☮ Vegalante

Monday, 14 May 2012

Rainforest Run Challenge & Vegan Athletes

Please sponsor my 5* month challenege of 1/2 a marathon once a week*, by going Plant-Based for a Month to Save the Rainforest!

This is to raise awareness of how a plant based diet can end world hunger and reduce deforestation, free up natural and food resources for those in need.

World Hunger - 2.7bn people live in areas that suffer severe water shortages for at least one month of the year. We are consuming 50% more natural resources globally than our planet can sustainably produce.
Water used for livestock production is projected to increase 50% by 2025. Producing 1kg of beef requires 70 times as much land as 1kg of vegetables. And over 40% of the world’s grain harvest or 70-97% of richer countries grain, the harvest is fed to livestock. 6kg of plant protein is required to produce just 1kg of meat protein.' 9 May 2012 WWF Living Report pdf

United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management stated: "As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable. A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change."

Ecosystems

WWF'S Living Planet Report 2012, measured the health of 9,014 populations of more than 2,600 species, reveals a 30% decline in the health of species since 1970.
Freshwater creatures in decline:70%, Tropical species: fallen by 60% since 1970. Tigers n Asia, fallen 70% in 30 years.
Plants and animals are dying at a rate of 200 species a day, which is 'nearly 1,000 times the "natural" rate and is greater than anything the world has experienced since 65m years ago. Around 15% of mammal species and 11% of bird species are classified as threatened with extinction' (UN Environment Programme 2010). less of land = loss of ecosystems.

National Geographic: 'In Brazil, which houses 30 percent of the remaining tropical rain forest on Earth, more than 50,000 square miles of rain forest were lost to deforestation between 2000 and 2005... The rain forest is nearly self-watering. Plants release water into the atmosphere through a process called transpiration. In the tropics, each canopy tree can release about 200 gallons (760 liters) of water each year. Loss of ecosystems = pollution. Global Depletion.

Frozen raspberries with coconut water

Plant-based is accessible to anyone and benefits everyone.

One month* I can almost guarantee that at the end of the month you'll have the stamina and reduce fatty animal cravings! After 35 days your skin and liver replenishes itself, built on the fresh foods you supply your cells with!
Help me perservere for 5 months! I've selected 5 as this is my 'last' half marathon race booked. 1/2 marathon each week is my guideline.
Friends can help me by clicking on the advert at the bottom of this post to visit their site. I haven't used ads before so I hope it works anyway!

Coconut water, frozen banana, fresh mango

I also go on long bikerides and sign up for other distance races, but I'll put the miles in! It's often cold/rainy/grey here in Oxford! I started this challenge by covering 20 miles on foot (walking, jogging) and was back by the afternoon, I took a litre carton of coconut water with me as an isontonic and had blueberries to eat halfway. I use raw as a guideline but I am 100% vegan! I am 5 ft 4.5, 'with asthma' (but through exercise and plant-based diet you can reduce allergies and strengthen your heart and lungs).

Bikeride salad

Vegan Athletes

Michael Clarke Duncan (Green Mile actor / bodybuilder) 'Video. “I’m a lot stronger than I was when I was eating meat... Most of your most powerful animals in the wild are vegetarian... The protein you put in from the beans, legumes, fresh fruits, and vegetables will last way longer, and you’ll get more out of it'
Carl Lewis (Olympic gold medal winner) best athletic performances came after he eliminated all animal products from his diet. Video - JUICE
Michael Arstein (Fruitarian Ultra Marathon Runner) runs 100 mile races in 15 1/2 hours.
Scott Jurek (Ultramarathoner) multiple winner of 100-mile races and twice winner of the Badwater Ultra Marathon, which is run over a course of 135 miles. The race starts in Death Valley, at 280 feet below sea level and finishes at Mount Whitney Portal, which is 8.360 feet above sea level. That's a 135 miles course over three mountain ranges with a cumulative ascent of 13,000 feet and a cumulative descent of 4,700 feet. - QUINOA, TOFU
Mac Danzig (Mixed martial artist) who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. - BROWN RICE. “In this day and age I don’t see any reason to contributing to a really awful industry that causes too many problems”, explains Danzig. “It’s horrible what the animals have to go through on a daily basis – they’re born and raised in really nasty conditions and it’s better not to contribute to that whole thing.”
Paul Chetirkin (Extreme Sportsman, Endurance Racer) +SESAME SEEDS, various beans, LEGUMES lentils, CHICKPEAS, Vegan protein shakes. "Alkaline foods are more regenerative and have a more positive impact on your system during and after strenuous activity. Living foods like leafy green spinach salad and tofu'

Brendan Brazier (professional Ironman triathlete)
Dave Scott (Six-time winner of the Ironman triathlon)
Sixto Linares (World record holder, 24-hour triathlon)

Fit Femmes

Ruth Heidrich (Six-time Ironwoman, USA track and field Master's champion). Overcame breast cancer on a LF vegan diet.
Nicky Cole (First woman to walk to the North Pole)
Debbie Lawrence (World record holder, women's 5K racewalk)
Cheryl Marek and Estelle Gray (World record holders, cross-country tandem cycling)
Fiona Oakes won 17 UK titles as a cyclist and went on to represent the UK in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. In 2007 she became the Essex County Marathon Champion. + Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary.
Other Information
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com (Body building)

http://www.bestveganguide.com/vegan-athletes.html (Various)

www.veganathlete.com (Various)

http://www.adaptt.org/athletes.html (Profiles and AR)

http://www.veganfitness.net/ (Forum)

Diet - Fat and cholesterol(meat + dairy) clog arteries, making blood flow harder (See also benefits of fruits and vegetables for the brain and for reducing inflammation)

Cut down on salt, reduce water retention. No need to salt a fresh 'living foods' diet!

Sports Fuel

Potassium - coconut water and bananas, berries reduce inflammation.

Electrolytes - coconut water!

Carbs - dates, fruit alternative to jellybeans.

Berries - Goji Berries - unique taste, amazing antioxidant. 15g of protein in this bag. Dried/dehydrated banana, this is slow-dried Cavendish banana, but you can purchase golden banana coins (not chips). Phsyalis Berries - fresh tasting, shown here for an appetiser or after-dinner.

x Don't forget the Solar Eclipse 20th May (Sunday)

Sunday, 29 April 2012

Does the RSPCA Eat Animals?

For Many, It's Standing for the Next 30hrs

Why is the government providing agri-subsidies with our tax money to animal abusers? Can we rely on maintsream charities? Pigs are not considered animals, in order to be protected from animal abuse. Perhaps because of the money that can be made, or the fact that even select animal establishments take enjoyment from it. "Sales of just soy “analogs,” or alternatives to livestock products totaled $1.9 billion in 2007. That same year, sales of U.S. meat and poultry products totaled $100 billion" Forbes 28 April 2012

What happens when an animal escapes a slaughter house - Is he or she returned to the abusers, to be killed for money? Instead we have to rely on Undercover Footage, the power of Animal Rights Charities, Sanctuaries and Volunteer Outreachers. Why are pigs not given the same protection as dogs and cats, is it a financial issue? RSPCA (the HQ, not the local branch) is one of the richest charities in the UK. 28th April 2012 - 'Nature lover leaves wildlife haven to RSPCA – who sell it to be bulldozed and built on'.

Protection for Pigs
BritishPorkIndustry.co.uk :"The RSPCA have confirmed they WILL NOT be prosecuting East Anglian Pig Co. for the torture and abuse of animals. The RSPCA think it is okay for piglets to be beaten to death with iron bars. The RSPCA think it is okay to swing pigs around by their legs. The RSPCA think it is okay to kick pigs in the head. The RSPCA think it is okay to slap and punch pigs. The RSPCA think it is okay to smash pigs against iron railings and leave them to writhe in pain. This is the reality of the British Pork Industry. This is yet more proof that labels such as ‘High Quality Assured’ or ‘Freedom Food’, are an absolute sham!'

Harling Farm, UK (2012) Quality Assured British Pork

No prosecutions

Animal Equality's Investigation (Animal Equality Exposes Harling). Also a footage video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOQtwMqJIFI . There was a protest outside the National Gallery (April 2012) to inform the public.

Cheale Meats, Essex UK (19 April 2012) Weflare Assured Farm!

Animal Aid reports that Cheale Meats employees will now face prosecution for animal cruelty. The charges related to causing unnecessary suffering to a pig by - failing to ensure that a lame pig was not humanely slaughtered immediately, applying a lighted cigarette to pigs' snouts, striking pigs with a baton, all contrary to sections 4(1) and 32(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_slaughter/ALL/2525/ Undercover Footage included

RSPCA 'Freedom Farm' in Norfolk revealed cruelty. Vegan-Run Hillside Animal Sanctury's own Investigations.

Most pigs were sent for slaughter by RSPCA, Hillside managed to rescue a few: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=picJCys65Lw

East Anglian Pig Co. (2012) No prosecutions!

Animal Equality UK 'Brutality and slaughter in East Anglian Pig Co. the UK's third largest pig producer, which supplies through Cranswick plc to McDonald's, and leading supermarkets and brands such as Jamie Oliver, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Asda and The Co-operative Food. Please write to let them know what you think about their link with East Anglian Pig cO. URGENT: Sign the petition asking DEFRA and RSPCA to prosecute EAP: http://bit.ly/Jg7FxX
Undercover footage: http://youtu.be/TUxg93ghBVA
News: http://bit.ly/eap-exposed '

EU
Compassion in World Farming Investigations and Coalition for Farm Animals (ECFA) visited 74 pig farms in six Member States: Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Spain and the UK– coupled with a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – suggests that nearly all of the 250 million pigs farmed each year in the EU are reared in breach of EU animal welfare laws

Routine tail docking on up to 100 per cent of farms visited – prohibited by EU law
Widespread lack of environmental enrichment – prohibited by EU law
Continued use of farrowing crates: metal cages confining mothering sows
Continued use of sow stalls (narrow crates for pregnant sows) in the countries investigated, despite the looming 2013 ban

USA - see the 12th May 2012 Tyson Foods Animal Equality Investigation - one of the largest 'meat' suppliers in the world, with practices such as gestation crates. Text and video imbedded.

FTC launches complaint against Pork Industry for deceptive 'Welfare' claim. 20 April 2012 - One Green Planet

Mercy For Animals undercover investigation nation's largest pork producers - Iowa Select Farms. "Mother sows and their piglets are forced to suffer brutal abuse and lives of unrelenting confinement and misery. Between April and June of 2011, an MFA investigator documented: - Mother sows confined to barren metal crates barely larger than their own bodies -- unable to turn around or lie down comfortably for nearly their entire lives- Workers ripping out the testicles of conscious piglets without the use of painkillers- Piglets suffering with herniated intestines, due to botched castration- Conscious piglets having their tails painfully sliced into and yanked off with dull clippers- Large, open, pus-filled wounds and pressure sores- Sick and injured pigs left to languish and slowly die without proper veterinary care- Mother pigs -- physically taxed from constant birthing -- suffering from distended, inflamed, bleeding, and usually fatal uterine prolapses - Management training workers to throw piglets across the room -- comparing it to a "roller coaster ride" "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBR4FlrWVk4&feature=youtu.be

Standard US Pig Slaughter - Inside the Camp

'All of this legal under US standards' - video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCcUV-Yg-bc&feature=related

Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Recycle! Earth Day Every Day

UPDATE - 9 May 2012 - Plastic has increased 100-fold in 40 years with adverse effects on ecosystems.
Please recycle and take tote bags, don't use disposable plastic - Sign the petition 'U.S. Congress to place a hefty environmental tax on plastic bag usage in commerce. A wholefoods diet uses less packaging. Preparing your own drinks and food helps.

Animal agriculture contributes to more greenhouse emissions, deforestation and pollution than all transport combined. It uses more resources (water, crops, land) than any any industry. These figures are increasing with demand. For example, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached in 2011 the highest level in 800,000 years. Also, avoid pesticides - bee population is declining (5 April 2012).
Deforestation affecting Biodiversity:

Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses:1,000 per year ("Diet For A New America" by John Robbins). Or 150-200 species per day. (2010)
'Plant and animal species also fall to extinction every single day, mainly because of deforestation, 80% of which, is caused by human employed animal agriculture, not global civil development(8% of all planetary deforestation). AELLA.org
Considering that we have identified only half of the species of life on Earth, this tells us that significantly more are surely succumbing to extinction, daily.' (AELLA.org). Plus the figure is rising.
'More than one third of the world's 825 "ecoregions" identified by conservation group WWF are threatened by livestock. US group Conservation International: 23 out of 40-odd global "biodiversity hotspots" – the places considered most valuable for life – are now seriously affected by livestock production.' (Greenpeace).

'From 1971 to 2010, worldwide production of meat tripled to around 600 billion pounds while global population grew by just 81 percent (US Census Bureau, International Data Base). At this rate, production will double by 2050 to approximately 1.2 trillion pounds of meat per year, requiring more water, land, fuel, pesticides and fertilizer and causing significant damage to the planet and global health' (EWG)

More than 840 million people in the world struggling for food right now.

Compare this with the fact that - “If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million (David Pimentel of Cornell University).

It is a factor in at least half the 10.4 million child deaths which occur every year' (World Health Organisation). Wasted Resources

'About 20 percent of the world's population, or 1.4 billion people, could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle alone.
Seven billion livestock in the U.S. consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the entire U.S. population. (David Pimentel, sourced from Scientific American)
If everyone on Earth received 25 percent of his or her calories from animal products, only 3.2 billion people could be nourished.
Because the industrial world is exporting grain to developing countries and importing the meat that is produced with it, farmers who are trying to feed themselves are being driven off their land.
In the US, 64% of cropland produces feed for animals, while only 2% grows fruit and vegetables.
Food for a vegan can be produced on only 1/6 of an acre of land, while it takes 3 1/4 acres of land to produce food for an animal-eater.' (Evolve Campaigns)

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Spring ʚϊɞ Green Eggs & Ham?

ʚϊɞ Green Ham. Spring time. Protect the Pigs! (I thought I'd search for Easter recipes for inspiration and was horrified to find that people cook our friends! I thought Easter/Springtime was about celebrating life, not violence! Stinks aswell, retch-worthy! Bless the poor pigs (pink angels that walk this earth!), I'm having flesh-coloured artichoke instead. If you have a dehydrator, try Raw Bacon from aubergine or if you manage to find a Thai Coconut.

ʚϊɞ Pink Artichoke Petals

Marinade the artichoke (I used a garlic infused antipasti) with beetroot + lemon juice (or use v. red cider vinegar). I discovered it by accident and used it as a replacement for 'ham'. You can also make Green 'Eggs' from organic tofu!

Environmental Issues - Lamb, Beef, Pork, top Greenhouse polluters. In this E.W.G chart, lamb (babies) produces 39.2kg CO2 per 1kg, pork (pigs!) produces 12.1 kg CO2, beef (cows!) 27kg. In contrast, lentils (high protein) produced just 0.9kg CO2 /kg. (Chart on Carbon Footprint of 20 Animal Products).
Eggs amongst the 10 Most Harmful 'foods' for the Environment. And consider the packaging required (unlike with potatoes, which had a much lower score). 9/10 of the most harmful 'foods' for the environment were animal products - meat, cheese and eggs. For example, 'Canada alone produces about 6 billion eggs a year' (5 April 2012) and the CO2 is 4.8kg per 1kg.

An Easter gift alternative ʚϊɞ Pedicure, Manicure - Nail art examples by Marina. ʚϊɞ Papier Mache 'Egg' Painting DIY ʚϊɞ Spring Banquet - A table set with a vegan breakfast and all the trimmings! Postpunk breakfast recipes. Or a co-ordinating Mad Hatter Green Tea Party with cake. Here is a list of egg replacements for baking.

Drew him for use on a hoody

ʚϊɞ Cruelty free toiletries. I've been buying the Porridge soap by Lush Cosmetics, it is sweetly scented (like hazelnut vanilla coffee and maple), it is similar to the Christmas time Snowcake bar fragranced with almond. ʚϊɞ Kitchenwear - Wok steam-basket (reusable, inexpensive) to package your gifts or fruit, pack a hamper of favourite dry products. Anything useful to cut down on packaging! ʚϊɞ A bicycle basket - Pretty essential once you have one! Or at least use tote bags, pollution is disgusting and recycling is easy. Eco is not just cool now, it is expected!

Strawberries & Cream

Non-gmo Soymilk, Fresh strawberries frozen, flaxseed for Omega 3, vanilla coffee syrup, dash of almond essence. It tastes so fresh with super-ripe strawberries. You can purchase these cheaply from the market - then freeze so they keep! Cheaper than waitrose. The green is from the leaves left on.

Consumer Disclosure

Recently, Starbucks were under-fire for selling the Stawberry Frappucino to anyone, not warning that it was not vegetarian. It is coloured with carmine / cochineal / E120 (crushed female beetles) instead of strawberries, and it's not cheap either! Many products are, cakes, drinks, frosting, milkshake syrup. I think ingredients should list 'beetle' rather than these innocuous codes that promote non-disclosure. The World Health Organisation has found that cochineal extract may cause asthma.

EU meat consumption and production falls - Both meat production and consumption in the EU are expected to decrease in 2012, according to a recent report by the European Commission. This is from the poultry news website 29/02/12 (not animal-friendly, neither were some of the terminologies!): 'Overall meat production in the EU is expected t.o decrease by 1.1% in 2012 with a further small decrease of 0.1% in 2013, while a decrease in total EU meat consumption is foreseen of 0.7% in 2012 and 0.4% in 2013, the EC’s Short Term Outlook for February 2012 stated. ... Overall supply of meat was further constrained by high feed costs...[however] The total consumption of poultry meat is expected to increase in 2012 by 0.8% in the EU mainly triggered by a higher domestic demand and relatively cheap availability.' There is a misconception that chickens don't feel pain or exhibit feelings of suffering or happiness or affection for eachother. Perhaps the reason people purchase the bodies of these wonderful, sweet animals is that production has become so 'mainstream' that people largely don't question the ethics. Flipper the Rooster wearing sneakers / trainers /hi-tops (video at Woodfarm animal sanctuary, where they are looking after him). A disfigurement caused by humans altering the growth of these chickens through genetic manipulation.

Egg Industry Discards Male Chicks

Unfortunately: Net production [of 'poultry', meaning they're going to slaughter more chickens] in the EU is expected to grow slightly by 0.6% in 2012 and by 0.7% in 2013 compared with the years before. Here is a UK Chicken Sheds footage video (we credit ourselves with strong welfare for animals).
The egg industry is not cruelty-free. See the 'Free Range' Myth and the Organic animal products idealism. It's extremely easy to cut out les oeufs altogether.

Live Grinding - Happy Birthday 'This is a male baby chick, in his last moment on earth. Below him is a giant grinder into which he will fall alive because he hatched male, and is therefore useless to the egg industry. His fate is shared by 200 million innocent baby male chicks every year.' I hope this little baby goes VIRAL, so people know what they are buying, and his death is not in vain. Video of this practice in UK and USA (they also use gas chambers): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ--faib7to . Also photos of chicks left in skips or bin bags. No, it is not Natural.

'Voici un poussin mâle, vivant son dernier instant sur Terre. Au-dessous de lui se trouve un énorme broyeur dans lequel il tombera vivant, pour la seule raison d'être né "mâle", ce que le rend alors "inutile" d'après l'industrie produisant des oeufs. Son sort est partagé par plus de 200 millions de poussins mâle chaque année. Il n'a vécu qu'un court instant, mais durant cet instant il n'était pas un déchet. Il était quelqu'un, un être vivant conscient et sensible. Les dernières secondes d'une vie qui s'éteind ...' Animaux Militante.

"Broilers - 30 billion (killed at 6-12 weeks old after short miserable lives confined in semi-darkness and squalor. Lame, infected and in constant pain through genetic manipulation of their size.)
Egg-layers - 5 billion (killed before they are a year old after suffering confinement, constant pain, abuse, illness, starvation and injury.)
Breeders - several millions (males and females who breed the broilers and egg-layers - 60 million killed yearly in the US alone.)
Male chicks - 35 billion (killed soon after hatching by live-grinding, suffocation or gassing because most males are surplus to requirements.)"

From Evolve Campaigns over a year ago (I assume the figures are even greater now).

It is estimated that '60% of the world’s eggs [in 2010] were produced in industrial systems, mostly using battery cages, including over two thirds in the EU.^[1] In the UK, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) indicate that 50% of eggs produced in the UK throughout 2010 were from cages.^2'
United States - 95% come from hens confined for nearly their entire lives to barren battery cages 'so small they are unable to fully stretch their wings, walk, run, perch, dust bathe, roost, or engage in most other natural behaviors' (Mercy For Animals McDonalds Petition).

Update - 18 May 2012, Tasmania, Australia's first state to outlaw battery eggs, one of the cruelest human industries.

Health - Eggs and Disease

Egg consumption increases prostate, breast and ovarian cancers (Harvard, Sept 2011). Men who consume more than two and a half eggs on a weekly basis were up to 81 per cent more likely to be killed by the disease. Prevent Cancer (Research Journal): Men who consumed 2.5 or more eggs per week had an 81% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer compared to men who consumed less than 0.5 eggs per week (HR: 1.81; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13, 2.89; p-trend: 0.01).
British Heart Foundation recommended eating no more than 3 a week due to the increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
FAT: Diabetes - Women who consumed the most eggs (greater than or equal to seven per week) had a 77 percent increased risk of diabetes in the Omega study and a 165 percent increased risk in the Alpha study, compared with those who consumed the least (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2011). An estimated 25.8 million children and adults in America have diabetes, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2008, the figure was 23.6 million. About one in four is unaware of the condition. An additional 79 million now have prediabetes, 22 million more than estimated in 2008. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011)

Cholesterol

One Chicken egg has cholesterol of 201mg and 1.6gms saturated fat (55 gm egg).

One Duck egg has cholesterol of 621mg and 2.6gms saturated fat (70 gm egg)

One Quail egg has cholesterol of 76mg and 0.3gms saturated fat (9 gm egg)
One Turkey egg has cholesterol of 747mg and 2.9gms saturated fat (80 gm egg)

One Goose egg has cholesterol of 1226mg and 5.3gms saturated fat (145 gm egg).

Food Poisoning See also Vegan for Health

Country Click to see footage from each country	Prevalence of tail docking (% of farms visited)	No (or ineffective) environmental enrichment (% of farms visited)
Denmark	100%	67%
Germany	79%	89%
Hungary	70%	70%
Netherlands	100%	88%
Spain	100%	100%
UK	54%	36%