, Suezy Proctor, likes Whole Foods brands of chocolate, and when she wants a little chocolate fix, she simply has a handful of their chocolate chips.  But if you don’t want to buy your Valentine chocolate chips, she recommends their Whole Foods Dark Chocolate candy bar with Almonds.  She says the almonds intensify the chocolate flavor.

For other ideas, the internet is full of chocolatiers selling vegan chocolate.  Simply google “vegan chocolate” and you’ll find dozens of sellers.  However, let me tell you about my favorite.  www.RescueChocolate.com sells 100% vegan chocolate, and 100% of the proceeds go to helping Animal Rescues.  Buy the “Peanut Butter Pit Bull” and your money goes to Pitbull Rescues.  Buy the “Bow-Wow Bon Bons” and your money goes to help shelter dogs find a home.  Perfect for Valentine’s Day, buy the heart-shaped, raspberry ganache-filled “Wild at Heart” chocolates and your money goes to helping wild animals, such as those in circuses or research labs.

So, vegan readers, what is your favorite vegan chocolate?  Comment here and let us know!

Almost Vegan

It feels like I’ve become a vegan therapist lately.  There have been a rash of people who have come to me with concerns that they are not 100% vegan … people who used to be 100% vegan but now slip up with some regularity, people who are married to vegans but only want to be vegetarian, people who have written vegan cookbooks but don’t always eat vegan, people who love animals but haven’t yet been able to give up real creamer in their coffee, etc, etc…

These people, in general, seem to feel very guilty and suffer a lot of angst because they aren’t eating a perfect vegan diet.  It always makes me sad because it seems they are only able to focus on the very small percentage of what isn’t right with their diet, and are unable to see the huge percentage that is right.

Instead of focusing on the 5% (or 0.5%!) of your diet that isn’t vegan, why not focus on the 95% (or 99.5%!) that is vegan?  With all the choices you do make that are vegan, you are saving countless animals from suffering, cruelty and death; you are helping to reduce our world’s massive carbon footprint, you are doing great things for your health, and perhaps most importantly, you are setting a great example for everyone you know and meet.  Just by saying, “I really strive to eat a vegan diet and am about 95% of the way there,” you show people that you care to do your very best and are making a big difference. 

So, today I’d just like to give a tribute those of you who aren’t 100% vegan.  Whether you’d like to be vegan, but haven’t yet made the final leap, whether you used to be vegan but have recently fallen to temptation, whether you are getting pressured to be vegan but really prefer to be vegetarian … you are still saving hundreds of animals from suffering and death.  Could you save a few more?  Perhaps.  Is it worth feeling like a failure over?  Absolutely not.  If and when the time is right for you, you will go vegan.  In the meantime, honor all the good that you are doing, and know that – even if you aren’t 100% vegan – you are still making a big difference and setting a great example.