To maximize learning, it's important to be healthy in a
healthy environment. Nothing HEALs Humans, the Environment, and
Animals more than Learning to embrace a
100% plant-based vegan diet. Everyone knows it's wrong to hurt or kill for
pleasure, yet we're taught that we need animal products to be healthy. In
fact, the opposite is true.
Amazingly, just one meal of cholesterol-laden animal fat and protein
has measurable negative health effects. Furthermore, the devastating
environmental impact of the Standard American Diet
(aptly dubbed SAD) on water, land, food, and climate exceeds all modes of
transportation combined. Giving up meat, egg, dairy, and fish may seem like
deprivation, but again the opposite is true. Join me on a culinary adventure
into the exciting world of plant-based eating!
Topic
Text / Links
Vegan Nutrition Vegans can and do eat almost every type
of food they ate before becoming vegan. Far from deprivation, a vegan diet
opens new worlds of eating pleasure. Food and its enjoyment become central.
Besides a bounty of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, breads, and pastas, delicious plant-based substitutes exist for nearly
every animal product—with no animals harmed in the process. As on any diet,
it's important to ensure adequate intake of vital nutrients like Vitamins B12
and D as well as Omega-3 fatty acids.
Vegan Philosophy A vegan (VEE-gun) does not eat, wear,
or use animal products of any kind, including meat, egg, dairy, fish,
seafood, honey, leather, fur, silk, or wool.
A balanced vegan diet is healthful, nutritionally adequate, and appropriate
for all stages of life, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood,
adolescence, and athletics. (American Dietetic Association, Volume 109, Issue
7, Pages 1266-1282 July 2009)
A vegan also rejects the common notions that animals exist for human
entertainment, labor, sport, or medical testing. Science is discovering that
all food animals, including fish, feel pain, possess intelligence, use some
equivalent of language, and have rich social interactions. Animals want to
live their own lives, not be food on a plate, a pawn in a circus or zoo, or
an experiment in a lab.
Click on the displayed links to learn how a vegan lifestyle can maximize your
health and enhance your ability to learn and thrive. These sites are a small
sample of the vegan resources available. Search the web for dozens more.
Protein Facts The meat, egg, and dairy industries and
their government counterparts have been so successful with their protein
propaganda that the #1 question vegans get is: "Where do you get your
protein?" The truth is, we need much less protein than we've been told
(human breast milk is just 1% protein!). And we can get all we need from
plants. In the first place, how does protein get into "high
protein" animal products...what do cows, pigs, and chickens eat? Plants!
Secondly, animal protein when consumed is inflammatory & carcinogenic.
MaxVegan (MV)
Recipes More PA, Less SOS!(PA = Phytochemicals Antioxidants; SOS = Salt Oil Sugar)
Cooking offers an exciting challenge to new vegans, who often become the
family chefs. Foods like soda & fries may be vegan, but they're not
healthy. MaxVegan Recipes maximize health by
boosting nutrients and minimizing junk. From sauces & dressings to main
dishes & desserts, dozens of No-SOS recipes are presented in a uniquevisualformat that reduces the intimidation of long ingredient lists and wordy
instructions.
VeganDiego! HEALthy eaters living in or visiting San Diego County can
download this calendar of 100% vegan eateries, along with a directory of
vegan-promoting businesses, professionals, organizations, social groups, and
coupons to their computers and smartphones. To be notified of updates, like
& follow www.facebook.com/vegandiego.
V-Cards! In areas without vegan restaurants, eating
cruelty-free can be tough, especially in foreign countries. V-Cards list
vegan food restrictions in over 100 languages. Hand a card to your waiter or
chef to ensure your meal is completely free of animal products. If possible,
order "take out" to avoid having to be around omnivores hurting
(eating) animals in your presence. Or to avoid the inevitable
cross-contamination of food in non-vegan eateries, use V-Cards to cobble
together your own plant-based meals in local grocery stores.
HappyCow: Global Vegan Dining The amazing HappyCow
website/app rates vegan and veg-friendly eateries and stores worldwide.
Although vegan items are now more common in mainstream establishments, it's
all about profits not ethics. If available, vegans should always patronize
100% vegan establishments. Non-vegan eateries are sanitized extensions of the
slaughterhouse. If no one ordered animal products, none would be harmed. You
can't have one without the other. Ironically, egg & dairy operations are worse for animals than
meat production, so even vegetarian eateries are part of the problem.
Vegan IQ Game Test your knowledge of the health,
animal, and environmental impacts of animal vs. plant-based eating. What
percent cholesterol do plants contain? What percent
fiber is in animal products? How much water is needed to produce 1 pound
of meat vs. wheat? How long do dairy cows normally live? Are pigs as smart as
a 3-year old? Includes assembly instructions for
creating a display for vegan outreach events.
Rounding of America Many new vegans effortlessly lose
weight, because plants are generally low in calories and loaded with
cleansing fiber that increases regularity. But when vegans "thin"
to their ideal weight, people may assume something is wrong. The problem is,
Americans have gotten so "round" that what was once a healthy look
now seems deficient. If others express concern about your new, lean look, and
you are eating a colorful variety of whole plant foods and nutrients and have
a good BMI,show
them this handout.
Vegan Nutrition Guru - Dr. Michael
Greger The tireless Dr. Greger scours
thousands of scholarly research papers each year, condensing their findings
into short, engaging videos. Which foods maximize health? Which foods are
harmful? How do vegans compare to meat eaters? Michael's findings will
surprise you and may lead to dietary changes, even for long-time vegans.
Vegan Evangelist - Gary Yourofsky The world's most radical "vegangelist" delivers a dynamic, hard-hitting
lecture to Georgia Tech college students. Some content is disturbing to
watch, but as thousands have attested, you can not walk away from Gary's lectures unchanged.
Captions are available in 30+ languages.
Extra TV Lifechanger
- Dr. Neal Barnard
PCRM's venerable Dr. Neal Barnard shocks the host by saying chicken is one of
the most unhealthy foods you can eat. Likewise for
salmon. Studies prove that a 100% plant-based diet keeps the weight off and
fights disease.
Neal's Mom & Cholesterol A short segment from Ellen's interview (below) with Neal
regarding his Mom's amazing success at dramatically
lowering her cholesterol--without drugs!
The Ellen Show - Dr. Neal Barnard Ellen DeGeneres queries Neal about eating issues, the
obesity/diabetes epidemic, food addictions, healthy alternatives, and his
book "Breaking the Food Seduction."
