Category Archives: Veganism

Nicholls student Rodney Woods has gained some traction lately on social media with posts of vegan dishes he created.

Woods, a sophomore Studio Fine Arts major from Thibodaux, said he began his journey in veganism in March of 2020.

At first I was just very curious about the lifestyle, Woods said. I just wanted to try it out for a month or two, but those two months extended to 3 or 4 months.

Woods said beginning his first attempt at veganism was very overwhelming. He said he was trying to cook something every night while also trying to keep up with school work as well as maintaining his photography business, Visuals by Duke.

It was just stressful, so I ended up stopping, Woods said. But when I stopped, I didnt really change my eating habits.

Woods said that hes allergic to seafood, doesnt care for pork, is lactose intolerant and doesnt eat red meat because of the health consequences. Being that chicken was the only animal product he would eat, he said the transition wasnt that difficult.

After a while I just felt like being vegan was the lifestyle that was meant for me, Woods said.

Woods said he felt the need to go back to vegan-eating because of how he felt while he was doing it.

I was so much happier eating completely clean; my body felt completely different, said Woods. Within the first two or three weeks I lost 15 pounds.

He said that the thing that really pushed him to go back to veganism was the knowledge of health issues on both sides of his family. He said his family members struggle with diabetes and high blood pressure.

Im only 20 right now. If I could prevent that at a young age, then why not? Woods said.

Woods said that cooking has been a hobby of his for a long time, so it wasnt difficult to start creating his own vegan dishes.

I find that its easier to cook plant-based meals than meals with animal products, Woods said. Vegetables soak up all the flavors.

Woods said that he makes a lot of traditional southern dishes, such as jambalaya and gumbo.

A lot of people ask me, How do you make a vegan gumbo? Woods said. I say, Easy, take out the meat!

Woods said he usually sells plates of his vegan dishes to his community every other weekend, but he has slowed down since school has started.

If I can do something like that for the community to show people that you dont need meat to make a good dish, I mean, why not? Woods said. We have this large stigma in the black community, and in the south in general, where the first thing they think when they hear vegan is just plants.

Woods also said he wants to break the stigma that going vegan is expensive. He explained how switching some products, such as salts, oils and flours may be more expensive, but it ends up being cheaper once you are no longer buying expensive meat products.

The price of certain vegetables stays between one to two dollars, Woods said. Ive never been to the store and paid over $3 for a single vegetable.

Woods also explained that veganism replenishes itself at no cost a lot of times. He said he has a garden where he grows herbs and vegetables, which he plants after using parts of them in his dishes.

Woods twitter account, where he has gained popularity with photos and recipes of his vegan dishes, has nearly 7,000 followers. He said he likes that he is able to use his platform to share how easy and delicious veganism is and to see how it impacts his followers lives.

When I show them that you can get creative with different vegetables, they all start asking for the recipe. Woods said. Its not hard, its just a mind thing.

Woods said that he is currently working on his own vegan cookbook that he says will hopefully be out by the end of June 2021.

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What Veganism Looks Like in the South for Nicholls Student - Nicholls Worth

James Aspey is one of many vegan influencer who refers to meat-eating as the Animal Holocaust. Photo by James Aspey (Instagram)

Several high-profile vegan influencers are facing criticisms for comparing the slaughtering of animals to the Holocaust and the meat and dairy industries to rape and slaveryfeeding into mainstream veganisms stereotype as a lifestyle choice for fit, rich white people.

One said, animal lives matter, while another was called out for doing blackface after she painted her face and skin black. Multiple have posted signs that say, End the Animal Holocaust, Abolish Animal Slavery, and theyll call critics who dont like what theyre saying speciesist.

Anytime there is an attempt to equate the Holocaust with other events, its deeply offensive to me, as it is to many Jews and those survivors, said Abraham Silverman, a 78-year-old Holocaust survivor and manager of public relations at a Canadian branch of Bnai Brith, a global Jewish human rights organization.

Silverman said the comparison of animal slaughter and meat consumption to the Holocaust undermines the horrors that millions of Jews suffered during World War II, and inspires anti-Semitic folks online at a time when hate crimes targeting them are skyrocketing.

Veganism has exploded over the last two decades, with nearly 10 million people identifying as vegan in the U.S. aloneup from less than 300,000 in 2004, according to Ipsos. Even though Black people make up the fastest growing demographic of plant-based eaters, veganism is largely viewed as a white, elite lifestyle choice. When veganisms biggest stars use language deemed oppressive, it further isolates racialized people and religious minorities in the movement.

This creates a reality where people from oppressed communities don't want to be involved in the vegan movement, said Paula Meninato, a vegan Latina activist and artist based in Philadelphia.

Its concerning, Meninato added, and undermines the fact that veganism actually has roots in racialized communities. Many Indigenous peoples have also spoken out against militant forms of veganism for perpetuating colonialism and failing to acknowledge the relationships Indigenous communities have to land and animals.

What does it say about (veganism) that Black and brown people are more likely to be vegan, yet we persist with this reputation that the movement is white and elite? said Christoper Sebastian, a Columbia University writer and researcher who specializes in race and animal rights. Its a PR problem.

Australian animal rights activist James Aspey, 34, has been vegan for more than eight years and is best known for going a full year without speaking to draw attention to his cause. He has given speeches internationally and boasts 254,000 followers on Instagram.

The first line of Aspeys Instagram bio says, Animal rights is an anti-Holocaust movement, comparing the slaughter of animals to mass execution of persecuted people. Throughout his page you can easily find several posts referencing the Holocaust, slavery, rapeand a comment where he says animal lives matter. Many posts are screenshots of his conversations and debates with people who disagree with his messaging. Please tell me youre vegan, because if you arent, you support the rape and slaughter of female earthlings and that is very NOT FEMINIST, he says to a woman in one post.

In a statement to VICE World News, Aspey refuted the idea that his posts alienate people.

If people are so easily hurt that hearing a word can cause them significant trauma, I would suggest they have a lot of healing to do before they use the internet, which has violence and triggering words all over it, Aspey said. The truth is, they arent actually hurt by hearing the word Holocaust, they simply disagree that non-human Earthlings deserve to have their situation described using the same terminology that was used to describe human atrocities, and that is because they are speciesist.

In some cases, when the behaviour is called out, the influencers double down on their posts or draw attention to critics by posting their exchanges, some public and some private, which can result in racialized and religious minority vegans getting trolled and doxed.

Aspey said Jewish people, feminists, and other marginalized groups should feel compelled to join the vegan movement because they understand what animals are going through. Accurately describing the animals plight as a Holocaust should get Jewish people (and all people!) to realize how serious this matter is, he said.

For generations, white people have compared people of colour and religious minorities to animals, so it shouldnt come as a surprise that oppressed people are harmed when certain vegan factions do the same thing, said Los Angeles-based vegan activist Tyra June.

Animals don't care about which words you use, but humans do, and our fellow humans are triggered by these words, she told VICE World News.

Facing scrutiny over their tactics, many of the movements bigger icons are publicly offering support and solidarity to one another.

Influencer Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram is one of them. Carrillo-Bucaram is best known for advocating for a raw vegan lifestylea diet that consists entirely of uncooked plants. Her YouTube account, which features videos ranging from raw recipes to self-care routines, has amassed over 100 million views, and her Instagram (@fullyrawkristina) has 1 million followers.

On Instagram, she occasionally posts messages of gratitude below Aspeys animal Holocaust-themed posts. Thank you for keeping me calm last night and being there. Thank you for helping the animals. You have so much courage, James, she said in one.

Carrillo-Bucaram has faced backlash for posing in blackface and for welcoming John Rose, a vegan who has publicly shared anti-Semitic and anti-vax views, onto her YouTube channel. Hitler was actually pretty nice to the Jews, Rose said in one of his own videos.

Carrillo-Bucaram has denied the photographsin which she is painted black and covered in colourful fruit and plantsare blackface. In a statement to VICE World News, her lawyer Jessica Kuredjian said Carrillo-Bucaram is well-aware of the painful history of blackface.

As a creative expression, an artist painted neon fruits and vegetables on her body with a black backdrop, Kuredjian said. Kristina has since publicly apologized to anyone who was offended by the photos and invites anyone who was personally offended to reach out to her to discuss this.

The statement also denied Carrillo-Bucaram knew Roses views before she hosted him onto her YouTube channel. Kristina neither bears fault nor responsibility for the historically inaccurate and offensive views allegedly expressed by that individual, Kuredjian said, adding Carrillo-Bucaram removed her YouTube videos featuring Rose upon learning his beliefs.

This year, plant-based news site VegNews removed Carrillo-Bucaram from its vegan awards ballot after hearing concerns from readers. When we shared Kristina as a nominee for Favorite Vegan Instagrammer in the 2021 Veggie Awards, we became inundated with public and private messages from VegNews readers voicing concerns over some of Kristina's past content, VegNews senior editor Richard Bowie said in a statement. He added his team took her off the ballot because of the well-documented nature of the content, and the way readers felt about it.

He said VegNews has apologized for not reaching out to Carrillo-Bucaram before removing her from the awards ballot.

Carrillo-Bucaram posted two videos last month denying allegations of racism and anti-Semitism. She also denounced VegNews for the way the site treated her, calling the behaviour white supremacy (shes Ecuadorian-Lebanese), and blames the hate shes been receiving since on cancel culture. Her supporters, many of whom have hundreds of thousands or millions of followers, have also spoken out against cancel culture.

In 2019, Carrillo-Bucaram posted a video addressing rumours swirling about her at the time, including that she held similar beliefs to Rose.

All she had to do was say, I made a mistake and will continue to apologize, June said, adding she wishes Carrillo-Bucaram had validated concerns and moved on.(June has publicly criticized Carrillo-Bucaram via social media.)

In Carrillo-Bucarams Instagram highlight entitled Rumors, she includes screenshots of Instagram users who accused her of racism and anti-Semitism. In doing so, June said shes putting vegans of colour at risk of harassment; many marginalized vegans have since received hateful messages. One vegan of colour refused to speak to VICE World News on the record about it because they feared for their safety.

Just as Kristina is responsible for her words and actions, so were the individuals that left public comments on posts, Kuredjian said. Public statements ought to be defensible. It is not on Kristina to defend the people bullying her.

Kuredjian added that some of the comments targeted Kristinas relationship with her long-term partner. Of the 21 posts shared in Carrillo-Bucarams highlight, two reference her boyfriend.

Aspey and others have deflected criticism by saying veganism is only for the animalsnot for the people criticizing them. But others cite plenty of reasons to give up meat, including animal rights, human rights, environmentalism, and health. After all, few can dispute the horrific conditions in slaughterhouses that harm both humans and animals, or the worrisome effects factory farming has on the climate crisis. (For transparency, Im a vegan, too.)

Sebastian said he understands why some activists are doubling down.

Its a righteous indignation that fuels our desire to use incendiary languagelike the more triggered people are, the better job were doing, Sebastian said. I get that but its not effective or meaningful.

When influential vegans shut out huge groups of people, it skews mainstream perceptions of what veganism is and what it can become, June said, which is a movement largely centred on compassion. Something Ive noticed is Black and Indigenous and other people of colour vegans just don't get a platform or the amount of exposure that these stereotypical white male vegans have, June said.

Weve got to start asking these questions, she said. What makes people think ignoring human oppression will help?

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Vegan Influencers Keep Comparing Meat-Eating to the Holocaust and Slavery - VICE

The Telegraph

Were desperate for something to look forward to, reads the email from a London couple, as they book my Dartmoor holiday let, Moorland View, for a break this summer. Its a sentiment echoed by dozens of holidaymakers, who in four days of frenzied reservations recently, booked up the cottage for almost the entire season. Devons holiday accommodation agents report a similar surge, including Toad Hall Cottages, who saw a record 1,000 bookings in seven days. If youve been reticent about booking a getaway, its not too late. Although established hotels and holiday homes have limited summer availability, new properties, cottages in lesser-known locations and city hotels still offer plenty of choice. Heres our round-up of best, including luxury coastal retreats, dog-friendly hotels and wildlife tours. For more ideas, keep an eye on tour operators social media feeds its where many post last-minute availability and deals. 1. Stay in a new waterside hotel, Salcombe If youre quick-off-the-draw, youll have top pick of dates at this new luxury hotel on South Sands beach in Salcombe, which opens the books for its summer launch on Friday (February 5). Owned by Harbour Hotels, it promises 50 stylish rooms and suites, many with sea views, a spa, beach bar and laid-back restaurant. Doubles start at 340 per night, including breakfast (01202 400614; http://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/harbour-beach-club).

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Veganism is not just for January, and it's not just about food - Yahoo Lifestyle UK

A new study from Holland and Barrett conducted in December 2020 has unveiled some interesting statistics, such as the most popular reason for choosing a vegan diet being the health benefits.

In fact, 41% of new vegans say they switched to veganism for their health, compared to 32% for ethical reasons, and 24% for sustainability and the environment.

These enticing health benefits have been identified as weight loss, glowing skin, and increased libido. Nearly half of the study participants said they had lost weight, with 60% seeing weight loss in the first three months.

Increased libido is something longterm vegan Pamela Anderson highlighted on social media recently, and even challenged Piers Morgan to try a vegan diet for that purpose. The actress tweeted to her 1.2 million followers:

Vegans make better lovers. The cholesterol in meat, eggs, and dairy causes hardening of the arteries (and not much else).

It slows blood flow to all the bodys organs, not just the heart. You can improve your overall health and increase stamina in the bedroom by going vegan.

Its safe to say Piers didnt like this insinuation that his manhood didnt perform well in the bedroom, and wasnt on board with Andersons claims.

However, a third of men and a quarter of women questioned in the study reported a libido boost, so there may be truth to the claim!

An interesting find was that more than one in four vegans (29%) had adopted the diet in the past 12 months. This indicates two things. Firstly, the rise of veganism is exponential and will continue to increase more steeply over the next few years.

Moreover, the Vegan Society has predicted that vegans and vegetarians will make up a quarter of the British population by 2025.

Secondly, that the Covid-19 pandemic has played a significant role in the rise. In fact, 12% of adults (and 23% of those aged 16-24) said that the outbreak had made a vegan diet more appealing. With the threat of a bird flu pandemic on the horizon, it is no surprise that switching to plant-based foods is looking like the best option for many people.

Holland and Barretts nutritionist Emily Rollason has debunked some health concerns of vegans and non-vegans on the website, and you can read the full results of the study here.

Are you a newbie to veganism? Here are7 unexpected truths youll discover when you go vegan.

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New study finds going vegan leads to weight loss, glowing skin and increased libido - Vegan Food and Living

Opinion: In no case will a vegan diet be better for the planet than a moderate omnivorous diet, writes Dr Jacqueline Rowarth. She spoke with Jamie Mackay from The Country above about her thoughts.

Veganism will not save the planet from climate change under current population growth scenarios.

The scientific facts are clear. A diet including a moderate amount of meat and dairy products, sourced from efficient (most product for fewest greenhouse gases (GHG)) farmers, delivers the required nutrients per person for least environmental impact.

This includes water use and nitrogen loss as well as the GHG. It also includes the impact of agricultural land use expansion and consequent impacts on biodiversity.

Promoters of Veganuary (avoiding animal products for the month of January) would have you think otherwise.

Promoters also suggest that adopters of the vegan lifestyle will feel so much better that they will never revert.

For some people this might be true. For others it won't. But in no case will a vegan diet be better for the planet than a moderate omnivorous diet.

People claiming that it will, usually base their calculations on feedlot animal production.

The argument is that the land used to grow crops for animals could be used to grow crops for direct human consumption.

This might be possible, but the yields achieved for humans will be lower than those for animals.

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth. Photo / Supplied

New Zealander Eric Watsonholds the world record for producing feed wheatat 17.398t/ha. The average is more like 12 t/ha.

Yields for milling wheat (for human consumption post processing and cooking more GHG) are potentially 12-13 t/ha, but the average is nearer 8 t/ha.

A further factor is that the amount of grain (potentially human food) actually consumed in feedlots is only a small component of lifetime feed.

Researchers from Oklahoma State University have gathered the data, done the calculations, and state that "Regardless of the type of beef production system, the majority of beef cattle's nutrient requirements over a lifetime are met with human inedible feeds.Only 7 per cent of beef cattle's lifetime feed intake is corn grain."

The other 93 per cent of the animal's lifetime diet is generally inedible to humans, and not in direct competition with the human food supply.

In fact, by digesting fibre and converting previously human-inedible feeds into nutritious, human-edible foods, ruminants increase the land available for human food production.

In the US, a considerable proportion of cattle diet is distiller's grains, which is a by-product of alcohol production from corn (either for fuel or human consumption).

The amount of distiller's grains fed to beef cattle has increased rapidly this century as the production of fuel from corn has increased.

The Oklahoma State University researchers suggested that improvements in corn productivity (yield per unit of input, including land) would do more to help the sustainability of land use than tinkering with cattle diets.

Improvements suggested include no-till or conservation tillage practices to reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic carbon, the use of winter cover crops to reduce nutrient run-off and using precision agriculture techniques to apply fertiliser at variable rates across field to minimize nutrient emissions to the environment while improving corn yields. These are practices already in common use in New Zealand.

The argument then becomes human edible crops instead of grass, but that change requires more fertiliser, including nitrogen, per hectare, plus fossil fuels for machines.

On land usage, Veganuary doesn't stack up.

Veganuary proponents also overlook the environmental impact of the manufacture of the dietary supplements that are necessary to maintain health.

Nor do they consider the impact of replacements bamboo shoes instead of leather shoes, for instance.

Bamboo is a crop in this context, and it is possible that the land could be used for growing food instead of material for shoes.

Leather is a component of an animal so when the animal is killed for food, the hide (a co-product) can be used for other purposes e.g., shoes.

Over half a million people have already signed up to participate in Veganuary this year and have a month of "doing their bit for the environment".

Sadly the effect won't be what is intended not calorie for calorie (or kilojoule) nor per unit of protein.

Veganuary might help their own weight, however, by assisting a focus on food consumption and quantity.

There are certainly some people who could eat less meat and dairy products and be healthier. Globally, however, there are at least an equal number that would be healthier if they ate more.

In New Zealand the biggest personal environmental impact we have is in fossil fuel use.This is the component of our national emissions that has almost doubled since 1990.

Covid19 has reduced our transtasman air travel, but not the car trips to the beach and bach.

For those wanting to make a difference, a month of biking will do more to assist the environment than tinkering with diet.

It will probably help health and fitness as well, but of course, impact depends upon starting point a point frequently overlooked by enthusiasts, including those advocating Veganuary.

- Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, has been vegetarian (not vegan) for over 40 years. She is a farmer-elected director of DairyNZ and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. [emailprotected]

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Dr Jacqueline Rowarth: Why veganism won't save the world - Newstalk ZB

By Becca Longmire.18 Jan 2021 7:36 AM

Piers Morgan has made it clear he isnt a fan of a plant-based diet and he went to great lengths to get his points across to Pamela Anderson on Mondays Good Morning Britain.

Morgan spoke to Anderson about her tweets posted over the weekend stating veganism made you a better lover.

The Baywatch star laughed, Cholesterol hardens your arteries, but not much else, adding of her own diet: Thats what I hear. Im vegan, Im fairly confident in that statement, confirming shed been plant-based for around 30 years now.

She added of whether shed noticed her own sex life was better post-veganism, Absolutely, I think. But I think Ive always had a lot of fun in that department.

RELATED: Pamela Anderson Pens Letter To B.C. Premier After COVID-19 Outbreak At Mink Farms

Morgan then had co-host Susanna Reid cringing as he said, Im a meat-eater and I can assure you fun things happen to us, too!

As Dr. Hilary Jones then appeared on the show to voice his opinion, Morgan admitted hed offered a solution on Twitter but the actress only responded, Typical Piers!

RELATED: Pamela Anderson Unveils New Initiative To Protect Canadas Herring Population

Jones said during the conversation: You could eat chips all day and still have a vegan diet. If youre educated and knowledgeable about veganism of course you can have all the nutrients that you need but its very difficult to get all the nutrients you need.

The amount of cholesterol you eat in meat and dairy, the blood flow to the rest of your body becomes restricted.

He added of Andersons sex-life remark: Its stretching a point to a great degree. You can have high cholesterol levels if youre a vegan if youre eating the wrong food.

As far as too much red meat, there is the possibility that your arteries could suffer, too.

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Piers Morgan Disputes Pamela Andersons Claims That Vegans Make Better Lovers: Im A Meat-Eater And Fun Things Happen To Us Too! - ETCanada.com