Farmer's Markets in OC

Check out the new resource link to farmer's markets in OC.

Trader Joe's Veg* Foods

This is a list I spotted on veggieboards.com by a member named 'forthebirds.' Thanks!!

Frozen:

Vegetarian Pot Stickers ... I am addicted (ed- me too! can't find them anymore though)
Soy Ice Creams
Fruit Bars
Pad Thai, Rice and Noodle Bowls
Indonesian and Curry-Thing Rice in Bags
Bean Burritos - only one kind has no cheese, so be careful
Enchiladas - again, make sure to look for the one that has no cheese
Wheat-free waffles
Tempura
Meatless Meatballs
Sugar Snap Peas
Artichoke Hearts
French Green Beans
Soycattash

Sweets:

Cat Cookies - wasn't there an Animal Cracker thread?
Joe's O's - better than Oreos, I swear!
All their house-brand dark chocoate bars - awesome


Amazing nut, dried fruit and trail mix section

Some vegan cake mixes - green tea, banana bread

Peanut butter - good price

Muesili Cereal blend - cane juice, no vit. D

Breads:

Organics don't have honey in most - check labels
Whole Wheat English Muffins
Whole wheat and Everything bagels
Garlic twist things


Refrig Section:

All their hummus'
White Bean dip
Gazpacho
Sesame Noodle Salad
Pizza doughs
Stuffed grape leaves
Good mushroom selection
Good bagged lettuce
Avocados good price for a bag


Sauces:

All good but read labels

Gyoza Sauce is really good
Ketchup is good, organic
Barbeque sauce


Chips and stuff:

Flax Seed Chips with different veggy flavors - Best Chip EVER!!
Roasted Salsa!
Assorted veggie chips
Pita chips
Luna bars


Canned stuff:

Vegetarian Chili
Soups in a bowl
Olive and veggie tapenades
Eggplant dips
Artichoke pesto
Stuffed grape leaves - (refrig and non-frig versions)
Butternut Squash Soup in carton
Tomato Sauce with Basil
Gnocchi
All their pastas are good - some good penne and tri-colors
Polenta
Olives - try the mingling olives


Drinks:

Low Salt Veggie Drink - like V-8 only fresher
Mango and Papaya juice blend

OC Vegan Meet-Up, Sat. March 10 @ 12:00

K and I will be at the Vegan meet-up in OC this Saturday. Come join us for excellent food & talk at Native Foods in Costa Mesa.

CLICK ME for more info

Siegfried & Roy

Falls under the heading "Karma"

Trader Joe's Cosmetic Products

Trader Joe's, a ubiquitous alternative to big-box grocery chains here in SoCal writes back the following to my question, "Are your cosmetic products tested on animals?"

Hello Frank ,

None of Trader Joe's Health and Beauty products are tested on animals.

Thank you for your inquiry and thank you for shopping at Trader Joe's .

Kellye
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations

There ya go guys and gals. While not a veg* only establishment, TJ's has a healthy ratio of vegfriendly products.

Cheesecake Factory Vegan Options

If you're in SoCal, then you've been to or have heard of The Cheesecake Factory. We received some C.F. gift cards (Thanks Van!), and wondered what our vegan options were. A bit of googleing turned up a letter sent from C.F. to a veggie that had the same question.

From: Jessica (pool-71-243-26-201.bos.east.verizon.net -71.243.26.201)
Subject: Re: Is anything vegan at the Cheesecake Factory? NT
Date: September 8, 2005 at 12:54 pm PST

In Reply to: Is anything vegan at the Cheesecake Factory? NT posted by Meg on August 26, 2005 at 8:54 am:

Hello,

I recently visited a Cheesecake Factory for a friend's birthday and wrote to Customer Service to inquire what dishes were vegan. The reply came after my visit (I did accidentally eat a bun with eggs in it), but I thought it could be useful for others.

As of today, Sept. 8, 2005:

VEGAN MENU ITEMS:
- Some salads (see more below)
- Vegetable sides

CAN BE MODIFIED:
- The Veggie Burger and Portabella Burger without the bun are vegan.
- The Thai Lettuce Wraps can be ordered without chicken to be vegan.
- The Grilled Vegetable Pizza without cheese is vegan (no eggs in the crust).
- All salads can be ordered without meat. The following dressings do not contain eggs (ask about dairy): Chinese, Cilantro, Citrus Vinaigrette, Japanese, Vinaigrette, Lime Vinaigrette, Peanut Vinaigrette, Shallot Vinaigrette, Asian Vinaigrette, Sheila's Vinaigrette.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR:
- The Veggie Pot Pie has a vegan filling but the crust has eggs in it.
- The Avocado Eggrolls are sealed with an egg wash.
- Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes are made with Heavy Cream and they're served with a Tomotillo Cream Sauce that contains chicken broth.

I am also told that the Veggie Stirfry contains fish sauce, so stay clear if you're not sure.

Happy eating.

Edit: We visited the Cheesecake Factory today. The one closest to us (Fashion Island) does not have a vegetable pizza, however, they were very gracious in creating one for us. Also, the all pasta contains egg.

Why I Hate Vegetarians

Julie Bindel
Monday June 13, 2005
The Guardian

People should not be bullied into giving up meat by humourless, judgmental souls using spurious arguments

Well allow me to retort (best Samuel L. Jackson voice)

Eating in a meat-free restaurant the other day made me realise why I hate vegetarians. The food, unlike the tasteless, bland rubbish often served up in such places, was delicious. Unusually for meatless cuisine, it had flavour and texture, and had even been seasoned.
What was unpalatable were the customers and waiting staff, all of whom seemed to believe that what they were eating made them superior. They all looked smug and self-satisfied. It brought it home to me that most vegetarians - and I am largely excluding those who eschew meat for religious and cultural reasons - give themselves a bad name. They are better than you, don't you know? The atmosphere in the restaurant was one of pompous aloofness. I left with indigestion.

You seem to have the opinion that vegetarian cooking in general is something less than meat centric cooking. This is a common misconception.

I can't speak to your experiences, but I have never had a bland or tasteless meal at a vegetarian restaurant in my area. Ever. I'll take you at your word though, and I'd recommend seeking out better restaurants. Have you tried vegetarian Indian? Bland? I think not.

People often assume I don't eat meat, because I am a feminist and vaguely of the left. I have turned up at dinner parties to find the host has assumed that at least one guest would be vegetarian, and served undercooked baked potatoes. What an atrocity! Why can they not put a chicken in the oven at the same time? Or is the sight of meat so offensive to veggies that they would pass out at the table?

To recap, you're saying that at an omni dinner event, the omni host did a poor job of cooking a vegetarian dinner, AND didn't provide a meat option, presumably because it would insult the sensibilities of the vegetarians?

Isn't that a little like going to a Chinese restaurant for German food?

I think you're trying to assign blame here. I frequently enjoy meals with omni friends., and have yet to pass out at the sight of meat.

I know you're exaggerating to make a point, but neither point is valid.

Recent converts can be the worst. I have lost friends to the cult who, once they get fed the mantra from the militants, become something akin to ex-smokers. I am tired of feeling self-conscious in restaurants when ordering meat in front of them. No one should deny that factory-farmed animals are kept in the most appalling conditions, and that eating too much meat is bad for you. But look at their claims. Crusaders promote vegetarianism not only as healthy but as a solution to world hunger and a safeguard of the planet.

You touch on a lot of things here. Let's dissect.

Agreed on the enthusiasm of some vegetarians. Doesn't the same hold true, though, for any group of people? Some people are going to be more vocal than others. Take some Christians or Apple computer users, as an example. I'd caution on the use of such sweeping generalities.

Perhaps you feel self conscious because, as you yourself agree, factory farming is unethical?

Regarding promoting vegetarianism as healthy and as more ecologically sound than raising meat. These are facts, not wishful thinking. Compare cost of land usage, water, fertilizer, waste contamination, and energy of producing one pound of soy, corn, or grain to one pound of meat. Many times less resources could go into feeding many times more people. Repeat after me, meat is not a necessity.

Do not assume living without animal products is always a positive, healthy choice. A vegan couple in American have recently been charged with child abuse for malnourishing their three small children. They had been brought up on a vegan diet from birth. There have been similar cases where children, who cannot choose what they eat, have had their health severely damaged because of their parents' principles. They are putting the welfare of animals before that of their children. Giving up meat and dairy has been linked to anorexia and other eating disorders in teenage girls. Lack of vitamin B12, found mainly in meats, eggs, dairy and fish, can cause brain damage. Most vegans, and some non-meat-eaters, have to supplement their diet with pills. In the developed world, vegetarianism is a privileged choice. How many working-class vegetarians do you know? It is not an option for most poor people in this country.

Do all vegetarians (and I include vegans) eat a healthy diet? No, of course not. Do all omni's eat a healthy diet? Look around, you tell me. Vegetarianism does not automatically translate into a healthy diet. As far as child abuse, I'd react with the same concern for a vegetarian child suffering from malnutrition as I would to an omni child. Have you been to your local Mc Donald's lately? How many of the morbidly obese children have been put into foster care?

The cost issue you bring up is completely absurd. It's no more expensive to live as a vegetarian than an omni, unless your diet consists of primarily pre-processed meals or restaurant food.

A veggie colleague once said of a woman with her three young children in a supermarket, "Have you seen those cheap beefburgers and pies she's feeding them? Why does she not go to the market, buy some fresh vegetables and make them all some nice, healthy soup?" Again that assumption that vegetarian and vegan foods are cheaper, which they are not, and that the mother had all the time in the world to prepare food from scratch.

Does anyone actually have sympathy for that argument? First, again, you are incorrect in your assumption that a veggie diet is more costly. Second, are you actually advocating cheap cheeseburgers and pies as being superior food to a vegetable soup? Third, it certainly does not take any more time to prepare a vegetarian meal. You're speaking out of ignorance.

Let's get our priorities right. People who put foxes and lambs before people do not have my vote. Animal liberationists blowing up scientists for conducting experiments that might lead to a cure for cancer are odious. There are more refuge spaces for cats than there are for women and their children fleeing domestic violence. While rape crisis centres are closing due to lack of funds, animal charities are raking it in.

These things are not mutually exclusive, as you'd like your reader to believe. Can one not care for people as well as animals? Your assertion is ridiculous.

Although vegetarianism is often seen as a "women's issue", there is a nasty, misogynistic wing that relies on sexist images and messages to convince people that meat is murder. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) are the worst offenders. One of their early adverts features a woman dragging a fur coat behind her. She is captioned as a "dumb animal". Another has a woman having her fur coat ripped off in the street and clubbed to death by a man, to make the point that it is not nice to be killed for your coat. The actor who played Lolita in the 1997 remake became "the youngest star to pose naked for Peta's anti-fur campaign". The message is: treat women, not animals, like meat.

That's an interesting interpretation. I have a different take, see if you agree. To me the first image says wake up and realize that you're causing pain and suffering to animals for vanity's sake. You totally misconstrued the point of the second ad as well. The person being killed for their fur coat is a symbol of the animal being killed for its coat. You may become more sympathetic to the animals plight if you put yourself in its, er, coat. See how that works? I miss the point of your Lolita actress ad comment altogether. You do know that both men and women have posed nude for PETA ads?

Stop trying to interpret everything as having sexist roots, you undermine your credibility.

Those who think we should not eat meat because all life is sacred are naive. Would they be happy allowing mosquitoes to spread malaria, or having rats run loose in their home? Not all creatures are equal. There are natural hierarchies in the food chain.

Food chains and hierarchies. The 19th century called, they want their labels back. Your point, I think, is that we have some ueber-position in this food chain, and that it's 'natural' for us to eat meat? I say evolve. You have the ability to choose how much harm you do.

People should be allowed to make their own choices and not be bullied or frightened into giving up meat. In the US recently, children in a secondary school were taken by their teachers to a slaughterhouse to show them how animals are killed for food. This tactic is a form of mind control, as unethical as discouraging young girls from having sex by making them watch a difficult childbirth.

Of course people should make their own decisions. Why does the natural and beautiful process of animal rearing and slaughter bother anyone? Oh, that's right, because it's brutal and barbaric.

It's not mind control. You're thinking of the dairy, egg, and meat lobbies on TV. It's reality.

I may hate vegetarians because they make me feel guilty, or because, meat being so delicious, they must have lots of willpower. But as an animal lover who agrees in principle with most reasons for giving up meat, I would rather not join that band of humourless, judgmental souls. It would seem that you are indeed what you eat.

Gotta be honest Julie, you come across as an angry and bitter person. Hate is a strong word, but you seem to see the glass as half-empty. If you are ever in the SoCal area, I'd like to invite you out to a meal. This is a sincere invitation.

· Julie Bindel is the founder of Justice for Women

juliebindel@yahoo.co.uk

Vegan Pizza Video

The Dough:
========
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 tsp active dry yeast

Toppings:
=======
1 bulb of garlic, crushed and covered with olive oil
1/2 pound of soy-cheese
Pesto concentrate
Oregano
Marjoram
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper
Thyme
2 1/2 large tomatoes, sliced
Sundried tomatoes
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 mushrooms, sliced
Jalapeno slices

Preheat oven to 425f, pre-bake crust for 12 minutes.
Apply pesto concentrate, spread evenly.
Apply handful of oregano.
Sprinkle of marjoram, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and thyme.
Apply sliced tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, mushrooms, jalapenos, and soy-cheese.
Bake an additional 19 minutes.

Good stuff!

10 Environmental Reasons To Go Vegan

Animal agriculture takes a heavy toll on the evironment. Here are some of the consequences.

1. Since 1967, forests have been destroyed at a rate of 1 acre every 5 seconds to create grazing land for beef cattle to ensure a continuous supply of inexpensive meat for our fast-food restaurants.
2. Economists estimate that for every person who switches to a vegan diet, 1 acre of trees is spared each year.
3. Runoff from animal waste is linked to a 7,000-square-mile "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico that no longer supports aquatic life.
4. At the present rate, many rain forests -- a natural resource on which we rely for everything from lifesaving medicines to the very air we breathe -- will be gone in 30 years.
5. Livestock produces 7 trillion tons of manure every year, and it all finds its way into our water system.
6. Sixty percent of all water used in America is used for meat production.
7. It takes 16 pounds of grain and 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat. Yet 16 people can be fed on the grain it takes to produce that pound of meat. Growing that amount of grain requires only 250 gallons of water.
8. Countries such as Ethiopia and some Central American countries use their farmland to supply the United States with cheap burgers instead of growing healthful grain foods for their own starving people. Every 2 seconds, a child starves to death somewhere in the world.
9. The livestock population of the United States consumes enough grain and soybeans to feed more than 5 times its human population. Ninety percent of all corn grown in the United States goes to livestock. Eighty percent of all grain and beans go to feed these animals.
10. Food grown directly for human consumption occupies 60 million acres. Food grown to feed livestock occupies 1.2 billion acres.

Source: Vegan Planet, Robin Robertson

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

This is an adapted recipe for vegan peanut butter cookies. I'd credit the original recipe writer if I could remember where I got the base recipe (sorry!)

Vegan, makes about 8-10 largish cookies

Ingredients:
=========
1/2 cup of margarine
3/4 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg replacer (I use 1/2 banana or 2 tbsp corn starch)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup white flour

Mix it up, add water if it's too dry. Pre-heat oven to 375f. Place on cookie sheet, and bake for about 10-12 minutes.

Great with vanilla soy-milk.

12 Really Great Health Reasons To Go Vegan

As most vegans will tell you, a diet without animal products can be good for your health. Of the more than 12 million vegetarians in the United States, it is estimated that nearly 50% made the choice for health reasons. Consider these facts:

1. A vegan diet has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, adult-onset diabetes, and osteoporosis.
2. The Journal of the American Medical Association has reported that a vegetarian diet can prevent 97% of coronary obstructions.
3. Osteoporosis is a disease of protein excess. The protein in milk actually inhibits the body's ability to absorb the calcium from milk. Many plant-based sources of calcium are easily assimilated into the body.
4. Dairy consumption has been linked to heart disease, cancer (especially breast cancer), allergies, sinus trouble, migraines, and psoriasis.
5. Dairy food can create excess mucus in the body, which can host cold and virus germs in the respiratory tract.
6. Vegans and vegetarians tend to be slimmer than meat eaters.
7. Studies show that a plant based diet can increase your life expectancy by 7 to 15 years.
8. The feed given to livestock is sprayed with pesticides. More than 90% of the toxic chemical residues found in foods consumed by Americans come from animal products.
9. More than 60 million pounds of antibiotics per year are fed to livestock. These are passed on to people in meat and dairy products. This result in a diminished effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat human illness.
10. Meat also contains bovine growth hormone, which can cause early sexual maturity in children. Statistics show that 100 years ago, American girls reached puberty at the average age of 17; today girls as young as 8 are beginning puberty.
11. A vegan diet can reduce the risk of food poisoning. According to the Centers for Disease Control, campylobacter infects up to 90% of all chicken. In addition, each year up to 20,000 Americans become ill from the E.coli found in meat.
12. Cornell University's long-term study of diet and health, called the China Project, showed that 80-90% of all cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other forms of degenerative illness can be prevented by adopting a plant-based diet.

Source: Vegan Planet, Robin Robertson

I'm a Humanitarian

It's Tough Being Vegan

by "Barrylove" of veggieboards.com

It’s not easy being vegan. I don’t mean that it is a difficult lifestyle; I embrace it and love it and would never consider living any other way. What I mean is that often we are made to feel like either an outcast or a target. Case in point, the other day I was at the store and ran into a friend who was there with his wife. The friend mentions in passing that I’m a vegan and his wife gives me a look as if I was standing there naked or something and proceeds to tell me how crazy that is. This is just one mild example.

Why do people get so upset by my choice to not eat the flesh of a dead animal? I am not hurting anyone and frankly it has nothing to do with them. I do have theories though. I think when someone comes across a vegan they get intimidated because they think that we will think less of them for eating meat or that we will think we are above them because we don’t eat it. This is simply not true; I was a meat-eater at one time. After I educated myself about the abuses involved in the meat and dairy industry I could no longer consume animal products, it’s that simple, it doesn’t make me special it just makes me someone who holds true to his beliefs and lives it. It reminds me of a great quote: ‘When you know better, you do better.’

While I’m on the subject, don’t ask me why I’m vegan if you really don’t want to know. Often people ask why and then when I tell them they get very defensive and go on the attack. If you ask me why, I’m going to tell you, isn’t that why you asked? I think some people ask so that they can argue the point. I don’t know what point there is to argue. Meat and dairy and filled with cholesterol, fat, hormones and antibiotics and animals are horrifically abused until their slaughter day arrives. These statements cannot be intelligently disputed.

Now about social situations, we have friends and family that will not invite us to their houses because they feel they cannot provide us with anything to eat. Often when we do get invited somewhere it turns into an apologetic invitation, letting us know that there may not be much there for us to eat. I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone out there know that vegans know what they are. No vegan goes to a wedding or dinner party expecting to be able to eat much of the food, it’s ok, we don’t mind and to be honest we know better than to ever show up hungry. As a host all you have to do is respect our lifestyle and realize that it is deep-rooted. Being a vegan is a moral and ethical choice. No true vegan is going to eat turkey just because you made one; it doesn’t work that way. It is not an insult to you or your cooking or your intentions, we will not compromise our values and no thinking person should expect us to. The social inconveniences are a very small price to pay and we are more than willing to pay it, please don’t feel bad. Likewise don’t think that we are offended because you made meat. We do not live in a bubble, we are aware of the world we are living in and know that we are the minority in this country at least for now. Happily, the number of vegetarians and vegans is rising sharply and that is a trend that is sure to continue.

Barry Lovealce, aka - 'barrylove' from veggieboards.com is creator of Exercise 4 Every Body DVD's (www.revealingmysecret.com). He can be reached at barry@wegetufit.com

Vegetarian Tacos

Mexican food has been a staple in our diet since we moved to the West Coast. The food is quick and easy to make, fresh, and incredibly tasty.

Our Taco recipe is a two parter. First the Guacamole, then the actual Tacos. All ingredients are suitable for a Vegan diet.

Guacamole:
========
2 ripe avocados, scooped and mushed.
1/3 onion, sliced and diced.
1-2 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into small cubes.
1-2 shoots of Cylantro.
1/5 head of lettuce, chopped.
Dash of salt, optional.
1 tbsp. of citrus juice.

Mix it together, finished.

Tacos:
=====
Taco Shells. We use Albertson's white corn shells, microwaved.
1 Can Vegetarian Refried Beans, microwaved.
1 small box Lightlife Smart Ground (Taco/Burrito), microwaved.
2 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into cubes.
1/3 Onion, chopped.
Green and/or red Salsa.
Fake cheese shreds.
Really hot hot sauce, apply liberally.

Stuff tacos, then stuff face.

Definitions of the Various Veg*isms.

Vegetarians? Lacto/Ovo? Vegans? What's all this then?

So everyone knows what a vegetarian is, right? Well, surprisingly, there seem to be quite a spectrum of definitions in popular use. A vegetarian is a person that does not eat animal flesh, or products that contain ingredients derived from the bodies of animals. Just as there are many different reasons to practice vegetarianism, so are there many different types of vegetarian diets. I'll focus on dietary practices in this article, and leave motivations for another day.

Vegetarian - Encompasses the broad spectrum of all those that do not eat products directly derived from animal bodies. About 2-3% of the US population are estimated to be vegetarian.*
Ovo/Lacto Vegetarian - A vegetarian that includes Eggs and Dairy in their diet.
Ovo Vegetarian - A vegetarian that includes eggs in their diet.
Lacto Vegetarian - A vegetarian that includes dairy in their diet.
Strict Vegetarian - A vegetarian that excludes any animal derived products, including eggs and dairy.
Vegetarian Raw Foodist - a vegetarian that eats only uncooked and unprocessed foods.
Fruitarian - A vegetarian whose diet may consist in great part or in whole of fruit, nuts or seeds.
Vegan - A strict vegetarian that excludes all animal derived products in everyday life. For example, wool and leather products would not be acceptable to a vegan.

Other definitions
Pescatarian - Similar to vegetarianism, but includes fish.
Omnivores - A person that eats an animal and plant based diet. The majority of people are omnivores.

Some examples of things vegetarians will not eat. Fish, poultry, animal based soup stocks, honey, Mc Donalds French Fries, Jello, and Gummi bears. What's wrong with the fries? Well, in general nothing, but Mc Donalds flavors its fries with beef and dairy products in some markets **. Why not Jello and Gummi bears? Well, most Jello and Gummi bears *** contain Gelatin. Gelatin is created by boiling connective tissue such as skin, cartilage, and bones.

References:
* http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue4/vj2006issue4poll.htm
** http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0504-02.htm (direct link no longer available)
*** http://www.haribo.com/planet/us/info/products.php

Recipe: Vegetable Soup

Super simple, mmmm, mmmm tasty on a chilly afternoon.


Ingredients: (Strict Vegetarian, Serves 4-6)
===============================
Carrots, fresh, sliced.
Can of peas.
3 large Roma tomatoes, cut into small cubes.
2 large potatoes, cut into cubes.
1 medium red onion, sliced and diced.
2/3 cup vegetarian broth (Mother's loose bin type).
Salt and Pepper as desired. Extra pepper gives it a kick.
Dash of ground Thyme.
Dash of ground Basil.
Tbsp. of olive oil, optional.
Wok full of water.

Combine with water, put on medium high heat, and cook until it reaches the desired consistency. Mine took about 45 minutes.

Notes:
======
These are quick and dirty proportions. Use whatever you have laying about, or whatever sounds best to you.

Introduction - Why Veganism?

In September of 2005, I made a life-altering decision. After 30-something years of omnivorous eating, I announced to my wife Krista that going forward, I would be a vegetarian.

For some people, it takes a particularly graphic view into the brutal and inhumane practices of factory farming, i.e. "Meet your Meat", or a quirky video like "The Meatrix", for some it's the environmental issue, for some improved health, for some it's spiritual, and yet others simply don't like the taste of meat. In my case, there was no sudden epiphany, no single event. I don't understand what my triggers were, but I can say without hesitation that mine is a pro-compassion move towards those creatures we senselessly and unnecessarily slaughter for nourishment, clothing, household goods, etc.

I jumped in both feat first, and haven't looked back. There have been a few regrettable slip ups, but it hasn't been a difficult change overall. With the proper diet in place, I don't have any noteworthy cravings. Ovo/lacto vegetarianism eased the transition to strict vegetarianism sometime in 2006. It seemed logical to cut out all dairy and eggs considering animal mistreatment in those industries. My goal is to live as close to the vegan ideals as possible.

I am asked the why question a lot when people that have known me discover the change. A better question is why not? Take the time to educate yourself and really consider the damage you're doing to other creatures, the environment, and possibly your health. Why would you continue down that road if perfectly tasty, nutritious, and sustainable alternatives exist in abundance.

"That's fine for you, but I couldn't do that". Have you tried? Choose to make a difference.

Krista was wonderfully supportive, and after about a month, made the transition to vegetarianism.

They say that the best way to learn is to teach. Among other reasons, this blog exists to share with others, and as a self-teaching aid. I hope you find it useful.